I'm about to place an order for an 04 MCS, what cost effective mods can I do while not voiding the warranty?

 

Welcome to MCO, Kermini!

So you haven't actually ordered yet? You've got a while to think about mods. And frankly, I am of the school that says you should, at the very least, break in your new car (1200ish miles) before you mod anything.

As far as I would guesstimate, the most warranty safe mods, horsepower-wise, would be intake and exhaust. There's really not much that they can blame on you for these mods...other than that? I don't see much out there--engine performance-wise--that actually provides much performance improvement and keeps your warranty air-tight.

Now, if you're thinking suspension, you can pretty much go crazy and not worry about warranty issues: rear sway bar, lowering springs or coilovers, LIGHTER WHEELS AND TIRES, control arms and so on. Think long and hard about what wheels you want from the dealer, though. Look on the wheels and tires forum for a "sticky" that will fill you in on OEM weights.

You've made a great decision, though. Welcome to the family!

Maxwell

 

Get the pulley installed. Watch and learn how to do the pulley mod yourself. If you blow the SC or something, remove the compression fit 15% pulley, heat up the OE press-on pulley and press it on. Then have it towed into the dealer acting like you know nothing.

 

Thanks for the advice. The choices are almost overwhelming. I can't even decide on colors yet. I'm keeping my eye on the roads and the forums in my area so I can assure I'm driving MY MCS. Wheel and tire combos are a true mystery to me and the first mod I want to do. I'll go to that forum and see what advice I can get. Hey Texas motorers, see ya'll on the streets some time in January!

 

Yep thats the only way that ugly big black thing is going back on my mini. but,
I have not ever heard of the Alta pulley or "any other " blowing the SC. so live
a littel and push the 210hp its a rush.

welcome to the form, ... really follow the threads, listen, ask questions then
decide for your self, its your Mini, enjoy the car.

A driving course would be a good mod that would not void the warrenty.

 

Welcome,

Hmmm, keeping within the warranty, toughie. I'd say a can of Octane Booster added to your fuel, if MINI wants to get snooty. A cat-back exhaust or Cold-Air Intake if they aren't snooty.

 

Check with the dealer you'll be going to for repairs, as some of them are quite nice about mods, some completely inflexible. If you read the fine print it's rather vague - it definitely does say that if the mod causes damage they're not responsible, but there's also a sentence that says if you add anything at all, damage or no, it voids. Not everyone is interpreting it that way though.

My dealer, Crevier, even suggested that I get a cold-air intake and Borla exhaust as a cheaper alternative to JCW, and said they'd do the work themselves and it wouldn't void the warranty. But they recommended the K/N, which has since admitted to neglible HP increase for the Mini.

Since I've owned more than 5 cars up to 100k miles with only one having real engine problems (cracked manifold) I'm thinking scr%w the warranty - I'm visiting Randy!

 

Just a word of advice..
I have the aftermarket swaybar installed. I had a slight clunking in the rear, and couldent figure out what it was. I asked the dealer to take a look at it when i had the car in for scheduled maintnence. They told me that the drop link was not tightened all the way.

MY BAD! it was on, just not totally tight, that caused the clunking sound.
Dealer told me they can fix it, but would have to charge, but gave me a very nice hint that it only needed tightening.

Went home, tightened it, and viola, problem solved. But had it been more serious, i would be up a creek, he said "with that aftermarket swaybar back there, I am not touching anything".

Yes this is subject to some federal law and much more argument, but not here or nw...just relaying my experience.
-peace!

 

I too was concerned about keeping my warranty until I learned that for $30 a year geico will cover anything that goes wrong with my car, no questions asked. Gieco makes the offer good as long as you buy in before a certain amount of miles, so you may not have to spend the $30 on your first year of ownership while you are out there styling with your moded out mcs. I have an 03 mcs that I broke in by the book and at 1251 miles took straight to red line.
I now have an Alta intake system and a 15% reduction puley on my car, I waited 3000 miles before making modifications. Next year I'll be getting the ecu and exhaust system. I should point out that my car runs much better now than before the mods and is more fuel efficient.
Motor on.
:smile:

 

Whoa! interesting! Is the Geico offer only in addition to the regular car insurance, or can you get this offer separate, on its own? (Geico didn't give me a cheap figure for the car so I wasn't planning on going with them.)

 

M7 Plasma Booster.... Great for Milage and more....

 

>>I'm about to place an order for an 04 MCS, what cost effective mods can I do while not voiding the warranty?
KerMini,
Aloha and welcome on MCO.
You'll have an MCS and that is a good place to start. First off check with your dealer- if they are mod friendly then that will go a long way. You can tell if they sell loads of aftermarket stuff in the parts dept. They can't really expect you to keep your MINI stock forever.
Perfomance Mods-
To keep the warranty, the most cost effective mod has got to be cold air intake and exhaust (header and cat back unit). Less than about $1000 total installed and will get you pretty far. Once you do internal mods to the engine like Pulley, ECU, throttlebody, shrick cam, etc it will affect the engine warranty in the eyes of the dealer (they got to prove cause and effect though).
Suspension and wheels are good as long as you stay close to stock specs- not get too wild like beyond 18" rims etc.
Stage one Brake upgrade- new brake pads (less dust), new drilled or slotted rotors, Stainless steel brake lines, upgraded brake fluid help reduce brake fade and heat buildup and improve brake pedal feel.
Appearance Mods-
These can make your car look fast and keep the warranty just fine.
Aerokit and paint the wheel wells, Rally lights, carbon fiber parts, roof decals, custom paint job, window tints, tail light tint or mods, interior trim mods, etc.
Have fun.

 

>>Get the pulley installed. Watch and learn how to do the pulley mod yourself. If you blow the SC or something, remove the compression fit 15% pulley, heat up the OE press-on pulley and press it on. Then have it towed into the dealer acting like you know nothing.
>>


I personally think that is wrong if the performance part in question caused the problem.

That could directly make the service and price of the car go up due to added cost.