And the Saga continues..

Here's the FINAL word, on this jcw mix-match business.. Every branch of MINI has pitched in on this, the dealer's angle, jcw division's angle, MINIUSA corporate's angle.. The whole sha-bang.
I was able to accomplish SOME sha-banging, and NOT other aspects.

*Original plan* - Buy JCW Exhaust, JCW Tips, JCW Badging.

SUCCESS. 1200.00 installed
This can be accomplished via part #'s, and dealer willingness. If you present your desires before them kindly, there's really no resistance, insofar as I have discussed with two separate- Midwestern Auto Group and Cincinnati MINI. However, it might be more expensive - Cincinnati originally quoted me near 1600.00 for 'original plan'... But upon hearing my pleas for college-student-budget-worthy range... And I really could not pay that high for just an exhaust.. They very kindly and graciously subtracted 20% plus other numbers, bringing out-the-door price to 1200.00.
Downside? discussed further down.
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As my excitement grew for the JCW Exhaust.. I began curiously wondering about, "The real source of the JCW Power" ... The ECU tuning... Hmm.. Ask a few questions and toss idea around with dealer, see where this leads..
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*Curiosity turned into Second Plan* - JCW ECU Programming, SEPARATELY.

FAILURE(near success) dealer estimate 150.00
The parts AND service department both were involved in this "SEARCH FOR TRUTH" ... about the jcw ECU.
Initially They thought about it for a moment, and said, "Well, of course! But we will have to charge you labor. The JCW ECU tune for your R56 should be approximately 150.00-200.00. Is that alright with you?" .... YES!?! Why wouldn't I jump at this opportunity?
BUT.
As per a fellow informant at MINI of New Zealand, this might be much harder than it sounds.
SO.
I rechecked with the dealer, brought to the table the insights I had learned about Vin#specificity, use of the jcw-cd, et.cetera. (these fine-print aspects aren't always readily known by every person involved in the questioning, I didn't even know until alert on NAM). These misgivings, not unduly possessed, were all temporarily relieved, by the dealer's short-term findings.
They somehow came up with- they already had the current R56 JCW tuning on their computers, something like version 26 or 29.2 something like that, from the master-JCW disc, and would be easily willing to hook up to my car and upload it. Temporarily, I breathed a sigh of excited relief, and looked forward to my sound AND power...
FLOP.
They had the software alright, BUT, several of the technicians I have been/AM working with got in DIRECT contact with JCW division in europe to sort this out ..
= Not available without Vin# specificity. The JCW software tuning will not actually communicate with the R56 ECU to perform differently, i.e. better, without the vin#specific jazz, as your r56 ECU requires that to be affected, and "act differently" by the incoming jcw functions. The JCW R56 Tuning can be uploaded to your car all day, with the exact, correct versions and everything (with every possible appearance of credential), but it won't produce effect without the so-called "password", or, vin#encoding.
Furthermore (and this is perhaps old news on deaf ears), any ecu tuning discovered outside of MINI will of course void several warranties, mainly the computer itself, but also potentially on anything even indirectly modulated by the car's computer. (example, Alta, GIAC). However, don't get me wrong, I had a flash on my last cooper and even considered it on this r56. Don;t let this stop you my modding friends just be aware straight from MINI. Just passing the word along.
Anyways.
JCW ECU tuning, not available without vin# cd, et.cetera.
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JCW INTAKE- obviously, available separately from several vendors. Its worth in doing by itself is completely up to your discretion, of course.
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Conclusion... ?
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**THE FINE PRINT**
JCW Exhaust, tips, etc.
This is able to be done, and IN fact, Cincinnati MINI received the very parts I ordered this past week; cat-back exhaust, tips, brackets/clamps, badges.
Obvious advantage, ->> Quality exhaust, no Droning on hw, separate from rest of jcw kit and much less expensive. Finger-pointing-Immunity at any MINI dealer.
The 2x Downsides to this are :
1) If ordering the JCW exhaust, you can obviously also get the JCW intake at any time from a vendor, OR even from the part#'s from a MINI dealer.
BUT. If you EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER ever...
wanted the JCW ECU tuning.. You must buy the whole kit, as per JCW-division instruction of only releasing license of the tuning within the whole kit. So. If you ever thought about it at a later date, think hard.
I ordered the JCW exhaust, thinking this would be possible- as my dealer had informed me that I could pay the rest of the $$$ and get the intake and software, or that they could order the kit and subtract the cost of the exhaust, giving me a redundant intake and new jcw ecu tune.
THIS IN MIND..
I am not having the jcw exhaust installed by itself, tomorrow morning. As in reading and finding out about the impact of the jcw ecu tune- more lb.ft. torque, hp, smooth power curve over 3000 rpms... I did not want to seal my fate and forego this forever. HOWEVER. SOME OF YOU MIGHT WANT THIS, never planning on the jcw tune anyway, but wanting the exhaust only.
2) WARRANTY.
This is the hazy part.

While all JCW parts are made perfectly for MINIs and tolerances and measurements and all that... They are NOT, inherently possessive of warranty individually.. sad to say.
JCW automatically warranties each part in the way that they want to - and as with all this stress on the propriety of the kit together.. JCW division does not warranty an individual exhaust, such as IIIIIIII had recently ordered somewhat misinformed/mistakenly, and almost-installed tomorrow (today really).
BUT. BUT BUT BUT.
Cincinnati mini found this out too late, and of course so did I- too late. And very very kindly, they immediately without question offered to warranty the JCW exhaust for the 4/5 years that JCW does.. So the individual enforcement of the jcw warranty then is really able-to-be positively affected depending on dealership. Hopefully you get a non-p.i.t.a. one Though any dealership giving you an individual exhaust is not required by jcw to uphold the warranty.

