It uses the stock JCW air box & intake tube from grill, just cut the top open and added mesh for more airflow.

 

Put on my bike rack to go for a ride!

 

1. Received "World Class Inspection" (unsure of which class in our world is did the inspecting)
2. Replaced fuel delivery module due to low inlet pressure to High Pressure Fuel System
3. Service put it through car wash :( and both ends of front plate were bent forward 90 deg
4. Had oil changed ~2K before due (likely resulted from #1 above)
5. Had motor scoped and inspected
6. Went through Coolant Temp senor recall update
7. Fluids topped off, tires checked and car returned the same day. All in all, success!
8. Paid $0

Also got to motor around in a brand new Chili Red Cooper S Hardtop with row your own... man that thing is zippy!!!

 

Just dropped mine off to have the antenna replaced. I got in the car this morning and my Sirius Radio is stuck on one channel. No matter which channel I put it on, it stays on channel 1. Now driving a loaner CMS.

Just found out that they had to replace my radio because of it going bad. Oh well!!! Now the hassel of programing all my channels back into it!!!

 

Drove back to Vegas yesterday from San Diego. Five hours and five minutes. Two stops. AC was purrrrfect. Call it my imagination if you want but ever since I had the recall work done it's much better. Maybe it was the tweaking of the AC that did it or the settings it's on now. Top temp was 111 degrees near Baker. Cooled down to 104 here in Vegas. It was 85 in San Diego when I left but muggy.

 

After much deliberating went ahead and ordered the JCW Front Aero Spoiler...

 

Good choice!!! You will love the results after installing it. Gives it a whole new look.

 

Debadged the whole car last night, looks much better IMO, sorry about the blurry pics

 

So did I, mine will be here Sat...

 

i haven't technically done anything to her yet, but i had the dealer install the driving lights, mud flaps, rocker stripes and hatch stripe. and i'll be picking her up TONIGHT !









today i ordered a craven speed dipstick, and flash2pass, seemed like the best place to start. god i hope they didn't cover her with dealer detailing goo so i can get her zaino sealed tomorrow.

 

^^^

Nice ride!

 

installed my JCW mirrors and brake ducts thanks to this forum.

 

After a short 3 months and 4800 miles, went ahead and changed the oil! Over the years I have changed the oil in my cars, but changing the oil in the CMS was a new experience, everything near the oil filter is super hot and not a lot of wiggle room. Used Mobil 1 5W-30 and the OEM filter kit.

 

you should be using mobil1 euro blend 0w40 ... the 5w30 does not have the bmw/mini LL-01 rating for approved oils

also, i remove the drain plug and walk away from the car for 30 minutes or so, then the area around the filter has cooled before i replace the filter

scott

 

Installed JCW lip from Sewell

 

scott, thanks. In my '12 owners manual 5W-30 is an approved oil (meets API SM, for alternative oils too) (0W-40, 0W-30, 5W-40 along with 5W-30 are also approved to to top off), granted I used Mobil 1 not BMW oil; at the rate I am racking up miles, in about 4 months I'll find out what the dealer is using...

 

Very nice! Mine comes in Wednesday; how long did it take you to install? Were the instructions accurate?

 

finally put her up on a lift, changed her oil... she must of gained 3hp from that LOL...

 

Installed error-free LED W5W bulbs in the license plate lights to go along with the xenon headlights, LED DRL's and xenon fog lights. Now considering replacing the access lighting under the doors with LED's so the car is nice and bright at night.

 

It took about 20 minutes to remove factory valance and roughly 45 mins to install new lip. It does not come w/instructions but I downloaded pdf from JCW threads on the countryman forums here. There's a TON of helpful advice from other members there.

 

the significant rating for the oil is the bmw/mini LL-01 rating, the only mobil1 that carries the LL-01 rating is 0W40, the Mobi1 5W30 is not LL-01 rated oil

reread the oil spec again, here it is from the bmw web site, or you can go here on the mini site: http://www.miniusa.com/faq.jsp?categ.../maintenance-m

Required maintenance work or services should be performed for your vehicle by your authorized BMW center.

BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is recommended for scheduled engine oil changes.

• Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
• Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
• Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
• Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30

Use only oils with an API rating of SM or higher.

The choice of the right SAE grade is based on the climatic conditions in the region in which you normally drive your BMW.

To best determine which SAE grade is best suited for your vehicle, contact an authorized BMW center.

The following is the only recommended and approved synthetic oil for BMW M (Motorsport) vehicles in the US market with gasoline engines, at the present time.

• Castrol TWS Motorsport SAE 10W-60 Synthetic Engine Oil
• Castrol Formula RS SAE 10W-60 Synthetic Engine Oil (BMW part number 07 51 0 009 420)

• Viscosity - preferred SAE 10W-60
• Alternative - SAE 10W-40, SAE 5W-50 or SAE 10W-50

Use only oils with an API rating of SJ/CF, SK/CF or higher.

The following is a listing of synthetic oils recommended and approved for use in the BMW B7 ALPINA in the US market:

• BMW High Performance SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Oil (BMW part number 07 51 0 017 866)
• Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30 Synthetic Oil

scott

 

saturday i installed my milltek downpipe back exhaust

it is just over 2.5 inch od vs the stock 2 inch od tubing and the tips are 3-7/8 inch, filling the cutouts nicely

all i can say is WOW!

it is a little louder but a much lower tone, no drone at any speed/rpm and definitly not annoyingly loud

the engine makes power at 2000 rpm like it did with the stock exhaust at 3000 rpm and reacts (makes boost) to flooring the gas much faster

i find i am running 1 gear higher at any given speed, ie 4th instead or 3rd, in particular, the car is happy in 6th at 55 mph where it was not with the stock exhaust

strangely, the first 100 miles or so the engine idled at about 1100 rpm, but now it is idling 100 rpm lower (700 rpm instead of 800 rpm) than it did with the stock exhaust (i guess the ecu really does "learn") and is noticably smoother

install was complicated by having to remove 4 crossmembers to get the 1 piece stock exhaust out (yes, my stock exhaust was 1 piece from the downpipe back to the tips and is almost as long as the car!), the milltek is 4 pieces and i could have installed it with the crossmembers in place

i also rotated the tires, including a full inside and outside wash and wax

scott

 

Went to the beach at Galveston Saturday. Deep sand on the road to the kayak launch. Kept going but stalled out in the sand. After starting had to really gas it to get moving again. Plenty of traction, bad for the clutch. If you are going to do a lot of that kind of driving get a car with a lower first gear or a lot more low end torque.

Miniblue2 didn't even think about getting stuck. The All4 works great in the sand.

Bill

 

Yesterday, I washed up the new ride. Looking sharp!

I also did a V1 install that looks great! Super easy to hide all the wires.

 

Ordered error free led W5W bulbs to replace the stock access lighting. Now all exterior light will be bright white.

Wash, wax and detail. Boy do I love using Wax Depot VIP products. Very easy to use and great results. Also Eagle One makes these tire swipe sponges to use when applying armourall type products. They also work great for applying protectant to dash and panels due to the curve of the sponge part.