R50/53 Aero Kit Parts?
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Aero Kit Parts?
Hey all,
Recently acquired a 2005 R53 S with the Aero Kit, and I'm having a heck of a time finding well-fitting grills/body parts. My local MINI dealer has stated they can no longer order any Aero Kit parts and they are no longer supported by the manufacturer. Hoping the community has some other resources. The prior owner had some interesting, albeit far from standard, custom grills fitted.... poorly. I'd like to replace to the stock black grills or a similar, well-fitting aftermarket option, but I'm striking out in my search.
Unrelated and unimportant backstory: I had a standard S (2006, astro black metallic) around 8 years ago and it was by baby. However, I met my now wife and her son, and while the MINI was a great car, it wasn't a good family car, so it had to go. It was not until this last summer that I was finally able to find the right MINI again, after two+ full years of searching. Finally landed a DINAN tuned 2005 S (manual, naturally). It's been an absolute joy! That being said, had I known how difficult finding Aero Kit parts would be, I genuinely would have reconsidered. Nonetheless, the whine of the supercharger has once again brought joy and laughter to my automotive life!
Thank you all!
Recently acquired a 2005 R53 S with the Aero Kit, and I'm having a heck of a time finding well-fitting grills/body parts. My local MINI dealer has stated they can no longer order any Aero Kit parts and they are no longer supported by the manufacturer. Hoping the community has some other resources. The prior owner had some interesting, albeit far from standard, custom grills fitted.... poorly. I'd like to replace to the stock black grills or a similar, well-fitting aftermarket option, but I'm striking out in my search.
Unrelated and unimportant backstory: I had a standard S (2006, astro black metallic) around 8 years ago and it was by baby. However, I met my now wife and her son, and while the MINI was a great car, it wasn't a good family car, so it had to go. It was not until this last summer that I was finally able to find the right MINI again, after two+ full years of searching. Finally landed a DINAN tuned 2005 S (manual, naturally). It's been an absolute joy! That being said, had I known how difficult finding Aero Kit parts would be, I genuinely would have reconsidered. Nonetheless, the whine of the supercharger has once again brought joy and laughter to my automotive life!
Thank you all!
Welcome to NAM!
Congrats on finally finding your R53, took me a while too to find what I was looking for, a slicktop JCW.
Sadly, many of the older parts are now discontinued and unavailable, it is frustrating, but stuff can be sourced secondhand or get lucky with NOS boxed.
The aero grills pop up with some frequency on the UK ebay, but many sellers don't want to send international, and when they do it's quite pricey due to Royal Mail.
If you're on Facebook, you can contact Willmek Autoparts or just generally keep an eye on the various marketplace postings there.
You can also post a Wanted to Buy here at NAM in the classifieds.
There is a plethora of cheap ebay versions out there now, but the design uses the R56 wide honeycomb look instead of the old R53 style.
It appears that your car has a mesh grill?
M7 made a style like that...
...but many people did their own DIY versions too I think.
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