Expanding plastic clips are fine for interior doors, trim, bumpers, wheel liners, carpeting etc. but under the hood, particularly on a heat shield, it is not a good idea and is not the only "realistic" way to fasten the part. If the kind of heat we're discussing will warp the plastic hood scoop, it will certainly change/shrink/warp and or cause the expanding plastic clips to become brittle and crack/break/loosen thereby causing the assembly to rattle and/or become unfastened over time. Is the heat shield itself made of plastic? Probably not.

 

Congrats! Did you have any VDC accessories installed? We're getting a little concerned about the delay.

 

I too was on the Don Juan and picked up at Prestige Mini in Ramsey NJ last night at 5:30. No VDC accessories installed.

Will post pics of the Paceman soon! Fun little bugger!

 

all of the minis that have the insulating under bonnet blankets are fastened with expanding rivets...ive had the same rivets on the insulating blanket of my R53 now for 8 years and 200k+ miles and never had an issue of them breaking and falling apart...

 

That's a very cool looking little car!

 

Just got this pic of my beast at the dealership. Looks like they've started the cleanup!

Stoked.

That's what I am now. Completely and utterly stoked.

Friday morning can't get here soon enough.

Ed

 

Very nice! Congrats!

BTW, just wanted to see for those who are leasing and financing their MINI, what kind of deals did you get? The dealer gave me an estimate of $396-$420/mo for 3yr lease with NO down for a MINI that costs $29,500 out of the door.... I'm also looking into the 0.9% apr for 60mos...

 

My MA is back at work today. He emailed me this morning. It still shows to be at the VDC! I'm officially more than a little worried. He said it could be that they are waiting on a part, or that the status just hasn't been updated yet. I responded with it probably had a lot of damage during transport. He emailed me back with, "I seriously doubt there is any damage." He'll keep me posted. Meanwhile, I'm pulling my hair out

I also asked him about the turbo heat issue. This was his reply, "MINI has fixed the heat issue that came from the turbo a while back." I don't know how truthful this is. He did win an award for being one of the top 8 salesmen in the U.S. last year. I would hope he would know, but then again I think MINI just trains these people to say certain things. I guess it's to keep all of us at bay.

 

My CM is at the dealer! He told me I could pick it up tomorrow, what kind of prep do they need to do to it that it couldn't be done today?

 

The insulation in my Roadster is a thick, rubbery semi-soft blanket at least 1 inch thick. The hard plastic inserts compress the blanket slightly. While it could theoretically could partly "unfasten" if a clip were to fall out, break, etc., there is literally nothing to rattle (which was the posters concern). The clips are a different type of plastic than the hood scoop.

 

Thank you! Tons of compliments today at work from people who have never seen a paceman before. Everyone loves the blacked out look with the paint, headlights and wheels. What car are you waiting on?

 

Ed (QH!)

You finally got your bad boy! I'm really happy for you. That long wait caused by the distance from port slowed your delivery. Very good-looking cabrio! I particularly like your wheels with the paint scheme and the striping accents your bonnet nicely. The wheels absolutely add a sporty look to your MINI. Speaking for myself and others, we definitely want to see more pictures.

Dave

 

Wow! This thread is great just to see all the cool MINI's the posters have ordered: TD's roadster is to die for, just like QH's cool cabrio, and dshoaf's HP clubman. Beginning to wonder if swjtx's rig really exists! My Great Pumpkin is keeping mum- just heard a few words like "bloody seasick" and "blokes on wrong side of road". kinda hard to understand with my Southern ears.
FWIW- my son's '13 Justa HT makes incredible engine heat for a normal aspirated engine.
I have a Mini Fini ss screen to replace the enclosed factory hood scoop grill. Need to remember, when the car is stopped, heat rises. It is also cooking all of that precious engine oil and seals. Maybe having that vent on the hood open will help it dissipate. I also intend to get the heat shield/ insulated kit if GP doesn't have one
Hobbes- mine came in yesterday, he is being detailed today. Just guess it takes a little time, you sure want it done right! Hope it is soon for you!

 

Thanks! I think I'm mildly impressed with myself on how he came together. I really liked the wheels when I saw them in the configurator -- and that color is going to be really interesting. I think I may have built a stealthy mini, judging by how the paint shifts colors in the photo based on the reflected light. But that suits me -- I tend towards understatement -- until I need to make a point. But that's why I have an "S"

Now, as long as the airplanes and everything run on schedule tomorrow, I'll be home and able to pick him up on Friday morning -- and then the fun will truly begin.

