I dropped my car off at the dealer for an oil change and the install of a rogue short shifter. I received an MC40 for a couple days. This car pulled much harder than mine in 2nd. The difference was night and day. Are the MC40's geared differently? I am having the 15% pulley installed in a couple weeks, will this help to close the gap between the two?

-Justin

 

the MC40 has the JCW package also, plus the ECU in the S' during these time periods are wildly variant.

 

Ok Ok I’ve read this about 5 times now and I’m still trying to understand the fact that not only did you get a loaner car from the MINI dealer, but a limited production MC40 as a loaner.

What dealer was this and what are you leaving out. There has to be a catch.

I’m not buying it, that a Johnny off the street person can drive in to a MINI dealer and get a MC40 as a loaner for a couple days. I’m not saying you didn’t get one, but who do you know or what’s the bottom line.

 

MC40 has JCW package That's new to me.

 

Yes Sid it is true.

 

Well, hell...I would've just left the country with it LOL. Tell the dealer it was carjacked

 

I'm still waiting...

What dealer gives a limited production MC40 as a loaner.

 

I want to know too. I've heard people say that their dealers have "a few" in their rental fleet..

 

Maximus: the MC40 doesn't have the JCW engine package, just the JCW carbon fiber dash. All engine and transmission spec's are the same as the base MCS. That said, I wonder if that dealership installed some go-fast parts to woo customers. Who knows what was under the hood of the loaner.


Regarding the difference in acceleration among MCS's, there is some variance between engines from the factory.

 

The MC40 does NOT come standard with the Works Kit ... only a JCW carbon fiber dash, red leather seats, anthracite R90s and bunch of decals.


Oops ... Ryephile beat me to the punch

 

But then whats the point in the JCW badge on the interior?

 

Tapping foot..........................

 

The dealership I use to work at had quite a few of these cars and we ended up removing the decals because they couldn't sell the cars. If there was any chance they could get a premium for these they would not use them as loaners.

 

On the MC40 you drove just lift the bonnet and take a look at the engine.
Does the Intercooler cover look silver with the JCW logo on it? If so then the JCW kit was added, if not then the stock MCS engine is there.

Other performance tweaks that help include, cold air intake upgrade, lighter rims, cat-back exhaust or more recent ECU software version. v.40 is supposed to work pretty well.

It is not in the interest of the dealership to allow the high priced MC40 to rack up demo miles unless they have quite a few in stock and have no other choice. If it really did happen to you, count yourself as super lucky.

 

I'm also with Sndwave on the MC40 deal. i would LOVE my dealer if they ever gave me a loaner when they promised me one. Ya fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me.

 

Naw, its all those stickers that make it faster.

 

The MC40 loaner came from Prestige Mini in Mahwah, NJ. It came as a suprise to me too that they were using this car as a loaner. I asked the service manager why it felt faster than mine and he told me it had something to do with the gearing. I'm not really sure about that.
This car definitely did not have the Cooper Works kit in it. The difference in power only really kicked in when you reached second gear. The car just felt smoother overall. Could the lighter rims and lack of a sunroof really make for this difference?
-Justin

 

Incredulously, I know of another dealership that has had difficulty finding the right market to sell the MC40 - and has put at least one, if not a couple, into loaner service.

Seems ridiculous to me to allow a limited edition car to have miles racked up on it. I would think that is part of the point - to buy it as a collector's edition and keep the miles low. I can only assume that their theory is to reduce the cost of the car in hopes of unloading it from inventory. IMO, the price is a bit steep for what you get. ...but if money were no object, I would still have one in storage just because of its heritage and what is stands for. :smile:

 

Honestly, other than the performance boost in 2nd gear, I would rather have my IB/W 2004 S with all three packages, Lapis Blue leather, and HK any day of the week. I did love the BBS rims though, but the stickers on the car are overkill.

If I add a 15% pulley this should close this performance gap, shouldn't it. Where do you really feel the difference when adding the pulley.

-Justin

 

I would tend to think that lighter rims and to a lesser extent the lack of a sunroof would give you a stronger pulling car.

 

I too had the same mc40 as a loaner from prestige mini. yes, it was your imagination that it was faster. No, it does not have the jcw. I think because it's a loaner we tend to push it a little bit more. The car felt strong, but no stronger than my sept build 04 mcs . As far as it being a limited edition model, maybe the stickers are and that's about it. hope this helps, bleecker

 

Those rally stickers add at least 45 bhp! or is that whp? That and the checker stickers on the roof of my MC40 put my car at 290 b/whp at least

 

The MC is of the last half '04 production witht he shorter gearing of the '05. Your '04 is probably the 1/2 half production with the old gears.

 

Global MINI in Atlanta, GA has 2 MC40s in their loaner fleet. Considering they didn't sell well, it's not surprising. Heck, you can still find unsold new ones; just check Auto Trader.

I had use of one of the MC40s for 4 days while they tracked down a mysterious oil leak in my car. This one was extremely dirty, had 5k miles, a cracked windshield and was riding on 16" 5-spoke wheels.

The car did feel stronger than my 11/03-build '04 model, but I attributed that to differences in the weight and the "break-in" techniques of the 2 cars.

 

I think you're just thinking too much. I think your right foot just push the car harder when it's a loaner...that's why it pulled much stronger. Happen to me all the time.