yes you are correct ^^^ it is only 2 years.

all you people have brung up very good points.

i was leaning towards the JCW but now that i think about it more and more im not so sure.

i like the JCW and i like the name....also vboiding the warranty wouldnt be a problem for me. An intake and header isnt going to void the warranty...also suspension setup. Which is all im going to be doing for the first few years with the car.

im going to go drive it this week...maybe that will help with my decision!

 

is it 2 year plus the 4 year/50k miles or is it just two years..........can you clear you statement up please...

 

From page 5 of the John Cooper Works brochure:
Warranty
John Cooper Work's tuning kit parts have been extensively tested for performance and durability. The John Cooper Works tuning kit is covered bythe two-year/unlimited miles MINI Parts and Accessory Warranty or the remainder of the Mini New Vehicle Warranty, which ever is greater, if installed by an authorized Mini Dealer.

 

so it does not extend the extended the warranty of 4/50k.... ok thanks for that info

 

I am thinking about purchasing a MCS here soon and I did my research on getting the JCW or not. I have decided not to purchase it. I think it is great for people who are worried about the warranty and are pleased with what it offers. I like throaty exhaust, so I know that is going to get changed along with some other stuff down the road. I just don't want to spend that much money on the kit that I know I will end up voiding and it is pretty pricey. After the kit and your upgrades your getting into Audi and R32 price ranges, not quiet but almost.

 

I was mistaken. It extended the maintenance coverage out to the full warranty. But this was not part of the JCW.

Paul

 

I don't know for sure but I thought I read that the JCW kit is covered under the remainder of your factory warranty OR 2 years, whichever is greater. So I think if you added the JCW kit at 3yrs/40k miles, you'd get 2yrs/25k miles (on the JCW components) instead of only the 1yr/10k miles that are left. But I'm not positive about that.

 

ok just got back from test driving the JCW.

there is def. a considerable difference.

im still torn on what im going to do.

but to clear a few warranty issues up.

if you order the Cooper and have the dealer install the JCW before you take delivery of the car. then the JCW is coverd for the 4yr/50k. But if you drove it home that day then brung it back, for the install it would only be 2yr warranty.

that kinda explains it a lil better.

im still undecisive on what i want to do. my dealership installed JCW kit is $5,800

 

No, no! It's which ever is GREATER! So the JCW is covered for the REMAINDER of the factory warranty which would still be 4yr/50k miles if you got it installed a day or a week after you bought it. It's just that if you get it installed with 40k miles already, they'll give you 25k or 2 yrs more so you won't run out at 50k miles.

 

OK, 'nuff respect to JCW for putting together a nice, warranteed kit. But, with that badge:

First, bid any semblance of 'sleeperness' adieu.

Then, ask yourself why you bought the car: to stare at a badge or to drive it...

Sorry if this comes off rough, but NOTHING short of 250hp should put a MINI Cooper S even NEAR $30,000. Really, an Evo VIII isn't THAT big of a car...

M

 

If it makes you happy, the JCW is good. If you're into aftermarket mods, than that's good, too. Brothers and sisters, it's all good.

 

I have been contenplating the JCW for myself. Best as I have read the JCW is alot more expensive then the aftermarket stuff. There are 2 reasons for the price difference:

Its a BMW part - they always cost more (aka $125 oil change)
Its a BMW instalation - $100+/hour.

add the warrantee fact and that peice of mind. Aftermarket parts can cost just as much if you have waterpump or other issues.

But
From what I have read the JCW is a much smoother way to increase HP. It is smooth and the muffler is quiet.

I have not driven a JCW (but I'd love a test drive) but I have driven one that was aftermarket moded. 250+hp is what they told me. It was done at a place that does merceddes in the carolinas. Let me tell you that after a 15 minute test drive I had a headache. It was so loud. If I had bought that the first thing I would need to do would be remove that performence muffler for a quieter one. Killing the power in the process. But at 30,000 miles a year it has to be cumffy. Yes I still want to hear my Sirius radio.


So dont just think of it as more $$$ vs warrantee. Think of it as factory design and refinment vs a cheeper less refined drive with probebly more HP.

Also I think that a JCW would add to the resale value. I have seen the question on nam to remove the aftermarket parts and sell them on ebay cuz you wont get the $$ back for them and it may even detract from the price.

 

well about the only thing i dont like about the kit is the exhaust.

its way too quite for me.

that thing would have to go. so thats a waste of $500 or so rigth there

 

If you're contemplating a JCW kit or retrofit, Gabe Bridger reports that a possible forthcoming $500 JCW upgrade for existing JCW owners is expected to bump the HP into the 210-220 range.

