My 2013 CM is en route and my MA wants to know which options I want in less than 2 weeks so it's ready for delivery as quickly as possible.

I know that I want a clear bra on the bonnet nose only and tinted windows.
I might be able to get them done cheaper somewhere else, but at least they are covered under the warranty if I get it through them. I will always have tinted windows on my cars and with all of the rock chips in Colorado, I want the bonnet protected. I'm not worried about the bumper as much as it doesn't seem to chip as much if at all.

I'm also getting the front floor liners, but just the rear all weather mats. I rarely have multiple passengers in the back, and even more rarely would I have them in poor weather. Also, I'm 6' 3" so I'll be using most of the rear seat room.

I'm also looking at the rear seat protecter for my dog. It looks as though it covers and protects the back seats and the back side of the front seats, but more importantly, the rear doors. My 6 yr. old deaf Bull Terrier is a 55 lb. stocky dimwit that has zero concept of personal space and doesn't realize how destructive he can be even when doing the most harmless acts. I'd hate to have the rear doors scratched all to hell. Anyone have one and able to offer any insight as to how durable/useful it is? He's not going to be in the car very often since he doesn't travel very well... Well, Actually, he does travel well, he's just a big oaf that will unknowingly scratch up and damage the car without meaning to. Would I be better off just laying the rear seats down, covering them with a blanket and blocking off the sides? Like I said... he's not in the car that often, but when he is, he can be pretty harmful to the interior because of his size and poor manners. I do have a couple of road trips back home from Colorado to Arkansas 1-2 times a year and that's 12-13 hours in the car...

I also like the Union Jack rearview mirror cover, but I was thinking about putting that on myself later. Has anyone ever changed out their rearview mirror cover? I don't have the Auto day/night mirror... Just the manual, but I got the Premium Package #2 so it came with auto headlamps/washers so the little square device will be on the windshield. I don't know if that makes it more difficult.

I also think I want the mudguards since I go snowboarding a lot. They want over $300 to install the front and rear flaps! I thought about doing this myself too. I did it on my old Honda Accord many years ago, but the holes were already there. Has anyone else done this on their own and can tell me how involved it is?

Getting the valve stem covers. That goes without saying...

I'm also getting the extended maintenance program to simply because it covers the clutch and brake pads as well as oil changes, etc... It's $1895, but I figure 2-3 a few brake jobs in 100,000 miles and several oil changes would cost that much. Add in that if I did have any of the clutch problems mentioned on this forum, that those repairs alone would easily be over $1895.

I'm really on the fence about the front driving lights. It's about an extra $900 bucks. I know that they look really cool, but would I really use them that often? In most of my driving situations, there's going to be traffic and from what I understand, they will blind the hell out of other drivers if they are left on. I have seen other MINI's with the driving lamps, but I've never seen anyone actually using them at night other than showing them off to someone. I've never seen them used when driving. I have the front fogs and the Xenon's with the black headlamp housing. Is that enough or do I need to know more about the driving lamps? Also, if anyone has a pic of the interior driving lamp button and it's location on the dash, that would be great.

I want the rack and snowboard holder, but it says on the configurator that I have to remove the spoiler? Can that be right?

There are some other things like the Bootbox divider, Sunshade, etc. but they are smaller things I can get later...

Any advice on the above accessories? Pros/Cons?

Also, are there any other options I should consider? I know everyone on here seems to love the stubby antenna, but I don't mind the long one. I rarely listen to the radio. Mine has MINI connected and Sirius so I will prolly use those exclusively. I may have to get one anyways if I put my snowboard on the roof rack.

 

sounds like you have quite a bit covered already. i'd absolutely get a clear bra and windows tinted, either from the dealer or aftermarket. i put a clear bra on the bonnet, front bumper, boot deck and headlights myself and it came out pretty good. the mud flaps, you can do yourself, $300 for the install is a bit much. i also have the all weather floor mats and boot liner and really like them, they fit like a glove. see what their price is on the roof bars, if it's over 195 you can get them on ebay for cheaper, a thule bar system costs 2x as much as the mini bars. i have the driving lamps, i use them occasionally, but other than that they're just an accessory. the price that they go for and get installed for is pretty crazy, but since the whole front grill gets swapped out it makes a little more sense. you might want to hold off on what accessories you pick up and wait for a coupon/discount from your dealer or bundle as much into the final purchase as you can, see what they're willing to throw in to make a satisfied customer. my dealer went to great lengths and bundled a ton of accessories into it in order to make the sale.
good luck, congrats, and have fun.

 

I'd suggest getting the bumper done with clear bra as well as the bonnet. From the pix I've seen, the bumper might not chip but it does pit badly. Looks like doo doo IMO and is non trivial to repair.

