This is my first post here. Hi everybody.

The first week of August I picked up an 07 MCS, Chili red with white top.

I've got about 4200 miles on Lord Ziparious of Cherry Hill (Zippy) and the smile is beginning to hurt.

I had a little bit of bad luck about two weeks into ownership when I hit a raccoon at warp speed. $6,000 and one month later Zippy was back on the road. Very long bad dealership experience story.

Zippy doesn't have driving lights and imo, warp speed and all other factors considered, anemic high beams where a factor in punting Rocky to the great beyond. My high beams are pathetic. I'm sure not all MCS high beams are as weak as mine. I've had the dealership check them twice and of course they tell me all is just fine.

The solution is driving lights. I like PIAA. I have two sets of PIAA's on my BMW motorcycle. Yet according to PIAA their bracket for the 510, 540, or 1100xx series lights won't fit through the honeycomb grill of the MCS.

What other non factory solutions are available?

Anyone have experience with other PIAA lights, Hella, or other non mini factory driving lights?

Sorry for the long post,

Thanks.

TC

 

I was planning the same thing, then decided to go with the chrome grille and the 4-light bar. I purchased the factory grille and driving light bracket kit from the dealership and had my aftermarket driving lights mounted to them.

Still have the driving light grille and brackets, along with the factory switch and mounting panel for the dash; been trying to sell them for a while now in the classifieds. Drop me a line if you're interested.

 

First, welcome to NAM.
2nd, sorry for your misfortune. Hunting 'coons at interstate speeds sounds like a costly hobby. Best to just wave at them as you go by. Catch and release, without too much catch.
We opted for Zenon lights. I am doubtful that many would label them as insufficient. As for after markets, not too sure.
Good luck with the lights.

 

Would you care to link us to the 4-light bar? I didn't realize such an option existed as an accessory. I live in a state with a front mounted plate, so I'm limited as to what sort of driving light arrangement I can pull off, but I'm very much interested in getting a set of four of the Hella Black Magic's (such as carried by Outmotoring, as shown in this post), but I haven't done enough research to see what can be done with the plate limitation.

Ideally I can find a set up where the four are spaced in front of the grill (above the plate) in a non-symmetrical manner, as I like that classic look best.

Best luck,
~Neal

 

welcome to nam!!! why not the factory option driving lamps? is something wrong with them? i have them ordered for my car. $6000 for a racoon!!!!!!!! holy *#@!

 

I can't speak for Ironbutt, but my beef with the factory installed driving lamps isn't anything other than cost. They look plenty sharp and I'm sure you'd get a top-notch button installed on the dash. But my dealer wants $966.00 to purchase and install them (a NAM search turns up $750 as the more typical price from the dealerships), and if they're about $250 of equipment, then $500 for the labor seems off-the-charts high to me.

Since I have to go aftermarket, I lean towards something a bit more distinctive, which is how I ended up at the Hella Black Magic lamps.

~Neal

 

When I bought the Mini my plan was to add PIAA driving lights. This is based on my experience with PIAA. I have two pairs of PIAAs on my BMW K1200LT. A pair of 1100xx and a pair of 910s. Usually the 1100xx are all that is needed. Lots of light in the right place. The 910s come on in Forest Rat (read: Deer) country. Also useful for moving sleeping drivers from the hammer lane. The PIAA's are also very dependable.

Because my experience with BMW tells me that they don't get lighting I decided not to make the $1000 bet that they got it right with their driving lights. With effective alternatives on the market it seems to me to be the best way to go.

As for the $6000 repair bill, yeah tell me about it. You'd of thought i hit a moose, not a raccoon.

The repair bill included a new front bumper cover, grill, Chrome grill trim, AC compressor, radiator and radiator support. But, the biggie was a wiring harness that rocky ripped out on his trip under the car.

 

I hope you sent the bill to his next of kin.