FWIW,

Theo

 

It's interesting that I look at the situation ninjamini sets forth and reach exactly the opposite conclusion.



I think that a lot of the extra cost is also for the warranty. The installation cost, while expensive (about $800-$1000) is not that much more than you would pay if you paid a good mechanic to install the comporable after-market mods.

You'd have to have a lot of issues (and lose a lot of fights with your dealer about what is covered by the warranty) to get the cost up to JCW levels!

This is what I was referring to at the beginning of the post. If you get the JCW, you get the MINI tuned in one particular way, with a relatiely quiet exhaust. But not everyone wants this particular configuration - some like throatier (but quiet) exhaust, some want *****-out Harley-like exhaust, some want something in-between. With JCW you get what they give you. If you build it yourself, you get to choose components that match your particular needs. If your needs change, you can change mods - which is something you wouldn't want to do with the JCW because it raises all the warranty issues that you paid so much to avoid!

To me, it comes down to how much the warranty (and the badge) means to you. You are paying a huge premium for it, and you are giving up the ability to build the exact car you want, and to tinker around with your mods. But don't believe that the JCW has some special technology that allows you to have a "refined" ride that is not available on the aftermarket. It is there if you want it.

Again, it just comes down to an issue of personal preference.

 

When I ordered my MCS in March '02 the JCW wasn't available........and in retrospect I'm glad. I began modding when it was already a year old so I felt
reasonably sure I didn't have a lemon.

I have really enjoyed the PROCESS of discovering and researching various possibilities, making purchases and slowly adding on.....each time improving
performance a little more......cold air intake, ignition system, pulley, M7 device and looking forward to the GIAC chip. When all is done I will have spent under
$2,000 and have the same get up and go at a third of the JCW cost.

If something goes wrong MINI will have to PROVE that my mods caused the problem to deny warranty although legal action could be required (I have already received a cash settlement for 'the stumble'). I don't feel concerned about warranty issues.

After almost 20,000 miles my Mini just keeps getting better and better and
I have had so much fun being involved in making it happen.

 

[QUOTE=buz]From page 5 of the John Cooper Works brochure:
...The John Cooper Works tuning kit is covered bythe two-year/unlimited miles MINI Parts and Accessory Warranty or the remainder of the Mini New Vehicle Warranty, which ever is greater...QUOTE] So YES, it CAN go past the original 4yr/50k mile warranty. It says whichever is "GREATER"!

 

if you buy the kit at 4/50k you can extend it then

 

Yes - then the kit parts are guaranteed for 2 yrs.

 

i agree with you just about 100%

i'm leaning towards getting the kit for the soul reason that the car is for my girlfreind. I already have my lexus IS300 that im tuning out. And i would like the idea of "financing HP". And when i get the dough to fork out some real power for the MINI i thinkk the JCW will be an even better platform to work off of.

the JCW will be plenty of enough power for the girl for the first couple years.

 

Who said you need to put the badges on it? My JCW badges are sitting on my desk at home - all you need to do is ask the dealer to leave them off.

Is it worth getting the JCW kit?

Yes - if you want a solid package from the dealer that they will cover, without question, under warranty. $5700 ($4500 + $1200 install) for mine. JCW provides a nice, smooth powerband that not all aftermarket combos do. Could it be better? of course - but this kit balances performance and reliability (in MINI's eyes).

No - if you want to play with combinations yourself and are willing to potentially fight the dealer on warranty issues. If you just want pure, bad-a$$ performance, go aftermarket.

It's all a personal opinion. I went JCW mainly because of warranty and ease of install (I didn't have to mess with anything!).

Since then, I've added a CAI, performance plug wires, and Short-shift kit and the biggest difference is the Short-shift kit. Get a short-shift kit - every MCS should come from the factory with the throw you get from a short-shift kit. Shifting is just so much smoother

 

why is my dealer the most expensive so far.

$5800

 

Every dealer has a different hourly shop rate, what city do you live in?

 

Cincy, OH MINI dealer

 

Ralph Shomp Mini in Denver will install the Mini Mania Stage II kit (claimed 215hp) for ~$3K AND keep everything under BMW warranty. That assumes any warranty work would be done by them, of course.

Has anyone mentioned resale value? I'm positive that the JCW Mini will KILL a any aftermarket modded Mini in resale value.