My car has no name because its a car. I do not get all you people that name your cars... anyway, I have been trying to put this post together for quite some time. So here we go...

I purchased my 09 Laser Blue JCW on 11-28-08. So just over 3 years ago. This was a 40th birthday present to myself. I went in to Prestige MINI with the intent to get into a MCS or maybe a JCW. I put together a modestly speced out Mellow Yellow JCW online. I test drove a few cars and then 2 days later I drove away with a totally loaded laser blue JCW hardtop thanks to the great selling skills of my MA BigMINIAL.

This car was one of the very first JCWs to hit the US. It made port during the second week of July in 2008.

This car was ordered all loaded up. It has every option except Nav and PDC. Prestige MINI added driving lights and XPel on the whole front of the car. The guy that ordered it could not get financing. Its hard to move a 42k MINI so it sat around until I came by. I wound up buying it for 38k. I think I got a great deal. Back in 2008 all MINIs were going for sticker and had to be ordered.

Al also had a JCW. This was the first one he sold so it was cool to have your MA very excited for you.

I did not do much the first year. I got the challenge stripes, swapped to the JCW suspension, had the windows and sunroof tinted and ditched the run flats. About a year went by and then I went nuts.

The following is everything I have done to the car.

Black bonnet stripes - removed
Rubber Mats, front and rear with MINI logo
Black driving lights
XPel on bonnet, front bumper, rear bumper top, side view mirrors & headlights
Valentine V-1 hardwired
TomTom XL330s hardwired to fuse box - removed
M7 strut tower brace - removed
M7 stubby antenna
JCW mesh side scuttles
JCW leather steering wheel
JCW CF center insert on JCW Wheel
JCW CF gear shifter - removed
JCW CF E-brake handle
JCW CF hood scoop - removed
JCW CF boot pull
JCW Sport Suspension - Morristown MINI January 2009
Auto-On-Sport button
MINI Cosmopolitan front floor mats
Craven Speed Short Shift Kit with Black Well Cover
Challenge Stripes with # “8”
Replaced the stock runflats with Nitto NeoGens 215/45/17
iPhone cradle in center arm rest - removed
35% tint on side windows and rear window. 20% on sunroof - Sam’s Window Tinting
Rubber boot mat with MINI logo
NM Engineering Billet Aluminum Tie-Bar aka Strut Tower Brace
NM Engineering Hi-Flow Induction Kit aka Cold Air Intake - removed
NM Engineering Titanium Turbo Heat Shield
NM Engineering Discharge Pipe aka hot side boost tube
NM Engineering Air Charge Pipe aka cold side boot tube
NM Engineering SS brake lines
NM Engineering engine torque arm insert
Craven Speed black tow hook - removed
Scangauge II
GoMiniGo GPS Mount - removed
Helix stepped core front mount intercooler (FMIC) – Installed at Helix in Philly - January 2010
H-Sport Competition Rear Sway Bar. Hollow 25.5mm bar performs like a solid 22.5mm bar
JCW Aero Kit II with brake ducts, updated splitter, black wheel arches and JCW rear CF Splitter
M7 Carbon Fiber Vortex 2 hood scoop
Defenders of Speed Cold Air Intake – Installed with Tim Braley on 3-27-2010
Grill badge holder with various magnetic grill badges
RMW tune and flash tool on 4-7-2010 At Helix Motorsports in Philly
Dyno on 4-7-2010 211whp 243wtq
BSH Oil Catch Can and Dual Boost Tap – installed on 4-22-10
Craven Speed FlexPod W Bracket, ScanGauge Cradle & TomTom Module – installed 4-20-10
Clear bra – installed on lower front JCW bumper and top of rear bumper – Sam’s Window Tinting 4-21-10
Tint on rear window redone – 4-21-10
MINI rubber storage tray – sits in front of cig lighter
Removed drivers side sun visor and installed the grab handle
JCW CF door pulls – installed on 5-21-10
Craven Speed Flexpod 52mm gauge cup and tibia arm for boost gauge – installed on 5-24-10
Windshield replaced with BMW/MINI OEM part on 5-28-10
LED side marker lights – Outmotoring.com
VEI Systems Hi-Resolution Bi-direction Boost Gauge – Installed with Andy Lam on 6-7-2010
