Category: Exterior
Price: $25
Private or Vendor Listing: Vendor Listing
Part fits (you may select multiples): R50, R52, R53, R55, R56, R57, R58, R59, R60
Location (Region): NorCal
Item Condition: Brand New

Greetings to my fellow NAM members and MINI enthusiasts!

I am marketing a new item called COOLER-COLOR for those of you who have a MINI equipped with an intercooler.

As a long-time NAM member (some of you know me from my "Girl's Guide" posts, a few of which have been made into a "Sticky"), I have made many modifications to my own 2005 Mini Cooper S over the years. The products I have found the most useful were ones which were functional, added a bit of "bling" (including color), and priced fairly.

COOLER-COLOR is made of a proprietary mesh fabric that is stain-resistant, fade-resistant, and easily cleaned with soap and water. It offers protection to delicate intercooler fins from wind-blown debris, and, because it is available in TEN different colors, adds a dash of color under the bonnet. Top-mounted intercoolers are front and center, and a blaze of color in the area adds a nice touch! Best of all, it is very affordable at $25.00* including shipping!

I will also make a custom-size COOLER-COLOR at no additional charge!

*For intercoolers with a core measurement of less than or equal to 200 square inches (stock MINI Eaton intercoolers are in this category). For larger sizes, it is $45.00 including shipping.

You can read more about me, and see photos of the different colors installed, at www.Cooler-Color.com


***** I ALSO HAVE ANOTHER NEW PRODUCT TO OFFER *****

I was going to roll this product out in a couple of weeks, but due to the inquiries received, have decided to let everyone know about it now!

COOLER-GUARD is made of 3003 grade aluminum grill in a diamond pattern, with openings that measure 1 inch by 5/16 inches in size. This grade of aluminum retains some degree of flexibility, but is not as flexible as, say, the aluminum used in what are called "gutter guards". This grade is a very nice compromise between weight and strength.

These are *** POWDER COATED *** and available in four different colors: Chili Red, Good Mood Blue, British Racing Green, and Back To Black. All colors are high-gloss "mirror finish" and have a very nice "bling" factor! Each COOLER-GUARD is finished with a Neoprene edging, and can be installed under the intercooler cover. Alternatively, it is attractive enough to be installed alone (without the cover). Installation is a snap, and can be done in a matter of minutes! There is no drilling, no hardware needed - it installs with industrial-strength double-sided tape.

Price is $45.00 each, including shipping, for the SMALL size (core dimensions up to 120 square inches - and the category that the stock MINI Eaton intercoolers fall into.)

Larger sizes (up to 200 square inches) cost $65.00.

I will take custom orders (at no additional charge) BUT there are two things to keep in mind:

1) I will custom make you a COOLER-GUARD based upon the dimensions you provide me (I will tell you where I need you to measure, but it is the same as what is shown on the Cooler-Color website, that being the dimensions of the core.) AS SUCH, I regret to add that I will not be responsible if it does not fit properly!

2) Unfortunately, due to production limitations, I cannot make anything larger that 20 inches in any dimension.

Here is the website: www.Cooler-Guard.com

At this point in time, please note that all pages with the exception of the "fitment" page are working. There are two photos of a COOLER-GUARD installed under the intercooler cover. One photo shows the Chili Red color, the other the Good Mood Blue color. I will be putting up photos of the two other colors available over the next week.

**** THESE WILL BE READY FOR SALE IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS****

(This is because I am awaiting shipment from a supplier for one of the components used.)

I regret to say that I since these are new products which I have priced very reasonably, I am not able to offer any discounts to fellow NAM members. Perhaps over time, if this is a successful venture, that will change. Thanks for your understanding in this!

You can send an email to me with any questions, via NAM messaging or via the website I have above.

Cheers and Happy Motoring!!!

Melanie

 

Your link goes nowhere.

 

double-that

 

Melanie,
Have you tested this yet in higher temps like Arizona? I get what I think is heat soak badly and don't want to add more heat. We just had 120 degree temps.

 

Thanks for pointing that out! I thought I hit the hyphen but it did not come out. I have edited it to the correct link!

Try again at www.cooler-color.com

Cheers!

 

I'm in Northern CA, so have not had the pleasure of those temperatures!
I can say that here, I have had it on my intercooler for a few years with no problems...

I did a lot of online research, and there has been much debate about intercooler grills and their effect (or lack of effect) on airflow. The general tone seems to be that if there is any effect, it is not significant. Because this lies flat on the fins, there is no turbulence created, which seems to be a greater impediment to airflow. But I'm not an engineer, so I'm not sure if that is true or not.

But, I'll tell you what - if you want to pay me $5.60 for flat rate Priority Mail, I will send you one FREE to try out. Just tell me which color you want. I'm not really certain how you would measure if it added to heat sink, but if you want to try it and get back to me, the feedback would be appreciated!

