I received the front and rear fog light kit for my birthday and would like to get it installed. I called NW Mini, $323 installed and Rasmussen mini, about $275 installed. Sound about right? I know some have done the install but I am just not that great with things of this nature.

What do you all think about the install price? Good, bad, comments?

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Mind sharing what lights & kit you're trying to have installed?

 

The Front and rear, OEM fog lights.


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I paid $190 for the install at International Auto in milwaukee, but it took them three days to do it! It was about 4 hours total wrench time, but my service advisor was nice and charged me for only 2.

here is the backstory to the whole deal.

Got my car in june 02, everything I wanted except fogs and xenons(well and the sport seats, but thats a different story) but no big deal. Well a year passes and I decide that I cannot live without the fogs. So I order the kit from somewhere(dont remember where) and $200 later I have fog lights in a box with a new toggle panel. A quiet weekend comes around and I start the install. Putting the lamps in was easy, then I got to wiring the switch block under the bonnet. I then proceeded to break a tab on one of the connectors, and rendered it useless. Pissed, I try in vain to fix the connection, but my soldering skills are not very good, so I end up making a huge mess.

I then proceed to order a new wiring harness about a month later(it takes me a while to cool off) I was fortunately able to buy just the harness for $50 (thats $250 total for those who are counting)and it arrives in two weeks time.

This time around I get the switch block all wired up with no problems, so feeling confident I soldier onward. Thru the firewall I go, and into the cockpit to the new toggle panel. No problems all wired up. I then notice that I inadvertenly placed the wire on the outside of the downtube (oops!) Not a problem I think, I go to unplug the connector, and it is a little firm, so I yank a little harder and the *&*$er breaks!

Another cool down period goes by, and I call to see if I can another wiring harness. Now I am told I can only get the whole kit, but he feels sorry for me so he cuts me a deal and sells me the whole kit for only $150 (thats $400, again for those keeping track)

Two weeks passes and I get to work again, this time everything works fine. Switch block, toggle panel, everything is smooth as butter, then I see that the directions call for removal of the side panel by the passenger footwell. Well I get the panel off after much colorful language and get it wired. I fell confident, turn on the lights, flip the new fog light toggle and...........

Nothing. Review all of my conections, had wired one backward. No problem pull it out and switch the two around. Well wouldnt you know it that little bugger was pretty tight in there. Now knowing the outcome last time I was much more careful this time around. But it would not bugde. So I, being a man of short temper decide to give it a little more pressure, and pop, there she breaks! Mother&*^%er I think, not again.

Cool down period over, it is now winter of 03' Car is in the garage and I have my trusty winter volvo out in the snow, not thinking about fog lights. Well spring arrives, the cooper comes out of mothballs, and thoughts once again return to my ever present blank spots in my bumper. ( I had thrown the whole kit and caboodle in to the woods last time around.)

I call up the guy I had bought the kit from, and he tells me he is unable to get the kits anymore. I think well, I had seen somewhere that you can get a kit from the dealer, and then I can just have them put in the kit. I call my dealer and order the kit, $200 later($600, total now) I have an appointment to have them put in. A week goes by and I get a phone call, Part is in, come in whenever to have them put in. Day arrives and I drop the car off, and go out and do some running around in the wifes car. End of the day arrives and my service advisor calls, and says "well jason, I got bad news, we ordered the wrong part!" Now I think to myself, why did you keep the car all day, if you had the wrong part in the morning?? But no matter I think and ask him if we can order the "right" part. Sure no problem, but it will have to wait till tommorow seeing as though the parts department is now closed. Of course.

I order the new kit, and sure as s*#t its on backorder. I then proceed to wait a month and a half before I call the parts department on a whim one day, to have them tell me that it had been in for about a week or so! Lovely.
I call "tim" and set up an appointment, for the end of the week. I stay at the dealer this time to avoid any late day calls to say something had screwed up.

I get to the dealer at 1pm, and by about 3 I think it should somewhere near done. Tim then walks up and says, "Jason, we seem to have misplaced your parts!" I am just shocked at this revelation, and ask where they went too. He says "we apparently sent them back to the factory, because you didnt pick them up in the alloted timeframe for parts pickup of 14 days" I then explain that I had talked to the parts department on tuesday (this was friday) and they told me the parts had gotten there on the previous monday (which is not 14 days by the way) He then proceeds to go looking again, 20 minutes later he comes back and shakes his head no. This is becoming a nightmare I think to myself, but put on a brave face, and reorder the parts again, and set up another appointment for two weeks from then.

That appointment arrives on a thursday and I have to drop the car off at 8 am, so I can take my wife to work and have her car for the day. I tell Tim that I can only pick the car up at 4 pm that day, which gives them 8 hours to work on it, plenty of time I figure.

Well I do not get a phone call, so I assume everything is going according to plan (which never should be done) and arrive at 4, to pick up my now hopefully foglighted cooper. And then get this, Tim says to me, we had some problems with the install and it is not finished! I am floored a this turn of events. They had 8 hours and still nothing?? Well he gives me the keys to a loaner, which I think, great a camry or something, but it turns out to be a new beemer. Nice! I ask him when he anticipates finishing the car, and he says early friday morning at the latest. No problem, I have a car(pretty nice one too) and I am off.

Well friday morning arrives and no calls, it then becomes noon and the phone rings. Tim says, well we have the fog lights installed, they work, but your car will not start! What the #@$#!! A communication problem he calls it, fine whatever, I inquire on when my car will be finished, end of the day he says, fine.

End of day comes (and I mean 5pm on the nose) and tim calls, and says some other appointments came in and they have not seen the car again! It would be monday before I can pick the car up.

Well monday at noon I run on my lunch to the dealer, and $190 later I have front and rear foglights, which are lovely by the way. So the moral of the story is, this is been the longest hassle in my entire life, to get two little beams of light out the bumper of my car, for the nominal fee of $790. (its a $150 option from the factory by the way)

cheers, jason

p.s. Tim was great by the way and very helpful thru all of this.

 

Man-o-man I would not have put up with that kinda service. You pay top dollar at BMW/Mini for service> I would have expected them to comp the install. But thats just me.

O'yea you-crazy. My wife would have smacked me in the back of the head trying to install my own fogs.

 

Well, me thinks $300 is not a bad price and I will get a nice Friday night in Portland, then up to Seattle to watch the M's play. O'yea, and one great road trip in "the car"


Thank you all for your in put.

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