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Finally got around to installing my MKDP and this happened. FML.
I’m hoping my local shop, who originally quoted me over $900 to do the work, will take pity and drill that bolt out for me. I’m not sure what Mini used for loctite, but I assume it’s some type of alloy made of Adamantium and Mithril. Damn!!
Well... It's a stud so hopefully you can grab it with a vice grips and twist it out. A little localized heat might help.
I came into contact with Mario because I was looking for a great tune and downpipe for my mini and I wasn’t disappointed. I was first very skeptical because it’s someone over the internet that I’ve never met before. That’s always scary putting your trust into someone like that, but after our first conversation on the phone, he changed my mind completely. He was super reasonable and answered every question I had even if it didn’t make sense to him (because I don’t know a lot about cars) Before the downpipe even came in Mario had already sent me a complete video on telling me how to take out the stock downpipe and put in the new one with all the correct tools. There was even a V-Clamp that was pissing me off quite honest because it refused to come off. I ask Mario if he had any suggestions and he was more than happy to help. He came up with many methods and with a little time I was able to finally get off the clamp. Then when my Ecu came back to me I was sooo excited. I immediately put it in my car and was completely blown away by the change. It literally made me fall in love with my car all over again. The difference between stock and stage 2 tune is insane. The throttle response is so sensitive and one you floor it you’re gone. It was more than I could have ever hoped for and I’m forever grateful to Mario for helping me out! I am also definitely going back to him when I need a bigger turbo or any mini part because the customer service is amazing and the way he talks to you is like you’re talking to a long lost friend. I definitely recommend him to anyone looking for parts for their mini or even just help on working on your car.
sorry if i missed this and and am def. late to the game here but i cant find MK's website or anything, just you guys talking about him here.
obviously i see his email being posted, but figured i would research the hell out of everything before i reached out to him.
sorry if i missed this and and am def. late to the game here but i cant find MK's website or anything, just you guys talking about him here.
obviously i see his email being posted, but figured i would research the hell out of everything before i reached out to him.
So for anyone on the fence, just jump off and come enjoy the green pastures.
My weapon of choice is a 2009 R56 Jcw and prior to the RPM tune, I had an accessport. I personally loved the access port. I think it’s great for those especially who can only use 91 but want a bump in power but aren’t looking for something crazy; however, the accessport and my RPM tune are completely different animals....so much more pull!...so much more fun! I think the greatest thing about the tune is the driveability. Due to the throttle response being changed, the car is just easier to drive now. Ive always loved driving my manual JCW but now, it’s just easier, and if you are like me, you like consistent, predictable things.
While I’m vouching for Mario’s tune, I feel I also must vouch for him as a person. Mario himself is just a nice guy....Really hosipitable and really easy to get along with. I’m sure we can all agree that It’s always nice to do business with nice people. Hope this helps anyone jump off the fence.
So as a first time mini cooper f56s my first thing i wanted was to get the most power out of it and decided to follow the hype and went over with jb4, that lasted very short. After endless problems and horrible customer service and car not running right and not happy with power and finally jb4 taking a crap, i ditched out the jb4 and started doing goo research for another tune. Please do yourself a favor and dont get a jb4. After endless research and going back and forth between other tunes for the car, i chose mario rpm tune and put my faith on shipping my ecu to him which in 48hrs i had it back due to the fact i had an autocross event. The reason i chose mario was because he was very responsive and helpful and knowledgeable from the beginning, well fast forwards several days after having my tune all i can say is wowwwwwwwww my car is another car now, the car feels like a v8 now. Crazy the amount of power these cars can make and best of all it feels safw and the car runs smooth and idles like never before. The way that the turbo is set up progressively thru the whole rpm range is impressive. No more quick power n then car feeling like the turbo went to sleep. Pleaseeeeee do yourself a favor if you want to love yourself forever go ahead and get your car tuned by mario and go rpm, you will never look bad trusttt me youll thank me later. I am so happy i even represent rpm now with my sticker on my windshield (: hahah. Thank you mario for going the extra mile with my tune. Evem days after tunnimg he has answered many questions regarding my mini to future mods. Best tunner and tune for your mini cooper.
Very satisfied again with my recent experiences purchasing with Mario. Over the last year I got my JMTC Stage 3 clutch kit and 43/56 turbo through him. He answered every question I had along the way and helped advise me adjusting the pesky waste gate when my new turbo was making less boost than my old one. Unfortunately I couldn't afford the downtime of removing and shipping my ECU for an RPM tune but hopefully if he's ever in the NYC area I will be first in line for a re-tune with him.
I finally got the chance to join the Mario Kart Tuned crew and I am beyond words the difference the RPM Stage 2 has made my car. Currently I have the K&N Typhoon intake, Alta FMIC, and (I cheaped out due to financial constraints) CNT catless downpipe/catless-back exhaust (2.5"). Mario has been more than helpful with any questions I had along the way and has delivered an amazing product/service. I overnighted my ECU since I live in Indiana on a Friday; he kept me updated with the progress and mailed it first thing in the morning on the next day the PO was open.
