While looking at the reinforcement layer, it seems that the way the opening is formed (the opening behind the grill), it would just trap hot air right at where the scoop meets the hood. What if I bend the sheet metal up a little so that it would channel hot air more towards the opening? The way it is now, hot air would just keep building up in that area before it flows out the scoop.

 

I was looking at mine yesterday and notice the center rear looked sunk down a touch.I released that gray clip in the part and let it sit higher.

I'd like to remove the hood ,but dont see how.I removed the panel and removed the one push in clip and released that grey clip towards the back.
Anything else to do.I read some where you have to pull very hard.I hope that is not the case,I'd hate to break it.

 

If you search around the Mini aftermarket shops, you'll find Mini-issued instructions about how to replace the stock scoop. I've read that once and I seem to remember there is a single screw/bolt to remove, then a few clips and the scoop should come right out.

I just noticed that my own scoop has warped a small amount. It was OK for the first 10,000 miles, and I think it was a combination of being parked in the sun on a 95 degree day, plus a hot engine that did it just a few days ago. Since my first dealer service is in a week or so, I'll bring this to their attention, maybe ask for a carbon fiber replacement.

 

I dont have any of those shops nearby.I did search for this screw and wasnt able to find one,took a light and looked into the existing holes to find this mystery screw.No luck

 

Cosmo: ( )

I swapped my stock hood scoop for a chrome one. Here is the link to the thread. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=141862 My experience is at post 19 and thereafter. There is a pic of the hole where the screw is. The screw is the only "through the hood" fastener for the scoop. The other six fasteners are "push pins" which pull out pretty easily.

Any questions, let me know
Rich

 

I had that screw out,but didnt know about pulling upwards.What are the odds of those pins breaking?And how hard do you pull?

 

Hi all. First post on NAM, long time lurker. I've been reading this and other threads about hood scoop melting and a few weeks ago I checked my wife's '07 MCS and sure 'nuff a dip. She has an early '07 build with the closed hood scoop grill. I also have a 6 week old '08 MCS Clubman with the partially opened grill and even it has a "very slight" dip. I Dremelled out all of the holes on the '07 scoop, which does help vent the heat, but then I read a thread by DDM works about the pros and cons of opening up the scoop grill. The gist of the comments by Dave was that opening up all the holes does something to the air flow pressure under the hood and may compromise some of the cooling effectiveness of the radiator and fan. Otherwise, why would Mini have not opened them all up instead of just some of them in the '08's. So that is something to think about.

A potential solution (or partial solution) I came up with was to insulate the space between the plastic hood scoop and the sheet metal hood underneath. I took a handfull of fiberglass insulation (from my attic) without the paper backing, popped the scoop off and layered the insulation on the underside of the scoop, especially at the top part that tends to melt. Then I just popped it back in. You can't tell it's there and it doesn't affect the fit or airflow in any way. After a typical run, I checked the temp with an IR thermometer and the temp of the plastic scoop is about 30 degrees cooler than the sheet metal adjacent to it. (130 for the plasctic, 160 for the sheet metal, and 190+ for the air flowing out of the vent holes in the scoop grill). I have had the insulation in both cars for about 2 weeks with no apparent problems. Only time will tell if it actually prevents further deformation.

What's nice about this "fix" is 1) it's free 2) takes about 5 minutes 3) results in no changes from stock (and can be converted back in about 30 seconds). What concerns me is that if this works and it is so simple, why hasn't Mini done something similar? It would cost them next to nothing to implement this in the factory and should solve the problem of the melting scoops.

I'm sure this could be done even better with real heat shield material, but as a test, fiberglass insulation works pretty well. Of course, this still does nothing to address the real problem of extremely high underhood temps in the R56's and I plan on adding a WMW turbowrap to hopefully help with that.

I would appreciate any comments or suggestions about this idea, maybe there's something about this that I haven't considered.

 

"Dremelled out all of the holes on the '07 scoop, which does help vent the heat, but then I read a thread by DDM works about the pros and cons of opening up the scoop grill. The gist of the comments by Dave was that opening up all the holes does something to the air flow pressure under the hood and may compromise some of the cooling effectiveness of the radiator and fan."

Can you post the link to this thread?I'd like to read it.I wanted to open up the vent on my scoop.Now, Im unsure if i want to open them up.

 

It took me a while but here's the link:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=113521

 

first of, if you take all of Daves numbers as accurate, at 6.5% decrease in airflow through the radiator is negligable. Remember, the cooling system isn't flow or capacity limited. It regulates coolant temps, and for it to work, there has to be some headroom in the system. So if there is a bit less flow through the radiator, the time averaged opening of the thermostat would be a bit more, coolant temps would remain the same.

The hypothesis that airflow through the scoop was limited to prevent shorting the the radiator cooling flow isn't really a good one. Air that flows into the car through holes like the scoop adds to drag, and can really tank drag co-efficients. Check out why hypermilers do (cover the front grills to the point of staving the cooling system). They do this to decrease drag.

Really, if I were to have a turbo car, I'd get the WMW turbo wrap. This will really slow down the heating at its source, the hot side of the turbo. Cure the cause, not the symptom.

Matt

 

That's true Dr. Obnxs. I had a 93 Firebird that had the entire front end sealed. It drew air from under the bumper and it had an incredible drag coefficient as a result. Some people started opening up the fake grill inserts and created overheating problems... So who know's what the results are when messing with the Mini's design.