 

My '14 Roadster S listed for $34,992. Add $399 (processing fee), $1,355.64 (VA taxes), $59.31 (dealer's business license tax), and $52.75 (VA registration fee). Subtract $500 dealer discount, $1,000 USAA rebate, and $1,000 deposit, resulting in a balance of $34,368.70. MINI Financial Services offers 1.9% for '14 models, but USAA financed the amount due at 1.75% interest over 60 months. Monthly payment = $598. Total interest payable over 5 years is $1,550, or roughly $300 per year. Why pay cash? My broker at Wells Fargo Advisors will more than offset the interest expense based on historical returns. I maximized the low interest rate by putting nothing down but my original deposit. I drive 4,000 to 5,000 miles a year, perhaps less. In 5 years, I will have a '14 Roadster S with 20,000 to 25,000 miles on the odometer. Assuming I maintain my normal annual mileage, my Roadster will have 40,000 to 50,000 miles in 10 years. The deal made perfect sense to me. My wife's Jaguar XF has 30,000 odd miles after 5 years of ownership. With no more annual college visits to our daughters in Ohio and Alabama, her mileage will drop dramatically. We plan on keeping the Jag for at least 5 more years. It's in excellent condition. Why not?

 

If MINI fixed the turbo heat issue, why do they still mount the insulator on current models featuring viper stripes? At least they did on KennyR's Roadster and a few others offering feedback. Mine is stripeless and came without, so I'm getting the insulator. Period. I'm not risking my scoop or bonnet paint finish on an MA's supposition.

 

I agree. I might just do the financing as well but they also have a lease to own program (buy the. car for $17k, which is the residual value that the dealer has given me after 3yrs). I'm still debating whether or not to lease since I habitually am always wanting a new car every 2-3 years.. Or maybe it will be a different story with the MINI and keep it forever

 

Having seen the unmasked photos of the F56 (ugh!), I'm not sure what the new Roadster will look like in 2015 or 2016. I'm planning long term. I love the current model Roadster and have no problem keeping it for years to come.

 

Yep, I was thinking of the same thing here.. That new front end is ugly ughhh...

 

Your MA may be the Salesman of the Century, but his response is pretty much a load of XXXX!!! Perhaps he would be willing to demonstrate the lack of heat by grabbing on to the turbo after the test drive.

Today's engines run hotter to meet EPA emissions requirements, and turbos run off of the hotter exhaust gases. They get hot enough to require an intercooler and secondary water pump o keep them working.

If they "fixed it", it was by offering the insulation blanket and heat shield to put over the scoop/stripe area...I'm sure saves MINI some $ replacing the scoop or stripe during the warranty period. I'm just not sure why they don't put it in every model with a scoop made out of polypropylene.

 

I didn't notice the blacked out headlights at first. That's a cool idea.

The one I'm waiting on is actually my wife's car, but I think I'm more anxious about it than she is.
If you click on my garage you'll see the build-out pic, still waiting to see it in real life. It's a spice orange HT with chrome inside and out and the white sport stripe across bonnet, roof, & boot. No chance of losing that car in a parking lot!

 

To anyone who rolled off the Don Juan in NY on 10/3 and is still waiting for their car to be released to a carrier:

I called ASK-MINI today and was told the original estimated delivery date was 10/5. Needless to say, that didn't happen.
Also talked to my MA today and he speculated that the port is waiting for the Sport Stripe to arrive so they can install it. He & his manager sent an e-mail to the supervisor at the port to find out what the hold up is. Hopefully we'll get an answer tomorrow.

So if your car is still stuck in the port too, maybe there's a part delivery delay for some reason that's holding you up as well.

I'll report back if/when I find out more.

I would think there must be a computer entry somewhere with a notation on our car that says specifically what it's waiting for, right?? And somebody somewhere knows where that part is and when it should be arriving at the port.

So what we have here is failure to communicate!

 

Here's what she will look like once I pick her up in a few weeks...

 

Update on Bonnet Heat Insulation my MA and SA had no idea what I was talking about. I had to call the SA back and give them him the Mini OEM part numbers. He could not find what I was talking about. He also, could not understand why I wanted it. Those survey 10's are looking tenuous

 

Very nice. Simple and clean, yet sporty by virtue of the JCW exterior package. The black top contrasts very well with the paint finish.