Has anybody ordered the jcw kit from the factory? I'm thinking about getting it installed on my new cooper-s.

 

I still haven't see this offered as a factory option. It's selectable, but still dealer installed.

 

it is now an option, i'm building my car on miniusa.com and there is a "works" icon for the jcw kit.

 

Dealer has informed me that your MCS must have done around 5-8000 kms and will cost around US3000.00

Is it really worth the money?

 

200bhp with full waranty. yup

 

The dealer must not have read the MINI Aftersales Parts bulletin M110103.

The MSRP is $4500 plus a recommended 10 hour install, plus tax, plus your core, plus shipment of your core supercharger and head back to JCW.

This is a dealer install item only - hence the "Aftersales" bulletin. I honestly don't know if that is planned to change in the future so that installs are done at JCW, but that wouldn't make any sense, so I doubt we'll ever see that happen.

 

I heard that they are only bringing 1,800 kits in. Given the price this is they're sales projection.

 

My dealer called me and then sent me a flyer.....a few days later.

Price is $5700 installed.
breaks down to.....$4500 for the kit and $1200 for installation
There installation price is therefore $120/hour for the 10 hours suggested = $1200

Much toooo pricey.
Needless to say I declined the offer.

Peace,
D

 

>>Price is $5700 installed.
>>breaks down to.....$4500 for the kit and $1200 for installation
>>There installation price is therefore $120/hour for the 10 hours suggested = $1200
>>


My dealer charges $90/hr. So I wonder if they'll charge a bit less for charge 15 hrs of labor. Either way, no thanks. With an ECU and maybe exhaust, I'll blow the JCW away.

 

Yeah, plus you'll have a boat load of money left over to address things like suspension, brakes, wheels and tires, sport seats, harnesses, and the like.

 

From the miniusa web site re. JCW package accessory:
MSRP: $4500 Note: MSRP does not include dealer installation costs and requires exchange pricing.
Translation: too much $$, go for the Randy Works Package.

 

DWrath: I just checked out the same thing.

Notice how the works package is in section 5 of Build Your own. That means it's a dealer installed item. To be factory installed, it would have to be a selectable build option in the first four parts of the Build Your Own process. To even select anything in the 5th section you have to "Accept" the terms that the pricing is set by your dealer and that may vary. Also, labor is not included for any items in section 5.

Hopefully between the bullitin (which Randy posted first in a major coup) and all the disclaimers on MINIUSA this nonsense that it's a factory option will go away.

$5700 + giving the core exchange for your old supercharger and your old head is way out of line.

 

John Cooper work CHAT Officall on MINIUSA!

 

Question 1: For $4500 why doesn't the U.S. Spec JCW kit only address the engine? Why aren't there changes to the suspension, wheels, tires, and seats for the U.S. Spec Kit?

Question 2: The Stock Supercharger and Head have to be returned in the process of the kit install. Is JCW or MINI reusing these parts on other cars? If not, then why take those parts back? We paid for them with the car. If so, why?

 

Just recieved this email from MINIUSA:



================================================== ==========

STRONGER. FASTER. GROWLIER. WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY.

================================================== ==========

Introducing the 200 Horsepower John Cooper Works tuning kit
for the MINI Cooper S, commonly referred to as simply, the
"Works." As in "Wow. That's some serious whup-*** you have
working under your bonnet." To answer any questions you
might have, we've arranged a live chat with Mike Cooper, son
of the legendary F1 constructor John Cooper and current head
of John Cooper Works, the perfect partner for developing
this impressive performance boosting tuning kit.*


WHEN: May 7th, 12-1 PM EST
WHERE: The MINI International website
WHAT: Live Web Chat about the Works.
WOW: Chat participants have a chance
to win John Cooper related prizes.



SUBMIT A QUESTION FOR MIKE COOPER OR
SEE JOHN COOPER WORKS VIDEO
http://intercontent.com/mini/mini59....&pid=93959

LEARN A BIT MORE ABOUT THE WORKS ON MINIUSA.COM
http://intercontent.com/mini/mini59....&pid=93959


* Currently, here in the U.S., the John Cooper Works tuning
kit is only available for the MINI Cooper S.

 

>>My dealer called me and then sent me a flyer.....a few days later.
>>
>>Price is $5700 installed.
>>breaks down to.....$4500 for the kit and $1200 for installation
>>There installation price is therefore $120/hour for the 10 hours suggested = $1200
>>
>>Much toooo pricey.
>>Needless to say I declined the offer.
>>
>>Peace,
>>D

You can get pully, intake, ECU and exhaust for under $2k. You could throw in a spare engine and still spend less than the JCW kit.

