Hello Guys,

My 04' Mini Cooper R50 base model in need of a new catalytic converter. I have been scanning the NET and came up with all sort of possibilities. However, I would like to know if anyone recently purchased a new catalytic converter. If yes, which brand did you buy and where?

Thank you,

Jay

 

warranty on emission related items is often 10yr/100k so you may still be covered. call your dealer and ask them.

 

What state are you in?
Your options will be different due to laws on the testing and certification of new aftermarket cats if you are in CA.

 

I live in Minnesota. We have two (2) BMW's dealership in town, but only 1 sells and service Mini... The name of this dealership is MotorWerks BMW, but we have a different name for them, "MotorJerks" instead. I called them this morning and they said, bring it in so that we can do a diagnostic and see if it's still under warranty... Normally these are warranty for 8 yr/ 80K miles only according to the service dude. Oh, diagnostic is $168 or so and that's an addition to the repair.

I was thinking of using the MegnaFlow product and have an exhaust shop cut & welded in...

What do you guys think?

 

Is MN plug-n-play or sniffer for their emissions? This will play a big role in which one to chose if you're not using OEM.
Sniffer is usually easier to get around when using aftermarket CATs

 

Nope - We are free and clear from smog testing state.

 

i've heard rumors that the 04-06 min's had an extension on their cat warranty. call miniusa and ask them what the warranty is on your specific car.

 

Worth a try - Thank you.

Jay

 

Jay, did you ever find anything out? I am I. A similar situation and need a new cat...

 

Oh yeah, did I.

I could of went with the MagnaFlow II (cut & splice) - $300 installed and warranty no codes.

However, I went with random 8100 series universal converter and OBX SS headers.

I bought the parts and had the exhaust shop installed for $200... I have Borla exhaust system from the cat back, so the whole new setup work really nice together.

Check out their site for more info and let me know if you have any questions and what else I bought to do the job right.

http://www.dezod.com/pd_random_techn...nverter225.cfm

http://www.sparktecmotorsports.com/h10350s.html


--Jay

 

Jay, when did you get this installed and how have the results been? I too have the Borla cat back. Any codes?

 

I did had a code popped up around 100 miles or so... It turned out that the downstream O2 sensor (behind the cat) was loose. I tighten it up and cleared the code and all is good again... I had put about 750 miles since I cleared the code.

I know that I am getting better gas mileage and the engine is not as sluggish as when I had the failed cat. Overall, the investment is well worth it and 1/2 cost of the original cat & header. The exhaust is not as loud as I'd expect.

So far, I am very happy with the result.

--Jay

 

Nice to see another person from Minnesota... I do know the dealership your talking of as well....lol

 

Cheers from MN

 

Hey Jat007, I see that you changed your cat conv out and the exhaust a bit... How does your MINI sound?

 

It has always sounded great with the Borla (cat back) setup before I had the headers and the cat replaced... But now, the mini exhaust tone is a lot richer and full of spirits... I would expect to be louder with aftermarket headers and cat, but that's not true at all..

So far, I do like it a lot and I thought it was a great investment and yes, I would do this all over again.

 

Jay, do you know if this setup works for a R53 S model as well? I wonder if anyone else has done this and had any more success or issues. I a leaning towards it though.. So if I do I will let you know and thank you for the info!

 

Here ya go...

http://www.tarheelminis.org/showthre...-High-Flow-Cat!

 

Thanks Jay!

 

That's the exact setup I run on my r52JCW. I had the Magnaflow cat but got codes after a couple months. No codes with the OBX Random Technology setup. The RT cat is made with more precious metals and is a much more substantial cat overall. I love the sound through my JCW exhaust.

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