Yes, Tuesday I thought I was all set on the M7 Springs. Until my dad just had to call D&R's service department. When he called the purpose was to find out if the M7 Springs would do anything negative to the car. Right off the bat they started listing the warranties it would void:
Suspension
Wheel and Tire
and pretty much every thing else that has to do with the handling of the car!

Oh, and by the way we'd be happy to sell you the JCW Suspension Kit. For $900+. This thoroughly pissed me off. It has gone from a $300 project to a $1000 project in nothing flat. I don't get the look I am going for, I don't get the ride I'm going for, and I sure as heck don't get the price that I was going for.
Then to throw in the sales pitch, that just made it worse. They then proceded to say that my project would take 8+ hours and that the JCW upgrade would only take 2.5. Does that make sense?? NO, it doesn't, to install the entire suspension it only takes them 2.5 but to do just an entity it would take a mechanic 8?
The only thing that I like about the JCW is that it doesn't void my warranty which is important to me because the car has < 5000 miles on it and that if it did void my warranty it would void my wheel and tire which it instrumental because of my location in the winter.
I am definetly frustrated and do not know what to do. I have also researched Dinan which others don't know will actually be serviced and warranteed by MINI but their price is $1000, money I don't have.
I will eventually get the Dinan brake kit which is made by Brembo, and better yet it is warranteed by MINI.

What should I do?
Is the JCW a waste of money?
Is the Dinan a better way to go?

Mikey

 

Just leave it stock. :smile:

 

I would rather not keep stock, yea it is what the car came with but it does not look how want it to look. The performance is great but when I look at my MINI know all I see is a MINI that does not look the way I want it. It still just looks like a "cute" MINI. I want it lowered just slightly, not much, just enough to make it look racy. I just wish that I could do something, right now I'm flustrated and really could need some assistance in this matter, the number one thing is I don't want to void the warranty.
Is there anyway I can lower my car besides springs?

Have a Good One!
Mikey

 

Well, what you can do is just get the M7 springs anyways and when something's wrong with the handling of your car (shocks, tires, control arms, etc) swap the stock springs back in and take it to the dealer! Your warranty will still be intact.

 

Okay, I've decided after research on this site and after a long thought I'm going to go with the JCW and a Dinan Swaybar.

Really the only thing that I'm worried about know is how I'm going to take the change of my car. I really want my harmon to stay the lively harmon he is I don't won't him to feel like a race car.

Do you think I'll like the ride and charactristics that my future setup will have?

Mikey

***Notice I have changed the Sig!***

 

Did you even try to do a seach on JCW on this suspension forum?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...&highlight=JCW

Lose the run flats, they hurt your ride bigtime.

 

He's got KDW2 already.

I would have paid a little more and gotten a set of Bilstein PSS2 instead of the JCW. In the event of a suspension issue, I would just put the stock set up back in. It will be a little easier then replacing just the springs. Of course, that's only my opinion.:smile:

 

Yea that's the forum I did a search in ironically!
The bad thing is I have the runflats for wintertime use, so I'll have the worst ride when the roads are at their worst! Can't wait!

Mikey

 

$1000 JCW suspension kit LOL...I don't think they're going to warranty it if you bent your suspension hitting a pot hole or curbing it so I wonder how it might break otherwise?

 

I don't know it was like $545 + 5 hours of install @ whatever price!
So I might as well just go with it. How long about does allignment take?
They say 2 hours, but that seems kinda long to me?

Mikey

 

check with an independent shop and see what they will charge for a suspension replacement.

 

2 hours for an alignment? Wow! After I installed my M7's I brought it to an independent shop and it took them 45 minutes. I hope they aren't taking advantage of you. How much does the JCW kit lower the car anyway? I hope you get what you are looking for Chili.

 

Like Msfit said...what kind of warranty covered problems can arise from suspension or tires? To me, your biggest problems will be potholes ruining the alignment or bending something, which will not be covered by your warranty anyways.

Warranty would only cover things like a blown strut...and you could then take that time to install Konis. (you probably wont see strut problems for quite some time, if at all.)

 

mikey- why don't you come to the pulley party in Dekalb, IL next month
and have Randy install the H-Sports for you? then you get his warranty.
check out their site. www.webbmotorsports.com not sure where you're
at but from Kokomo, IN to Dekalb will be about a 3.5-4hr drive. no big
deal... but that construction on 80/94 is a mouse trap (troopers dressup
as construction workers in that 7mile or so construction zone $375minimum
so slowdown.).

 

yeh, that's what I felt too...but I think Mikey's car is an 05' so has rear
camber correction... it might take them longer than 45min, but still
2hrs sounds kinda long.

My G35C with aftermarket camber rods, etc. took about 2hours on the rack.

 

Actually if I hit a pothole with my wheels and tires I will get new ones, that is why I got this warranty because the roads in my county aren't exactly bad, they're horrific! (CooperBeagle can vouch for this!)

Mikey

I don't know, about H-Sports Ken, my dad probably wouldn't like them, because of the warranty situation, I don't know when the pulley party is though so I couldn't tell if I can make it.

Mikey

 

I think you should wait until you can drive a couple of cars with the springs or mods you are considering.. brochures and pamphlets not counting websites can start a "theater of the mind" as to how a mod will actually perform. It is easy to get disappointed and frustrated That is a lot of money. There are a lot of guys at the pulley parties...see if any of them have the mods you are considering and ask them for a ride or better yet a drive. Ask the dealer to call you next time they have the JCW suspension in or if they have a demo etc. in Atl if they install something the owner is usually willing to show off his new JCW whatever to another Mini owner. Unless the $ is just burning a hole, which it does frequently for me, wait until you can "audition" some parts. I put in Koni and H Sports and loved them for hard driving but took them out because the ride was to rough for day to day. (I love my PSS9s) Engine mods can be costly on your warranty....if you follow my threads you'll see i have had a few surprises but the suspension mods at least for me have been bullet proof.

One more thing.....what is your motive? the reason I ask this is my car is way over the top more powerful etc than most of the Minis that are handing me my A$$ at the autoX. Someone said it when i first started this "hobby"/ addiction, "don't forget to learn to drive" and btw sticky tires are a very good thing.

 

Mikey- I thought you said YOU bought the car... no disrepect to your
dad, but you have to start deciding what you want to do by yourself. :smile:

Pulleyparty with Randy is planned 8/13-8/14.
you have to let Randy know that you're coming if you decide
to do the H-Sports. www.webbmotorsports.com go to the
PulleyParty thread and hit Chicago Pulley Party.


spiderx- Mikey's motive is to make his car look even better by lowering it.

 

First of all, you may want to consider the possiblility of installing the springs yourself as it really isn't too difficult (particularly if you can find a knowledgeable person to give you a hand the first time you mess with it) and can be good experience working on your car (as well as saving money). Also, like others have said, there isn't a whole lot you need to worry about suspension-wise for warranty. I'm assuming that the warranty on your wheels you were referring to earlier pertained to your aftermarket rims, so that wouldn't depend on where you got your suspension from. If something weird were to happen with something else in your suspension, just switch back to stock. If you installed the springs yourself, you would be able to easily swap if needed too. Just some food for thought