does anybody have a pic from the drivers perspective of this guage panel that fits behind the cup holders?? this would be very helpful. thanks

 

Ive seen them, i dont have a pic, but they seem to be totally useless.

No one is going to look towards the console while driving to see engine vitals.

 

I beg to differ. Oil temp is something you need to heed only while the engine warms up. Once at operating temps, you don't need to have it sit idle in front of you, as you should oil pressure. Likewise water temp, if you don't trust the analog gauge in the speedo, need not be immediately in front of you. Of course this is not to say that voltage and oil temp, being the offered OEM gauges in the console, are necessarily the most appropriate. In the end, I would like to see boost and oil pressure in front of me, always active, always giving instant readouts of the engine. For that reason, I will be replacing my OEM steering column gauges (boost and voltage) with those for boost (to 20psi in anticipation of a JCW tuning upgrade) and oil pressure (to 100psi) from Autometer.

BTW, there are several other threads concerning gauges. You should check them out. I seem to be repeating myself regarding this subject. And as for a picture, go the www.MINIUSA.com, build a car and look at the accessories available.

 

I beg to differ as well. Engine vitals are most important and the main thing I found dissapointing about the MINI. As a "sports car" I think it should have all guages instead of some being "dummy" lights depending on your factory chosen guage setup.

I was recently driving my Tahoe when the heater stopped working & the engine temp. started going up rapidly. Right before it went into the red, and I thought I was going to have to shut it down on the side of the road, it was like the thermostat opened, the heater started working & the engine temp dropped back down to normal.

Since I had just given it a tune-up "just regular preventative maintainence" and had replaced the thermostat, that threw up a flag! Turns out I just blew my intake gasket.

WITHOUT having my guages I would not have known exactly what the engine was doing. I would have just seen a flashing red light on the dash that would have went back out when the temp went back down and not known of the temerature spike which could have caused even further damage!

GUAGES are always good and need to be visible. After receiving my '06 MCS, I wish I would have added the Chrono Pack and then added boost & battery guages by the center speedo so all important guages can be monitored. Looking to do that in the near future!