I have a 2010 Camden on order and scheduled for production.

I’ve had in the back of my mind the thought about adding the JCW Tuning Package…but thought that it might be something that I add down the road.

I’ve been prompted by reading these threads to think about seeing about having it added at the port…it sounds like people have gotten a far better price on having it done that way than with their local dealer…unless they can get their dealer to match the Morristown Mini price (my dealer lists $2,100 plus labor compared with Morristown $1,680).

Any people out there with experience with this one way or other? How much did you pay? Are there additional labor charges? It seems like a dealership has little incentive in trying to help get this done at the port as opposed to at the dealership…any hassles there?

 

Contact your dealer and tell them that you want it done at the port. Its that simple.

Unless you get significant cost savings from having the install done at the VDC, I would wait one or 2 months after you have your car to make a decision. Maybe you like the car as is. maybe you need more power and will really want the stage 1 kit. If you get it put on at the VDC or the dealer before you pick up your car and take delivery, you will never know what the car is like with out it.

There is another thread very similar to this here on NAm that is prett recent. take a look for it to see what others have posted.

 

Onefish2…thanks for the reply. Your point about waiting is a good one…but also is part of my quandary.

We already own another MINI Cooper S (my wife’s car…but I’ve driven it extensively over the years)…and I’ve never felt that it was necessarily “underpowered”.

That being said it could never hurt to have a little bit sportier feel and drive. I’m not sure that driving it for a month or two first will help me any in deciding whether to do it or not.

The only benefit of waiting I guess would be to in retrospect decide if I had done a worthwhile thing or not…but it will be sort of a moot point by then.

Would be curious to hear what other’s spent to have it done at the port…as well as from those that waited and had it done and either regret it…or love it…

 

didnt even know this could be done at the VDC. When did this start??

FWIW, I had my car delivered 6 weeks before the tune kit was available, so I got to see what it was like before and after. the difference is very noticeable, esp. at launch and above 4000 rpm, w/only about a 2-3 mpg loss across the board. But then I have an automatic, and the JCW Tune Kit seems to provide more bang for the buck with autos than sticks, mostly due to the performance remap of the tranny's shift points during the software upgrade.

That is, if one drives it in D all the time. Not me, Im having way too much fun with the pads and stick in M mode. the only time Ive done full D is in the standing 1/4 mile

 

I'm actually beginning to wonder if it actually can or not. There was a post in a thread on this forum where someone suggested that it could be done...but despite looking high and low I haven't found anywhere else where someone has actually done this.

Obviously my dealership can tell me for sure...and I just haven't had the time to call and ask them yet...but I am starting to think that it could be an urban myth perhaps...

 

Could be. NAM is full of them (like the hoseheads that say they got an ordered car for $2K below MSRP), and Ive never heard of VDCs doing JCW tune kits. I thought the dealers had full proprietary license to do this, so motorers would have the benefit of experiencing their cars before and after, like me (even tho I had my tune kit rolled into my car's financing.)

 

Not to mention it is hard to imagine that MINI would offer such an installation at less than MSRP of the dealership and directly undercut them prior to delivery. Morristown MINI sells the kit for a discounted price...and many dealerships will apparently match...but at least they have some control over that.

I take it that you are one of the people who appreciated the difference after the tune?

 

I see no reason to doubt that the kit can be installed at the VDC. Personally I'd prefer to be already done with it at pickup and not think about it any further. I also have more confidence in the VDC than the dealer for performing just about any task.

Here is someone who was scheduled to have the kit installed at the VDC. It was right at the time of the 2008 exhaust tip recall and wasn't completed, but apparently he did arrange to have it done at the VDC:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...554-post1.html

 

Contact your dealer to make sure. But I am pretty sure it can be done at the VDC. They do the JCW suspension and aero kits and install other JCW bits at the VDC so why not the tuning kit.

The only drawback is that you will not get your air box and exhaust back if its done at the VDC.

 

I thought you couldn't add the JCW Tuning package... the configurator has that option disabled when you have the Camden package.

 

Not disabled on mine...just checked again now...

 

wait, i know, I have an auto transmission.. no wonder, noob mistake

 

rest assured there will be one for your car soon, and you will love it

 

Hugely. Especially on fast interstates (I live out west) and on the track, where the factory JCWs cant understand how that mere slushboxy S with the overpriced tune kit and the cutesy little paddles can give them such a good run for their money.... two things, fanboyz: 1) the auto loses no boost when upshifting and 2) in Sport mode the Aisin shifts faster than any human could manage the cumbersome clutch and gas pedal waltz. (actually I would love for another auto with a tune kit to give me some competition, but there just arent that many around.)

The ability to add the tune kit after awhile, or in the case of the Camden owner, if they're not ready yet for his car, is the reason why I bet most tune kits are done at the dealer and not the VDC. I'll give my SA a jingle here soon to see what he says.

 

Thanks sequence...I'd be curious to hear back whatever you find out...

 

I have a feeling MINIUSA simply never updated their configurator. The JCW Tuning Kit is available for automatic tranny, but the configurator lists it as unavailable (this is independent of the Camden package).

 

according to my dealership yes the VDC can now install the tune kit. this was made available to customers due to lengthy waits at the dealerships for JCW parts that were backordered or not available at the time. My MA said as long as there's enough advance warning--like when U order your car--and that if a customer wants the increased HP at delivery, the VDCs can accomodate you now.

 

That's useful information...I don't imaging that he happened to mention the price?

 

that, I did not get. Can't be much different than the dealer, minus the labor charges because VDC labor is factory subsidized.

 

MotoringFile said MINIUSA charges dealers a set price for port installations, and they won't tell you how much they pay for it. You have to negotiate the price with the dealer. If you don't say anything, the dealer will probably charge you the same price as doing it in-house.