JCW CF dashboard – 2 pieces
Rear ended on the upper level of the GW bridge on Thursday June 24th 2010. Front/rear bumper covers replaced as well as the hatchback. Repairs done at Prestige MINI
JCW CF mirror caps
Carbotech Bobcat 1521 ceramic brake pads installed front and rear on 9-24-2010
Sam’s tinting finally installed the Challenge Stripes on my car correctly
Aesthetic Creations Blacked out MINI badge – with domed skull and crossbones badge, front and rear - removed
Aesthetic Creations satin black door handle covers
JCW checkered flag front floor mats
Aesthetic Creations laser blue domed badge for center console
JCW drilled and slotted front rotors, rear rotors 22,500 miles 12-21-10
Satin black head light rings, tail light rings and gas cap from Vinyl Styles 1-10-11
M7 Carbon Fiber C-Wing 2-2011 Sold on 10-26-2011 - removed
Integral Audio Subwoofer – 2-24-2011 – Installed by Kevin Bennett of Integral Audio
Car re-tuned by RMW and dynoed at Swift Motorsports in Norwich, CT - 242whp 275wtq
Lyle Beckwith of Vinyl Styles came out to Nanuet, NY on 4-15 through 4-17 for a vinyl wrapping party. He blacked out the following:
JCW side scuttles, JCW grill surround, the belt line. He removed the bonnet stripes and put on a Solid Center stripe with pinstripes in satin black on front bumper, bonnet, boot and rear bumper. The following were tinted – tail lights, rear fog lights, reflectors in all 4 wheel arches, side marker in scuttles. Panic button sticker on glove box release
Replaced all interior lights with LEDs – 4-25-2011
5 multi-direction LED lights 2x foot well, 2x puddle and trunk light. Two six-LED bulbs for map lights. Glove box and a dome lamp panel for the overhead light.
Replaced MFSW inserts with black button CF version - 5-11-2011
Replaced city lights with Hoen version 5-2011 - removed
Replaced front turn signal bulbs with Philip’s Silvervision bulbs 5-2011
Replaced front fog lights with Nokya Artic Yellow bulbs 5-2011
Car coded on 5-28-2011:
-Close windows & sun roof from fob
-Always show digital speed on the tach
-Auto door unlock
-Key gong reminder when door is open – disabled
-Opening doors will not interrupt window roll up
-Double-blink hazard lights
-Fogs lights and high beams on at the same time
-Sunroof one touch open/one touch close
Coco Mats front floor mats. Style # 55 black with blue dots 6-2011
Replaced license plate bulbs with LEDs - 6-15-2011
Black LED tail lights from www.outmotoring.com - 6-24-2011
City lights replaced with LEDs - 7-2011
Zipee Shades
MINI Glove box organizer
Clutch failed at 28,500 miles. Prestige MINI replaced under a good will, one time repair. Covered under vehicle warranty on 9-2-2011
Integral Audio Soundstage front speakers and amp installed by Kevin Bennett of IA in Brooklyn, NY - 9-16-2011
Replaced JCW CF & leather gear shifter with a Whalen Shift Machine - 9-2011
Detailed by Phil Yiu of Detailers Domain - 10-12-2011
JCW Challenge wheels powder coated flat black - 10-12-2011
Removed M7 C-Wing. Replaced with stock spoiler 10-23-2011
4 215/45/17 Nitto Neo Gen tires purchased from Discount Tire Direct - 10-26-2011
Akrapovic Down Pipe and resonator delete on factory JCW exhaust - 1-2-2012
Valve cover gasket replaced under warranty at 31,000 miles on 1-19-2012
Replaced factory JCW exhaust with the Akrapovic Evolution exhaust with Titanium tips - 2-1-2012.
The res delete was too much for me. It was too loud and too much drone at highway speeds. Since the car was on the lift and the exhaust was off I had my mechanic install the NM shifter assembly box cover. Now the shifter assembly isn't exposed to the elements.
Timing chain tensioner guide, timing chain and valve cover gasket replaced replaced under warranty - November 2013

Its a long list. My favorite mods are in no particular order:

JCW aero kit, DoS CAI, The Integral Audio sub and front speakers (Soundstage), the Craven Speed short shifter and well kit, the Whalen shift machine, the challenge stripes and the flat black powder coated challenge wheels.

