Just wondering if others experienced this? I ordered a Cooper S last week with the adaptive headlights. MA said he was not able to order this option without the retractable washers (another $100).

 

Yes. It also surprised the heck out of me when I ordered in January.

 

As I recall, the Adaptive Light Control was the $100 option and the Headlight Washer is a no cost option. I ordered both, and one of the best choices I made. Also, as l recall, Adaptive Light Control is not available with the Black Headlight Housing. To my mind, all MINI options and accessories are a bit pricey. That said, any way you slice it, $100 for Adaptive Light Control and Headlight Washer is a no brainer, unless you absolutely have to have the Black Housing.

Speaking of pricey options, if you think MINI / BMW is bad, take a look at Audi and especially Porsche. Just a few popular options on either of them will take a $40,000 or $65,000 car to $50,000 or $80,00 respectively. OUCH!

 

At least MINI is still offering nice looking black wheels at no extra charge. Porsche wants almost $2K extra for black wheels, depending on the model!

 

I can't wait to get my hands on an '11 with the adaptive lights, but the irritating thing is that I have yet to find one in dealer inventory. Really, really annoying and makes me realize even more that I'd have to build mine.

 

Xenon + adaptive + headlight washer = $700. This is expensive and I expect in some locals not popular for this reason. I bet the dealer can add the xenons.

 

Unlike most domestic (Chevy, Ford, etc.) car dealers, if you do much MINI shopping on dealer lots, you'll notice very few, if any that are very heavily optioned. I am not sure why, other than MINIs, both Justa and MCS, etc. are reasonably priced as a base models in comparison to the average Honda, Nissan, Toyota, etc. However, MINI packages and options seem very pricey in comparison, so I think they try not to scare off the average customer who may not be a MINI enthusiast. It is also interesting to look at some of the options dealers order on MINIs destined for new car lots. Some of the combinations don't seem to make much sense to me. I view the MINI as a "Premium" small car and thus when I ordered, I added all the goodies I wanted and ended up with a sticker price just north of 30K. It suites me well, but the average "small car" buyer would have sticker shock.

I think Xenons with the Adaptive feature are well worth it. They are the main reason I add the Sport Package to my build. The 17" Cone Spoke wheels that came with it are nice, but I could have lived with the standard 16" wheels. The package pricing on the Sport Package, and the other packages for that matter, was just too attractive to pass up. As a result, I have a few options I wouldn't have chosen, had they not been in a package, but I am glad I have them now.

 

I've got headlight washers with my xenons, and I've always wondered what the heck they ever do. I have never been aware they ever come on, and wondered out loud if it's just a fake silver tab next to the light. Anyone ever see them go? And what's the adaptive thing do?

 

They spritz right after you squirt the windshield. Have someone stand outside and watch. On the freeway I can see the quick mist blast from the headlight spritzers if I watch for it. That said, it's a fluff option with no real value. Just came with the Xenons which do rock.

 

As I recall, the washers supposedly pop out and squirt the headlight lenses when you use the washers on the windshield. It was a no cost option for me, so I wasn't to concerned about them. The adaptive feature is pretty cool. The lights turn / aim in response to steering input. It is easily seen working in the garage, turning the wheel back and forth. On the road, it works well, but not as easily noticed. Modern Xenon / HID lights are so focused that there isn't much light bleeding outside of the focused beam. My wife has Xenon HID lights on her Mazda CX9 and they are great, but I notice driving on twisty roads the light is always trying to "catch up" to where you are going. With the Adaptive Xenon HIDs on my MCS, I don't notice this. The turns are always well lit. It is very noticeable when switching vehicles. At $100 extra, well worth it I think.

 

So is the blackout headlight option the same as the famed "Joey Mod"? That looks cool with some cars.

 

From what I've experience Xenon heaaldights need the high pressure cleaner id order to not blind oncoming traffic. (That's what the dealer told me). As for the lights themselves I would get them again without question. They are by far the best lights I've driven/seen. A little know fact is that they are also "dynamic" and change according to your speed or situation. For example if you turn on the fog lights the light pattern will dip and spread just a little. Also when you are going fast the light becomes narrower and points further ahead. You have to pay attention to it or you won't notice it. Just to my two cents.

Cheers!