Hi guys,

Just registered to the forum and am in need of some help. I have an 03 R53 JCW or so i thought. After many years of dealing with the same tuning garage they seem to have cocked me around and possibly screwed me over. Recently i had a new JCW cylinder head put on (JCW according to the garage) after i had water mixing with my oil. After spending over $3000 on the car i pick it up and it simply doesnt perform. I take it back and they have some wrong part in then it seems better but still doesnt perform like it used to and has some jerking.

I take the vehicle for BMW to diagnose it and im told its not a JCW as its not on their records. However i have the full JCW exhaust system, the JCW engine plate stamp in the bay, the cover over the supercharger, and the JCW plates. The only thing i dont have is the airbox, its an aftermarket one and has been since it was purchased in 2008. I've always wondered why i don't have the JCW aero kit or brakes and my rear JCW sign is below the cooper s emblem not on the left like it should.

However its not on BMW's system so surely it should perform with 170hp if its a standard s. But my mate has a 2007 forester XT with the prodrive kit which pushes out 250hp and he only just beats me by half a car length. Is it possible this isnt a JCW? i'm really confused, the mechanics say it isn't but then why does it perform a lot better than 170hp and what on earth do i have in my engine bay.

I can post a picture of the engine bay if needed. Any feedback is very helpful

 

It could have had a JCW Engine Kit installed somewhere other then at the dealership, then maybe did not flash the computer , guess it could have happened. I remember the JCW heads have a little green stamp on the block. The valve cover plate will be numbered as each kit should and match the certificate. It was a dealer add on option until 2006 I believe. The JCW Red caliper brakes and suspension ( red springs where add on's also till later.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ed-or-not.html


On the JCW tuning kit number which was in addition most times with the Cooper S.

It would have came with paperwork for the tuning kit and the badge which was on the valve cover with the number of the tuning kit. If you dont have the silver plate JCW/ JCW number badge/ JCW exhaust / and JCW intake, you most likely did not have the Tuning full kit, also look for the JCW emblem on the rear and on the lower grille. Or the part were bought a la carte then added on. The number plate on the valve cover on yours has me confused as that could not be bought separately ?

Look at the engine. JCW Tuning kit plate with number. Top left in pics. Silver JCW inter-cooler cover ( center ) and JCW intake with badge on the right. On the plate you will see you number .



Also comes with the document , if you can find it.



Thanks and post up some pics. Also what country are you from ?

 

Hi, thanks for the prompt reply.

It could be possible that it was somewhere else but i dont have the airbox and certificate. And the JCW cosmetic badge is supposed to be on the left of the boot lid not right. here is a picture of my engine bay.



I am in Cape Town, South Africa. I do have a stability strut it just wasn't on at the time of this photo.

 

You are welcome.

I cant see your pic , can you attach the file to you post?


There is suppose to be a grille badge ( front left hand side) and a boot badge ( rear side opposite of the Cooper S badge, but an owner can remove the cooper S badge and put the JCW badge anywhere if they want. So its not defined.

JCW Front Grille Badge


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51147175101/



and

JCW Trunk Lid Badge


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51147175102/




I am also thinking because you have the engine plate numbered, that someone said, well I like the kit but I don't want to pay to have the Cooper S engine head replaced with the JCW one in the kit. Stuck on the engine number plate ( and all other items ) and then sold the JCW head to someone else and saved money on the install?

Also being that you are in SA , they might have done thing different down there ?

Thanks

 

Hi, how do i upload a pic? It's in my gallery on my profile?

Thats what im worried about, ill get BMW to check out whether i do have the JCW cylinder head or not. SA should be the same as anywhere else but its just so hard to find someone who actually knows the old supercharged minis.

 

You may very well have a dealer or aftermarket-installed JCW kit that was never entered into the sytem. Take a phone pic of your supercharger pulley and post it for us.

The noticeable drop in performance is probably not due to a 'regular' cylinder head vs. a JCW head. The JCW head has slightly re-worked exhuast ports that flow a measily 10CFM better than stock. Now that's something, but I think you would be hard pressed to really feel a seat-of-the-pants drop in performance. It's something, but it would be hard to feel. I think it's more likely that there was an installation error, like getting the cam timing off by one tooth, which will drop your power by 20-30whp.