I totally blame NAM for all of this. If it were not for this site I probably would still have a stock car.

The only real problem I had with the car was that the clutch and flywheel went at 28,500 miles. Prestige MINI stepped up and replaced it under warranty.

There are tons and tons of pics on my Flickr site here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/onefish...7610864637624/


I will include a few pics here. I do post a lot of pictures of my car. NAM is littered with them.

Stock with the factory aero kit and bonnet stripes.


Craven Speed short shift kit with well cover and the JCW shifter.


Challenge stripes installed incorrectly. It only took 3 more tries for someone to finally install them properly and the way I asked them to be installed.


Challenge stripes installed correctly.


Let the mods begin - NM intake, strut tower bar, torque arm insert, stainless brake lines and turbo heat shield installed. My local mechanic did a great job. He likes working on "clean" cars.


Helix FMIC being installed by Ralph and Eric at Helix in Philly.


The factory aero kit comes off and the JCW aero kit goes on. Went with flat black arches and the rear CF diffuser. Installed at Prestige MINI. They would paint the front bumper again.


DoS CAI installed - Clint at DoS is an awesome guy to work with!!


First RMW tune at Helix in Philly.


A MINI get together in my driveway. This shot is cool because it shows the 3 body kits - Factory aero kit (no longer offered) on the Dark Silver, JCW on my car and stock on the Mellow Yellow. The other 2 cars have since been sold and I lost touch with those guys.


Craven Speed "W" mount with an iPhone 4 in a TomTom car accessory kit.


M7 C-Wing in all CF. I never really liked this wing. It was too much for me. The second I put the stock spoiler back on I was in love with the car again.


It looked pretty good from the back though.


What does that "PANIC" button do?


This is how the car looks today. I am pretty much done with my mods. I may do a few things here or there but I am pretty much done. I am satisfied with the way the car looks and drives.


Passenger side. 1-7-2012, 61 degrees in the NYC area. Washed the car and spayed it down with Aquartz Reload nano spray sealant...nice and shiny now.


January 7th 2012. Rear of the car showing black LED tail lights from www.outmotoring.com


2-2-2012 - showing off the Akrapovic titanium exhaust tips


And now I want to mention some of the great MINI vendors that I have had the pleasure to interact with...

Prestige MINI in Mahwah, NJ
Alan aka BigMINIAl now selling Bently's, Rolls Royce's and Bugatti's in Greenwich, CT
Kevin Bennett at Integral Audio - with his products your MINI will never sound better!!
Kellen at Craven Speed
Clint at Defenders of Speed
Jerry at NM Engineering
Big props to Lyle Beckwith and his wife Shannon. Lyle and Shannon are Vinyl Styles
My car always looks awesome thanks to Phil Yui at Detailers Domain
Ralph and Eric at Helix
Jan at RMW
Doug Whalen - Whalen Shift Machine
Way at Way Motor Works
Aaron at outmotoring.com
Mike at Aesthetic Creations
My local mechanic Joe and Sam at Sam's Windows tinting in Nanuet NY

I did about 3 things myself. The guys mentioned above provided awesome products, guidance or installation.

Thanks for reading...

-Steve

 

That was a very interesting read and has given me some ideas of what to do with mine. It is not often that someone writes about how happy they are with their car, nice to hear. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

 

I guess they should never have given P-51s names because, well, they're just planes...

 

I think it looks pretty kick *** man. Well done. Although I did like it better without the spoiler.

Rear wiper delete??

 

LOL. I must be one of the few people that actually like the little rear wiper. I will be leaving that alone.

