Hi folks! I've actually been a lurker here for years, and have put quite a few miles on the family '09 Cooper S Hardtop. I don't have anything good to say about that automatic transmission, but everything else is fantastic.

I am now the happy owner of a 2013 Coupe, manual, non-turbo and just 17k miles, like new inside and out. It's very plain Jane and missing the fancy options I enjoyed on the family car, but that will just be an excuse for mods when the factory warranty runs out. Which won't be long.

 

Congratulations on your Coupe. The most important is to have fun and it is a manual. It is far more enjoyable.

 

That's awesome! Gratz and enjoy the fun!

 

200 miles of commuting and only a few complaints:

-Not a fan of runflats and their road feel. Also, this car has a spare, so why? I'd like to get some 205/45R17s and black aftermarket wheels.

-Difficult to see the horizon through the rear view mirror. I have the seat as low as it can go and can see maybe 50 yards back with normal posture. I can lower my head slightly for a full rear view.

-Also more difficult than the Hardtop to check the blindspots, but this car is so small that I will get used to using the side mirrors for that.

-Only call audio comes through the bluetooth connection, same behavior as the '09 Mini. Routing navigation and music over a mono bridge sounds terrible. Carpc will correct this.

-People keep asking if the top comes off.

Eventual upgrades:

-Dash cam, backup cam/sensors.

-Real foglights with the OEM switch if possible. These daytime lights that have a tiny bulb in them don't light the road, and I commute home at night.

-Rear foglight? It looks like it is already installed with bulbs in the rear bumper, it would be great if I could just get a switch and program it. Haven't looked into it but I imagine additional parts are needed.

-Coolant temperature gauge. I don't like driving without either a coolant or oil temperature gauge.

-Carpc. I built one for my last two cars. I will look into getting the navigation speedometer cluster with a 7" touchscreen. That would be positioned better than the aftermarket fascia that gives a double DIN opening under the speedometer. I would like to get Android Auto working, so I will probably pick up an Odroid-C2 and start testing.

I already have a nice 1/2 DIN DSP that should fit at the stock CD player location.

-Some NA upgrades for a few extra ponies.

 

I had two R50s and they both had 15" wheels and a spare but the OEM tires were not run flats. Are you sure you have run flats ?

 

People will continue to ask if the top comes off because it is so different and they aren't familiar with the car. When I was looking for low mileage Coupes to buy I responded to a Chevy dealership ad and after test driving it asked if I could look under the bonnet as I reached over and pulled the hood release, the salesman jumped out of the car and tried to release the safety latch but was unable to and ran to get the "lot guy". By the time he arrived I had already opened it an was looking inside and he asked me if I would like to see it with the top off, to which I answered without even looking up, knock yourself out ! As I stepped from in front of the car he emerges from inside the car saying "I have to get my boss to help me with this ." I let him off the hook and explained to him it didn't, pretty funny though!

 

The salesman at C*rmax also spent time looking for the top release when I test drove it. I let him know eventually. Shopping there was an unpleasant experience, as the salesmen were obviously trained to use pressure tactics to the point of harassment, but there were only half a dozen low mile gen2 Coupes in my state for sale at the time.

I will never get another Mini without HIDs. The halogen lights were so dim I thought the bulbs might be old. Spending $35 on better bulbs brought a negligible increase in brightness, I still felt like I was outdriving my headlights on the highway, and on rural backroads even the high beams were insufficient.

I looked into wiring the headlights directly to the battery with relays, but ended up buying Sonar/Spyder halogen projector headlights. These put significantly more light on the road than stock. But they still weren't close to the stock HIDs on the '09 hardtop. I tried multiple LED bulbs before giving up and buying a x*nondepot kit with PWM anti-flicker modules. They plug directly into the stock harness, no relays or battery connection. Claimed 4.5 A startup draw.

Spyder Halogen projector with 6000K 48W 4-sided LED bulb on left, OEM halogen on right, 6000k LEDs in the position lights:



The LED bulbs put out a lot more light, but that light was too evenly dispersed (wide beam) with insufficient concentrated light on the road.

The HID kit with 5000k bulbs puts more of the light directly ahead instead of excessively spilling into other lanes:



I have them adjusted 4" below the bulb height at 25' distance. I could safely aim them higher, but I don't feel the need, and this way I am less likely to blind oncoming traffic at a stoplight, where the pavement is often at a slight incline.

Driving home at night is now a lot less stressful. I believe I can disable the PWM signal with NCS Expert, so I wouldn't need the anti-flicker modules. I wonder if those modules are wasting 20W each to simulate a 55W load with 35 W ballasts. They don't get hot.

