Anyone notice that the whole front bumper and grill area are detachable.
This looks great for the do it your self mechanic.

Also any word on aftermarket for this car? I'm sure there will be some. The price range is just to convienient.
SW

 

check out minimania.com

 

Hopefully with a new vehicle and today's technology we won't have to do too much under the hood. The detachable bumper and grill will definitely help out with keeping her bug and grime free under the bonnet.

Speaking of beneath the bonnet, the last I read was that there is a Brazilian made Chrysler engine in these new Mini's. If that is still the case, dose anyone else have a problem with that? My wife and I loved the Mini we owned back in England, but I may have to wait a year and see how things turn out. I'm sure everything will work out though, seeing how BMW is the mastermind behind the new program. Everything they seem to touch lately turns to gold.

All the best,
MudBone

 

MudBone, it's not a Chrylser engine per say, it's a Chrysler/BMW joint venture, they designed and engineered it together, and the engine in it's MINI configuration is not in any other car.

I've found the engine in the Cooper and One (Europe and other selected markets only) to be more than adequate, and the supercharged 'S' engine to be excellent.

I too owned several old Mini's, and there's no doubt the modern MINI engine beats the old a-series by a mile for modern motoring!

 

How does one go about detaching the front bumper? I didn't see anything about that in the owner's manual. Is it documented somewhere? Or is is pretty obvious?

 

I second the question on how to detach the bumper?

 

Bumper skin I'm guessing.

Remove two 8mm (i believe) bolts under wheel well. One on each side, level w/ the top of the bumper. Remove two Torx screws near radiator (top of bumper. Remove three 8mm bolts under bumper, then the two phillips screws under bumper, just outside of the 8mm bolts. Lift up on bottom of bumper and pull forward - when there is enough room disconnect all lights, and temp sensor.

If you need more than just the skin off you can now easily see what nuts need to be removed to do so.

Nik

 

I think this wins the oldest post to come back award!