Is cutting the crossmember across the front of the car the only way to fit the intercooler and I got the factory one removed but the aftermarket eBay one doesn’t even remotely fit not unless I cut that front crossmember off

 

You will probably have to do some light trimming of the 1” square crash bar. Sometimes the EBay ones will need more modification and tweaking to sit correctly.

Mario

mQubed Motorsport Manic & RPM Power Tuning

 

That is the lower crash bar on the LCI. I had to trim it to fit. Do a google search for "r56 wagner intercooler install" and you should get some good results that point back here.

This post has photos of the lower crash bar and where to trim it

 

Finally found a video where you have to unbolt the crossmember geez I didn’t think it have to go through all that

 

Well this was a wasted day whole lot of work to get the front end off in the goddamn inner cooler I don’t know what it supposed to fit but it doesn’t even come close to fitting this I could accept cutting that crossmember but the ears to mount it with those little screws don’t even come close to fitting the screw holes i’m talking an easy inch off there’s a gap they’re not lined up the whole thing is welded wrong
so the whole thing is a bust for today so I got a put the old one back on I’m draining the oil out of it right now there’s oil in the intercooler and then I guess I’m just going to have to put the car back together and figure something else out it’s been months since I bought that intercooler I just been sitting on it all winter so I can’t return it

 

Could you post a photo of what you are dealing with?

I bought a Waner knock off on eBay about a year ago and fit it with a little bit of trimming and a lot of cursing.

 

I was going to take a picture but my hands are so dirty I didn’t want to go grab my phone I guess I could picture it this way figure how the stock mounts are the way they fit.
now the ebay model with its close loop mount it’s not an open mount to where you can slide the rubber mount bushing on, picture that on top of the stock mounts... on the outside of the stock ones
so you have a good 1 inch inch and a half gap the other side was slightly less but the whole thing is off kilter I can’t push the air hose on all the way I mean it’s on but I would like it to go on further just the whole thing just doesn’t fit I don’t know if It was for a different year or body but it doesn’t fit this one.
Sorry for the crappy typing I’m using voice to type

 

Had to remove the lower crash bar on my 2012 JCW to get the Helix installed. Once installed though the lower crash bar went back on with no modifications. It just refused to fit with both upper and lower in place. Tried all the usual technique like applying a little elbow grease, foul language, blood offering via busted knuckles (usually helps). Even tried sacrificing a bucket of KFC chicken but to no avail.

 

Yeah i wish it was just the crash bar but the mounts didnt even remotely line up so there was nothing to mount it to
even push and positioning it the mounts were well over an inch away from the plastic mount stud.
i thought about not actually mounting it and sat and considered what stress it would be under even given how tight everything was push together but i didnt like the way it fit. Everything was off.
passenger side hose was fine but the drivers side hose just wouldnt push all the way in the stock hose clamp was in the way and wouldnt allow the hose to push on far enough. I think i would of needed a tbar clamp to grip it proper
but not actually being able to mount it, yeah that was the end of it for me

 

And now worse of all something is wrong. Right after putting it all back together it was having trouble idling. It never stalled but it had never done what it did.
with the retarded loud exhaust after removing the mid muffler and now this i have simply lost my will to mess with it anymore . I have spent three days doing things and when i started yesterday i kept telling myself dont mess with it, but knowing mario requires an intercooler for the flashing of the ecu i wanted to do it.
my heart dropped when i started it and the idle was all wacky. No codes as of yet though aside from the driver side fog light not functioning on the top part of the light. I guess thats a good thing

 

Something is probably loose or disconnected. The rough idle is almost certainly from a vacuum leak allowing unmetered air to enter the intake charge. We've pretty much all forgotten to connect a line or left something loose at one time or another. Just retrace where you've been and you'll find it.

 

Running ok today maybe it was just the initial warm up after putting it together

only thing i disconnected was the nose and two hoses on the intercooler. I never touched anything on the topside after sat/sun work.
i quadruple checked the hoses to stock intercooler before i put the nose back on. Im feeling ok with those.

