Not sure of the exact terminology (fender flares, wheel arches, etc.) but whatever they're called, I replaced them with the version from the Euro spec R60 that doesn't have the ugly orange and red lights.

On our black car those lights stuck out like a sore thumb, the car looks so much cleaner now without them. I snapped a quick cell phone photo last night after I replaced them...



If anyone is interested I ordered them from www.estore-central.com and it came to $258 with shipping and took almost six weeks to get here. Replacing all four took around 45 minutes. Here is the info from my order:

Qty Item Options Price
1 Cover, wheel arch, rear left
Item # 51779800769 €32.17 EUR
1 Cover, wheel arch, rear right
Item # 51779800770 €32.17 EUR
1 Cover, wheel arch, front left
Item # 51779800761 €52.71 EUR
1 Cover, wheel arch, front right
Item # 51779800762 €52.71 EUR
1 Shipping Costs
Item # SHIP €35.00 EUR
Amount €204.76 EUR

 

Looks nice, but is it legal without the side marker lights?

 

Yes, it is illegal in the states to run w/o those. Most state inspectors will hardly notice or care though.
looks good.

 

Probably not, but here in CA we don't have any type of vehicle inspection. I've been driving cars that are lowered, no front license plate, etc. since '83 and I've never received a violation for something not being to code. A lot of people make modifications to their cars in CA, it's pretty leinient here.

 

It just depends on how much of an *** the officer is. I"ve been pulled over in the past in other cars. In fact my buddy just was pulled over on Angeles Crest a couple Fridays back. Let go with a warning, but yes, they do look out for the violators.

 

Thing is, its harder to detect the absence of something that's required than it is to detect the presence of something that's not allowed. I'm guessing a cop driving past you wouldn't be likely to think, "Hey! That Mini Countryman doesn't have the reflectors on the wheel arches!"

Greg:

I didn't see any instructions in my box. Would you be able to give us a quick how-to? Also, what did you do about the lights to the reflectors? Did you remove the bulbs and zip tie the wires somewhere? If so, did it throw any bulb-out codes?

The car looks really good, Greg. I still owe you some centercaps.

 

Oh come on, you got yours four days before mine arrived and you still haven't put them on yet!?

They are pretty easy to change. On the inside edge (inside the wheel opening) of the plastic there are a bunch of plastic expansion clips. I think the rears had five each, and the fronts had eight or nine each. Unlike larger expansion clips where the center pin has a phillips head so that you can unscrew it out, these are very small and only have a tiny plastic pin about 2mm in diameter. So, you have to get something small, like a tiny drill bit or something, and push the center pin of the expansion plug inward until it pops out the back side... and falls inside the fender lining Then just pull the expansion clip out with your fingernail. Once all the clips are out you can pull the flare away from the car with a tug to release the snap-in white clips (you'll see the new ones on your new flare. Those yellow caps are just for shipping, so discard them). I know this may sound confusing but it's just because it's hard to describe... you'll be able to see what I'm trying to describe when you actually do it.

The hardest part is recovering all the little center pins from the expansion clips. You've really got to look for them. I was able to recover all but one, so I'll have to buy one clip from the dealer. For reassembly, just hold the flare in place and give it a few taps with your hand to pop the white clips into the body. Then put the expansion clips back in (the outer part) and once they're seated in place push the center pin into the clip to make them expand. Also, the rears are easier so you should start with those first to get an idea of what's involved before tackling the fronts. One more thing, on the fronts the upper edge tucks under the edge of the hood, so it's easier if you leave the hood open while doing it.

I just unplugged the connectors from the bulb-holder sockets. To be honest I'm not sure what the bulb failure notification looks like, some type of warning symbol on the dash I'd assume? Lora drove the car last night (with headlights on) and she didn't mention any warning light being on, so it looks like all is good.

 

The side markers are not part of the bulb check system and won't throw codes. As far as legality, the problem is not whether or not you will get a fix it ticket. If by chance you do get pulled over for it and are rude enough to fail the attitude test. Those are very easy and inexpensive to deal with. The problem lies if you get in an accident and a over zealous adjuster notices an excuse to cast the fault to the person missing required warning lights. This is where the risk is. That being said, I like it!!!!

 

Thanks for the guide, Greg. Did the swap this morning. Everything worked okay, except I have no idea how you only lost 1 pin. I only lost one doing the rears, but lost half a dozen doing the fronts! All those pins are rolling around down in my front bumper.

Anyway, the swap is done and the car looks 10 times better! Thanks for your help! (Again.)

 

I got pulled over in San Marino for going 40 in a 35 zone several weeks ago. Pulled into a plaza and officer let me go with a warning. When I came back to the car after getting some refreshments, he was still there checking the car, thank goodness he just said his wife drives a MINI also.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

Looking into this. Love NAM! The information here is thorough. Searching google leads to here a lot. Thanks for the post!