Is there a place where I could purchase a paintable fuel door or one that is color matched?

 

You can get an unpainted one at Penske Parts for about $18+shipping or your local Mini dealer.

 

ammodave, I've been hunting for the part on Penske. Do you have the part number by chance?

 

Sorry, I'm not smart enough to provide a link but it's listed under Bodywork, Side Panel/Tail Trim and the part no. is 51177148883. Hope this helps.

 

Ok, I found it. Thanks. But don't know you need both 10 AND 11? The Pot and the Flap?

 

If you're converting from the "S" fuel cap to a "non-S" fuel door, you'll also need the pot. The pot won't require painting as it's fully covered by the flap. You might want to try to find a like minded justa owner and just swap pieces.

 

I just had my dealership try this swap and they cannot get the latching mechanism to operate. They said something like the original "S" door latch was aligned differently than the Cooper door and fuel pot. It just does not fit right.

Has anyone else done this successfully and if so HOW!!!!!

Stephen

 

Sounds like your dealership is just blowing smoke. I converted from the non-S to the S fuel door and everything fit perfectly including the latch. Is your problem that the door no longer locks? The locking mechanism is identical on both cars and is accessed by removing the carpeted panel on the left side of the boot. Is it possible the dealership damaged the lock while installing the new door? Should be easy for them to troubleshoot.

 

Partial troubleshooting tips:

Make sure the pot is fully inserted into the fender. the lip should be flush with the fender, top and bottom.

Try locking the car with the fuel lid open; the locking plunger should extend about 1/2" inside the pot.

When the car is unlocked, can you see the end of the locking plunger in the fitting at the 3 o'clock position in the pot? The end should be recessed about 1/8" inside the fitting.

If you can't see the end of the locking plunger, the dealer screwed up the installation and allowed the locking plunger to drop down inside the fender well where it no longer lines up with the hole in the fitting.

 

I want to go the other way, "S" to Non-"S" so I have a smooth fuel door on my 2011 MCS. It is so much easier to clean and I say that because I also have a 2009 MC and much prefer washing it. I changed the spoiler to the Non-"S" for the same reason.

This Seattle Dealership says that they can't do it but their parts dept wonders why not because all the other parts involved are the same, just a different fuel pot and door! Boy do I hate hassles

What year R-56 Mini were you working with, oh I see it is a 2010 so there should be no difference!!?

Stephen

 

Yep, 2010. The lock is the same for the S and non-S and so is the fender; so I still say your dealer is incompetent or blowing smoke. Lots of folks have done this mod in both directions. Usually the only problem is removing the old pot from the car. It requires removing the fender liner and removing or partly removing the filler tube. Even then the pot is hard to remove without drilling some small holes in the black part of the pot at the dimples provided by Mini to show you where the latches are underneath. Did the dealer actually remove your S cap and then attempt to install the justa door? Did you see the partial install of the justa door? I hope they didn't charge you anything for their attempt. If they did, you need to chat with the SA and get a refund.

 

It was local bodyshop that ripped out the "S" fuel pot and tried to install the Cooper pot and door. When they messed it up, rather than let them play around with it (they said "there are no electrics back there"!!) I took it to the Dealership a hundred miles away, in Seattle through some pretty crappy traffic. They charged me nothing for their first attempt. I got their Service Manager involved as well as the Parts Manager (he said all the parts should work). The Service Manager thought it was possible that the bodyshop bent the tabs in the inside of the fender when they ripped out the fuel pot so they are going to have another go at it. It was a much better response than "that what you get when you modify things".

S.

 

Well, that's a shame that your body shop took one too many shortcuts and damaged the old pot. The project is a little more complicated than it appears. Hopefully your dealer can make it right.

 

You have hit the nail on the head! They did not have a clue as to what they were doing yet said that they did. I am dealing with Chemo Therapy at the same time so I don't need the added grief :-(

I will Post once this gets worked out one way or another.

S.

 

Seattle Mini Update.

I took it in for the door sill "S" trim to be replaced because it was dented before I picked up the car.

I also wanted them to look at the fuel pot and fuel door install that Ken's Autobody did in Port Orchard. Ken's did not seat the fuel pot in far enough and the solenoid for the fuel door did not work. Ken's also did not match the Pepperwhite paint very well.

Well, after fixing the door sill trim piece Seattle Mini backed SMOG-2 into a pole necessitating a rear bumper cover replacement and painting to match. When it was headed for the paintshop I asked about having Haury's (Seattle Mini's paint shop) match the fuel door paint. Ha, what a joke. Not only does the rear bumper cover not match perfectly but I was told that the work that Ken's Autobody did (which was a worse color match) was, "As good as it gets and if I wanted a perfect match I should send the car back to England to get it painted". Gee, how bad would it have been if I had ordered the car with one of Mini's fancy paint jobs?!!? Pepperwhite is the most common color of Mini and they can't match it!

Another little gem of an answer that I was told was the solenoid for the fuel door would not align and "That was what happens when you modify things". When I purchased the car new I asked if they could do the fuel door swap and would there be any problems with it. They assured me it was possible to do. We discussed it with the Service Manager and the Parts Manager and yes it could be done.

I presently have the new Service Manager working on what went wrong with the fuel door since the Parts Manager says all the parts are the same and it should work. The Service Manager says that they have swapped many Cooper doors for "S" doors but never an "S" door for a Cooper door. Stay tuned.

Stephen

 

That's interesting. I will find out on Thursday when the dealership is done painting mine. They already said they would install it for me as well so it must fit just fine. Will let you know.

 

Had my new gas fuel door installed w/matching paint as the body today. The dealership had no problems installing it. So... you should have no problems having it installed on your S.

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement! I think the people who tried installing it originally bent the metal tabs that hold the fuel pot and that is whats causing the misalignment. Stay tuned.

S.

 

An update to the above scenario. I got the Service Manager and the Parts Manager working together on this issue and they fixed it properly with many apologies and a "No Charge" for any work done! Seattle Mini did a good job, finally. Apparently the original attempt at the install did not get the fuel neck to the tank in the correct position :-(

http://www.mini4fun.info/2011_MCSa/Photos_%26_MODS.html

S.

 

Sorry to being this thread back from the dead.. It's just that I've been researching and this thread offers the most info.

So it IS possible to go from an MCS to a Justa gas cap?! I've been asking all of the local parts dept @ the dealerships and they keep saying its not possible! I found a local person trying to sell the cap on CL. Is this all I need?

 

Not a problem, lots of MCS owners have gone this route for a cleaner look. There are actually 2 oem pieces required for the transition; the pot and the cover for the door. The Craigslist photo is a little fuzzy but it looks like both pieces are there. FWIW these parts would be about $60 from Penske so the Craigslist price is not much of a bargain as these parts are tricky to remove and easily damaged. The outer cover will also have to be painted to match your car. You could probably recover some of the cost by selling your MCS parts here on the classifieds. Good luck.

This link is for someone who went from a justa to an MCS fuel door.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...370-post1.html

 

Thank you!! I very much appreciate your reply!!!! I'm wondering if the mod is worth the hassle... just because everything is so easily damage-able. :/

 

I went the other way (MCS fuel door on a justa) and it took me a couple of hours. I had trouble getting the old pot off and ended up removing the filler tube from the gas tank before I was done. All the parts involved are plastic held on by fairly fragile clips. I didn't damage my old justa filler door but others have. The primary risk is during the removal of the old pot. If you follow the procedures and don't try to muscle it off you should have no problem. Installing the new one is risk free. Good luck.