Dave, I am curious were you running a stock air box before the upgrade? I have an 04 JCW and I am debating if I should change the injectors&ECU. But I changed my intake already and I noticed a big differance in performance when the engine was given a chance to breathe.
Larry

 

I really liked the Alta CAI for the three months I had it. The JCW retrofit is soooooooo sweet. The air box opens and the supercharger screams at 4500 rpm, when it needs that rush of air the most. The retrofit package really brings it all together smoothly, much more so than a CAI and ECU magic ever did.
Strap yourself in, the ride is f'n bitchin' a$$.

 

Just so people know the full '05 kits are out now also. Mine will be in by Wed and I'll hopefully get the car Sat/Monday depending on how fast it gets done.

Quoted 13 hours of labor @ 102/hour bringing the total installed price to about $6400-6500 then again I'm in CA and it's cheaper than if I was in SF :-)

 

Mini-///M,

I'm also in CA and I just had the JCW kit installed on my brand new 05 HB/W MCS last Friday/Saturday (with just over 100 miles on the clock). I only got to drive the car for a few blocks (it's a long story that I won't go into here, but sufice it to say that I no longer have/own the car - BMW does!), but I can tell you first hand that it was absolutely AMAZING! The whine coming from the supercharger was incredible and the exhaust note was just right (and the increase in low end torque is very welcome indeed). The car is wickedly fast!

The new 05 JCW kit is very nicely matched to the new lower gearing on the 05's. When I switched off the DSC, the car smoked its tires all the way through third gear without even trying (You can really see where the LSD will come into play with an 05 JCW). Without the DSC switched on, the car spins its wheels like there's no tomorrow and makes it difficult to handle.

Lastly, while having the JCW kit installed on my MCS, the dealer loaned me an 03 MCS with a "Zoomer" exhaust (and reduction pulley???) which they claimed had 180 hp (the exhaust note on the Zoomer is obnoxiously loud though - it was so loud that you could hardly hear the whine of the supercharger and it really ticked of my neighbors). The car was supper fast and really fun to drive, but I could tell a HUGE difference in the gearing. The 03 is a real dog off the line when compared to my 05 (but it really started screaming when the RPMs increased). No offense to anyone with an older MCS, but for me, the new lower gearing in the 05 makes the car much more drivable in everyday driving situations (and works wonders in a JCW equipped car).

You're going to love your kit!

BTW, for those in the know, I posted some of this on a thread in Motoringfile.com earlier today too.

 

Whatever happened to 9-10 hours of labor? Does it take 4 hours to install an air intake (10min job).

 

greatgo,

It's probably not as easy as you would think... The JCW airbox is quite trick. It requires that part of the cowl be replaced (the new cowl piece comes with the kit) so that it can draw cold air in through the vent up by the driver's side window. Also, the airbox has a flap that opens above 4,500 RPM and so that requires a new wiring harness be installed so that it can speak with the MINI's computer (which in turn requires a software update).

Not to mention the replacement of the new injectors too. All of it is quite time consuming indeed. It took my dealership two full days (or more) to install my 05 JCW kit as they hadn't done one of the new kits before and they said that they didn't get any installation instructions with the kit so they had to keep calling tech support. I'm sure it would go a lot faster for them next time around though.

 

the experience of the technicians at most of the dealerships is horrible at best
I doubt most of these guys could work in a lawn mower shop...

 

Oh my god - I agree! THAT is actually one of the reasons why the JCW was not an option for me. Hearing stories of the installs taking many hours extra or even several DAYS extra with several mechanics. There's no way I'd trust my MINI with a lot of these guys. That's why I'd much rather see a high-performance kit installed at the factory when you order the car. That would be much, much more attractive, nevermind cheaper.

Thanks TheOfficeMaven, for clearing that up - I guess the 05 kits would take quite a bit longer with the extra "stuff".

 

And now an update.

Mini of Universal City is fighting MiniUSA on the install time of the JCW Retro kit. They contend that the 1.5 hours only covers the book time for the injectors and the software update and that the air box was not considered in this install. The bottom line, they want 2.5 hours for the install, not a second less. The good news, I will get a refund of 1.5 hours. The bad news, I still must pay 1 hour more then quoted. So today I call MiniUSA to continue the fight.


Dave

 

Irvinr MINI charged me for 2 hours and it was the first they had done.

 

DOH mine is the same color combo. Hopefully the wider/stickier rubber I have waiting will help a bit.

Bummer about the MINI though :-(

 

The time charge here in Chicago is 2.0 hours @ $109 per hour. I guess I should feel lucky that I was only hit up for $788 (which included the customary "shop supplies" surcharge) for the 210 upgrade.

 

Has anybody done the upgrade themselves? I'm going to order the kit this week and probably have a friend help me install it, then drive the whole 5 miles to the dealer for the ECU flash.

 

thanks for the parts numbers and breakdown minimikecooper. Asseal gave me a quote today for around $500 for the injectors and around $400 for the air box with 3 hours install time. I'm so glad I found this board!

 

The whole upgrade kit, injectors, airbox and software is $525 US. I hope your quotes include the installation labor. Or are you in the land down under or the great white north?

 

Okay guys-sorry to interupt-But does anyone know when the JCW Brakes or Strut bar will make it to the web site, or available period? Are they already? The suspension is already up there, but I am wondering when the rest of the goodies will be as well. I am fixin to order a new mini and need to know the info.

 

gtshnzr-

I'm in L.A. I called back and corrected them, the parts guy quoted me both the kit and the air box. It will now be $715 installed.

 

Has someone dyno'd their new installed / upgraded JCW 2.0 yet?
I've read GBMini's dyno & saw his recent update concerning the new JCW hp rating, but I've also seen dyno's of the JCW 1.0 that showed hp @the wheels to be alot less.

Does also someone have figures for an 04 or earlier vs an 05 - wondering if the gearing would make a difference at certain points.

 

response from JCW Garages as of 11/9 when I asked about the strut tower brace:

"The suspension is now available. You need to contact your BMW dealer because it depends on the weight of your car which one is the right set up. You need to let your dealer know what equipment is fitted to your car and chassis number. Strut brace is not at this time available"

 

I ordered the upgrade kit (airbox, injectors, ECU flash) yesterday from Classic MINI in Ohio. They gave me a 10% discount which lowered the price from $525 to around $472 . It will be here next week and I hope to install it (maybe myself) next weekend.

 

David,

how long did you wait for your service appoinment at Assael? I'm looking at 3 weeks. I might shrivel up and die by then!
Amy

 

From the horse's mouth, so to speak:

Morning
The strut brace is not available until February
I have no cost at this time
Regards
Chris Dawson
Service Advisor
John Cooper Works

 

Strut tower brace? Don't those hackers at John Cooper Works realize that Andy at rosstech has already decided that they don't work?
Randy