To Mod...or not to Mod?

[Cambo]

I really want to invest in my mini, I really do...but everytime I almost pull the trigger on a mod, I think "I've got 70k on the odometer...this thing's about the kick the bucket" and I back off. Am I way off in this assessment? Is the mini cooper more reliable than I'm giving it credit for? I guess this is more of a two question post...

 

My first question is, if you've got a higher mileage mini (approaching 100k+)...knowing what you know now, would you continue/have continued to mod your mini...or...perhaps rephrased as: where would you have stopped modding--to get the most return out of your invesment? (I hope that makes sense) Or were there just too many problems that you'd rather have kept your modding money and put it towards a new mini?

 

And, with those answers in mind, my second question to you all is, at 70k, would you bother doing the following, what I call, "bigger ticket" mods? (to me they're big ticket mods lol)

 

1) HID headlight conversion ($1000) Reason: Halogens suck.

2) Coilovers (~$1500) Reason: Primary- want lowered look, Secondary- performance

3) FMIC (~$800) Reason: I read the stock one is super inefficient in comparison

4) Stage 1 Tune (~$1000) Reason: to take advantage of all the engine mods I've done. And to get rid of a downpipe CEL. two birds one stone.

 

Thanks in advance for any and all input! :adore:

[omgMINI]

1) HID headlight conversion ($1000) Reason: Halogens suck.

2) Coilovers (~$1500) Reason: Primary- want lowered look, Secondary- performance

3) FMIC (~$800) Reason: I read the stock one is super inefficient in comparison

4) Stage 1 Tune (~$1000) Reason: to take advantage of all the engine mods I've done. And to get rid of a downpipe CEL. two birds one stone.

 

 

1) Really? Are they that expensive? You might have some luck finding a cheaper price by cruising the NAM forums. Halogens DO suck, though.

2) If performance is your second priority, just go with springs.

3) & 4) Just really depends on your performance goals for the car and what you want to do with it. If you're not racing, then why waste the money?

[RichSperry]

Interesting...

 

I started modding the car even before it was delivered...lol Or it at least seems like it.

 

If it were me, I'd make sure that I followed an old school maintenance schedule, and performed routine inspections, if I was going to keep the car long term.

 

If all maintenance is up to date, and you know of any little niggling issues, and you have some discretionary income, go ahead, mod the car.

 

Life is really too short to drive a really boring car.

[TGGRRR (Ali)]

Tigger has 92k on him and going strong. I invested in a custom paint job a year ago. I maintain him very well and I have kept an extended warranty on him to help with any repairs that have come up.

 

I still want coilovers and will get them as soon as I can afford them.

 

I just plan to keep him as long as I can keep him running.

 

Do you plan to keep yours long-term?

[nharrison21]

Lets see here, Ender is about to hit 130k, I bought him at 85k just after he had a new tranny put in so i figure i have about another 30-40k before I have to start worrying about major issues with the tranny so on a personal level Im only doing mods that I will be able to pull off if/when the CVT finally goes (again). Things that have gone wrong on Ender in the last two years were, A/C line from compressor to firewall blew out (Total repair cost $500), Alternator went out (Cost $300). These are sort of expected in a car thats 9 years old but the kicker for me is the repair cost. Unfortunetly I cant justify lowering or doing any other High Priced mods anymore due to the life expentancy of my car and the overall cost to repair/replace stuff on Ender. Yours might be different but depending on the year and make of your MINI I would do some research on some know faults that might be occurring in the next few years to see if it will bebefit/hurt you in the long run.

[Cambo]

wow, thanks for the responses!

 

1) Really? Are they that expensive? You might have some luck finding a cheaper price by cruising the NAM forums. Halogens DO suck, though.

 

actually...this was the cheapest I could find it!! the dealership quoted me almost $2500! A grand is through a bud that retrofitted my bike...he does an awesome job and can do really custom looks for next to nothing. attached is a pic of what my fz8 headlight looked like after he was done...I want to go with something freaky like this.

 

2) If performance is your second priority, just go with springs.

 

yeah but I've read that the shocks will wear out pretty fast so I might as well do it all at once

 

 

 

I'm going to respond to the rest of these, Amanda's forcing me off, have to go stupid christmas shopping, really appreciate the feedback!!

[RDG_RCR]

wow, thanks for the responses!

 

 

 

I'm going to respond to the rest of these, Amanda's forcing me off, have to go stupid christmas shopping, really appreciate the feedback!!

 

Wow, that does look nice. I was talking to Sara (omgMINI) about your list this morning. We weren't sure if you wanted an actual projector lense or just wanted to retro fit the HIDs into your halogen housing. I'm thinking you could find a used set of projector headlights and an off the shelf set of HIDs (DDM tuning or something) and piece it together for under $1k. At 72k miles your stock struts have to be worn out. Unless you are going to have your suspension tuned and corner balanced a set of coil overs would be a waste of money. You are most likely going to set it once and forget it. So I would suggest a nice set of quality aftermarket struts (Koni yellows or FSDs) ones made to handle aftermarket springs. You can get this for $800.