 

Welcome Ironbutt,

I'll be watching this thread for your solution. My (future) MINI - should get it next week- is a replacement for my BMW K1200RSA that I sold.....Being a new Dad - I just didn't ride it as much as it deserved to be ridden and I could sense that my wife was really uncomfortable with the thought that we could both get taken out of this world by some idiot who doesn't know how to strap a ladder or mattress to their vehicle properly! (For some reason there are in inordinate amount of mattresses found here on the side of the road - compared to where we lived before - there must be fantastic sleep-over parties that I am unaware of.) I do miss the ride, though.

 

You can install the factory or PIAA 540 MINI kit with the aero grill, you just have to cut a few pieces of the honeycomb out with a small hacksaw or dremel. I have installed dozens of these with this grill, if you prefer to have them positioned on the bonnet. Another option would be the Rangline brackets, and mount any light you wish to the lower grill area and only requires clipping out a small section for the mount to protrude.
--Dan

 

That looks great! Do these brackets exist for the R56?

 

wow, sorry for that delay, I had not come back to this thread... They do not fit the R56, in fact, they are no longer available. I just found out that Rangeline has gone out of business. Outmotoring was carrying them as well, and they removed them from their website yesterday. They do however have a lower grill bracket for the gen 2.
--Dan

 

I would prefer brackets like the photo you posted for the Gen 1 car. I guess I'll have to make them myself.....(or rather draw them and have my friend make them as he's got "a killer set of tools" -Fast Times at Ridgemont High)

 

If you end up making brackets please post a picture. I'd also be interested to see their positioning when you install.

 

If you're in the Charlotte to Atlanta area, specificly around Greenville, and need this or something like this done, I have a full shop at your service as well. Bandsaw, chopsaw, plasma torch, welders, drill press, mill/lathe (when it's working), tire machine, etc... Bring the drawing over and we'll whip up whatever.

 

hella lights are better than piaa, last longer, and cheaper. hella 500 driving lights are incredible, light up for like a mile

 

Ooooo.......

That's tempting! Unfortunately I'll be out of town (and away from the MINI) for the Holiday's, otherwise I'd have something together pretty quick. I haven't spent enough time looking under the car (nor have I removed the front bumper) to see what I can mount brackets to. I also have a two year old - and am supposed to have surgery on my shoulder soon - so time is precious! Dang, I don't even have the car with me at work today.

 

Will the Hella 500s attach to the factory driving light brackets?
Is there an aftermarket supplier of through the upper grill mounting brackets?

I like the positioning of the factory driving lights but I like the look of the bigger diameter Hellas.

 

Not really. The dealer installed brackets are designed for lights with two tabs hanging down, most aftermarket lights use a bracket with two tabs going up. Kind of a male-male or female-female problem. The brackets also end about 1/4" out from the grille, so no room really to even drill another hole. I did make up some extensions for mine, to make them stick out far enough for the Hella lights I had on, but I wasn't real happy with the results. I'll try and get pics when I get home from work.

 

Thank you.

 

The dealer told me that to have the driving lights work

The software has to be updated. He said, well, I'm not
100% sure, but I think so.

They want $800 for the parts and labor. $600 for christmas special.

But morristownmini.com has the grill kit, switch, and lights for
$375. I'm handy and I'm sure I can do it myself.

Does anybody have any feedback on if the dealer really has
to update the software?

That will be like another $150 I'm sure, plus a 240 mile round trip.

My wife might go for the $375 for the lights because they would
just show up, she would say how much were those lights?
I would then say $200 (the cost of the lights).

But it would end up "big trouble" for me if i put them in and
ended up having to have to go to the dealer.

 

Here is the OE installation instructions as posted on MotoringFile. Look at section 8, concluding work.

This retrofit system does not require coding.

http://motoringfile.com/files/R56_aux_lights.PDF

 

The 07 r56 oem driving lights do NOT have to be coded or programmed.

 

Interesting. I asked my SA the other day about driving lights and the coding and he said the OEM MINI lights DO require a coding. 3rd party lights do not.

 

Seperate switch, seperate relay, seperate fuse, seperate power. Driving lights do not run through the BC1. They do tap into the high beam wire to trigger the relay, but that's it.