Has anyone taken their US spec Mini to England? What engine/exhaust mods need to be done? I have an 07 MC with everything except the rear fog light that will need to be installed to meet lighting requirements. Any other requirements that I don't know of? Any help or other experiences would be appreciated.

 

I'm in the same boat... I'm moving to france later this year...look at the embassy for info... thats where i found the french registration info.

 

I added a post in " Coupe Talk (2007+)" lots more posts. Good luck on your move Wher you going to end up in France?

 

I am also considering a move to Europe in the next few years, so I have been doing some homework as well. Here's what I've found so far:

It seems that US cars will need the rear fog light installed and activated, with a switch that lights up to indicate rear fog light activation (stock switch). There was something about the sidemarkers too - you'll have to have those removed (get some Euro arches), or possibly change out the red rear sidemarkers to amber like the front. GM made the amber rear sidemarker modification to their euro-market Corvette...

You'll also have to make sure the car's glass and has euro certification (a little circle with a big E and a subscript number in it - like E1, E2, etc). My factory glass already have these certs, however my aftermarket PPG windshield only shows the DOT number - so I'd most likely have to swap that out.

You'll also have to check for the euro certification on all your external lamps. On my car, all lenses except for the headlights (and I think the sidemarkers) have a visible E code on them. Since England drives on the other side of the road, you'll most likely have to swap out for a set of RHD headlights too. You can buy stickers to place on your LHD headlights, but I'm not so sure if these are legal for vehicles that are going to be registered in England. I think the stickers are used to temporarily alter the beam on tourist's LHD vehicles...

Tires will also need euro certification too. It's my understanding that there will be some sort of "E" code (like the DOT numbers) on the tire if it meets european specs.

I hear the MOT can be a killer in England - they are a lot more picky about emissions, safety, and the overall mechanical worthiness of a vehicle than most any state inspection in the US.

Lastly, you'll need to add a warning triangle and a certified first aid kit. I'm not sure about England, but some other european countries are now requiring fire extinguishers and safety vests as well. I believe all of these items can be obtained at a MINI dealership.

Can anyone across the pond chime in, and let us know if any of the above information is correct? This is information I've gathered on the 'net, from what appeared to be "official" websites...

 

You wont need the triangle and first aid kit in the UK. I would, however, not really recommend driving a left hand drive car in the UK. Although it's legal, insurance will be really high. Plus, pulling out at some roundabouts will be very tricky sitting on the "wrong" side.

If you are moving and somebody else will pay for the shipping then it maybe worth it finacially, but again, I wouldn't really recommend it. If you are staying in the UK for a prolonged period, a left-hand drive Mini will be very difficult to sell.

 

Congrats on the Europe idea! I LOVED living in Europe, and I hated to leave. Except for the awful exchange rate, of course...I just returned from Germany, so I can speak for the Continent, not necessarily GB. I just traveled (and drove, but not a Mini) there. Although I was buffered by agreements for military personnel between countries, there were still some laws and regs -- and some just DARN good ideas -- that we had to follow. I loved driving all over the place in Europe, and have been lucky to have driven in most of the major cities in the world.

First and foremost, if you have the opportunity to take a short driving class in English for European driving, PLEASE DO. It's not hard, but some of the extra "oh yeahs?" really helped. If nothing else, it will help you wrap your mind around some of the quirky differences.

You may not NEED the triangle etc. but I would purchase it if I were you -- You can get the triangle kit & first aid kit from either your dealer, online from a Euro dealer, or just wait until you get there. Many of the vehicle shipping companies sell the extras, especially to foreigners. Be aware that these ARE requirements in the Continent countries, and will be inspectable items (i.e. you must present them) when registering the vehicle. The fire extinguisher & vests (at least in Ireland, Germany, and some of the other bordering Continent countries) wasn't a requirement, just good ideas. If you buy these items from a dealer, they usually come w/velcro & stuff to organize the boot of the car, or if you want to spend the time, do it yourself. I'm not sure about your cars, but mine (purchased over there) came with a little niche in the boot door to put a triangle case (long square blue thing that keeps it all tidy) & snap it in.

