F56 John Cooper Works
Discussion
It's my F56 John Cooper Works Pro
I bought Roarey January 2016 after seeing him on this site for sale so second hand 7,500 miles 1 year old as these dont have a dipstick I could not tell colour of oil and you have to rely on display as to level of oil, so i paid to have oil and oil filter changed did not want to wait till 2yrs old or 15000 miles.
I have had a couple of issues, which have been fixed under BMW Mini warranty.
Dab radio would cut out when switching on rear heated screen,
fix: remove rear spoiler, remove and replace rear glass, refit spoiler.
Intermittent water ingress into boot,
fix: remove and refit new grommet to rear glass wiper, replace NS and OS light units and replace with new units and gaskets
Intermittent water ingress in boot,
fix: replace boot seal and realign tailgate
Edited by Ian.Campbell on Friday 30th November 10:46
Have one of those myself.
Picked it up in May, just over a year old with 5000 miles on it and the most important option - JCW Pro exhaust.
The quickest way to shave off 40 of my 48 years at the press of a button.
Great cars that get under your skin and are more involving to drive than many of the latest range of hot hatches. Not as quick as the S3 I had but so much more involving and fun to drive.
Like the pro-kit in red on the back of your car, may have to look into one of those.
Picked it up in May, just over a year old with 5000 miles on it and the most important option - JCW Pro exhaust.
The quickest way to shave off 40 of my 48 years at the press of a button.
Great cars that get under your skin and are more involving to drive than many of the latest range of hot hatches. Not as quick as the S3 I had but so much more involving and fun to drive.
Like the pro-kit in red on the back of your car, may have to look into one of those.
cornishboy1970 said:
Have one of those myself.
Picked it up in May, just over a year old with 5000 miles on it and the most important option - JCW Pro exhaust.
The quickest way to shave off 40 of my 48 years at the press of a button.
Great cars that get under your skin and are more involving to drive than many of the latest range of hot hatches. Not as quick as the S3 I had but so much more involving and fun to drive.
Like the pro-kit in red on the back of your car, may have to look into one of those.
The JCW pro options were fitted to the car prior to first registration, only down side is where they fit the box of tricks for the JCW pro exhaust its fitted tucked in behind the light cluster o/s rear which means if you blow a bulb, the whole light unit o/s has to be extracted externally to change any of the bulbs and refitted with a new gasket as you cant remove the bulb holder internally due to the wiring harness unit, on n/s it has the harmon kardon amp tucked away but you can get at the bulb holder internally, I asked Cooper Reading and Chandlers Brighton to remove and refit it somewhere else and its where it has to stay, mind you as cars are under the three year warranty BMW do bulb changes free of charge. Picked it up in May, just over a year old with 5000 miles on it and the most important option - JCW Pro exhaust.
The quickest way to shave off 40 of my 48 years at the press of a button.
Great cars that get under your skin and are more involving to drive than many of the latest range of hot hatches. Not as quick as the S3 I had but so much more involving and fun to drive.
Like the pro-kit in red on the back of your car, may have to look into one of those.
Pro front and rear corner splitters
Pro rear spoiler tips (painted red)
Pro rear diffuser (painted red)
Pro carbon fibre Mirrors
Pro carbon fibre air intake
Pro stainless steel exhaust (with remote control for the Snap, Crackle and Pop effects)
Pro carbon fibre tailpipe finishers
Pro sports suspension (adjustable coilovers-adjusted to half way)
Pro 18" 506 cross spoke chrome finished alloys
Pro black trim to front and rear lights
Edited by Ian.Campbell on Tuesday 27th November 20:45
Have owned an R57 Cooper S for 4.5 years and I love it, but a change is on the horizon. The F56 JCW appeals as a relatively hardcore less compromised pure BMW design, I do however, struggle with the rather poorly resolved styling, the JCW upgrades and dark colour help a little. As an ownership proposition, tell us how you would rate your car, good and bad.
Smallblock1 said:
Have owned an R57 Cooper S for 4.5 years and I love it, but a change is on the horizon. The F56 JCW appeals as a relatively hardcore less compromised pure BMW design, I do however, struggle with the rather poorly resolved styling, the JCW upgrades and dark colour help a little. As an ownership proposition, tell us how you would rate your car, good and bad.
Hello Smallblock1Yes I went out to find a Black mini, with all the factory and JCW options I could get, I ended up finding this one Black roof and body colour is Rebel Green, Its a small car and as I'm 5' i drive with the seat all the way forward to get the clutch to the floor, I did think about automatic so i could sit back a bit, but wanted and got manual.
The original price of this car new was £39,995.00 because of the factory and JCW options, I bought it 1 year old at 7,500miles and paid £21000.00. I came across it on this site and bought it from my local Mini dealer, you ask how do i rate it, it puts a smile on my face, I got what i paid for and yes i had a couple of warranty issues which have and are being resolved by local dealer, so yes i like my mini, it make me grin, although the colour and wheels seem to attract peoples eye.
