This will probably sound ignorant, but I'm new to whole mod thing. Hell, I'm new to the whole Mini thing!

I got the Koni FSDs today and am looking for a place to put them in the Mini. It's going to void the factory warranty on the shocks (obviously), and I'm fine with that. Objectively speaking, do I REALLY need to go to a German/Mini specialist to get this done? Can I just go to my regular, excellent and trusted place that I used to use for my last car (a Subaru)? Is there something special about changing the shocks on a Mini that ONLY a German auto specialist would know?

I'd like to hear the facts about this if possible, not mythology.

 

any good shop can do it in less than 2 hours.

 

Cool, thanks. I've called around - everyone said it will take half a day, and these are all highly rated service joints including my favorite. 2 hours or less is really what it should take? Are they all yanking my chain?

 

You may be better off taking your car to someone who has changed the shocks on MINI's before, as it may save you $$ with reduced labor time. You're usually better off if your car isn't the one they learn on. I would bet it's going to be a 3 hour job, at least. Either way, you will love the new ride quality with the FSD's on board. Happy motoring!

 

I own a shop and yes they are killing you.

 

My shopforeman installed coilovers and aligned the car in under 2 hours.

You dont need a mini shop for suspension work. Mini suspension is very easy to work on.

 

Wish I lived closer to your shop! It took over two hours for just an alignment up here!

 

All of the shops I called gave me a 4 - 5 hour estimate as far as how much time it would take.

I guess I got a bit hosed with how much I got charged, but it's done and the shocks are in.

 

Under 2 hours? True if you do a "rush" job. A proper alignment should take about 1.5 hours, depending on how bad it is, and that's including a pre & post alignment road test. The coilovers would take about 45 minutes to install, not including setting up the ride height.

I'm an ASE Master Tech and work at a Lexus dealer, and that's my opinion.

 

FSD's don't take a MINI expert to install. But if you can find someone that has worked on a MINI before you'll be better off. Just cause they'll know how it comes apart and what size everything already is, making them faster and less likely to forget something.

 

+1 ^^

 

i can't do the alignment but i put my coilovers on in just over 1 hour... 30 for the control arms... 20 for rear sway... i can do an intercooler and most engine bay stuff in under 30 minutes... front bumpers come off in 10 max... ask Eric or Ralph at Helix, i'm pretty damn quick with that stuff and i'm not even a tech, so yeah... anyone who's worked on a MINI before will do it for you pretty quickly...

 

ps that doesn't mean come to me i don't have a lift hahaha.... but feel free to try by my house for engine bay stuff... Tortie will attest to that

 

Find a local BMW shop. They probably know the mini as well and are usually much cheaper than a local mini dealer.

 

Does the shock swap require any remotely special tools,... spring clamp, etc?

 

where are you located?

2 hours with the right equipment is right. I own a shop also and the install is nothing special or difficult.

 

Delete

 

How comfortable is the Mini on the FSD's as opposed to the stock ones? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the install (only reason for me to do it would be to get a more comfortable ride).


Thanks
George

 

Huge improvement. I changed over both my R50 and R53 to the FSD's and would highly recommend them. They really smooth out the bumps and make the car much more stable in the corners on both the highway and the track.