 

I like that panic decal on the glove box button. Who sells that?

 

Vinyl Styles sells it. You buy it as a set with a few other stickers that say things like "Eject: or "Coffee".

There is a thread on NAM and pics too.

 

Vinyl Styles
This is the only mod I have in common with what's-not-a-name.

 

That is a lot of stuff to do to one car.

I would like to know the total price tag for all that stuff, plus the cost of the car = what?

 

Purchase price for the car was around 38k. I never added it all up. I do have a receipt for everything I have done. But a good guess would be around 15k. Probably more.

 

Nice write up...thanks for sharing
Thumbs up on making it "your" car

 

Great write up and, of course, one hell of a JCW. My story is similar to yours in that I never named my car either and once I found NAM I was bitten by the mod bug and now somewhere around $10k later I'm still going.

How about the Forge blow off valve from Way since you're tuned? Just adding my log to the fire...

 

This web site is killing my savings and my wallet. Damn web based peer pressure .

You think adding that WMW blow off valve will really do anything for me? I was also considering that $25 Alta spring.

Speaking of Way. I am still waiting for him to get back to me with pricing on a full turbo back Akrapovic exhaust. Wonder if he can get better pricing.

 

I've run a few searches for it on here and based on what I've read it's supposed to be a great swap if you're tuned and running higher boost. I have it on the list for the same reason since I'm tuned as well. Just have to recoup some savings after getting a Riss Racing down pipe and an Aquamist HFS-3. I've succomed to lots of the same peer pressure here too...

 

My car is a car also. It has no name because it wouldn't reply to it anyway!

 

Ah logic!

And here I am trapped in a tragic cycle of anthropomorphic recidivsm.

When I go to Turner Motorsport - Marco says "Ah hah! The Gollum project returns...:."

Nice JCW by the way...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Oh so under your logic any pet (cat, dog, ferret etc) should not have a name as they have no way of replying to you either.

And BTW my car named Swiss Miss does in fact talk to me. It may not be in a language I speak but I do understand it. Just as my dog talks to me in a language that I do not speak, yet I can understand what he wants. And his name is Winston.

When I enter the garage and say good morning to her she responds by giving me a clunk noise (doors unlocking). As we head you sometimes I will say "lets get out and have some fun She responds with a gentile purr of the engine. And if she is having a problem she makes a different noise that will tell me she is feeling under the weather and she needs a little more attention.

And I bet your car does exactly the same thing.

 

The point of not "giving" my a car a name is that its an inanimate object. It already has a name from the factory. Its a MINI John Cooper Works.

My dog and cats have names because they are my pets and they do respond to their names.

Do you people name your pants, tools, computer and other inanimate objects as well?

I love MINIs but i really despise this whole naming my car thing.

 

Hey thats a nice build you have going on there. If you dont mind me asking, I'm in the market for front Rally lights just like yours. I didnt see them in your mod list.

very nice build tho

 

3rd item in the list. They were already on the car when I got it. OEM MINI. Dealer installed.

 

Very informative post, thanks for sharing all this.

Very instructive to see things you tried, then ultimately chose a different solution.

Dyno output is...impressive!

 

To name is mine. I have named all the cars I have ever owned. Currently I have 3 non MINI cars with names. Funnest one is the Toyota Seinna called "Big Blue Whale".

 

Wow, that's a lot of stuff and a lot of $$, but that's why we work to earn money. I was really struck by the number of mods removed. Glad you have enjoyed it. I have only done a few mods, but I am happy with the way it sits today. Considering a rear sway bar next. BTW, I think I missed how many miles of smiles it has provided so far?

 

We name ours simply because it's fun and that's good enough for me.

 

said it before, and i'll say it one more time. one my of my favorite looking mini's. it's not just a bunch of aftermarket parts slapped on; you can tell you put thought/time into your mods and made the car unique in your own way. awesome work!

EDIT: absolutely love the matte challenge wheels. If i'm not mistaken, they sit wider than the stock jcw wheels correct? If I may ask, where were you able to get the challenge wheels onefish2?