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I am curious if anyone on here has had experience with mounting a bike rack on an F57. I have a customer interested in a 2019 convertible that does NOT have the bike rack prep kit equipped, but all other features of the car match desired options, etc. Is there any way to equip an aftermarket hitch or bike rack on an F57 that does not have the prep kit installed from the factory. Any info is much appreciated!
Let me just put my story on here for anyone who bought a MINI or is looking at one that does NOT have the factory carrier option on the build.
I did lots of research and decided that because my car is a leased car, a hitch rack or the SportLink that requires modification to the car itself would not be a smart idea, and I wanted to carry 2 bikes so the plate that drills into the bumper bar that I saw on MiniMania would not work.
I went to ECS tuning and found https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...127349623~oeb/ this bumper bar. My 2019 Cooper S had two "windows" in the bumper that you could just pop open, but only the right side had the tow hook drilled hole. This new bumper carrier bar has TWO holes drilled in it, and line up perfectly with the two areas that I can pop open the covers on my bumper. For $170 I ordered the bumper and picked it up at ECS's store, and then had a local body shop swap off my stock bumper bar with this new one. It works perfectly for the factory MINI bike rack!
Just wanted to share my experience here since many said it was a difficult process during all my research! In total, I spent less than $250 on a bike rack install- $170 for the bumper carrier bar and $75 to install it at a local collision shop. That's less than MANY other options out there. I got the bike rack here from @Tono and he shipped it Greyhound (the cheapest option by far) and there are some out there locally as well.
Are both fittings on the car, too? Or I guess they're built into the rear bumper carrier that's specific to the S3ARA option code?
Yup, the normal bumper only has the one threaded one. You'd think it would have just been easier to make them all the same but if you can save 5 pence by not having extra threads it's all worth it!
Yup, the normal bumper only has the one threaded one. You'd think it would have just been easier to make them all the same but if you can save 5 pence by not having extra threads it's all worth it!
Between that and the built in electrical connector with the factory option, I guess it’s worth the $250 USD they charge. But yeah, you’d think economies of scale would come into play, if all the pressings were exactly the same. Weird.
The bike prep kit can be retrofitted as well. You just need to replace the parts required for S3ARA: [...{
I'd go that route before going with the aftermarket solution.
If money were no object, sure. The bumper trim cover is $470, and needs to be painted to match the car (any car; the part is primed only, no color or clear coat). The other parts are maybe a hundred or so. Labor is going to take you a couple of hours. Depending on ship rates that might be $150-250.
i doubt you could do the conversion for less than a grand unless you score a really lucky junk yard find.
Which is part of why I deleted my first post. OP is trying to sell a car, so spending $1000 to close the sale when he could just sell a hitch instead seemed silly to me
If money were no object, sure. The bumper trim cover is $470, and needs to be painted to match the car (any car; the part is primed only, no color or clear coat). The other parts are maybe a hundred or so. Labor is going to take you a couple of hours. Depending on ship rates that might be $150-250.
i doubt you could do the conversion for less than a grand unless you score a really lucky junk yard find.
Which is part of why I deleted my first post. OP is trying to sell a car, so spending $1000 to close the sale when he could just sell a hitch instead seemed silly to me
The bumper cover has the access covers to both tow hook holes, so as long as you don't need the electrical hookup, you should be able to get away with just replacing the actual bumper and not any of the trim. The trim is only needed if you're going to retrofit the electronics.
If you do the outmotoring solution, you're hacking a hole in the bumper trim anyway, so you'd need to replace that if you decide to remove the hitch before selling.
The VIPcustom solution basically does the same thing as replacing the bumper, just go with whatever one you can get cheaper.
Thank you all for the info, I appreciate it. We were looking at ordering a vehicle as an option anyway, so that definitely sounds most cost effective for the customer in this situation. Again, thank you all for the advice and insight!
Wanted to resurrect this thread as I'm not sure I understand- I'm about to pick up my 2019 F57 Cooper S and was going to ask the dealer to just put the second plate on using the VIP's VPN bike prep kit. If I have the plate installed on the bumper bar, will anything else need to be replaced? I can't imagine that there's much to do besides remove the bumper, attach the new plate on the left side, and put everything back together. Thanks!
Let me just put my story on here for anyone who bought a MINI or is looking at one that does NOT have the factory carrier option on the build.
I did lots of research and decided that because my car is a leased car, a hitch rack or the SportLink that requires modification to the car itself would not be a smart idea, and I wanted to carry 2 bikes so the plate that drills into the bumper bar that I saw on MiniMania would not work.