 

I havent looked at the link yet,but you make some good points..I cant see how the hood scoop could affect the radiator.The scoop is after it and the radiator gets it air from the grill area,No?

 

The reason I've read for the sealed MCS air scoop was simply when the scoop was open, it allowed too much rainwater onto the top of the engine, where it then got into the ignition and fuel injection systems and damaged them. My 08 MCS has a factory-stock partially opened scoop. I've found it stays cool while the car is in motion and only heats up well after the car has been shut down.

I would agree with Matt, the best immediant option is to increase the effectivness of the turbo's heat shield, but given how tight the engine compartment is, I have to wonder how effective any added insulation can be. The heat has to go somewhere and all the insulation can do is slow the transfer, not stop it.

Can the added insulation keep enough of the engine heat away from the scoop to prevent it from deforming without causing the turbo to overheat? Without some serious testing, there's no way to know. I would rather go with a more heat resistant scoop, than fiddle with the therodynamics of the engine and turbo.

 

If your patient and gently pull the scoop up from the hood, it should come right off. My June 08 build Clubman had no adheisive or locktite involved from the factory.

And it's not the pins that will break, but its the mounts that hold the pins on the underside of the scoop. I broke the bottom center one on my stock scoop trying to remove one of the push pin bases that had stayed with the scoop when I removed it from the hood. So be gentle.

 

Carbon Fiber Scoop has been great.

 

another way to go would be to take the turbo apart and have the hot side coated with a thermal barrier. It won't insulate as well as the wrap, but it will help a lot. check out the latest Alliance mag, RyPhile did a review of the wrap. He's got some underood temp readings that are pretty impressive...

Anyway, the idea behind it is that while the same (or more, due to the insulation) energy has to dissapate as things cool to room temp, but because this happens over a much longer time the peak temp reached is much, much lower.

Matt

 

okay OOOOOOOOOOKAKY, THATS IT!....while getting some work done to my car this weekend, i noticed that after only a few weeks, my scoop has ONCE again DIPPED!

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im want to take it back to mini this week, only question is...do i go back to mini universal? or do i take it somewhere else.....suggestions?

 

I would take it back to the dealer that replaced the original scoop. Just for the continuity of the problem. I think that everyone who has this problem should immediately take the car back to their dealers for a new scoop. The repeated replacement of these scoops is the only thing that will make MINI come up with a solution to this problem.

I tend to believe that the solution is a wrap for the turbo that has been developed by some third parties, however, I am not willing to put one of these on my car without MINI's express approval while its in warranty. It would also be great if MINI could let us know if they object to these wraps or not.

The moment mine does it, its going back to the dealer.

 

ehhh, yess but....i dont want another plastic scoop because i dont wanna drop my car off and deal with time wasting trips to north hollywood because the dealer doesnt wanna cough up a cf scoop...

 

Well, I understand what you are saying: "The stock scoop is being deformed due to the heat problem, and the CF scoop solves the problem." I agree with the logic, but who said they will be logical. At this stage, I doubt they will upgrade you to a CF scoop if you did not originally pay for a CF scoop.

I am in a similar boat since I chose to upgrade to the chrome scoop. If my chrome scoop should melt, they must replace it with a chrome scoop, but I don't think I can argue I should get a CF scoop.

My point was that MINI is not gonna deal with this situation unless it starts hitting them in the pocketbook. If they start having to replace melted scoops over and over, they will come up with a solution. (it might even be a painted or chrome CF scoop in the end!)

 

you might not argue that you should get one, but imho i dont think you shoudl have too....if you followed the thread you will see that there have been some who have been upgraded not because it replaces what they got, but because the dealer felt it would make the customer happy (seeing the same customer for the same problem over and over again is not good)...as a paying customer, it only makes sense for the dealer to upgrade me if the problem persists....good customer service is what keeps me coming back to a brand/company...if i go back to universal, and they pull the same stunt again...i probably wont take my warranty work there in the future....

and just as a side note....you say that your point is that they wont deal with it until it hits their pocketbook....well....say, 20 painted scoops replaced under warranty ~$80 - $1,600 .... cf scoops ~$300 = $6,000. Just a thought.....

 

I got my JCW CF Scoop for $80...
I asked my tech if he would offset the cost and he said yes.

Because its under warranty, I had to drive all the way to my dealer to have them install it, but it was worth it.

 

yeah i remember, are you in the los angeles area?

 

Actually, it should be better insulation of the turbo where the heat is being generated. While some reviews state that the installed "Heat Shield" is adequate, it seems with all these melt reports that it is not.

BMW Mini will keep replacing the scoops until (As others have already stated) it truly becomes a costly issue. That means a recall. I don't see that happening unless large numbers of owners go in for replacements.
I for one want my new Mini motoring and not in service hence I installed the DDM Heat Shield.

 

if you read the TSB texts on lots of them, they say only do something if the customer complains. This would be a perfect solution here. also, the $80 offset delta may be a way to keep customers happy.

As for the dealer stepping up to make the customer happy, remember they bill Mini USA for all the plastic scoops they replace under warranty (For the labor too) and eat the upgrade cost themselves if they do it for free. So the money comes from a different pocketbook! Remember, the dealers aren't owned my MINIUSA....

Matt