.

 

so wait, the more videos i watch the more i see that most these people are relying on the hose clamps to hold the intercooler in place....
is this common, aside from cutting the front crash bar?
i mean with everything put back together i could see it not really falling off or anything.
more rattling than anything since its not really clamped down to anything.
if thats the case then i guess this one i have would be no different than other videos. but there is alot of metal on metal with the crash bar installed, and i dont know if i have enough room to mount weather stripping to pad the metal on metal.
in this video you can see the guy struggling just like i did looks like the typical ebay intercooler as mine is, minus the spray paint job., its about 4 min. into it. - i wish they would have shown how he finalized the mounting. you can see he pushes on the driver side to get the mounting screw threaded, but they cut away. but notice there isnt any slack to push on, he is hitting against the plastic framing on the nose, and possibly the radiator too. that was my biggest concern was rubbing against the radiator.
but also notice how loud the car is, this is what mine is like after deleting the midmuffler, and adding downpipe. way too lound.

 

You bought cheap Chinese ebay crap............what did you expect.

 

Here is snapshot of how my "cheap Chinese ebay crap" has performed:



And it is still performing just like that. Ultimately, data is king. If you are interested in facts over opinion, it's all right here.

As far as @cyberlunacy's problem is concerned, we still have not seen the intercooler. This makes contributing helpful, insightful posts difficult.

 

I’ll get you a pic tomorrow. It’s not one with the open eyelet mounts, this has the standard rectangle mounts and are way off base for the 2013.
this one though,,, this looks like the ticket
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F283090906453

 

That looks exactly like the one I bought a few years ago and is priced about the same. Even if you had to eat the cost of the one that doesn't fit and buy this one instead, altogether it would still be less than buying an actual Wagner.

 

The eBay knockoffs have been hit and miss. Based on the reviews here, some fit and work well, some don't fit, and some fit but don't work well at all.

There's a sticky thread with data like scotty_r56s posted for a bunch of different intercoolers, check it out: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...iscussion.html I'd love to see some data from Helix and Forge intercoolers posted there.

Stock intercooler will have IATs at 50C above ambient after sustained boost, I have multiple datalogs from street and track that show that. My Wagner intercooler is under 10C above ambient, both street and track. Also I think the "heatsoak" thinking is way overblown, once you're out of boost the IATs drop quickly showing that at least my Wagner intercooler doesn't hold heat.

 

Still Chinese knock off.......
Read this about the impact of what buying these knock offs cost us. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/ar...t-speed-parts/

 

Yes, a Chinese knock off that was more than likely made in the same factory, using the same material by the same malnourished children's hands. Not all knock offs are made equal. As I said before:


Moreover, a fuel pressure regulator or lower control arms do not really compare well to an intercooler. A better comparison would be the CAE ultra shifter. Coolerworx has very obviously reverse-engineered the CAE shifter. Coolerworx has aggressively gained market share by offering their shifter a lower price and flooding the market with discounted shifters for anyone with more than two subscribers on youtube. Unlike the intercooler, CAE researched and developed their shifter. CAE has locally produced it in Germany. And CAE has continued to update and refine their product based on end-user feedback. On the other hand, Coolerworx reverse-engineered the ultra shifter and produces it in China. They have not revised the product because the did not develop it. They market themselves a Canadian company, but the are Chinese and make a counterfeit product in China.

 

Sorry i forgot a side shot ahowing how far away from the tubes the mounts where.
i disnt know any better when i got this, this isnt for the 2013 R56 without heavy destructive modifications

 

https://www.ebay.com/p/for-Mini-Coop...0906453&chn=ps

this here is what i ended up getting along with the turbo hold and cold side plumbing kit with T band clamps
sitting in the garage, waiting again for nice weather.

 

Hopefully you have better luck this time.