 

Looks great, I have the spyder HID Xenon version in my R58 JCW and they work and function great. The LED ring is super bright.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ggestions.html

 

Awesomesauce!

 

Congrats, looks good.

 

Great choice. I like your original wheels, though!

With proper mirror adjustment, you can eliminate your blind spots completely. Check out Car Talk's procedure here

Yep. Search my thread history if you're interested in one option - "Android Head Unit"

I actually bought a shirt that said "No it doesn't come off" with the Coupe... Not sure if they're still available.

Eventual upgrades:

Good choices, both. I found it akward to integrate the backup cam screen but the head unit I installed has it integrated. Dash cams are all over the place; The best power source you can get is from the cigarette lighter port, or at its fuse. I ran my 5v source along the front right pillar along the front of the headliner. Clean and not too difficult.

If the wiring is already installed, you can do exactly that. The only extra part needed is a toggle and, optionally, a toggle switch bank cover appropriate for your car.


Several vendors offer some nice options.

If you're comfortable installing electronics without instructions and doing your own programming, look for "Android Head Unit" and more specifically, "Seicane" brand. It's an integrated package but comes with no instructions and can be finnicky. Of course, if you're looking to DIY your own Android car PC, this would be a major boon to you.

Great car! I hardly see any Coupes without stripes! More pictures, please!

 

Your car looks fantastic. The LED ring was off in the photo in post #7. It's very visible during the day:



Now that I have seen the gap on one side of the bumper, I can't unsee it ... That photo shows a 6000k, claimed 350 lumen LED on the left. It has an integrated heatsink and is ridiculously bright. But due to its length, it sits farther out than the OEM bulb, and scatters some light.

I don't want to be one of the cars with annoying lights, so I replaced them with with 5000k, 84 lumen bulbs (installed on right). It looks to be a good match for the LED DRL. The 1000k temperature difference does not capture well on my cell phone camera, but is very easy to see on pavement at night:



They're still several times brighter than halogen w5w bulbs, but don't produce glare. The main LED arrays closely match the halogen filament location:



From left to right:
-OEM halogen
-6000k, non-canbus, 3 chips (SMD 3030), 200 lumen
-5000k canbus, 15 chips (SMD 4014), 84 lumen
-6000k, canbus, 9 chips (SMD 2835), 350 lumen

I wired the LED DRLs to the position lights like other people in the long headlight thread. My soldering job wasn't my best since access was cramped. I might get some waterproof 2 pin connectors to clean it up.

 

I have driven 3000 miles in three months, just hit 20k on the odometer. Although I lament that extra turbo power occasionally, these numbers affirm my decision to get the NA motor:

Average Speed: 33 mph
Fuel Efficiency: 37.6 mpg

37 miles to the gallon is pretty dang good for constant start/stop driving in the city. And I'm not being light on the gas pedal. When on a road with a 45 mph speed limit, in 2nd gear I have already hit 50 mph, and just shift to 5th and cruise until the next stoplight. I seem to get the best power between 4000-5000 rpm. I bet I could reset the counters and stay at 40 mpg if I drove it like a Prius, shifting at 2.5k rpm and not skipping gears.

Unfortunately premium fuel has not reflected the falling prices for regular grade:

87 grade - $2.06
93 grade - $2.69

I guess I shouldn't complain, just a few years ago I was paying $4 per gallon.


They are actually one of my favorite Mini wheels, along with the OEM 16 spoke wheels. For some reason I have a strange attraction to these as well:



I'm looking at several OZ and XXR models in black. A matte silver wheel with so much chrome on a car is not the best combination IMO.


I'll try this out. I currently have them adjusted so that if I lean my head a reasonable distance to the left or right, I can only then see the respective side of the car in each mirror. I was actually considering some mirrors like these:


Sol Gel coated wide angle mirrors. Or some polarized wide angle mirrors with a hard break between the two angles for less distortion:



I am willing to pay good money for auto-dimming mirrors, but I can't quite justify the OEM ones. I imagine there would be additional costs since my car does not have the factory electrochromatic mirror option.


I have not made any progress on the carpc yet other than buying the navigation speedometer sans screen. The Android units seem like a great value, but the KPH speedometer might cause me to develop OCD.


Now I'm just answering "Yes but you have to leave it at home." I never had this much interest from strangers when driving the R56.

I'll keep that in mind. I am still in the planning stages. On my other cars I have run a lead from the battery into the cabin, and installed a fused distribution block for amplifier and carpc needs. Planned electronics include:

-CarpC: Odroid running Android or Android Auto with 7" touchscreen, 12v to 5v/3.3v PSU.
-DSP and amp, bypass factory speaker wiring.
-Dashcam: possibly stealth install inside OEM stock (or auto-dim) mirror if there is room. Easy to extend a Mobius lens. Or I could print a new rain sensor cover that would integrate a mobius with access panel.
-Backup cam, sonar sensors.


