My new Rennline skid plate arrived today and it's massive. Not heavy b/c it's of aluminum, but it's a real brute. Sure protection against rocks in the middle of the road, dead animals, tree branches and the like. I will feel much safer driving to Canaan Valley on the 28th now. Now to just get it installed.

 

Just installed my new Rennline skid plate today on the Mini. Fit was perfect and talk about road rash protection. Not cheap but sure sure worth every penny if you hit a rock or dead animal. Looks really clean under the engine bay now.

 

GOt any pics? How hard was it to install?

 

Well, of course it was easy to install b/c Rennline really makes a good product. The fitment was perfect and the install was maybe 20 minutes. Of course having it on a lift made all the difference. You just remove the OEM plastic spash guard, loose about six bolts, slide the plate into place, use the provided bolts into the factory holes(wonder why Mini just didn't do this to start with?), and there you have it. It's clean on the underside and sure to protect your P/S fan motor, tranny and oil pan. I should have taken a pic with it up in the air, but I didn't. Sorry.
Well worth the 249 bucks in my book.

 

thanks for the info

 

Better than the Cobalt plate?

Also anyone know if this will fit an automatic tranny? Rennline site says manuals only, but....

 

Rennline is top of the line stuff. Read their bio and you will be amazed at what the owner did before this. I'll let you read for yourself. If Rennline says manual only, I'd bet on that. There might be others out there or give Rennline a call. Super high quality product. A "wise" investment for any Mini.

 

Just installed mine today. Overall an easy fit. The last picture on their PDF instructions is exactly what it looks like when fitted.

The upper washer and nut for the two rear bolts can be a bit tricky to install. Passenger side has pretty good access, but the driver side is real tight to the steering. Used a box wrench with a small magnet to get the nut and washer started. Then came in over the subframe and under the lower a-arm with an open end to hold it during tightening.

Use Nutserts all the time, going to check and see if they have them in the correct size for the rear bolts. If they do and the hole in the chassis is the proper size, will use two of them, along with shorter bolts to eliminate the loose nuts and washers.

Had a scare with some debris on the freeway a couple of months ago so feel a lot more secure now. Ran over either a small metal folding wheel chock or reflector, banged hard enough underneath to bring on the ABS light. Not fun when heading out on a long road trip. It also protects the lower heater hose that MINI decided to run along the back of the spoiler at almost the lowest point of the front of the car, great engineering there!

 

I lost track of this issue...thanks for the reminder. I just ordered one.

 

No doubt each of you that have installed a skid plate will reap the benefits if you ever run over some debris or road kill. To me it's cheap insurance that protects the under workings of my Mini.

 

I had this installed last spring at the same time with NM lowering springs... For the obvious reason of driving most of the time on horrible streets of downtown Toronto...



So far, I had one "close call" when driving over melted asphalt on public transportation stop... I scrapped the the plate a bit. But nothing on the bottom of the car. Happy to have it there. Very good product with nice fit and finish!

 

Hey folks I reliaze this is a somewhat older thread but wanted to bring it tonlifenwith a couple questions. I've ordered the Rennline accelerator pedal as recommended by a friend and their stuff looks great. While looking through their site I came across the skidplate and I've been looking for something like this for awhile.

Can anyone confirm that this will fit a Gen 2 (2011+) JCW hardtop or Coupe without getting in the way of the front underside of the aero kit as well as the underbody panelling?

 

Check my photo of the skid plate mounted on my 2011 Clubman S with Aero kit installed. No issues with fitment at all. Fit and finish is so nice.

I can tell you a funny story: recently I went to dealer to do recall service on sensor and SA wanted to charge me $65 to remove and put back the "huge skid plate" ( his words), in order not to have cooling liquid all over it while doing the work... I said, naaaah.... Once the car was back, I just spray washed the whole area at home.

Bottom line, I find this the best skid plate design for Gen. 2 as it covers with no gaps from both ends, not just front...

 

Thanks for the reply. Looks great and I'm glad to know there won't be any fitment issues with the JCW aero. I was concerned there might be some issues where the under body panelling would meet the skid plate but it looks like it'll be just fine. Rennlines attention to detail has surely taken this into account.

$65 for removing that thing is highway robbery. Wow! It doesn't surprise me though. The dealerships are outrageous. Thanks again for the insight.

 

Anybody using these on a R53