I went to ECS tuning and found https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...127349623~oeb/ this bumper bar. My 2019 Cooper S had two "windows" in the bumper that you could just pop open, but only the right side had the tow hook drilled hole. This new bumper carrier bar has TWO holes drilled in it, and line up perfectly with the two areas that I can pop open the covers on my bumper. For $170 I ordered the bumper and picked it up at ECS's store, and then had a local body shop swap off my stock bumper bar with this new one. It works perfectly for the factory MINI bike rack!
Just wanted to share my experience here since many said it was a difficult process during all my research! In total, I spent less than $250 on a bike rack install- $170 for the bumper carrier bar and $75 to install it at a local collision shop. That's less than MANY other options out there. I got the bike rack here from @Tono and he shipped it Greyhound (the cheapest option by far) and there are some out there locally as well.
Thanks. Very helpful info. I’d like to take the bumper bar approach but can’t find a compatible rack without lights and/ or at a reasonable cost. Unless I can find an old Mini rack without lights or a great deal on one and just not hook it up it will probably be less expensive for me to install a hitch and use the carrier I already own. Thanks again.
Gracelandii, you have made my day. This is just the kind of thing I was hoping would eventually appear. Looks like it would even work with my JCW rear bumper!
Gracelandii, you have made my day. This is just the kind of thing I was hoping would eventually appear. Looks like it would even work with my JCW rear bumper!
The website has a good video. I believe the application says a 2017 S Convertible but it went on my 2016 fine. It did require trimming the heat shield and a little of the facia.
Let me just put my story on here for anyone who bought a MINI or is looking at one that does NOT have the factory carrier option on the build.
I did lots of research and decided that because my car is a leased car, a hitch rack or the SportLink that requires modification to the car itself would not be a smart idea, and I wanted to carry 2 bikes so the plate that drills into the bumper bar that I saw on MiniMania would not work.
I went to ECS tuning and found https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...127349623~oeb/ this bumper bar. My 2019 Cooper S had two "windows" in the bumper that you could just pop open, but only the right side had the tow hook drilled hole. This new bumper carrier bar has TWO holes drilled in it, and line up perfectly with the two areas that I can pop open the covers on my bumper. For $170 I ordered the bumper and picked it up at ECS's store, and then had a local body shop swap off my stock bumper bar with this new one. It works perfectly for the factory MINI bike rack!
Just wanted to share my experience here since many said it was a difficult process during all my research! In total, I spent less than $250 on a bike rack install- $170 for the bumper carrier bar and $75 to install it at a local collision shop. That's less than MANY other options out there. I got the bike rack here from @Tono and he shipped it Greyhound (the cheapest option by far) and there are some out there locally as well.
Happy riding!
I ordered a bumper bar and installed it. It fits perfectly. Additionally, a steel bar was built to fit a Tule 598 stand. It's the best stand I've ever wanted.
Hi Jakesolarivert I wanted to ask if this bumper on ECS tuning fits the 2018 Mini Convertable. I have the two cut outs but only one side with a bolt. also the bike rack looks great. Can you provide a link for the bike rack or part number.
My 2019 F57 Cooper has the bike rack prep from the factory, so retrofitting to a Cooper shouldn’t be an issue. If you don’t retrofit the factory wiring harness, though, is a new bumper cover necessary? Not sure if cars without the bike rack prep have holes for the rack mounts or not.
Don't have one nor work for them ... just passing along info:
Most of our customers purchase our hitch to attach a bike rack and do not require a Drawbar or Wiring kit.
The MniDoMore Hidden Hitch for the MINI F55 Four Door BASE and S, F56 Hatchback BASE and S and F57 Convertible BASE and S is a heavy duty Steel assembly that mounts behind the plastic part of the MINI bumper and uses factory hardware and mounting location for a seamless and integrated look that is safe and secure and offers MINI owners the flexibility to haul, tow, attach or carry stuff they otherwise would never be able to. The hitch mounts between the large bumper support beam and the chassis.
Based on our research this will NOT fit the Base Cooper models that have the spare tire installed. Basically all base Coopers come with the spare tire so unless it is removed this hitch will NOT fit.
Based on the information above from akesolarisvert, I successfully retrofitted the factory bumper bar that is needed to hold the MINI bike rack to my 2016 Cooper convertible. I have had little experience working on my MINI and was able to complete the job in about two and half hours (one of which was spent wrestling the lights our of their sockets). I chose the factory option as the tow bar and VIP solutions required the same tear-down, as well as various modifications to the original bumper bar, heat shielding or bumper cover.
Price-wise, the non-factory options were cheaper, but required modifications to the car that I didn't feel comfortable making with my limited experience and tool set. I paid $705 for the factory bumper bar and bike rack. The VIP option was $249 for the kit, and about $175 to $300 for the single bike rack mounts their website recommended. It may not be applicable to the F57 model anyway. The EcoHitch was $299, and a Thule hitch-mount bike rack started at about $250.