 

To post a pic , hit the Go Advanced Icon right by post quick reply, then find the paper lip icon and add attachment. Then post.

Thanks

 

I have an early JCW 10/03 build. At that time there was not a factory installed kit it was dealership installed. They did not have the 380CC injectors or the JCW CAI or the suspension and brakes untill 2005. Your ECU should be flashed with what was called the JCW 200 tune, your ECU should have a little sticker on it with the date it was flashed and the JCW kit number on it also the supercharger pulley is approx. 13% bumping it to a 15% wont be a big change unless you jump to a 17% . If you add a CAI and some 380cc injectors you can get the ECU flashed with the 2005 tune known as the JCW 210 flash and mechanically you will essentially be upgraded to the 2005 JCW level.

 

Like Eric said it could have been a dealer installed kit. But there is NO way to tell if the head is a JCW without looking at the exhaust ports which you would have to remove the header or the head itself to see. There is no such thing as a green dot indicating it's a JCW head. The gain from the head is minimal so it may not even be noticable. Now if it was installed by a dealer they would have registered the JCW kit with MINI so it would be on file. If an aftermarket shop did it there could be no records. Or at worse your car may not actually be a JCW. I've seen 2 fakes come into my shop that both customers bought and paid for JCW, but they just had the stickers, and accessories and no real head, tuning, or supercharger installed.

 

Were you trying to keep it as true to a jcw as possible? I just can't fathom spending 3000 on a head and not getting an RMW or at the very least thumper(not saying I want one, but still better than the slightly modified exhaust ports of a jcw head).

As for performance, how would the cam tooth alignment be pff if he doesnt have an adjustable cam gear? I know that would screw the timing, but still.

 

Hi, thanks for your responses. I can't currently take a pic of the car as my cooling system failed yesterday and is at BMW being investigated but i do have an old pic of the engine bay, will upload it now. You can see i have some sort of aftermarket air filter

I'm hoping i have the head, supercharger and ECU flashed, ill look for the sticker when i get my car back on Monday.

 

Down on power, head replacement, cooling system failure. Sounds like these are all fruit from the same tree, JCW or no.

 

Well you have the serial number JCW badge on the valve cover so that is a good sign as you can't get that without the kit.

 

Thats what i said, the guy at BMW said though that someone could have bought a wreck and stuck pieces on so im really lost now.

 

Go to a Mini dealer with your VIN and have them print a Build Sheet for you. It is my understanding that it is listed on there if it came from the factory that way.

I too was told mine was not, but I have ALL the parts as well as a certificate. And it is also listed on the Build Sheet. They did not list them the same for the 1st Gen that they now list for the 2nd Gen. It's a little more obscure but there none the less.

This is what a BMW mechanic explained to me and the parts peeps.

On my Build Sheet, it is listed as Option - 03AL John Cooper Works Kit

 

The OP has a 2003, and JCW was not offered from the factory. All JCW kits were installed aftermarket (by dealer or other shop). Factory JCW did not begin until 2005.

 

Hmm...good to know. Thanks for the insight.

 

Actually the factory JCW began in the US with the 09.

Prior to that it was the dealer kit installed at the factory. Nit picking, but john cooper works was not a BMW company until I believe 07 and so the BMW version was factory integrated in 09.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cooper_Works

 

The JCW Engine Tuning Kit (210bhp) wasn't available as a factory option until November 2005 builds. This factory option also included JCW Sport Brakes.

The 210bhp JCW Kit was first available as dealer fit in October 2004. Earlier JCW Kits were 200bhp and didn't include the JCW airbox and larger (380cc) injectors. A dealer fit 200bhp to 210bhp upgrade kit was available starting October 2004.

JCW Tuning Kits and Factory Models - The MINI Wiki

The thread originator's MINI probably has a 200bhp JCW Kit which was installed by an independent shop or a dealer who didn't register it.

