Last week I met with Mario at a Starbucks (or should we call it 5-bucks) to do a stage 2 on my 2012 FJCW. What can I say that hasn't been said already. Mario is a great guy. Very polite, patient and all around genuine person. The knowledge he has about these cars is phenomenal. I must have asked him a hundred questions and he had the answers. He went above and beyond what I paid him for. Car runs GREAT and pulls hard all the way through the rev range now.

I highly recommend contacting him if you're interested in a Manic tune. You wont be disappointed. I wasn't!

Mario, thanks again for all your help. I know I'll be contacting you very soon for a new DP and whatever else you recommend.

Regards,

Bill

 

I just got my manic tune from Mario and am an extremely happy customer. I originally contacted him back over the winter about getting a downpipe and tune from him. As luck would have it, I found one of his downpipes new and unused for sale on this forum and picked it up. The piece is top notch and the install was no big deal. Then I reached out to him for the tune. He's very responsive and we lined everything up via text. I overnighted him my ECU on Monday, he worked his magic on Tuesday and overnighted it back to me and now it's Wednesday and before lunch my car is back in service and better than ever before. Couldn't be happier. I did have a number of questions and he always provided a quick response. If you or anyone you know needs a downpipe or tune, reach out to Mario, he'll take care of you!





Cheers!

 

He is always willing to help eventough your are not his direct customer.

 

Welcome to the club and thank you for the kind words. Keep my number, in case you want more power, it's addicting

mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

 

A few days ago I had the pleasure of finally meeting and working with Mario aka “MarioKart” and his installer Eman. This is the second time I have gone through Mario for upgrades and for questions…..well I’ve texted or called him an endless amount of times. He always responds in a timely and professional manner. In the past I have ordered Mario’s DP and stage 2.5 manic tune and have been extremely happy with it and all his recommendations. However it was time to finally put in his custom 46mm turbo, upgraded blow off valve (from 4 holes to 6 holes), helix IC, NM Eng discharge pipe and stage 3 upgrade into “Mojojojo”.

The install.

Mario has some great professional installers aka Eman that take care of you and your Mini. Even though he drives a Honda Eman did an outstanding, professional job on the install of the turbo, pipes and IC. He knows his way around Minis and is extremely knowledgeable when answering any questions and concerns I had. He has a great shop that is comfortable to hang out in during the install, good vibes, kinda like a barber shop.

Like always, Mario has an endless amount of Mini information, he will explain anything you don’t understand and inform you of other ways to increase performance in your Mini. I was able to learn a few “Mini hacks” throughout the day from Mario which makes my Mini even more unique. I trust and recommend going to Mario for any questions and upgrades on anything Mini.

Results

I have a R60 AWDS 2015 with Mario’s DP, cat less pipes, Alta cold air intake, NM Eng 22mm rear sway bar and current upgrades. The sound is a bit deeper when idling and driving (in a good way) and a bit more burly when in sport mode, no droning when driving on hwy, and the blow off sound went from a swooshing noise to a sharper chirp sound ( I like it, sounds clean). Power wise, oh man! Huge increase of power and “throw your head back” torque, my CM has hit beast mode now and for the price it’s well worth it and I highly recommend it. Don’t waste your money on an exhaust system, I have the stock exhaust and it sounds great with all the upgrades.
I not only made a few new friends and learned a few new things, but I made some incredible Mini gains Thanks MarioKart and Eman. Next upgrades will be wheels and rims, Motor on!

Here’s a few pics.







left is old 2015 valve, right is new valve with Alta Spring




Helix IC, 46mm turbo, and pipes




Mario's 46mm turbo




Mojojojo




check it out on Instagram #myminimojojojo

 

Thanks for driving over here yesterday. Your CMS has made some big changes and I have to respect, that you buy car parts before you own the actual car.
Maybe lunch next week, when we get your windshield tinted.
We need to make a CountryMan video.
BTW It took me a year, to learn your government name
Mario

mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

 

I finally got Mario to configure Stage 2 on my Countryman, you can feel the extra Ponies .... screaming ... give me more.


Mario did a great job


Thanks Mario

 

Welcome to the Manic family. There is no reason to drive a Mini with stock HP
Enjoy stage 2 and let me know your ready for stage 3!
Thank you
Mario

mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

 

Got wheels a few weeks ago and again Mario was around to answer questions. and hook me up with people to get good deals on tires. thanks for the rims and help with lights ect.