*ACTION TAKEN*

In working with these several people in parts and service, we've come to a solution. Let me throw this out there that these guys are really amiable and have at every step along the way, provided nothing but the highest customer experience- never bad or slack communication, we've been on the phone almost every day this week and they've called my mobile more times than I can remember, never negatively responded to, always willing to effortfully come to a positive WIN-WIN situation. AWESOME. x100!
SO.
As I couldn't bring myself to forego the jcw-ecu tuning forever (I mean, without buying the kit again, and I don't think the tuning alone is worth 2k.00)
I then resigned to the whole kit. The battles have been attempted.. the gains have been made.. (isolating the jcw exhaust/tips).. the casualties examined... (ecu tuning ONLY ONLY ONLY within kit, forever and amen)

But I really cannot nor was not, willing to afford 2300 to 2500++ whatever the going $$$$ has been. It's still really a good chunk of money, at least to myself being a college student.
The parts guy I have been working with talked to his superiors, explained the situation, and jumped through several hoops. The fact that the dealer also had a JCW-exhaust lying around now that they were going to have to do something with (whether on my car or not), helped me.
FINAL... PRICE... 1900.00 installed, taxed, out the door and even including free checkered rearview mirror... **NOTE** That this is in part accomplished by negating the cost of installing the intake - they are just handing me the jcw-intake, and I am taking it home in my trunk to decide what to do with it (install it, or something..)..

It's still quite a size of money, at least to me, but I'm getting the ecu, power, and exhaust, sound... So I'm ultimately, very thrilled...

Albeit this means living on ramen noodles for a month...
But it's accomplished.


Now. Hopefully this has helped SOMEONE. I know my quest for single jcw-parts/tuning was not alone.

Also, now since I'll be in receipt of an entire kit, I'll take no complaints about badging, even though if I still had the exhaust only I'd wear them in good conscience still. But as always, to each his very, very own.


If you are still alive... well... feel free to add thoughts, musings, or any questions.
You may note that, (not that it matters), I am giving myself an "I-TOLD-YOU-SO" ... So that you may not have to chime that part in, (not that it matters).. I thought the ecu tuning could be mangled away from the kit, and associated price tag. Through misinformation, I was not correct on that! And now, from JCW, it is made sure.

CHEERS!!
~ Sam ~...

Looking forward to JCW KIT... Hello jcw-miniers...

I... I ...

*[dies hitting the keyboard... ]*

Zzzz... zzzzzz.. . zz ZZ zz.....

 

Those are some expensive parts, wow. Thanks for the full write up. IM sure some one will come up with a flash soon enough.

 

Excellent research & write-up. I am sure many other owners will very much appreciate all the information so that they don't waste time themselves researching the same info.

 

Hey, thanks for the write up. I was thinking abut doing the same thing but now I'm a little bit wiser thanks to you By the way, I'm based out of Columbus, OH and if I go JCW, I might end up going to MAG... Did they quote you any prices? They've been painfully slow to respond to mine.

 

Thanks! Any time!
I dealt solely with MAG with my first cooper, and they were alright.. But now going through Cinci MINI with my r56, it's really completely top-notch! When I was on the phone back and forth with MAG, they almost always have quoted me around 10% higher for everything I've ever had to pay for through there. Much less willing to negotiate or to think outside the box (i.e. they would not even touch a separated jcw exhaust)... Cincinnati, however, got it down to 1200. Likewise with the JCW, though my particular situation at Cincinnati with the extra exhaust probably mattered some.
Honestly, the best and most knowledgeable technician there is Matt Morris, he's AMAZING. As for everyone else, at MAG in the mini dept., they all knew SQUAT. No one else even knew what I was talking about when I asked about the 'reprogramming' of the stage I, it was comical... I live in the Springfield/Dayton area, and I've been making the longer drive to Cinci for their service.

Since you're in OH, if you ever want to before you go for the JCW, you'll be welcome to come have a ride in mine, see how it sounds/feels..

JCW Stage I this coming sat.!!

 

Glad you got everything worked out. Make sure you let us know how it feels by SOTP and a dyno should you go that far.

I'm sure you won't have any problem selling the original exhaust (or did you even end up buying it)

Mark

 

No that's one of the reasons why the dealer was very negotiable - they're just rolling the JCW exhaust, tip, badging, that they had ordered- into the rest of the entirety of the kit, so they're not stuck with redundant parts, and myself likewise. So when we resolved everything and the parts dept. "ordered the full JCW" ... The Intake and ECU are in route. The exhaust, tips, badges, are
SHA-ZAYAM
magically already there.

 

Ohhh that sucks I was hoping to have that option as well. I've got the Alta CAI and Cat Back Exhaust and was hoping to have the JCW tune. I'm sending back my Unichip PNP after dealing with CEL fever. I'll just have to wait and see what other options come down the road.

 

What you might be able to do is buy the kit and then sell the parts off, I'm sure there's some nammers who have been trying to get their hands on some! All in all, that's the tricky reason I ended up going JCW... The tune looks SO nice and smooth, no problems... Though I probably won't go with another exhaust.
Good luck with whichever way you go! I'm sure the GIAC or another flash will be a relatively good alternative to the jcw software..