Has anyone ordered the Aux Gauge Kit? Worth having? Is it a factory install or dealer install? If dealer install, is there a labor cost? How much? I'm about to go to production of my MC, so it's time to decide. Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

Guage pods are definitely cool for stuff like boost, oil pressure, etc. I'd say they are worth getting if you throw them in with the price of the car.

You are getting different things though depending on whether you go MC or MCS. Obviously, only on the MCS can you have a boost guage, but on the MC, an oil temp and oil pressure gauge might be useful... I'd do it...

 

vooreps,

I started to get it, but changed my mind when I thought it might interfere with putting a drink in the cup holder. Don't know if it would have or not, as there was none to actually look at on a car. I think they're way cool! The more gauges the better! These gauges are auxiliary items ordered from the MINI catalog and installed by the dealer. I seem to remember the dealer was going to charge me for installation about the same as the gauges cost, which seemed like a lot. But my MA had mis-quoted high labor costs before on installing the Madness intake and exhaust he put on, so I don't know what the labor on the install of the gauges actually would have cost.

 

I got the aux gages on my 04 mini, they charged me $400 installed...they are cool but...first...they're all the way behind the cup holders and they're very hard to see...I'm thinking of making another faceplate for them and make them flush with the down tubes...if you like gages go ahead and get them,but like I said before,they are very hard to see!!!!

 

the gauges are +/- $250.00. The two quotes I got for them installed if I get them at delivery are, $395 and $695!

I was told there is no prewiring and that they need to run through the firewall. The volt is pretty straight forward, the oil temp will need to fish out to a sensor.

I hope to get my '04 MCS this week if i can find a dealer in the VA or MD area that is willing to work with me.


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Chris
'04 Cooper S - hope so
'03 XC90
'00 V70R

 

>>I hope to get my '04 MCS this week if i can find a dealer in the VA or MD area that is willing to work with me.

Talk to Scott at Tate Mini of Annapolis. He was my MA, and he's really good.

 

I saw a really nivce aftermarket setup where the extra guages were either side of the tach of an MCS. Much better in my opinion. Not sure who it was; Moss?

 

Promini has the it, but so do some others.

 

Thanks all. Visited my MA (Joe McCormic - Otto's, W. Chester, PA- outstanding rep and great dealership) today and he confirmed that the Aux Gauges are a $250 dealer installed option + labor. They can be done at any time. Also I picked up the new "Mini Motoring Acces. 2004 You-ification Workbook". It's the new complete 32 page full color accessories book. It's loaded and great! I also got new floormats and a shirt for under the Christmas Tree for my soon to be Mini. It will be jet black/jet black, auto, sport seats, with black leatherette, Package #1, 8 spoke wheels and 3 spoke stearing. It is sched for production on 1/6/04. PLEASE hurry up Mini as my friends won't talk to me anymore - they're tired of hearing me talk about it!

 

>>I saw a really nivce aftermarket setup where the extra guages were either side of the tach of an MCS. Much better in my opinion. Not sure who it was; Moss?

Boost and oil pressure would be excellent choices for a gauge pod that clusters around the tach. The problem is that the available kits don't match the tach. Anyway, you can get non-matching gauges complete with mounting brackets for too much money from RicerMINI or wherever.

I actually laughed when I saw a pic of the dealer-installable auxiliary gauges. They are way too low and at the wrong angle to be useful. If you have to eyeball a gauge while you're driving, it's in the wrong position. Also, installed, the gauges are way too expensive.

All this is highly unfortunate, because I would really like to have boost, oil pressure, voltage, and oil temperature gauges in my MINI.

 

>>I got the aux gages on my 04 mini, they charged me $400 installed...they are cool but...first...they're all the way behind the cup holders and they're very hard to see...I'm thinking of making another faceplate for them and make them flush with the down tubes...if you like gages go ahead and get them,but like I said before,they are very hard to see!!!!

Hey MINISPIDER,
If you have either an Oil temp or Oil pressure guage (or both!), would you be kind enough to post what readings you are seeing & if you have an MC or MCS?
1)Oil temp with fully warmed motor during average day to day driving, plus highest oil temp you see have experienced during sustained hard driving?
2)If you have an oil pressure guage, can you post average PSI you are seeing hot & cold (at idle & under load)?
Many thanks!