(James Mike) LOL, yes let make a CM video after I lower it.
gonna paint breaks red soon and lower

 

I read a lot of these comments before deciding to buy a tune from Mario- and I had a lot of conversations with Mario, spanning a period of about 6 months before I pulled the trigger. He taught me so much about the car, even knowing I wasn't going to buy for a long time. I was really impressed with his knowledge, and his patience with a new Mini owner like me!
I had a tune done already- a modest one, but definitely more fun than stock.
The Manic tune is so much more fun! Pops and burbles in map A, but very smooth power. Map B is bad ***, really throws you back, and even more pops. Haven't tried C yet, almost afraid! With the switch it is so cool to try the different tunes! MY wife takes the car and I switch it to stock, my son and I go for a drive, and up the map, and "pop-pop" it sounds awesome, and the power is so smooth, all the way up! I just installed some gauges and the coolant temps are consistently low, which Mario predicted. I don't have all the hardware for Stage 2, (yet) but he said because of where I live, fuel quality etc. that was OK, and it runs great. I have a warranty for about 40K or 2 years left, so having stock mode is cool.
If you are thinking of a tune, I highly recommend Mario!

 

^^^ Glad it all worked out, I know it can feel odd to send your ECU out, to some guy in California
Enjoy the new power and Mini addiction.
I look forward to your future mods.
Thank you for the review
Mario

mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

 

Last week I finally decided to take the jump and purchase the stage 1 manic tune. I emailed Mario and got the ball rolling within a few hours. If I can say anything about Mario's work, its that he definitely lives up to all the positive things everyone says about him within these threads. I sent my ECU out on Friday via Fedex priority overnight, and he received and shipped it back out it the very next day! With candy! Speed and ease of communication we're very very good. I really couldn't be happier with this experience! Thanks again Mario

 

Wow, all the rave reviews are staggering, but Mario absolutely deserves it. Best experience I've ever had dealing with a tuner. I recently installed a ported 42mm turbo from JMTC on my JCW, which is an incredibly well built piece of equipment, and after talking to Eric from JM, i had decided that because of the new turbo, it was finally time to part ways with my custom AccessPort tunes, and go with something made just for my car. Initially I was looking for tuners who may still have the AccessTuner software for the r56, but before that search could even really get underway, I was put in touch with Mario, and after talking to him back and forth, I decided it was fate for him to do the new Stage 3 for my bigger turbo.
His knowledge is impeccable, and having never pulled my ECU before this, I wasn't sure what to expect, cause they're all slightly different, but he sensed i was having an issue and immediately called me, and I managed to finally pop it out while we were on the phone. I overnighted it to him from the northern Bay Area near Napa, it was tuned the next day, and I had it back in the car less than 36 hours after first shipping it. My first impressions are of a similar variety to everyone else with one of Mario's stage 3 tunes... WOW, HOLY DAMN, IT FEELS LIKE A STABBED RAT ON FIRE.
It's seriously amazing, especially with the way this new turbo delivers it's power through this tune. It comes on as fast as the stock JCW turbo, but SO MUCH harder, and it never runs out of boost up top. I honestly need about another 1000rpm's, cause it just rows through gears like a monster. It feels like I imagine time traveling would.
Now, I was seeing quite a lot of power before through the AP, but somehow it didn't feel as reliable as Mario's tune. You can tell that everything has been adjusted to operate in tandem, rather than simply upping the values to get an instantly perceivable, but risky performance boost. There's certainly a reason why the Mini challenge cars are Manic tuned. I wish I had gotten his tune much much sooner, cause I probably wouldn't have to be solving the problems I'm currently solving with my engine. Can't wait to get it up and running properly so I can finally give it a good thrashing through a canyon.
Also, I mentioned my current problems, which have been going on for the last month or so, and which resulted in me changing the turbo in the first place, so Eric from JMTC told me to get a fully catless DP to aid in finding the exact problem, and so naturally I couldn't not get one of Mario's ceramic coated DP's. He's working with me so I can pay him in two installments, just until I get these car problems sorted out because they're burning massive holes in my wallet, and not many people would be willing to help in that kind of way.
I have nothing but good things to say about dealing with Mario, and I don't see that ever changing. He's still responding to my texts at random hours in the morning even though I've got the ECU back, sometimes just shooting the **** about cars and things in general, and that's something that no other tuner I've used has done. Usually it's hard to get any REAL support after your tune is installed. For that alone, Mario is a serious cut above the rest, and when you add in his knowledge and attention to detail, well he's about the best damn tuner for Mini's i've ever known.
I will be posting a full review of the way the car feels after I have it up and running properly (probably needing a valve stem seal job), and probably videos and professionally recorded exhaust tones from the ceramic downpipe (which will sound amazing, cause it's a 2.5 rather than a 3, and it's got really thick walls).

 

Recently hired Mario to Flash my dads R56 and it was a breeze. I sent him the ecu next day with a next day return tag. He flashed same day. Done and done. Car fired up with the new mods and it was working immediatley. No CEL, full decat.

