Hello Mark, I'll check with Curt on Monday and find an answer.

 

Though it's hard to see in this pic, I've got the minidomore hitch on my JCW.



And on my '08....



Mark

 

Very stealth. What did you use to make the body colored plug?

 

Minidomore sends a square plug. I sanded it down, primed it and removed any texture.

Mark

 

Yesterday was the maiden voyage of my minidomore hitch and my Thule T2 bike rack. Everything was very smooth. A little nervous watch the bikes move around out back but I am sure its just the car bouncing in addition to the flex of the rack.

Now I just need to figure out a way to have the rear fog light blank off stay in the bumper cover when not using the hitch.

 

After a few emails and calls I have confirmed that the current Curt Hitches do not fit the Clubman. However they are working on one and need a Clubman to install one for YOU for FREE details here, https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post2874545

 

Installed the curt hitch on Charlie today. My wife and I did it in about an hour and a half. This is a really easy DIY if you have two people. I did manage to break the clip that hold the center top of the bumper, but it didn't seem to make any difference. We are very pleased with the results and there is a minimum impact on the appearance of the car.

 

Thanks for the update redduc. Did it appear to be well made? Just amazing the price difference for something that looks just like the more expensive option.

 

Good to hear. Could you post a pix or two?

 

I am looking into it now but so far hitchesonline has not made it easy. I can't order by p/n 11130 and the only hitch listed for Mini's is the 11160, which is for non S types. They won't give you any info on the phone. I was told to fill out a form, which I did, and send it in for a reply. Strange that they won't let me order what I want or tell me how to proceed without filling out a form. We'll see where this goes. I will keep you updated.

 

FYI, we are adjusting our site and you will be able to order the hitch for even less. More details soon.

 

Well at least they responded with an email quickly. They do sell the Curt hitch c11130 for $139.99 including shipping. I asked about why they made it difficult with no reply. BTW, to get to Mini you need to choose BMW and then Mini will be a model along with the 3's, 5's and 7's. No "S" option available, which is why I had to email them to get what I wanted. They are cheap but don't make it easy. I would hate to try to deal with them if something goes wrong.

 

I have always had good luck with hitchesonline. I have a bike shop and have used them for customers cars. That said, if Autoxcooper is closer on price I would have gone with them based on their support for NAM. The quality looks to be very good and the install was plug and play. I will only be carrying two very light bikes on a Saris thelma, so weight isn't really an issue. I still need to find a plug for the valance.

 

After seeing the Mini Cooper Trailer hitch on Curt's website today and looking at the photos and installation instructions, the hitch is a DEAD RIP OFF!! It is so bad that their installation instructions are basically a copy of ours. They actually stole a photo from our instructions with my hand in the photo and put it into their instructions. Total copyright infringement!

So, it got me wondering if they actually purchased a Mini Do More hitch to copy or if they at least did the engineering themselves.

Looked today at where Curt is located. They are in Eu Claire Wisconsin. Did a search on past orders from Eu Claire Wisconsin.

Phil Seidl, the Senior Buyer of Manufacturing Materials at Curt Manufacturing, over the period of 8 months (March 2009 - August 2009) has purchased all 5 models we sell. And, to make it worse, they had the damn hitches shipped to the Curt Manufacturing facility. Obviously, when they ordered, they didn't put Curt Manufacturing on the order, just Phil's name and 6208 Industrial Dr. And, they were somewhat sneaky, they purchased each one separately spread out by about 5 weeks each so we wouldn't catch on to the multiple orders.

So, I guess it makes sense why they look SO MUCH like our hitches.

Very disappointing, now we will have to get our attorneys involved. Not going to go down without a fight.

REMEMBER WHO HAS BEEN A PAYING ADVERTISER ON THIS SITE, ON MC2, ON MOTORINGFILE.COM FOR MORE THAN 4 YEARS AND HAS GIVEN AWAY DOZENS OF HITCHES FOR CHARITY AT MOTD, MOT, MITM, AMVIV, etc. WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR NEXT PURCHASE.

 

For the record I had nothing to do with how Curt did the devo on the hitches nor was I the 1st person to being NAM members the info that Curt was coming out with more hitches. All I have done is offer to market them and fit local MINI to test hitches on.

 

Love the bike rack. It does, however, seem to block the license plate and lights a bit though. Probably not as much of an issue on a "normal-sized" car. The rack is probably the best I have ever owned, even compared to other Thule products. The simplicity is amazing compared to any frame mount rack.

 

No doubt in my mind....your reputation proceeds you...BUT, now that you know, I'm sure you'll look into it also. I know as a NAM member and a business man, you'd be highly upset if someone stole one of your designs...right down to the pics.

Mark

 

Deleted as inappropriate. Sorry

 

I put Curt on notice within mins of seeing Brents post and have shared my concern with them about how they did the devo and created the install docs.

 

That's dirty pool for sure. The pictures were the same on my instruction sheet as on Brent's web site. I took a half million dollar bath on a house this year, so I'm afraid I'm in no position to apologize for saving $200.00.

 

I honestly have no idea how to answer your question.

I drove to Eau Claire (with my girlfriend following to bring me back home) and dropped off the car in the parking lot. I don't even know if the facility I dropped it off at was the place where the actual work was done. I picked up the vehicle about a week later from a friend that lived in the area.

 

Man, I'm sorry to hear about the loss...this economy is costing us more and more.

As far as saving 200 bucks, it's not like you knew.

Mark

 

what does that even mean?

 

I'd like to wish you the best of luck with your lawsuit. It sucks being ripped off like that, I know, it has happened to me as well. I will boycott Curt and send any of my future business elsewhere. Maybe you can start a new thread on this and keep us informed. I'm sure you would get a lot of support from the NAM members.

 

Thanks Orange.