I have yet to check, but if the wiring is in place this will be my next mod!

I regret not making a harness to wire in the LED DRLs on the headlights, I made a pigtail and had to use electrical tape instead of heatshrink, looks sloppy. I could only find the male side OEM connector, but obviously the female part must be available as well if aftermarket companies offer this:




Since I already soldered onto the wires, I think I will just cut out my soldered section and use some waterproof 2-pin connectors like these to clean it up:




I installed a cheap (non-billet) stubby antenna, radio has more interference and weaker signal now. Maybe I need to get a better quality one.

GeneralSpecific, I see you have a hitch. Any particular recommendations or hitches to avoid? I want to occasionally use a bike rack or tow a small folding trailer.

My Coupe made her first parking lot friend!

 

I bought the MiniDoMore model 1007 hitch from OutMotoring back in May '13. It works great for me.
However, you should definitely contact them to confirm which one you should get, though, since my hitch exits where you have your reverse light.
Avoid Curt hitch for our car - they stole MDM's design.

OK, I can see why you like those wheels. Nice.

 

Freshly washed and waxed. I have yet to give her the clay bar treatment.





I purchased an LED backup/fog lamp with DRL function. Lack of sufficient light in reverse is no longer an issue:


I replaced the orange side markers with black LED markers. I want to completely eliminate halogen from the exterior lighting.

Also, the Chevy Cobalt seatbelt holders are great, no more contortion act:


Finally, I replaced the rubber pedal covers with aluminum:


So mostly cosmetic mods to date. I'm going to try plastidipping the wheels black to see how they look, although it will be a year before these tires wear out and I buy new wheels. I have mud flaps and LED tail lights ready to install when I have time. I went to the mountains a few weeks back, and the coupe was a lot of fun on twisty roads even without a turbo. Adjustable swaybar is on my list too.

 

Coming along great. Nice mods for the R58. I think the aluminum inserts should be stock, I swapped mine on my R52 also.

 

Very nice R58 it's the real definition of NOT NORMAL..

 

As someone who takes "You're weird" as a compliment, thanks!

I finally got the tails on. I may have gone too far...



I have spent more time trying to get the hateful trim rings fully clipped on than I did replacing the tail lights. One corner always wants to pop off.

Anyway, it updates the rear to compliment the front DRLs:



These tails have fog lights built in where you would normally see reverse lights. I don't have the fog light toggle switch yet, but I am curious to see if they will work without modification.

 

I added some peace of mind:



The strut tower plates fit perfectly and the hardware is high quality.

Also, to anyone considering the Burger Tuning short throw clutch stop, do it! The reduced clutch pedal travel makes shifting much more enjoyable and smoother, as I know exactly in the pedal travel where the clutch engages instead of having a huge amount of travel before the clutch engages. I removed one of the spacers, and the clutch does not start to engage until the pedal has moved several inches, so I am confident that this will not cause any undue wear on the clutch.


It has been a busy summer, I still haven't made progress on the carpc and stereo install. I did buy a used center console and nav cluster to mod, and have an Odroid C2 running Android. I need to find a screen that fits the nav speedo opening better than my current de-cased 7" Xenarc monitor.

I changed the oil at 23k miles for the first time since I purchased the car. Had to put the front wheels on 2x4s to get the oil drain pan underneath, but otherwise it was an easy process with a rag around the filter housing. The oil was cleaner than I expected and probably could have gone longer than 6k mi, but I didn't know what Carmax put in it (they claimed synthetic oil). I used Liqui Moly Special Tec LL 5W-30. I've never seen such a well-designed oil container before...pull out spout, handle on the side for one-handed pouring. Not a drop to clean up.

With this oil the engine was noticeably quieter, and has continued to be quieter especially after a cold start, when it used to sound reminiscent of a diesel engine with the lifter ticking.

I inspired someone at work to get a used (2012 IIRC) Gen2. Parking lot friends:

 

Thanks for the order, wow looks great The strut tower plates linked are for the Gen 1, the Gen 2 MINIs are here: https://www.ecstuning.com/News/R55_R56_R67_R58_R59_MINI_Cooper_Clubman_CooperConv ertible_Coupe_Roadster_S_JCW_ECS_Tuning_Strut_Towe r_Plate_Kits_Silver_or_Black_2007_2008_2009_2010_2 011_2012_2013_2014_2015/