Unlike Jan of RMW, Mario gives a ****.

Thanks!


~Dv8

 

Another satisfied customer here! Can't say enough good things about Mario's customer service. He went above and beyond to get our stage 2 and DP to us in a hurry! And all I can say is WOW!!! What a difference, the car really came alive! Thanks again!!!

 

I wanted to post a quick note to this thread about the great experience I had working with Mario. I'm relatively new to Mini - I bought my '07 MCS about 8 months ago. It was already well modded and had a performance tune. Long story short, I had to replace the turbo recently and the shop also flashed the car with the latest software updates - they thought they were doing me a favor! But they wiped out the performance tune and the car was back to driving like stock! Knowing what the car was capable of there was no way I could continue to drive it with a stock map.

After doing a lot of reasearch I came across Mario's name in the NAM forum and was impressed by all the happy customers. I reached out to him and explained my situation. Mario is very responsive and always responds with detailed answers. He said that if I shipped my ECU to him, he could map it and ship it back same day. Being in Canada I didn't feel comfortable shipping my ECU cross border where it could get hung up in customs, on the way there or back. As it happened, I had to go to San Jose on a 3-day business trip so I took my ECU with me in my carry-on (Mario was a big help walking me through getting it out of the car!). I overnighted it to Mario on Tuesday. By Thursday I had it back at the hotel newly mapped with an sps switch - and a bag full of candy! All during the process Mario was in communication with me letting me know where we were in the process.

I flew the red-eye back last night and popped the ECU back in as soon as I got home. And all I can say is WOW! I thought the original tune that came with the car when I bought it was fast and responsive. But this is next level! And the pops and crackles when in Sport mode sound great! It's going to be fun learning the feel of the car all over again!

Bottom line - if you are thinking about getting a performance tune for your MCS then contact Mario. He makes it easy and explains the process in as much detail as you want along the way.

 

In September this year my wife and I purchased our first mini. It was a 2012 MCS. Since I do not have the ability to leave anything stock, the work began! Since I did not even know where to begin, I googled forums and found this one. After a few days of reading, the parts began to pour in. My wife is very hands-on, and wanted to do the work herself. This was to be her get around hot rod. We have a full-size Yukon and a massive truck not exactly the easiest thing is it around in traffic.

In my research I begin to look at different turning options and the name Mario kart came up a few times. Being a Nintendo fan as a kid, it made me laugh! But as I began to look into the products and services that Mario offered, I became very interested. I originally grew up in Southern California and when I went to the manic turning side, I saw his name pop up as a tuner about 20 minutes from where I grew up. I live up in Utah now, and could not find anyone local that I could take my car to. I knew I was going to have to mail out the EC you. Made me a little nervous, as I am sure everyone on this thread about the same.
I sent an email out to Mario and asked a few short questions and told him the modifications I had so far. He responded back to me within an hour or so with all the information I needed. Not only was he informative, but he was a genuine car lover. And owned a GP2 himself. I have a hard time getting Car advice from people who do not own or drive the car themselves. This was not the case! He knew the inns and outs of the mini Cooper. And since it was all new to me, I soaked up everything he said.
My experience with Mario was awesome! I pulled my ECU a day or two before I went on vacation, and when I got back it was waiting for me ready to go. He was always there to answer my texts and my phone calls. I highly recommend him to anyone. Since the mini turning options are slim here in Utah, if there is anyone that wants to go for a test ride in our car and see the true potential, call or text me. Or send me a PM on this form. I live in Provo which is south of Salt Lake City.

Mario… Thank you! I appreciate everything. In less than three months I have gone from a bone stock mini Cooper S to a little rocket! Upgrades include new 18"wheels and tires, neuspeed suspension, alta 22mm sway bar , Front strut brace, K&N CAI, Alta diverter valve spring, forge innercooler, Alta hot side pipe, Acrapovic down pipe, Invidia full exhaust, and a manic stage to tune! It has been a busy 10 weeks!

 

I wrote a review several days ago will you please release it? Thank you
Thanks for releasing it

 

Hey Ryan,
Thank you for the great review!! I hope you and your wife, enjoy your new Go-Kart and I have a feeling you will be ready for stage 3 sooner than later
Stay in touch
Mario

mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

 

Finally got my 2012 countryman manic tuned by Mario. It took me a while before I got all my parts installed for a stage 2 tune, but it was worth the wait. Mario is very knowledgeable when it comes to tuning. He knows his stuff and is willing to educate people.

Shipping out my ECU was my only option of getting it tuned. Shipped it overnight to Mario and shipped it back right to me overnight as well. It basically was just gone for like 48 hours. The whole process was quick and painless. Now as far as the power goes, it changed my car a whole lot. It is now a beast. The tune got rid of the lag and delay of power when you step on it. Couldnt believe this car can have so much potential. It just practically throws you back to your seat when it hits WOT. . It take a lot for me not to gun it everytime I drive. Couldn't be happier.