 

I've ordered an ALTA gauge pod, a SPA dual digital oil pressure/oil temperature gauge and an Autometer mechanical boost gauge. Parts are on the way and I'm still working on the plumbing. But, if all goes well, they'll be installed in the next week. Biggest unknown right now is where I'll install the sensor for the oil temperature gauge. The drain plug is the easiest, tapping the oil canister might be the most accurate.

 

if the factory guage kit had an oil pressure guage instead of oil temp i would have ordered it. who really cares about oil temp for average driving? bmw seems to have something against oil pressure guages.

 

>>if the factory guage kit had an oil pressure guage instead of oil temp i would have ordered it. who really cares about oil temp for average driving? bmw seems to have something against oil pressure guages.

My Audi has an oil temp gauge - I use it to judge when I can start accelerating more briskly, going to higher revs, If the gauge is still zeroed out I stay calm, once the engine has some heat and starts to register on the gauge I can go for it.

 

I do have the pro-mini boost-oil press gages plus the dealer installed aux. gages,I don't drive my Mini much....(only 250 miles in almost 3 months).I'll be driving it on christmas day, so I'll keep my eye on them...I have the J.C works installed in my car so hopefully the readings are not too off from the regular S.!

 

>>>>if the factory guage kit had an oil pressure guage instead of oil temp i would have ordered it. who really cares about oil temp for average driving? bmw seems to have something against oil pressure guages.
>>
>>My Audi has an oil temp gauge - I use it to judge when I can start accelerating more briskly, going to higher revs, If the gauge is still zeroed out I stay calm, once the engine has some heat and starts to register on the gauge I can go for it.

doesn't the coolant temp gauge give you basicly the same information? in the absence of a coolant temp gauge, i'd take oil temp, but otherwise i'd say oil pressure is more useful.

 

I think that without a doubt, water temp and oil pressure are the single most important gauges and are among the most utterly inexcusable "left outs" on the MINI. And asking for us to pay $500+ to install something that is all but essential for keeping our engines safe is just plain wrong! :evil:

 

I agree. Especially when the idiot lights don't register untill things are just on the verge of failure.

 

>>I think that without a doubt, water temp and oil pressure are the single most important gauges and are among the most utterly inexcusable "left outs" on the MINI. And asking for us to pay $500+ to install something that is all but essential for keeping our engines safe is just plain wrong! :evil:

the MC/MCS doesn't come with a water temp gauge? i seriously don't know. i guess i don't remember seeing one on the test drive...

i think maybe i assumed the MCS had one because what genuis would offer an accessory gauge kit that after install still doesn't leave you with a water temp gauge? volts and oil temp with no oil pressure and water temp! why? why?

 

I don't know if this'll help, but here's a pic I found on MINIUSA showing the [overpriced] gauges.

 

and here's one, again from MINIUSA, that shows them lit up in the dark:

 

I have the AUX gauges on my '04 MCS. They look very nice and they have internal lighting that matches the stock illumination for the other dash instruments. The oil temp. is in degrees centigrade which caught me off guard at first. Voltage gauge is always a good thing to have which can give you early warning of alternator/charging problems. I have the post mounted cup-holder which is way better than the dinky one next to the ashtray, so the gauges are not blocked by my cup.

Cheers...

 

You're right, oil and temp. gauges seem best resolve, but you already have the temp. It doesen't have numbers, but shows a range, and is living nicely on your dash.

 

>>I think that without a doubt, water temp and oil pressure are the single most important gauges and are among the most utterly inexcusable "left outs" on the MINI. And asking for us to pay $500+ to install something that is all but essential for keeping our engines safe is just plain wrong! :smile: The last call was asked me If I had any Input for their engineers ... Thats cool!!!. Among my list of suggestions I told them that the lack Oil Pressure and Volts was inexcusable. I told them the boost gauge would be nice, but only if they could integrated into the Tach ... but only after they provide for Oil Pressure and Volts

So if you get a call from Mini speak out!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I got them installed prior to delivery. I am happy with them. They are a little far back but i can see the oil temp with a glance and thats the most important of the two. :smile: Crusing in traffic the oil temp runs around 100 C