 

Of course this all depends on what you want to do with the car and how long you plan on keeping it. I know your interior is gutted, do you still have all the pieces? That will kill your resale value and aftermarket mods won't help bring it up. So if you do anything, make sure it is reversable or you will just be throwin money away.

[OhBe1]

FWIW, the FSD is supposedly not meant for any lowering spring.

[RDG_RCR]

FWIW, the FSD is supposedly not meant for any lowering spring.

 

Thanks! I thought they were....ok Cambo scratch that!

[minime331]

For coil overs check out Megan I got them and for the price they are good

[Cambo]

Interesting...

If it were me, I'd make sure that I followed an old school maintenance schedule, and performed routine inspections, if I was going to keep the car long term.

 

If all maintenance is up to date, and you know of any little niggling issues, and you have some discretionary income, go ahead, mod the car.

 

 

absolutely agree, first concern is the scheduled maintenance...I'll only be eyeing mods if I've got all those check boxes checked so I'm not worried about it.

 

Tigger has 92k on him and going strong. I invested in a custom paint job a year ago. I maintain him very well and I have kept an extended warranty on him to help with any repairs that have come up.

 

I still want coilovers and will get them as soon as I can afford them.

 

I just plan to keep him as long as I can keep him running.

 

Do you plan to keep yours long-term?

 

that's what I was hoping to hear! confidence in these cars to continue modding at that mileage. I do plan on keeping this car long term actually, but I'd like to move into the "weekend/project car" category and get it out of the "necessary daily commuter" one lol. Oddly enough, I'd feel better dropping dough on it if I knew if/when it fails, I'm not completely SOL! thanks for the input!

 

Lets see here, Ender is about to hit 130k, I bought him at 85k just after he had a new tranny put in so i figure i have about another 30-40k before I have to start worrying about major issues with the tranny so on a personal level Im only doing mods that I will be able to pull off if/when the CVT finally goes (again). Things that have gone wrong on Ender in the last two years were, A/C line from compressor to firewall blew out (Total repair cost $500), Alternator went out (Cost $300). These are sort of expected in a car thats 9 years old but the kicker for me is the repair cost. Unfortunetly I cant justify lowering or doing any other High Priced mods anymore due to the life expentancy of my car and the overall cost to repair/replace stuff on Ender. Yours might be different but depending on the year and make of your MINI I would do some research on some know faults that might be occurring in the next few years to see if it will bebefit/hurt you in the long run.

hmm...tranny wasn't on my radar for upcoming things. My gearbox feels pretty good right now though...we'll see. But I've got a few bottles of MTL ready to go for a tranny fluid change.Also, from the research I've done, it seems the chain tensioner and the leaking oil are the main concerns for my '09...and they're related: keep the oil levels right to keep the chain tensioner...right? Please correct me if my conclusion is way off. Anyway, I'm pretty religious about checking oil levels every week or so.

 

So far, the only thing that's gone out on me was the diverter valve...it produced a 'kazoo' sound when I powered off the vehicle. I found a used part on ebay and swapped it out myself. problem solved!

 

Wow, that does look nice. I was talking to Sara (omgMINI) about your list this morning. We weren't sure if you wanted an actual projector lense or just wanted to retro fit the HIDs into your halogen housing. I'm thinking you could find a used set of projector headlights and an off the shelf set of HIDs (DDM tuning or something) and piece it together for under $1k. At 72k miles your stock struts have to be worn out. Unless you are going to have your suspension tuned and corner balanced a set of coil overs would be a waste of money. You are most likely going to set it once and forget it. So I would suggest a nice set of quality aftermarket struts (Koni yellows or FSDs) ones made to handle aftermarket springs. You can get this for $800.

 

Of course this all depends on what you want to do with the car and how long you plan on keeping it. I know your interior is gutted, do you still have all the pieces? That will kill your resale value and aftermarket mods won't help bring it up. So if you do anything, make sure it is reversable or you will just be throwin money away.

 

yeah, he does a really great job. Runs a solo gig out of his house in PA. He's some sort of direct dealer through TRS (whatever that stands for...). But he gets parts really really cheap and installs for even cheaper. He's never worked on a mini...so I'm looking forward to be his test subject and I look forward to show you guys how it turns out!

 

As far as struts...the car feels pretty good still. not bouncy or anything, but I also haven't really driven it yet. maybe I'll be able to meet some folks at whenever the next meet is and they'd be able to tell me how my struts feel. but to me, I mean, I don't notice anything out of the ordinary. Minime331 mentioned it below but the megan streets are what I'm eyeing. $600 bucks for coilovers? That might be the best option for me: lowered look and replacement for the struts.

