Has anybody thought of adding heat shielding material to the under side of the scoop? Seems like an opportunity for one of the after-market companies step up and offer a solution, other than a replacement scoop.

 

Hey guys,

On the current incarnation of miniusa.com it says:

"Like any performance vehicles worth their metal, both the MINI Cooper S Hardtop and the Clubman feature an air-intake scoop in the bonnet (hood) that helps provide ample airflow to the powerful turbocharged engine. Helping everything stay perfectly cool for optimal performance..."

So, does this mean that the 2009s hoodscoops will be vented or did it say the same for the 2008s and just an example of false advertising?

 

I don't think any of us should have to pay anything or buy any after market products to fix this issue. If heat shielding material needs to be added, Mini needs to be doing that. Under warranty.

 

I completely agree. This is a MINI problem and it should be corrected by MINI. Unfortunately MINI is not addressing it, other than replacing the scoops just so the process repeats itself. Knowing this I would be more than happy to be able to purchase "something" that would prevent the melting from happening in the first place. So that I would not have to deal with having to go to service, ordering parts, waiting for those parts, following up, having them painted, not matching, repainting, installed improperly, taking it back.......

 

okay, i dropped my car off this morning and the sa was in a much better mood this time....ill be out of town for the weekend, so he's going to check on everything and install the repainted scoop, he'll also be checking a clicking in my clutch, but thats neither here nor there sooo, tuesday i will "know" what "exactly" is causing the heat

 

I took a close look at my bonnet scoop this morning, its showing a (very) slight bowing in the middle. It doesn't look like its supposed to be like that. Shawn's only 3 months and 2000 miles old.

I checked on the scoop temperature last night after I got home, it was only saying it was 95 degrees or so. I should probably check the temperature under the bonnet, not on top though.

 

update:

i just got my car back this morning, they had it for four days and checked everything out...he said there were no problems with the car and had no real explanation for the melting of the scoop, paint mathced perfectly and the car even got a long overdue wash....

conclusion: minis ride hot...the scoop is plastic and tends to "melt" due to design flaw...

solution: you can attempt to slow down the rise of heat by installing a heat shield.....or you can upgrade to a carbon based scoop which has a higher melting point...
id stick with just upgrading the scoop.

 

Mini knows that there's a flaw in their design, so why can't they just upgrade everyone's scoop to carbon fiber when they take it in for service?

 

um, 'cause some of us don't give a hoot about the look of carbon fiber & would prefer the body color scoop? Just because something is carbon fiber does not make it an improvement in performance or appearance.

 

.....or we like the chrome scoop we paid extra for. If I wanted a painted or carbon fiber scoop, I would have bought one., Not enough "Bling" for me!

The problem is not the scoop, but rather, the heat from the turbo. I have serious doubts about the longevity of my hood paint, stripes and, especially, that expensive aftermarket clear bra I paid for.

HEY MINI: Fix the heat problem or come up with a MINI approved heat shield or turbo wrap that we will not be afraid to put on our cars!!!! I would even be happy to pay for a MINI approved, aftermarket solution that cures the problem. ....my 2 cents.

 

I like the bling look as well, so I was thinking of upgrading mine to a chrome scoop, but from what I read, the chrome scoop is also made out of plastic and not really a chrome, so it may melt as well. Is this true?

 

umm, not to burst your bubble or anything, but you can paint the carbon fiber scoop, and nobody was discussing the 'performace or appearance' aspect of it at ALL, as i stated in the post it is because of carbons higher melting point that it will be a better scoop.....

 

if anything... get your melting hoodscoop replaced under warrantee after you buy a carbon fiber one... sell the oem one = discount on carbon fiber

 

i have a chrome scroop on my 2008 mcs since i get it last may 15th. today, no melting yet. (knock the wood).

 

I just installed the WMW Turbo heatshield to eliminate the chance of scoop melt, but mainly to reinforce the Mini's thin heat shield.
Also installing the DDM Street intake with the RAM Air Scoop system. That redirects the air from the scoop to the intake filter of the turbo.
I have not seen any postings that show this setup to be detrimental to the turbo or heat management of the MCS R56.

 

ok, thats great ....but we're talking about stock engine temps and the melting of the scoop...

 

I understand, but I don't see BMW doing anything to solve this issue anytime soon.
Just suggesting a way to do a simple mod (Heat Shield) to block the Turbocharger heat and cool the hood down.

 

Carbon fiber does make an improvement in both performance AND appearance. Okay maybe the appearance part is subjective. I have used both a carbon fiber and aluminum exhaust shield on my sport bike. I had been riding with the carbon version since I bought it. Being bored one day, I swapped out the carbon for the aluminum piece. The aluminum piece did nothing to protect my leg from the heat from the exhaust pipe. The back of my thigh got so hot I had to go home. I don't quite know how the carbon retains/redirects the heat but it works.

The carbon piece is so light, almost paper light it's amazing that a material like that is so strong.

I'll take "real" carbon fiber parts any day of the week over plastic. The only down side is that carbon is so expensive. :(

What you can do is paint the carbon the body color so you get the best of both worlds. I do admit, that carbon on street cars is overdone.

 

How much is the carbon fiber hood scoop?
Mine is starting to deform, my MINI is only 2 months old

And I was thinking what if it deforms in a way that it starts leaking water into the engine compartment?
I don't understand why they don't try to fix this issue..

 

300 big ones, plus install.....

 

They charge you to take out one screw...?
lol

If you want a CF scoop, make a deal with your Mini tech, see if he'll "Offset" the cost.

 

Mine melted in the first month of ownership, raised section on what you would say is the drivers side (passenger to us Aussies). I have been waiting until the upcoming service to get it fixed. In the meantime I have opened the scoop up and this seemed to have prevented it from getting worse. Also my engine fan cuts off with the motor, only the water pump keeps going, may have to ask about that too.

 

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...egoryID=126740

morristownmini has much cheaper accessories than most dealers. 239.20 is much better than 300!

if anyone can find it for cheaper...please do share

 

Just checked my scoop after reading this thread and sure enough, there's a slight droop offset from the middle. It's definitely not supposed to be there since it isn't symmetrical. I'm honestly not sure when this developed as I've had my car since January and have driven it about 15,500 mi+ since, so it could've been recently or within the first few weeks. I'll be curious to keep an eye on it and see if it gets any worse. I had already been considering replacing it with the cf scoop and this may give me the impetus to do so. The only problem is the same to which fron alluded - once you start, it might be hard to stop! Scoop, mirrors, boot lid, door handles...etc.

 

i see you have cr/b too, which i think is a plus when cfing the car, the mirrors blend, you almost can get away with just the scoop and nohting else....obviuosly the key word there is almost hehehe