Hi. I just picked up a 03 mini jcw. The car was salavaged due to theft and alot of jcw stuff was stolen. It was all replaced but id like peace of mind in knowing they didnt steal anythinf out of the engine compartment other than the air intake. Are there any ids or any numbers on the jcw pulley?what about the cylinder head? Id like to confirm that as well.

 

As far as I know the only way to tell is to compare the exhaust ports of the head to a head you know for sure is or isn't JCW.

 

Does the motor have a dataplate....kinda decorative... With a number....came with the kit and was installed...
If I had to bet 60% of gen1 JCW cars are fakes....having a JCW part, but not the $5000 engine kit...that could be closely duplicated/surpassed with about $1000 of parts and a tune.
The JCW pulley is just like the stock OEM one...hot pressed, steel. No boltholes. CNC machined ones are always aftermarket....
Tip....the 2005+ sc is the same (the coating on the sc was std from 2005+) except for the pulley.....coating is internal...not easily seen.
On pre 2005 JCW cars...the sc had the pulley and the black coating...regular s was bare....

 

PS
The engine kit was ALWAYS installed with the exhaust..... So check there.
Power wise...it was as good as most any cat back....but some thought it was too quiet.
On a gen1 car....EVERYTHING JCW WAS AN OPTION ON ANY CAR.....but most say you must have the engine kit to be a JCW.

 

Good info. What am i looking for in on the exhaust? The tips say jcw but im not dumb enough to trust it to just that. I know the car has a 2% crank pulley and aluminum flywheel as well as a new clutch,has paper work saying jcw car. I havnt picked it up yet but the seller did scan in and email it to me. It says jcw and such and has my vin#. Were would i find the this id tag on the engine? Theres a few things saying jcw but still nothing someone couldnt have just added them selves.

 

Go here for stock exhaust:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.d...21&hg=18&fg=20

Go here for JCW exhaust:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.d...21&hg=11&fg=95

Hope this helps...

 

Good info. What am i looking for in on the exhaust? The tips say jcw but im not dumb enough to trust it to just that. I know the car has a 2% crank pulley and aluminum flywheel as well as a new clutch,has paper work saying jcw car. I havnt picked it up yet but the seller did scan in and email it to me. It says jcw and such and has my vin#. Were would i find the this id tag on the engine? Theres a few things saying jcw but still nothing someone couldnt have just added them selves. Ohh i see it. Jcw tunning kit no. S458

 

The JCW exhaust looks very different than stock.
There is a resonator behind the cat, the mufflers are different and everything is made from stainless steel not mild steel.

Hope this helps...

 

I'd really hesitate to purchase this car. I have a real gripe with aftermarket crank pulleys (unless it's an ATI superdamper or an equivalent that dampens crankshaft vibrations). An undamped pulley will cause all sorts of nasty problems.

 

Be 100% you drive it before you put a deposit on it...
Let's see...stolen car...they blew the clutch...(wonder what else was done...how far back in the cars history was this event...recent or long ago?).
And an aluminum flywheel tends to chatter lots...and is so light, hill starts and city stop and go is a major chore.... Will also result in more vibrations at idle than the stock "dual mass" flywheel....solid ones CAN be cheaper and lighter...just know you are getting a car that is less "street able" and more trackable with that clutch....
How many keys are you getting?
2005+ cars were sold with 2 remote keys (about $250-350 each, plus a dealer programming fee), and one plastic wallet "emergency key....the dealer is really the ONLY option for more keys.....a cheaper non remote version is around from the dealer....about half the cost....but still $$ for a key.

 

If you Have the original paperwork from factory and not a photocopy and all the identification plaques on the car then it is probably a JCW. You can also send vin # to mini usa or mini dealer and they should be able to tell you if car was originally a JCW. Taking all parts off car would cost a lot and a lot of people and dealers don't have the parts necessary laying around to change out. Head ,exhaust and other parts.

 

Has anyone actually had an engine fail that was attributed to a solid crank pulley? I have yet to see a MINI engine fail due to a solid pulley.