Really excited about my new car. Should be picking up my new Chocolate Clubman S today. Interested in your opinions on:

1. After market arm rests / yeah this car had almost everything I wanted except.... arm rest and Xenons.
2. Xenon upgrades (the oem version) or are there better bulbs for the headlights out there (Silverstars?) Is it the same issues / costs as doing it on a BMW?
3. Does the "6ND" iPod integration work well for you?
4. See there are stick on Aspherical side mirrors out there. Are there any OEM European heated and anti glare coated available? if so where?
5. Mud flaps, do they work on this car? They did on my previous car, kept it much cleaner.
6. Premium gas all the time? Will 89 work or is it pushing it?

Thanks so much.

 

Congratulations, But what year is it?

There are a few different styles but check out MiniFini, Out Motoring, and some of the other vendors here on NAM


OEM Xenons are really not retrofitable as the wiring harnesses are different between the cars with and without. There are after market kits available but everyone i have seen blinds oncoming drivers as they really are not high quality items.


Not sure which one this is there are two kinds one is the USB/Bluetooth and that works fine for me. Some people complain about it but it is not as good as in other cars either. The second type is in the secret compartment and mimicks a CD player and works but IMHO is harder to use.

Not sure what you mean here. USA cars come with Multivex Mirrors and some people want the Convex European style. Again if you car does not have heated mirrors now they may be hard to install as the wiring is probably not there.

I have them on my car and they do work to keep the dirt off the sides. Rear mudflaps really do nothing to help keep the rear of the car clean. This will be something you may find yourself fighting all the time, they really do get dirty very easily just as any flat backed vehicle does.

I will get crap for what I am about to say but but I am telling you the truth here about my personal experience.

When I first got the car i ran 91 octane as recommended for 4 tanks and then did a test with 6 tanks of 87 and got better gas mileage by 2-3 miles a gallon, went back to 91 for 6 tanks and the mileage went right back down. Back up to 87 and the mileage went right back up. The car is more responsive and runs much much much smoother as well. So I only use 87 octane from any station that has it the cheapest.

And in fact my clubman S just got 40.922 miles to the gallon on a long highway run which is pretty good for a car that normally gets 32-33 on my daily 80% highway commute. Although a previous tank was only at 23 miles to the gallon but that was two day of driving it hard on the twisties in North Carolina.

Another side note is you will see and hear people using SeaFoam here to clean the engine out. I have tried this and have had very very very little smoke when it seems many of the other users here run high octane fuel and they get lots of smoke when they use it. This tells me that the 87 octane is not causing the carbon build up that the 91-93 octane is causing. Which is another issue with the S turbo direct injection engine.

But do not go on just my word about this listen to what others have to say as well..

Again Congrats and keep us posted and put some pictures up when you get the car.

 

It is a 2010

Remember the same issues with my BMW so nothing has changed with retrofitting an OEM version

I have the heated mirrors so I just need to source the euro anti blind spot mirrors. Had them on my BMW and Mercedes and they really work great. Always the first mod I do.

Had an old 64 Volvo wagon, always dirty in back.

Will get the mud flaps, thanks.

Will do some research on the fuel on my own too.

Thanks so much, I really appreciate the feedback and the welcome.

 

CONGRATS AND WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!!!

 

Hot Chocolate Clubman S. You made an excellent choice.

 

 

By the way,
Anyone replaced their run flats with standard tires? If so, has the ride comfort increased or no change.

Again thanks for the welcome.

 

Ride is significantly better with non-runflats. My 2¢.

 

 

My new Mini

 

Congratulations. Nice color.

I am also a new owner, JCW Clubman. Completely different from the GL and thoroughly enjoying every bit

Did you get the bike racks installed at the dealership?

Happy motoring

 

Thanks,
Yes racks from dealer. Thule makes them OEM

 

Thule no longer makes the racks for MINI/BMW. They have been out sourced to a less expensive manufacturer but are still using the same basic designs at least for the rack itself. The accessories like Kayak, Bike, etc attachments are made by a few different companies.

 

Thanks for the correction. They are the same bike racks (the fork mount) that I had on my BMW. Anyway, the fairing should still work, just wonder if anyone is using it and does it have any advantages (aerodynamic or noise reduction).

Thanks again

 

Really! This is very interesting. Hmmm...I seem to remember reading people describing lesser performance with lower octane. But after reading this, I'm going to try 89 at my next fill up and see what happens.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

By the way, nice color on the car, ESS! Oh, and YES on replacing the run-flats. Your fillings will thank you.

 

Great Clubman! Love the Choc Brown....

 

These cars have knock sensors, all new cars do. You can put the crappiest gas you can get in them and the knock sensor will tell the ECU to retard the ignition timing so it won't cause any damage. Yes, you'll lose some horsepower, but you can't hurt anything.

Dave

 

Hope you are enjoying your new ride.
I've a jcw clubman. Been using premium and tried 89 last time. I must say the mileage did go down by atleast a mile. I am not sure if its because JCW needs premium. Please do let me know if you try anything other than premium.
Happy motoring.