I don't think that Mini Yours soda white wheel fits the look I'm going for. Dealer says he can't change because of airbags, etc.

How difficult would it be for me to? I guess I could add a cover.....

 

That' funny. I'd bet they would change it if you purchased a JCW wheel. It's no big deal. It is very easy to do. If it takes you more than a five minutes, I'd be surprised. I replaced my stock steering wheel with the JCW version.

By the way, I still have my stock wheel, like new. It's yours gratis, if you want it but I won't be back in the states until early March. Just let me know if you want it and can wait until then.

 

That's incredibly kind of you. I really might take you up on that. The car is otherwise exactly what I'm looking for and I hate to custom order because of that.

 

No problem, just PM when you decide. I don't plan on using it and if I sell my JCW the current JCW steering wheel goes with it. I can't even imagine having a white steering wheel.

Seriously, replacing the steering wheel should take you less than five minutes if you are pretty mechanically inclined. If you are not, it is still not that difficult. Everything on your current steering wheel will transfer right on over to the new wheel.

I might be able to convince my wife to look for it if you really need it. Its either in my garage or storage.

 

That's nonsense about the airbag. It will just transfer over if you swap steering wheels. A service person would know this, but maybe not someone in sales. An important point, however -- does the steering wheel have paddle shifters (auto transmission)? If so, the replacement wheel also needs to be the paddle shifter version (with notches to fit the paddles).

The bottom line is that swapping the steering wheel is relatively easy. If the rest of the car is exactly what you wanted, just go for it.

 

It has a manual transmission. They want to charge me $537 plus labor to change to the JCW wheel. That's dumb, when all I really want is for the wheel to be Not White.

BMC_Kid, is your original wheel the three spoke multi-function wheel?


--- I'm also going to go back over the car and double-check all the features. If there are enough nits like this, I might just be better off ordering. I notice it has chrome mirrors and that's not my first choice either.

 

RedMini,

Ditto on the easy remove and replace. I have also have an optional Chocolate leather wheel on my '09 and I insisted they give me the stock wheel back. The SA told me it took less than 10 minutes to swap out the airbag and wheel.

 

Yes, was replaced with this...

 

Get the car. Don't miss out on the car over a steering wheel. That is one of the easiest things to replace. The stock black ones are cheap but since you already have the car you can take your time to find the wheel you want. Get an Indy shop to do it, preferably one that works on BMWs and Minis. Unplug the negative, pop out the airbag from the back, everything is easy from there on.

 

The dealer doesn't know what he is talking about. They sell accessory colored wheels...ask the service department, negotiate the swap into your deal, and enjoy your new car!

 

Well, now that there are 2 things that don't suit me - both the white steering wheel and the chrome side mirrors, it's a little different story.

 

When you are getting a brand new car I suppose you should picky and be very specific on what you want, and what you don't. Getting one in inventory is usually about compromise. Some compromises are easier than others. Sometimes its that the tranny is different, sometimes the submodel, sometimes the interior color... bottom line is if you really like this car, the details you point out may just be nitpicking. You're gonna have to compromise somewhat. But again... these two details you don't like are two of the easiest things to change. Both can be done in under 5-10 minutes. Dealers don't like to just swap stuff unless there is an upgrade where they are going to be upselling you into buying more. All the JCW stuff is expensive, and that steering wheel is a perfect example. Swapping stock stuff is just not going to happen unless you explicitly are willing to pay for those extras separate from the car. The dealer will kill you on the parts and on the labor too. You may be better off buying it elsewhere and having it installed at an Indy or a DIY (these are simple DIYs), but I would understand people who don't feel comfortable doing that and want their car perfect off the lot. Good luck with your purchase.