 

Factory JCW for the R56 began with 2009.

Factory JCW for the R53 began in 2006 (I was wrong, it wasn't in 2005).
http://www.motoringfile.com/2005/07/...06_model_year/

We're just talking semantics here. Really, nobody thinks of John Cooper Works as a brand or separate line of cars. It is just a marketing distinction by MINI corporate. In the MINI community, a "factory JCW" is understood to mean it came from the factory instead of installed afterwards.

 

I have an 03' JCW also. All the JCW stuff (head, pulley, exhaust, coated SC, ECU tune, s/n JCW badge on valve cover) except the 380cc injectors, and JCW intake. I called MINI, and they don't show it as a JCW according to the VIN number either.

The reason is because JCW's didn't start coming from the factory until late 2004....so the 03's had the kits installed by dealers, or other shops. When they started putting the JCW kits on at the factory (04'/early 05'), then they also started adding the 380cc injectors, and JCW intakes.

I still call my car a JCW....I don't care if it came from MINI like that, or a MINI dealer installed the kit. It's all the same to me. I just wish I could find a MINI dealer that would install the 210hp JCW tune for me.

 

Just remove your ECU and ship it to WAY I believe he can flash it for you.

 

I have to ask why it matters?

Are you trying to keep the car as a collectors car, if that is the case check the VIN and take out that AfterMarket Intake and get a JCW unit.

If you are after the performance end of it Piston hit the nail on the head, My MINI is a JCW Fake(or Mutt you pick), I took the best option from JCW and the aftermarket and made what I wanted out of the parts:

• An O6 MINI S - So my Supercharger is Coated
• JCW Head - I have one that has been ported but is NOT a JCW head. Wanna go all in get an RMW like PISTON said.
• Intake - I to am running a CAI and not the JCW unit
• Super Charger Pulley - 15% (JCW is 12%)
• Exhaust - JCW is the bomb (but uses a stock exhaust manifold)
• Badges - Like WAY said that part is Hard to fake (at least the Valve Cover one)
• Exterior Badges - Easy to get from ECS or eBay sellers
• Brakes - I wrote an article how to make these on the cheap and even better.
• Injectors - Can be bought from many locations and sizes
• Tune/Flash - I have a custom tune, but you can get pretty much any dealer to do this for 1 hour at the dealer

So I think it breaks down to what do you want out of the car, if you want the higher end performance and never want to change anything then go with the JCW

If you want a collectors piece, personally I think you should sell that one and look for a nice GP.

And if you want a nice performance model just add what you want.

But you do have the hardest part to find the Valve Cover Plate, I have seen them for sale but they are rare, and I dont even have that I have the RMW Plate.

 

Thanks for the reply, that is helpful regarding power. The main issue im concerned about is whether my car is a JCW or not, whether i paid for a JCW and was sold an S. Thats all that is the problem, once that is solved then i will look at power versus GP and all other jazz.

I think that the shop i used to go to have been doing false services and repairs on the car hence it is extremely down on power and performing horribly. However after speaking to someone at BMW who actually knows what i want done (never knew people knew such little of these cars) the car is booked in to have the engine performance checked and checked for JCW parts nothing else) free of charge on tuesday. After i get the report i will take legal action.

 

Hmmm...

First you THINK you got screwed buying a non-jcw labeled as a JCW...
Now you think you shop was doing fake repairs.....
And you want to sue....hmmm.....
Not saying You need to look in the mirror.... But might help...to encounter BOTH A CROOKED SELLER AND A GARAGE.... Things that make you say hm......At some point YOU NEED TO STEP UP....and do YOUR due dillagance and not just threaten to sue....
Frankly...guessing the JCW vs non JCW cars sell for about $1000 difference..(and you said you BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2008 I THINK IN THE FIRST POST)..... Sometimes less...and repairs are not listed....but on an older used car...hard to say something is not needed...but let's say $1000 cause both folks screwed you....that is only $2000 in 2 different lawsuits that are hard to prove and collect... And $$$ to pusure....step back....take a deep breath...and think...