 

>>
>>You can get pully, intake, ECU and exhaust for under $2k. You could throw in a spare engine and still spend less than the JCW kit.


No chance you could get a new engine installed for anywhere near $3k. PArts would be more on their own. And the package you laid out doesn't include a new performance head like the JCW does. Cooper S aftermarket heads are going for $1,800, not including installation. I'd like to get a true apples-to-apples comparison going here so we might undersand the trade-offs better.

JCW Kit: $5500 (+/-) for new revamped supercharger, ECU, exhaust, performance cylinder head, tens of thousand of miles of BMW testing before introduction, full BMW-backed 4 yr/50k warranty, California smog certification, no need to reflash ECU after service/software updates

Non-JCW packages: I estimate $4100, for the following: ECU ($700, not including installation time), pulley ($200 not includ install), exhaust ($700 not includ install), intake ($200 not incl install), head ($1,800 not incl install), no warranty, no extensive testing other than what is going on right now in the field by aftermarket tuners, not smog legal in California and probably elsewhere, need to remove and send ECU back to tuning shop after service/software updates. Plus, figure in $500 in installation costs if you can do some of the installs but not the more complex ones (ie, cylinder head removal/installation). That gets me to the $4100 comparative cost.

Does this seem like a reasonable apples-to-apples comparison of the two approaches? IF not, please modify. If so then JCW doesn't seem quite so pricey. Don't get me wrong, I'm really quite undecided about this but am trying to make a smart decision for performance, finances and peace-of-mind. I do know one thing -- I will definitely have 200 HP one way or the other by summertime!

 

That's a fair comparison. I guess it comes down to the new head. The price difference is very large if you go with aftermarket parts and the original head. If JCW sold the parts separately I would probably skip the head as it has lower bang for the buck. I am also on 22k miles so the 50k mile warranty is down to 28k in my case.

I can see cases where the JCW kit is worthwhile - a new car that the owner wants max performance with minimum risk.

 

I'm afraid I must agree with SCA...I've wrestled with this long and hard, whether the wait for the JCW or not, and I believe he's more correct than most are going to be willing to give him credit for.

In addition- JCW has been given unrivaled access to proprietary info from MINI/BMW in order to put together this upgrade package.

My sense is that there is more to this kit than meets the eye. ie- there are indications that the supercharger is more than just upgraded ceramic blades...read bearings...flowed housing...

In addition, it is my personal belief that there are some serious concerns about the durability/longevity of the powerplant. That's why we are only seeing 200hp as the "actual" horsepower. Anyone who's read Randy's posts about his progress can see that he believes there is more to be had.

The $4500.00 + $1,000.00 question is at what price?

At this point I'm willing to go with the JCW works package with the factory backing.

-crashgearbox

 

It is definitely pricey when you consider the difference in cost between a base cooper and a base S is $3400. For that $3400 you get 48hp. For an additional $5700 ($4500, plus approximately $1200 installed), you get an extra 37hp.

Not that this is a scientific comparison, but it does put dollar spent per hp into perspective.

 

Remember too that when you spent the extra $3000, not only did you get 48 hp, but there were changes to the suspension, wheels, tires, seats, and transmission.

 

Okay...this might be a dumb question (but i am a newbie ). Anyways, how would the dealership knowthat you have the 15% pulley? Does it have to do with the on-board diagnostics program?

Here's another idea concerning warrenty and the pulley: Theoretically, you can get the 3-piece pulley from Mini Mania, have it on 15% when you need it, then put it back to the stock ratio when taking it to the dealership. Wouldn't that work?

 

gbjunkie!
that would be way more work than it would be worth!

 

I'll bag the $1,800 head and the installation and buy an LSD (and probably a tougher clutch while I'm in there). With all of the other stuff I believe that the head is a waste of money and is in there merely as a bone to the dealers. Hit 200hp at the crank and spend the rest getting it to the ground + suspension mods.

 

This rather draconian note accompanies the product description on the MINIUSA website. It's a flash module so I couldn't copy and paste, so I did my best.

"iI's also important to note that currently, the John Cooper Works tuning kit is the only high performance enging package that's fully approve by MINI and will not void any aspects of your existing MINI Vehicle Warranty.***

*** John Cooper Works Kits' parts have been extensively tested for perofmance and durability and have a two-year limited warranty. Have your John Cooper Works tuning kit installed at an authorized Mini dealer. Your Mini Vehicle Warranty will be rendered null and void if anyone other than an authorized dealer installs the John Cooper Works tuning kit on your Mini Cooper S."

Tom