Maybe I'm a bit paranoid after 20 years in CO. I even got my headlights covered.

 

I noticed the headlights on mine are already pitted badly!! One of my fog lights is cracked all the way across!

Damn sand they put on the roads here CO!
(although that mag-chloride isn't any better )

 

I may end up geting the driving lamps afterall. I saw your pic of yours and mine is also LW/Black with black headlamps... Looks great!

 

I guess I just hate the idea of how much a full nose bra costs... They already want 329 for just the hood... They want 700 for the entire front!

Add to that they're charging 389 for the tint...

$1030 total for just the bra and tint?!?!?

 

Never really thought about the lights. My MCS Hatch never had any problems with the headlamps or bumper... But I didn't put the clear bra on right away since I wanted to shop around and I got a rock chip on the hood after less than a week...

Don't wanna make that mistake again!

 

get the bonnet get professionally done and install the headlights and front bumper and boot deck yourself.
http://invisiblemask.com/cgi-bin/pro...N&series=ALL+4
the front bumper was a nightmare to put on, but the rest was pretty easy once you get used to stretching the material. $400 for tint is about the average, there's a few threads on it.

 

Tinteks in Parker did my headlights for only $60. While I got my clear bra at Schomp because I didn't want to take it off the lot unprotected, they wouldn't do the headlights, though they would do the rear bumper under the hatch. You can get a much better price on tint if you look outside the dealership.

 

Heres my 0.02..

Do the clear bra - I'm 5000km in (about 3k miles) and I've got quite a few bigger rock chips already. The car is 3 months old. In Canada the tinted windows and bonnet will run you about $1200. I got the full set of liners, no regret, you can save a few dollars by only getting all weathers in the back, but if you're going to go for it, why not match?

Dogs... I don't have a dog.. I want a dog.

The cover on the rearview mirror just pops off, just make sure the car is warm.

Mudflaps - mini mudflaps don't fit if you have the JCW aero package like me. I've got wheels that offset pretty bad, so the sides are REALLY DIRTY. I'm going with Rally Armor. They arrived this morning, I'll see if I have time to put them on tonight. The maintenance is really your call, I believe clutch issues should be covered warranty regardless. No clutch issues here and my car is usually pretty loaded in harsher climates. Front driving lamps I didn't bother with, even if I'm in the rockies at night, I use my high beams (equally dazzling as your driving lamps) and then my fogs to cover the shorter distance and the sides. Works well enough. I've got the rack, no snowboard holder. My spoiler is still on - I'm guessing if your board is too long you might clip the spoiler if you open the gate. Do the stubby! Else you scratch like those jeeps when entering underground parking garages!

 

Get the entire bonnet done, not just the leading edge. I had up to the windshield washer nozzles and should have done the entire thing. I did the headlights too, glad I did.

 

If you want to see how it is to do the mudflaps yourself, here's a really nice illustrated guide to the process:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...tallation.html

I think they are worth getting, I have them and think they've saved the sides from a lot of rocks.

I didn't ever get a clear bra as I don't like how they look - a whole hood bra would probably be a better idea. There was someone at MITM this year with a blue roadster that had an awesome looking full hood clear bra, if I can find the name of the company that did it I'll post later.

As for other things I find very useful and am really glad I got:

xenon road-following lights package. I can't remember the exact name but it has the lights swivel as you steer the car. Fantastic for the pittance they charge.

Cold weather package (no brainer for CO), particularly heated seats.

Comfort/Convenience package. Of the comfort package, the main thing I really like is keyless entry where I can unlock and start the car without ever getting my key out of a pocket or jacket.

Connected - I got Connected without Nav, not sure if you can do that now. The main thing that gives you I find really useful is the screen Connected adds in the center of the speedo, that has a backup display which shows you where things are behind your car as you back up (from a sonic sensor, not a camera).

Cloth seat upgrade. I don't like leather, the cloth seats are not as expensive as leather but feel more comfortable than the standard seats (I think) and have lumbar support.

 

Get it done somewhere else. I paid $750 for ceramic tint and clear bra (not through the dealership). There is no factory tint / clear bra, so whether you have it done at the dealership or elsewhere, it'll have it own warranty, and won't be covered under a factory warranty. Chances are your dealership sends it out to have it done. Even if they do it I house, it won't be protected under your MINI factory warranty.

 

I got the driving lamps installed by the dealer... It was expensive, but they look so cool.

The switch is located low on the left side of the dash, near where your left knee is. You might be thinking that you'd hit it accidentally, but it's not that close. Sorry, I don't have a picture of it right now.