Edited by Ian.Campbell on Tuesday 27th November 21:06
cerb4.5lee said:
I bet that is great fun! 
I've been really happy with my F56 Cooper S, and on twisty back roads I don't think I've had anything that's been any better in terms of fun. The extra performance and much better brakes on the JCW must raise a massive smile for sure. 
Cheers, it does. I've been really happy with my F56 Cooper S, and on twisty back roads I don't think I've had anything that's been any better in terms of fun. The extra performance and much better brakes on the JCW must raise a massive smile for sure. 
Similar price for mine, although it doesn't have half of the JCW Pro bits it has the leather interior and all the various packs.
Got to say it is a fun car and really goes well on the back roads as it handles well and gives you plenty of confidence. You do have to play around a bit with the tyre pressures a little until you get something that you are happy with. The stock pressures are high with the run-flats and I just dropped them down a little and I am really happy with it now.
I had an R53 Cooper S in 2004 and although it was a fun car it really liked a drink and was always pushing for more which on a daily commute gets old very quickly. The F56 can be driven as a daily workhorse and with the press of a couple of buttons turns into a bit of a beast. Mine has the variable dampers which I think makes a huge difference as in 'normal' mode they are a little less harsh than teh standard JCW but in sport mode they stiffen up.
Gratuitous pic time...
Got to say it is a fun car and really goes well on the back roads as it handles well and gives you plenty of confidence. You do have to play around a bit with the tyre pressures a little until you get something that you are happy with. The stock pressures are high with the run-flats and I just dropped them down a little and I am really happy with it now.
I had an R53 Cooper S in 2004 and although it was a fun car it really liked a drink and was always pushing for more which on a daily commute gets old very quickly. The F56 can be driven as a daily workhorse and with the press of a couple of buttons turns into a bit of a beast. Mine has the variable dampers which I think makes a huge difference as in 'normal' mode they are a little less harsh than teh standard JCW but in sport mode they stiffen up.
Gratuitous pic time...
[quote=cornishboy1970]Similar price for mine, although it doesn't have half of the JCW Pro bits it has the leather interior and all the various packs.
Got to say it is a fun car and really goes well on the back roads as it handles well and gives you plenty of confidence. You do have to play around a bit with the tyre pressures a little until you get something that you are happy with. The stock pressures are high with the run-flats and I just dropped them down a little and I am really happy with it now.
I had an R53 Cooper S in 2004 and although it was a fun car it really liked a drink and was always pushing for more which on a daily commute gets old very quickly. The F56 can be driven as a daily workhorse and with the press of a couple of buttons turns into a bit of a beast. Mine has the variable dampers which I think makes a huge difference as in 'normal' mode they are a little less harsh than teh standard JCW but in sport mode they stiffen up.
It looks great in the pearl and red.
I agree the ride is hard with run flats and an even small drop in pressure helps with the smile factor.
Got to say it is a fun car and really goes well on the back roads as it handles well and gives you plenty of confidence. You do have to play around a bit with the tyre pressures a little until you get something that you are happy with. The stock pressures are high with the run-flats and I just dropped them down a little and I am really happy with it now.
I had an R53 Cooper S in 2004 and although it was a fun car it really liked a drink and was always pushing for more which on a daily commute gets old very quickly. The F56 can be driven as a daily workhorse and with the press of a couple of buttons turns into a bit of a beast. Mine has the variable dampers which I think makes a huge difference as in 'normal' mode they are a little less harsh than teh standard JCW but in sport mode they stiffen up.
It looks great in the pearl and red.
I agree the ride is hard with run flats and an even small drop in pressure helps with the smile factor.
Christmas has come early for Mini fans – for those in Europe, at least. The classics British carmaker has tweaked its range-topping John Cooper Works for 2019 to make it not only quicker and better looking, but with the addition of a particulate filter integrated into the sports exhaust system to meet European emissions, cleaner, too.
Better efficiency doesn’t necessarily equate to less power, though. Even with a healthy 40.9 miles per gallon with a manual, and as much as 46.3 mpg with the automatic, this Mini maintains its "distinctively sporty sound" and characteristics, the company says.
The European JCW still produces 228 bhp and 236 pound-feet of torque courtesy of a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine. Buyers can choose from either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic, and no matter which gearbox you go with, the JCW hardtop is good for a 60 mile-per-hour sprint in 6.3 seconds. The soft top adds 0.3 seconds to that time.
Most of the major updates are under the bonnet, but there is one thing that has changed on the exterior. Buyers can also now choose from high-gloss headlights and a Mini logo puddle lamp. Otherwise, most of the same styling carries over, apart from some minor changes to the fascia and wheel options.