 

Just got Mario's coated Down Pipe along with a Stage 2 tune for my 09 JCW. Mario is very knowledgeable. Trust him with anything regarding your Mini. He was prompt at answering all of my questions regarding the tune and DP. What can I say, the guy definitely knows how to treat his customers right. Mario, thanks for hooking me up man! Its great to have someone like you in the Mini community that goes above and beyond.

As far as the tune with a catless DP, WOAH is the first thing that came out of my mouth. I always thought the Mini was a pretty quick car but the tune took it to another level. I couldn't believe how much more power and torque was gained with a simple DP and tune.

Anyone on the fence with getting a tune and DP, just go for it and go with Mario. I have a Manic Tuner locally in AZ but still decided to go with Mario after reading all the great things from other customers and also to support him.

Keep up the great work buddy!

-Kevin

 

Are you reading this? Can you see what everyone is saying? There's a reason for it, because its true. This guy is the GO-TO Mini tuner.

I have read thread after thread for over two years trying to figure out how to efficiently build my Mini, and after chasing gremlins from outdated tuners, I contacted Mariokart. within two day of him receiving my ECU, I had it back and installed with one of his ceramic coated downpipes and an SPS switch. My first reaction was WOW! Its on-demand popping and crackling has me laughing so hard, even more when i see peoples reaction. So my car has gone from "peppy" or "spirited" to "pissed" It has a whole new attitude, and i can still kick it back into Clark Kent mode when needed

By far the BEST money you can spend on your Mini.

and did I mention candy? Yeah! He sent some candy along in the package for when you work on the car. F***in' awesome.

 

My dad found Mario when he came upon his DP for sale on on eBay. He had contacted Mario to learn more about the DP, and subsequently discovered the Manic tune. He purchased both the DP and tune for his 2013 R56 JCW. Impressed with Mario's level of professionalism and knowledge my Dad decided to surprise me with a tune as a Christmas present for my 2009 R56 JCW. Both of us were blown away by the way the tune changed the driving dynamics of the car. This is undoubtedly how the car should come from the factory. I had struggled with an intermittent spark knock issue, as well as some rough running after a cold start, which has disappeared after the tune. After seeing the build quality, and hearing my Dad's car bark with the DP, I will most certainly be adding one in the near future. If you are thinking about this tune, don't hesitate, it is well worth it. Both my Dad and I fell in love with our cars all over again, Thanks Mario!

 

I learned about Mario from this thread and others on this site. After having him tune my R60 and buying parts from him, I can say that he lived up to all of the excellent things written about him here. He made time to talk to me for an hour and a half on a Sunday evening, and my ECU was in the mail to him Monday morning. He seemed to be as excited to get my ECU as I was for him to have it. When I got home from work on Friday I had a box waiting for me with a Stage 2 tune, a cat less down pipe, and a few other fun Mini parts! The downpipe was a work of art and fit perfectly. He was in contact with me while I was installing everything to see if I needed any help. The car is completely transformed! It is much easier to drive around town with the increased low end from the tune, and pulls much, much harder than I expected it to all the way up to 100 mph.

I can say that Mario is a very likeable guy with a vast knowledge of Mini's, and is more than happy to pass that knowledge on. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to have more fun in their Mini!

 

Well, another satisfied customer !!! Just purchased my 2013 GP2 #180 US, about 3 weeks ago. Came from a long line of BMW's and Porsche 911's to end up with none of those and two Mini's ! I love the power, handling and not seeing another one on the road. As with the other cars Ive had, when I got my GP2, I started looking for GP2 forums, and found this one. I registered and started looking for threads that focused on making my Mini faster and more fun to drive. In doing so, the name that kept popping up was Mario's. I fell in love with the way he transformed his GP2 and couldn't find another one quite like it, so I decided to get in contact with him and see what his thoughts were, to make mine more fun and fast. We both live in the So Cal area so after we talked, I decided to pull the trigger on the Manic stage 2 tune. I decided to get the stage 2 tune, plugs, Mario's ceramic down pipe and the NM cold air intake. I didnt have to order and wait on anything, as Mario had everything I needed for my transformation ! Believe it or not, He picked my car up from work and left his car at my job , did all the install, and had my new car back to me when I got off that evening !!!!!! WOW, try to beat that !!!! He also has many forms of payment so paying for the work was convenient and no problem. His prices are beyond fair, and my car is a Lil monster ! Mario is very knowledgeable and genuine, and never ever leaves you hanging ! Im very very happy with my fire breathing dragon and the flawless experience I had with him ! Thanks Mario, see you soon !