 

I will be a guinea pig for you my car is Chili Pepper Red with black stripes. I will let you pick the color. I am very interested to see how it does in the heat. We do get a lot of dry leaves, twigs, paper, etc... that gets blown around and on the fins. Let me know how to pay you.
Thanks,
Rich

 

Good luck with your new business! I'm always supportive of people taking the plunge to try to build a business. A couple of comments:
1) Your website is hard to read the text with the "weave" background that you have going on in the "About" page. Its too busy for the eyes. Maybe do away with the background or just have it run down the sides???
2) You could easily test wheather the screen hinders the intercooler operation by getting or finding someone with a scangauge that can measure and datalog intake temps.

 

Rich,

Thanks for being the first to lie on the sacrificial table
I'll PM you with the info!

Thanks!
Melanie

 

Have any pics of it on a gen 2?

 

seems like an interesting product, i would be curious to see the differences in the intake temps, i would test, but i dont know if R53's can mearure intake temp

 

Sorry, I own a Gen 1 so my website photos are from that... If you'd like to buy one and send me photos of it on your car, I'd be happy to post them on my website though!

Thanks!!
Melanie

 

I'm not sure about that, either...anyone out there know for certain? I am in the Bay Area in CA so if anyone knows who can do it in my area, please let me know and I will follow up on that suggestion...

Cheers!

 

i have a hard time imagining how putting a screen on top of the fins could *not* reduce airflow, increase charge temp, hasten heat soak and delay recovery, especially with a TMIC. This is effectively a "flow over" rather than a "flow through" design, so it gets its cooling by having the fins radiating into an air flow OVER the IC, not through it.

 

when i get my ultra gauge, ill see if i can monitor the intake temp

also how do these hold up to water? do they just absorb it?

 

Hi Melanie.

I have a Chili Red R-53 with a Garmin GPS and the ECO-ROUTE module. It allows monitoring 5 selectable functions at a time including intake temperature, voltage, engine load, revs, etc.

If you know someone with this set-up it would be pretty easy so test it in real time.

(or I would volunteer)

Good Luck!

Jim

 

Cool idea

 

You should also try to do grills with the same material. Kinda like the M7 once but at a reasonable price !
Pretty sure those would sell quickly

 

The material is made of a polyester-coated vinyl, not cotton - so if soaked with water, it gets wet (like anything else) and dries out. It can be washed in soap and water and left to dry before putting tit back into place.

I can't think of many instances where one would get THAT much water under the bonnet, unless you are taking a hose to the engine bay or driving through a river. It is easily removed by taking out the four bolts that hold intercooler shroud into place and lifting it out (takes about 60 seconds). I guess if you wanted to hose down the engine bay (which I would not recommend anyway, due to the electrical components!) you would just remove it, first.

Melanie

 

Ahhh.... You are one small step behind me... I wasn't going to pull the trigger on this right now, but... please read my announcement about my second product, called Cooler-Guard!

www.Cooler-Guard.com

Cheers,
Melanie

 

Hi Jim,

Ooh, you may be just the man I need!

If you can monitor intake temp, I'll send you one free (just pay me $5.60 for Priority Mail)- send me a PM if interested...

Cheers,
Melanie

 

Thanks for the offers to test out the COOLER-COLOR in those blazing hot desert temps! I have two fine MINI enthusiasts who have stepped up to the plate - one will do testing with a Scan Gauge and report back to me...

Until then... a spinoff to COOLER-COLOR will be available very soon! This is called COOLER-GUARD and provides even more protection to your intercooler!

Made of 3003-grade aluminum and *** POWDER COATED *** in high-gloss "mirror finish" colors like Chili Red, Good Mood Blue, British Racing Green and Back To Black, COOLER-GUARD installs in a matter of minutes with no additional drilling or hardware. Finished with a black Neoprene edging that is oil and fuel-resistant, it can either fit under the intercooler cover, or sit by itself right on top of the intercooler core!

Because COOLER-GUARD is made of aluminum and powder coated, it is lightweight, durable and not susceptible to rust, as can happen with products made of steel.

And, at only $45.00* (including shipping!) it is very affordable!

(* for cores measuring up to 120 square inches in size - which includes the stock MINI Eaton intercooler. Larger sizes up to 200 square inches are $65.00, including shipping).

Check out more at this website www.Cooler-Guard.com

 

this is more for me =)

ps do you think you could make the gaurd just for the opening of the hood scoop? it would be much less material =)

 

As long as the opening is not wider than 20 inches, then yes, I certainly could! All I need are the dimensions. If I use the Neoprene edging, it would probably sit up into the opening nice and snugly!

If you want to cut me a pattern out of cardboard, I can make you one. The good part is, even if it is a little large at first, the edge could be trimmed with wire snips (the Neoprene edging can be taken off and put back on very easily).

COOLER-GUARD for the MINI stock intercooler measures almost 12 inches by 7.1 inches in size. I'm not sure how much less material this would entail, but it if it less than the COOLER-GUARD, then I would guess that I would sell in the neighborhood of $35 PP (that's an estimate, though!)

**** BUT **** If you are willing to work with me on developing the proper dimensions for a template (including any resizing of the template for optimum fit), I'll make one for you at no charge.

Any others interested in a... "SCOOP-GUARD"???

Cheers to all!
Melanie

 

+1 on the scoop guard!