When you first arrive, I would suggest you find the nearest Mini dealer (BMW may be a bigger entity, and they still have the Mini connection) and have them "reset" the vehicle for Euro standards. Many of them will do it as a routine procedure -- to include adjusting the headlamps to focus the right direction, checking your tires, etc.

There's really not a huge difference in tires between Europe & the US -- but wherever you go, be aware of the difference in regulations between winter tires & summer tires, and/or how many of each you have to have per axle. THis sounds weird, but for instance, you have to have the same kind of tire on the same axle -- two winters, two summers, etc.

AKIndiMini - The item about removing the markers and getting European arches, etc...You may want to re-check that...I've never heard that and I have them on my current '07, and had them on my '04 (both purchased there). Some of the European countries BAN the use of fog lights (front and/or rear) so be warned. Fog lights can be useful even in the US, so adding them couldn't hurt! (Helped too, with the "pea soup" fog in some of those places!)

Driving in Europe is NOT that bad, if you're a fearless driver already:
* France & Germany: Be warned that driving in France -- OK, PARIS -- is kinda crazy. I watched one guy ahead of me in a traffic circle (or "roundabout") in a heavy snarl of traffic roll down his window and literally tried to PUSH the car beside him away from him. And they're not nice. Two lane roads quickly become TEN lane roads, and "birds" are always flying!!! France through the countryside is beautiful, and not hard at all to drive. Pay attention to speed signs, though...if you're NOT in Germany, it's NOT the autobahn and you can't go as fast as you want. Hell, you can't go as fast as you want ALL the time in Germany anyway! Just pay attention, and enjoy the ride.

* England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales: TAKE A DRIVING CLASS AND PRACTICE!!!! Outside the big cities isn't bad for driving...mostly. LONDON, however...whew! Just being a tourist there, understand that "Mind the Gap" is there for a reason, just like "Look Left" or "Look Right" painted on the road is there for a reason, too!!!! If you're coordinated, the opposite side of car & road aren't bad to get the hang of...but my husband and I sounded like idiots chanting to ourselves every time I pulled out into traffic, "LEFT SIDE, LEFT SIDE, LEFT SIDE!!!!" I got into my one and only traffic accident in Ireland - we were in a roundabout outside the Dublin airport...and unfortunately for me, I was following the lines on the road, just as I would have in any other country...but even the "Garda" or police said, "we don't follow those lines here. We just go with the flow." UH>>>>>> anyway. I hit a JAG. Ireland is the ONLY country I know of that you can drive yourself to the DMV to get your drivers permit or license, FAIL THE TEST, and drive yourself home. Some drivers only get "permits' (learners license) for THEIR ENTIRE LIVES! Watch out for the big red "L" sticker in their windows. And stay away from them!

Just some general notes:

* if you're in a non-English speaking country, try to speak their language even if you only know TWO words! English is the language of business in Europe, so when someone says, "I speak a little English" they're probably completely fluent and being modest. And PLEASE, please, don't be THAT ugly American...there are SO many of them there already!

* You can drive (with a ferry ride of course) from UK to the Continent, so don't be fooled - pay attention to ALL Euro road rules. Driving Minis there is SO MUCH FREAKING FUN!!!!!! I really envy you guys!!!

Happy Motoring!

 

I am stationed here in England and in order for my Neon to be driven on British roads, I needed to get a light conversion done and also an MOT. An MOT is basically an inspection of your POV (emissions, safety, lights etc).

 

We moved back to the US with our new mini cooper. When we moved over to Germany we took a Chevy Blazer with us.. UGH never again.. but anyway, we didn't have to change anything on the Blazer.. if your in the military maybe you won't have to do alot. Now is the perfect time to buy another car whilst over there, cant beat that tax free status!
Enjoy!!

 

Do you remember what all needed to be done to the lights, and was it expensive?

 

I lived in London a few years ago and there will be plently of MINIs to motor with. Foxton's real estate agents drove them around! You'll love it!