 

and yup, still have all the interior pieces...one of these days when I've got a good stretch of time off, I'll probably piece it all together again, at the very least I'll put the passenger seat back in haha.

 

For coil overs check out Megan I got them and for the price they are good

:top:

 

FWIW, the FSD is supposedly not meant for any lowering spring.

thanks for the heads up! Edited December 21, 2013 by Cambo

[OhBe1]

Perusing NAM, there seems to be a reluctance to use FSD's even with JCW springs (IIRC, only 1cm lower), although one poster claims to have been running them for a while. Way MotorWorks REALLY recommends against that combo, suggesting Koni yellows instead.

Funny that decent HID conversions are so expensive, considering even the new base Corolla gets LED headlights.

[LV2CRNR]

You can do vvme hid kit for 75 plug and play. That's what I did in my mini

[Cambo]

You can do vvme hid kit for 75 plug and play. That's what I did in my mini

 

thanks for the tip! I'll definitely look into that!

[Cambo]

Perusing NAM, there seems to be a reluctance to use FSD's even with JCW springs (IIRC, only 1cm lower), although one poster claims to have been running them for a while. Way MotorWorks REALLY recommends against that combo, suggesting Koni yellows instead.

Funny that decent HID conversions are so expensive, considering even the new base Corolla gets LED headlights.

 

way has this kit that he's bundled together. TSW lowering springs, sway bar, and adjustable sway bar links. From the research I've done, TSW and NM Engineering seem to be have the highest amount of satisfied customers so..this may be the route I go...

 

c'monnn tax return! lolol

[OhBe1]

Which shocks?

[OhBe1]

You can do vvme hid kit for 75 plug and play. That's what I did in my mini

 

Link? I saw a complete kit for over $400, not sure it was PnP with the CAN bus. Plus, the tattoo tool items made me think that quality automotive lighting wasn't exactly their forte...

[OhBe1]

... Oddly enough, I'd feel better dropping dough on it if I knew if/when it fails, I'm not completely SOL! ...

 

Not odd at all...

[Cambo]

Which shocks?

 

I'd be using stock shocks with this package.

 

http://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-suspension-package.html

[RichSperry]

I'm using the TSW spring, Koni yellows, and Hsport rear bar. I think it's more comfortable than the stock setup.

 

I wouldn't have a problem using the FSD shocks with the TSW springs. (they only lower the car about .5")

[Cambo]

I'm using the TSW spring, Koni yellows, and Hsport rear bar. I think it's more comfortable than the stock setup.

 

I wouldn't have a problem using the FSD shocks with the TSW springs. (they only lower the car about .5")

 

thanks for the input Rich! the koni yellows are what I'd be gunning for later on down the road after I've already had the lowering springs...only because they're compatible with lowering springs. I don't believe the FSD shocks are supposed to be used with lowering springs...that's according to way's website though. I'm not sure if there are other versions of the FSD that can work.

 

it sucks...for the price of lowering springs and koni yellows, I might as well jump straight to coilovers! but I have to piece it together due to my mod budget lol. I'm trying to balance a motorcycle build and the mini this winter...and snowboarding...dang it! I need to win the lottery lol.

[Cambo]

ohhhh snip snap...Way's got these stocked now (at least it's new to me...and I peruse his site very often...don't think I would've missed this): http://www.waymotorworks.com/xenon-headlight-retrofit-kit-r55-r56-r57-r58-r59.html

 

Plug and play? For 900 bucks? C'monnn tax return!

[TheMichael]

ohhhh snip snap...Way's got these stocked now (at least it's new to me...and I peruse his site very often...don't think I would've missed this): http://www.waymotorworks.com/xenon-headlight-retrofit-kit-r55-r56-r57-r58-r59.html

 

Plug and play? For 900 bucks? C'monnn tax return!

 

 

I am so glad you posted this.... I might have to get these! Looks like installation might be a challenge, then getting the ECU programmed for 'em, but I'm really glad this is an option now!

[Cambo]

I am so glad you posted this.... I might have to get these! Looks like installation might be a challenge, then getting the ECU programmed for 'em, but I'm really glad this is an option now!

 

:top:

 

btw, these headlights are the easiest to remove I've ever dealt with. I just had to undo 3 easily accessible bolts and the headlights slid right out. So install should be pretty easy I imagine. We'll see!

 

I didn't know about the ECU re-programming...when I hear 'plug and play' though, I assume just that. hmmm..will have to check with Way.

[TGGRRR (Ali)]

Mark (my husband) just did some sort of tune that sits on top of the ecu. He said it was pretty easy to install and it's easy to turn on or off. Do I know details like what it's called???

 

You'll have to ask Mark or Craig. I can't remember details. Mark does want to dyno Max and see if this thing is really adding hp. He said with winter tires on it's much harder to tell but there does seem to be an improvement