So far, I've been taking it easy testing out the tune because I want to stress test all the other components to see if something sounds off before fully breaking anything (this is my daily, so breaking something isn't fun). Otherwise, the tune seems to have enough power to make the OEM clutch slip on a highway pull, so that looks like my next upgrade. Do any of you guys have any experience with different brands or clutch/flywheel compositions that you'd suggest or that are of bad quality so I know what not to get? I'm trying not to break the bank here, and I thought clutches were around $300, so seeing all the stage 2+ clutches that are $1k is crushing my dreams lol. I'd really like the clutch to be future proofed somewhat; make it a little more stout in case it can last to my next engine upgrades in a few years.
I cannot thank Mario enough for what he did with my ECU! Love my rpm Stage 2 tune! So happy I got it. He was very patient with me as I had to replace over $6k in parts and labor before doing tune but he will always be there for you with any questions or concerns. Thank you so much Mario!
I'm not 100% sure it's my clutch, it could just be wheelspin, but I get it at 85+mph in 6th so I'm not entirely sure. I'm waiting on my little brother to get back from vacation so I can borrow his gopro and we're going to mount it to watch my tire and see if it is indeed my tire slipping at that speed or if it's my clutch. My car currently has 84k miles on it and my wife learned how to drive stick with it, I'm still learning how to heel-toe with it, and it was the previous owner's first manual car. . . I have no clue about the original owner's abuse on it, but from what I know mine has some wear lol
That being said, I've read in quite a few places that the stock clutch (unabused) can handle 300ish HP so if there's no major wear, you should be fine. 130k miles regardless of how gently it was used is going to have some wear, so be ready for a swap at some point.
What I've noticed on mine is that if I ease into it (still giving a good amount of throttle), I don't have any problems. The problem with slipping that I have is if I'm cruising at around 2500RPMs and abruptly press the pedal down, I get slipping. Another thing to keep in mind is I have an MCS which has an open diff, and from what I've been told the JCW has an electronically controlled diff in the later r56 models and a mechanical diff in the early r56 models. Apparently the electronic is better for performance, but I'll eventually be getting a WaveTrac because I don't think I can get the electronic one retrofitted to my car.
After researching tunes for my 2016 JCW Countryman, it became obvious that Mario was the go-to guy. Just as everyone else on the forum has said, he is a great guy to work with and really knows these cars. I already had cooler spark plugs and a Warner IC, so on his advice, we went with Mario's DP and a stage 2 tune. I had a few questions during the install of the DP, he gave me some tips and it all worked out. It takes a little bit of patience on fitment of the DP depending on your car. Bottom line, the tune is fantastic, it is the 1st tune of any car that I have owned that feels like a factory tune. most tunes have something going on where you can tell someone didn't spend the time or have the knowledge to create a map that works on all levels. I can't say enough about Mario's work and great service.....Thanks, My Mini is now the go-cart it is supposed to be !
Finally got around to installing my MKDP and this happened. FML.
I’m hoping my local shop, who originally quoted me over $900 to do the work, will take pity and drill that bolt out for me. I’m not sure what Mini used for loctite, but I assume it’s some type of alloy made of Adamantium and Mithril. Damn!!
So I got my ECU back from Mario a couple of days ago. I opted for the stage 2 RPM tune for my 2012 MCS. Coming from an NM Engineering Power Module, this tune is like night and day compared to the NM chips. The throttle remap feels real nice. The thing has way too much power now. I haven't gone WOT yet because I still have my winter wheels on, and don't want to burn the rubber up.
I'm running CNT catless DP and matching CNT exhaust. Also have a K&N Typhoon kit and a big ebay FMIC.
Mario was very good with communication, and even called me after I reported an "issue" to him. My issue was that I totally forgot to hook my MAF back up like an idiot. I would gladly do business with him again, and refer anyone interested to him. My experience has been nothing but positive.
I may or may not throw my car on a dyno this spring, but honestly, the WHP numbers don't matter to me. This thing is lightning fast.
If you haven't taken it to the shop, you can do this yourself pretty easily. If this is the same place where I had a problem with mine, you'll just need to grab it with a pair of vicegrips and put some heat on it. Anybody else do this more recently that can attest that I'm thinking of the right place? It's been quite a while since I did my downpipe and I fought it every step of the way, so I don't intend to pull it back off until necessary so good luck with yours!
So I got my ECU back from Mario a couple of days ago. I opted for the stage 2 RPM tune for my 2012 MCS. Coming from an NM Engineering Power Module, this tune is like night and day compared to the NM chips. The throttle remap feels real nice. The thing has way too much power now. I haven't gone WOT yet because I still have my winter wheels on, and don't want to burn the rubber up.
I'm running CNT catless DP and matching CNT exhaust. Also have a K&N Typhoon kit and a big ebay FMIC.
Mario was very good with communication, and even called me after I reported an "issue" to him. My issue was that I totally forgot to hook my MAF back up like an idiot. I would gladly do business with him again, and refer anyone interested to him. My experience has been nothing but positive.
I may or may not throw my car on a dyno this spring, but honestly, the WHP numbers don't matter to me. This thing is lightning fast.
I feel like you may be copying me lol - we have basically the same setup and tune. Let me know if you dyno it since we're basically dead even with mods; I'm curious what the figures are but not curious enough to pay for a dyno run :D