 

S,

I was just rummaging through different posts since I was bored and wanted to say Thanks. I'm not moving to Europe (though I was born in England) and won't be visiting any time soon but I just had to say that I loved reading your post. The way you wrote it was as if you were speaking and I couldn't read fast enough....lol.

I know that probably sounds stupid but I feel like I know what to do there...lol.

Thanks for the informative advice and entertaining reading.

Mark

 

You're welcome! What's funny is that I was typing so fast on that post I had at least two co-workers come over to find out what was making "that funny tap tap tap noise." And of course I was giggling the whole time remembering our adventures. I'm glad I could make you chuckle.

I L O V E D living over there. The only thing that stopped me from staying there longer (longer than 4.5 years!) was that I got deployed too often, and only got to experience Europe in little snatches. That's where I became the Mini-aac you see today, on the autobahn! Oh what fun. And long twisties every day on the drive to work. Sigh...

I guess I just want to give others as much info as I can to enjoy themselves as much as they can! Europe, and traveling in general, is a GREAT experience, and an even better one in a Mini!

Happy Motoring!

 

Well, at least if you're in VA now, you've got some great roads nearby....perhaps not as cool as being on the autobahn.

I went to Europe back in '85. The autobahn wasn't the road I was expecting. I had this SUPER highway with many lanes envisioned. I didn't expect speed limits neither.

I did like the great drivers there. The US needs Europe's driver's ed classes. Much better drivers, more courteous, more aware.

The last day of my two weeks I was there, I hadn't seen anything going any faster than I do down our local interstate.

While we were travelling roughly 100-110mph, a Lamborghini blew by us doing at 180-200... it made us look like we were standing still.

Anyway, back to the US. Did you make it to MOTD? Definitely more twisty than the autobahn...lol.

Mark

 

For my Neon, they had to put side blinkers on. They had to "re-align" my headlights to the left (I think this is a scam). I only have one reverse light. And I now have a rear fog light.

 

Actually, ToofPaste39, it's not a scam. There really IS an angle difference in the regulations/guidelines on direction of headlamps in the US vs. Europe -- ESPECIALLY in England (gotta point 'em the other way for the other side of the road!) How much did all of that cost you, and where did you have to get it done - a dealer, the vehicle shipper, or a local shop?

Orangecrush: nope, didn't get to MOTD, but I really really really wanted to. Instead, the local club (ok, only one Mini other than me made it) went through an almost 200-mile trek through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The husband was clutching the door handle and thought we were back in Germany!

I got to race our buddy's brand-new Porche Caiman from Stuttgart to Kaiserslautern in my husband's BMW 335i. I think I won, but that was most because of daring driving...our buddy wasn't willing to risk his new $54k car!

The Autobahn was a lot of fun, but it DID have restrictions in certain areas -- which is why I made note to pay attention to the signs!!! The restrictions fall fast, especially if you're not noticing. They now have cameras on the autobahn AND in all the major cities that are SO good, you can pretty much see all the scone / broten / baguette crumbles on your face! And these new ones don't "flash" so you can't tell your pic has been taken like the old ones did.

 

The total for the light conversion was roughly around $120. And since I am on a military installation, I had it done on base.

 

Only one reverse light now? What did they do with the other one?

The Neons I saw on my last trip to Europe had amber rear turn signals. Did you have to have these fitted on your US-spec Neon too?

 

I'm guessing they used the second reverse light to re-wire a parking light?

The parking lights over there are not like here. There's one light that stays on all the time to alert other drivers that you're parked (usually on a side walk or curb) so you don't get hit. Not much parking SPACES there, just curbsides/one side on the sidewalk. That's pretty much wherever you go in Europe. Parking spaces are NOT cheap - almost more expensive than parking at an airport!

But let's see what ToofPaste says...?

