Hello cruiseless,

My MINI dealer(Prestige) and MINI corporate said it CAN NOT be done , since I purchased the car in 12/07. St Louis MINI said it can, it cost less than $ 350.00 there. About $ 192.90 parts plus labor (1-1.5 hours). MINI pays for the SZL, if needed and programming, It is possible, I had it done last week, cost $ 970.00. at Prestige MINI in NJ. They said MINI will not pay for the SZL, only pay for programming, so I paid $ 970.00 . Why do they charge over $ 500. for the SZL in one state and not in another or did Prestige MINI screw me .
MINI Corp. replied to my e-mail I sent them over 2 weeks ago and said it can not be done, three days after I had it installed and returned from a 1,500 ride. Cruise control passed with flying colors. Any one needs more info, let me now.

Peace, alangmini

 

I would be angry also. I hope you get to use it a lot more than what you paid.

 

I had this same kind of contradiction when I wanted to add rear fog lights to my 2007 MCS. Two dealerships told me it could not be done, and even said that they had contacted MINI corporate in New Jersey. Another dealership said it could be done, so I took my MCS to them, and they accomplished this "impossible" feat.

The fog lights, that would have cost me $100 if I had known what they were when I ordered my MCS, cost me many times that amount in parts, labor, and travel expenses.

Why do they charge a lot? Because they can. No one else owns the program.

Why does everyone have a different story? Got me.

 

Oldsbear, I'm curious as to why you added the rear fog lights. Is it a safety feature because you drive in a lot of fog, or you didn't like the black plugs on the back? My MC-S is on order without the rear fog lights...

 

Summer of 2007 I was on a MINI-event drive. A guy in front of me had the rear fog lights turned on. Even in broad daylight they could not be ignored. I decided not ordering the rear fogs had been a mistake.

Around here when there is fog, rain, or snow, people don't seem to care that they can't see what's in front of them. They blithely motor on at the speed limit plus 10. The rear fogs may give me an extra second or two of visibility to tailgaters.

Others on NAM have disliked the missing switch on the dash and/or the black filler panels on the rear fascia. Not a big deal to me.

 

Wanna hear a crazy story? I regretted not getting rear fogs on my bmw, so I changed out the headlight switch for $70 and wa-la, I now have rear fogs... wish it was that easy for you with the MINI. I ordered mine with the rear fogs (MINI that is).

 

I read somewhere on this forum about someone who had not purchased the rear fog lights from MINI, but added them later. They found a vendor who sold a kit for installing the lights and hooking them up as extra brake lights. That would appeal to me, since we don't get a lot of fog around here (except periodically in my brain).

Can anyone provide a link to that vendor?

 

http://www.minspeed.net/R56BLK.htm

They also have light kits to install in no rear fog light Cooper & Cooper S bumper 'blank' holes.

 

I've seen "Mexican" MINI Coopers have the rear fog lights functioning as brake lights, if you cross the border all American MINIs have the fog lights off unless you turn them on.. weird..