Good day all,

I am about to pop my Mini Cherry and am as excited as my first time.

I have been looking at a few different CF addons and the driving lights, but it seems like I am paying half the dealer's mortgage with those options. Any ones in particular that are worth to order with the car?

- CF Mirror caps (740$ at the dealer, while caps can be ordered on the bay for 120$)
- CF Diffuser
- CF Hood scoop (alot of different options out there that look justlike the real deal)
- CF boot handle
- JCW CF shifter
- JCW CF e-brake
- Driving lights (many kits out there, even some sold by actual dealers, including the switch, grille and brackets)
- JCW Gauges (aftermarket ones might even be better, but I bet the installation is a bizatch)

I'm happy to hear you out!

Mel

Oh, and yeah, this time around I intend to last a lot longer...

 

Go ebay for everything. For 3 reasons
1) Your exterior trim will take a beating from stone chips and weather. Easier to replace a $120. Or live with the scratches, will save you some tears when you see a stone chip in a $700 piece of trim.
2) in 5 years when CF is old fashioned and wood paneling is back in style, you haven't wasted as much cash when you go to update your look.
3) You're already paying the dealer a huge profit on the car, you don't need to give them more money. Support the little guy that's making a smaller profit on an identical part.

Even skip ebay, and search your local online classifieds like I do.

 

Aftermarket CF mirror covers are a crapshoot. I bought some (about $150) a couple of yrs ago manufactured by Autotecknic. After about 3 mos the finish started to bubble and looked like the dimples on a golfball. They were guaranteed for a year so I tried to send them back to Autotecknic. It took 2 mos and a half dozen emails before they agreed to replace them. After spending $15 to ship them back, it took another month before they shipped out new covers. After 3 mos the new covers bubbled up just like the first pair. I gave up and switched to oem union jack covers that I bought used. Good luck.

 

You get what you pay for. JCW components are 100% quality, but yes they have a price to match. I would suggest buying those parts gently used at a discounted price or try online (as others have suggested, ebay, forums, craglslist, etc).

If you really want to buy new, go through a 3rd party vendor, it does help them out (and in many cases, they can be cheaper than the dealer).

 

I have JCW CF but don't have all that they make for the MINI. I found CARBONMINI.COM. Top notch CF parts IMO (although they are just overlays). I've had my door handles and gas cap for over a year now and they've held up in the SoCal weather as well as from washing the car. I'd say they are equal to, if not, better than the JCW CF. Of course the price is reasonable compared to the JCW since they are just overlays.

I'm planning on ordering their CF headlight trims w/ washer next. They're still in the process of making other parts but they are well on their way. You should look into their site - ask for Erin. She's great and will take care of you!