 

My front turn signals are amber. But my rear turn signals are clear. My reverse light is only on the drivers side. And my front fog lights are connected to my new rear fog lights. I've never seen parking lights that are always on. But the base Car Care Center decided to give me "permanent" parking lights; so they drilled a perfectly good headlight and inserted a small bulb, and those act as my parking lights, I think.

 

HOLY COW!!! Don't let the AAFES Car Care Center do ANYTHING to your car, especially not anything PERMANENT!! I personally appreciate AAFES and all they do for the military service members...but their Car Care Centers (especially overseas) S&*K!!!!! I"m so sorry...Now I understand why you thought it was a scam. I had a Fiat, and the AAFES center blew the computer out of it...TWICE, and then had the audacity to try and charge me $1,200 for a dead car.

When in doubt (for anybody, not just TooFPaste39), I'd suggest you ask the local Mini or BMW service center. Even if it costs a little extra, you know it's in decent hands. In the UK, I know that "little extra" = a LOT extra with the Pound/Dollar exchange (or the Euro now for that matter!), but still...!! Permanent drilling shouldn't happen to good cars! If something the car centers (on post/base/installation or off in the civilian world) sounds fishy, ask the officials at the vehicle inspecton stations.

Anyway - the strange, always-on-while-parked parking light has to be programmed through the computer in the car. If you drive around at night, look at some of the cars (nicer cars usually, and not just Minis), and check out their back-ends...they'll have a weak-looking light on the side that's exposed to the road. I never bothered to have it programmed like that since I had a full parking space and was a little crazy about where I parked my Mini anyway!

 

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents regarding the always-on parking light on my R53. It is a US market car. If you shut the vehicle off, and push the turn signal lever left or right - the parking lights on the respective side of the car will illuminate. Do the US-market R56s behave in this fashion too? I'm imagining that this is the 'always-on' parking light that has been mentioned here...

It doesn't seem like there's a whole lot to do as far as getting our MINIs lights modified for European road use. I had a dealer in SFO activate the rear foglights on my MCS. So the only thing I have questions about are the side marker (wheel arch) lights, and the headlights themselves. This thread has definitely been quite informative, and it's great to hear from people who have been (or are) abroad.

 

So did they have to install the rear fog lights in or on your rear bumper? Stinks that they had to make 'permanent' modifications to your car. Are you planning on bringing it back to the states? Also, does your Neon have a license plate hole big enough in the rear to accommodate those long UK plates?

One last thing, any chance you can post some pics of the car for us to see?

 

Hi there.. a new member from Scotland here.. was pointed over in this direction to see if I could give any advice.. well..

Your lights *will* either need to be re-alligned or have temporary stickers on the lenses - We have to do that if we visit Europe. Think about it, if you're driving on the left your car's lights will be aligned to shed more light over the pavement (sidewalk). If you're driving over here, you'll just end up dazzling a growing stream of ammoyed drivers I think we can get those lens cover stiker thing for the equivalent of $10-$20? (If you're staying tho, you'll need a more permanent solution...

As for the corner markers.. I don't see why they should be a problem, all the newer Volvos over here have them..
There's even a couple of our members put them on as a mod
Here's a pic of one of 'em erm.. 'borrowed' from his sig pic


What else.. (I just scanned the thread and these things stood out) You'll need to have working fog lights (front and rear), but it doesn't matter if you have one or two reverse lights.. as long as they work!
Ooh yes, turn signals have to be amber..

If you have any more questions.. I'll try to answer!
And don't forget, if you're coming up to Scotland at all.. jump onto http://www.newminiscotland.co.uk and let us know! There'll probably be a run on if you want to come and join in! You'll be most welcome!

 

The rear foglight was attached under the bumper on the pass. side. I'll take some pictures soon. The car looks like a normal USDM Neon aside from the rear foglight. My license plates are the same size as US license plates. You have the option to get a US spec. license plate or a UK spec. It all depends on what vehicle you have.

 

I think I once turned that parking light on by accident in my '04 MCS, but I couldn't remember how to do it again. I'll try to see if that works with my '07 MCS -- It was purchased in Europe, but is US-spec. Maybe I'm just full of it!