Inside, amenities like a wireless charging pad and updates to the infotainment system make this Mini JCW a bit more tech-friendly. There’s also an option for piano black trim pieces with LED back-lit accents, and new JCW bucket sport seats.
Orders for the new Mini JCW begin the 18th of January 2019 – but there’s no word on pricing yet. Cars should start showing up at UK dealers by March.
How's everyone getting on with their JCW Minis?
I've just sold my 2012 C63, and I've bought a 'weekend' Lotus for the fun stuff.
I'm keen on a JCW Mini as a daily, as it sounds like I can keep the fun part with one of these too!
I've got a 17k ish budget for a 16/17 model, and I'm on the hunt unless someone here has a well specced one to sell me already.
Will it do the station run/daily duties well enough?
I've just sold my 2012 C63, and I've bought a 'weekend' Lotus for the fun stuff.
I'm keen on a JCW Mini as a daily, as it sounds like I can keep the fun part with one of these too!
I've got a 17k ish budget for a 16/17 model, and I'm on the hunt unless someone here has a well specced one to sell me already.
Will it do the station run/daily duties well enough?
garylythgoe said:
Will it do the station run/daily duties well enough?
Definitely I'd say. I've had my MCS over 2 years now and it still puts a big smile on my face. It is one of the most fun cars I've had on a back road and with the right spec they are very well appointed inside too. The JCW will be even better with the extra punch/much stronger brakes for sure. I keep thinking of swapping but I know that when I do I will really miss the MINI for sure.
Still got mine and I am now about 18months into ownership.
Normally by now I would be looking around for something else as I tend to get bored with cars quite quickly but have no intentions (at the moment) of getting rid of the JCW. I went to the PH Sunday Service at MINI a few weeks ago and got a few ideas of things to do to my car as I can see me staying with it for another 12months at least.
So, I went on a spending spree last weekend and have:
JCW PRO front splitters
Black Piano Grill
RaceChips tuning box
PlastiDip - Bye Bye Chrome Beltline
..to fit and have taken Friday off to make a start on applying 'upgrades'.
I have even started to think about replacing the runflat tyres with either PS4 or something similar as the ride is a little on the harsh side. Problem is there is plenty of tread left and I am currently using 'man maths' to justify changing them and putting them back on when (if) I sell it.
If you are looking at one and intend to use every day, I would make sure it has the Dynamic suspension as it makes it more of a practical daily as in the 'sport' setting which I believe is on-par with the standard car it is even firmer. The JCW PRO exhaust is also a must but they are now turning up on 'da bay' at around £900 but make sure it is a pre-LCI car as they are not type approved for use.
Its a weird car as typically I am very OCD with cars and really fall out of favour with them over the slightest thing but with the JCW I pretty much forgive it for anything like when it needed new front/rear pads at 20k miles which is insane as my old A3 hit 60K and still had the originals.
What I like though is the park up and take an over the shoulder look as you walk away - pretty much sums up the experience.
Normally by now I would be looking around for something else as I tend to get bored with cars quite quickly but have no intentions (at the moment) of getting rid of the JCW. I went to the PH Sunday Service at MINI a few weeks ago and got a few ideas of things to do to my car as I can see me staying with it for another 12months at least.
So, I went on a spending spree last weekend and have:
JCW PRO front splitters
Black Piano Grill
RaceChips tuning box
PlastiDip - Bye Bye Chrome Beltline
..to fit and have taken Friday off to make a start on applying 'upgrades'.
I have even started to think about replacing the runflat tyres with either PS4 or something similar as the ride is a little on the harsh side. Problem is there is plenty of tread left and I am currently using 'man maths' to justify changing them and putting them back on when (if) I sell it.
If you are looking at one and intend to use every day, I would make sure it has the Dynamic suspension as it makes it more of a practical daily as in the 'sport' setting which I believe is on-par with the standard car it is even firmer. The JCW PRO exhaust is also a must but they are now turning up on 'da bay' at around £900 but make sure it is a pre-LCI car as they are not type approved for use.
Its a weird car as typically I am very OCD with cars and really fall out of favour with them over the slightest thing but with the JCW I pretty much forgive it for anything like when it needed new front/rear pads at 20k miles which is insane as my old A3 hit 60K and still had the originals.
What I like though is the park up and take an over the shoulder look as you walk away - pretty much sums up the experience.
cornish said:
Black Piano Grill
PlastiDip - Bye Bye Chrome Beltline
I did this to my MCS not long after I'd had it and I was really happy with the look. PlastiDip - Bye Bye Chrome Beltline
I've also been really tempted to put a Race chip on mine(would love around 250bhp), but it struggles to put its power down with only 189bhp on 17" wheels without runflats so I've decided against it. I really wished MINI offered these cars with a LSD.
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