Hey, first time owner here. Just picked up a 2011 Cooper S, premium package, premium sound, white silver metallic. Only 20,000 miles on it. Wasn't listed as a certified used car, but the BMW dealership we got it from had done all the service on it & gave me a printout of everything they did, even the previous owners name & phone number.

It had a dead battery when we wanted to test drive it, they jumped, drove it & loved it. When picking it up the next day, battery was dead again, they sent it to service & found the high pressure fuel pump needed to be relaxed, service on brake fluid needed to be done and replaced the battery. I know every car has issues, but the service calls & this incident almost set me off the car. Saying that to the dealer they gave us an extended warrantee to 100,000 miles.

The concerns I have are:

The run flat tires (no spare), Michigan roads are HoRrIbLe, but the extended warrantee covers tires & wheels. What is the consensus of other MINI owners?

Snow & ice driving, we traded in an '07 Subaru. We do plan on putting on dedicated snow tires for the winter. Recommendations?

No floor mats! They told me the car didn't come with them. I find that very hard to believe, but it is what it is. OEM mats-where to buy?

Gotta have stripes! Who's the best retailer for these (and other items too)?

There seems to be almost no end to mods for the car. What are best ones to start with?

 

Welcome!

I have an 07 MINI Cooper S with 64k miles and haven't had any major issues to date. As for the high pressure fuel pump, that is actually part of a recall and the dealership should be replacing (if they haven't already) for you. I wouldn't worry too much. Now to answer your questions based on my own personal opinions ..

1. Run-flat tires are okay in terms of purpose. I have Bridgestone run-flats now, but I live in FL so potholes and such are no problem for me. I also grew up in Upstate NY, and I know all about bad roads. If I were you, I would ditch the run-flats and go with a good set of standard tires. When I bought my MINI last year, the tires were brand new. Once they need to be replaced, I'll be going with a set of standard tires as well. The ride is just much more comfortable.

2. For snow tires, I used to always use Michelin's when I was living in Upstate NY. I switched to a few other brands, but I still always found myself preferring the Michelin's.

3. Believe it or not, I believe the MINI carpeted floor mats were an "option" when purchasing/ordering a MINI. You can find them on MINI USA's website by clicking here or possibly some other places on the internet as well. I personally prefer the genuine MINI ones. Mine came with the floor mats, and they're a really nice plush "carpet."

4. MINI USA also carries the bonnet stripes for $60. I mean, you can get these at ANY graphics shop, but if you want the OEM style, I'd just purchase it through MINI. The price from MINI is extremely comparable to what you would pay through a 3rd party graphics shop anyways, so one won't be much cheaper than the other.


I hope this information helps.

 

+1 on ditching the run flats, a solution to no spare, some go to Way Motor Works and get a donut, I use a plug kit and compressor from:
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...ortby=ourPicks
Snow and ice: Lots of MINI people swear by Bridgestone blizzaks. Try Tire Rack and also get a set of steel wheels for them so you don't have to keep changing the tires, just jack up each corner and swap the whole thing when needed.
In a wet sloppy environment I'd go with rubber floor mats you can get from several of the vendors listed in the Vendor Directory on the left hand column.
Any vinyl shop in your area can supply what you want and more than likely include installation.
The BEST mod for the money is a heavy (19 or 22 MM) sway bar and a set of KONI FSD struts. MotoringWerks.com has the KONI struts on sale now for near half price.
One other little add on you just must needs have is a 'LightInSight' now available at Way Motor Works.
And one last thing: Have fun motoring.

 

"The run flat tires (no spare), Michigan roads are HoRrIbLe, but the extended warrantee covers tires & wheels. What is the consensus of other MINI owners?"

1. Tire fix kit. Mounts to the hooks in the floor of the trunk. If you ditch the runflats in the future, you can use this kit also.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/71102333675/





"Snow & ice driving, we traded in an '07 Subaru. We do plan on putting on dedicated snow tires for the winter. Recommendations?"

Steelies ( steel wheels )and a good set of snow tires. You will need the 16" ones so they will clear the front brakes on your Cooper S.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...381-hello.html


"No floor mats! They told me the car didn't come with them. I find that very hard to believe, but it is what it is. OEM mats-where to buy?"

R56 2011 MINI Cooper S ( hardtop) What I believe you have?

http://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2011-Cooper-R56-S-Coupe-L4_1.6L_N18B16A/Interior/Floor_Mats/




Gotta have stripes! Who's the best retailer for these (and other items too)?

Genuine MINI parts have soo many options : Viper stripes, traditional hood stripes , Ray line stripes, etc.... Direct fit and no modding needed or fit issues.



"There seems to be almost no end to mods for the car. What are best ones to start with?"


www.ecstuning.com


Thanks

 

I was going to mention ECS as a good place to start looking for parts and MODs ... Doh!

I run dedicated winter tires, and performance summers, I choose the tire repair kit (one I put together) over the donut wheel.

Welcome to the madness ... so many MODs ... so little time.

Motor on!

 

1- I don't like the run-flats on general principle--and the people who have lived with them for long periods of time seems to back up that opinion.

2- Decent snow-tires and using your noggin a little should make your MINI as good or better in the snow than a little 4x4 on all-season tires. The steelies shown above may be fine, but I'd think hard about getting a set of "take-off" wheels that someone is swapping out for bigger ones. Check the classifieds section here, I'd be surprised if there weren't a few sets of 15s/16s/etc. in there already. Some 5x15s or 6x15 wheels should work fine for snow tires, and the alloys will look pretty nice and should be fairly inexpensive.

3- Weathertech makes floor mats for a lot of cars that can help contain the messes that your shoes bring in. You might consider a set of these to help protect the OEM mats you get, if any.

4- I strongly suggest working with a local vinyl place for your stripes. Unless you want the "correct" and original OEM stripes, in which case go to MINI for those. If you work with a local shop for the stripes, they can be as "you" as you want them to be; you won't be limited to the factory's design and colors.

5- As for mods to start with, I would think about two of them first. One is making sure the car is in good shape, with all of the maintenance done, a good thorough inspection, and all the fasteners checked to make sure they're tight and all the bits in place. Making sure the car is reliable is a Really Really Good Thing (TM). Consider an oil catch can if your car doesn't have one, as the early turbos tend to throw a lot of oil deposits onto the back of the intake valves. (Search "walnut blasting" on this forum for pictures.)

Then I'd go to a driving school. No, not like the ones the cops hold for people who are getting out of tickets. I mean on a race track. Held by an organization like NASA. (No, not that NASA--the National Auto Sport Association!) That way you can learn what your car is capable of in a fairly controlled and safe environment. You'd be astonished to see what the car can do, BTW...

 

+1 on all that, or hook up with a local SCCA chapter. Either way you'll learn driving skills that will carry you thru wrestling for your own space on the freeway competing against all the idiots who didn't learn how to 'DRIVE'...it's called situational awareness.