JCW Guidence Please

[eswmartin]

Hia I am just about to buy a 2003 JCW Cooper S with 47k.... Any thing to watch out for? any model changes or spec changes to be aware of, and how do i know if its a genuine JCW will it be on the v55?

Thanks for your help!

[andybl]

HI ,
Should have a certificate signed by John cooper if it is genuine . The certificate should have a serial number matching a serial number on the air box .

Check the steering fells right as racks are expensive . Definitely make sure everything works like sat nav sunroof and so on .

And Enjoy !!!!


Andy

[wibbly]

Check whether its had the upgrade from 200hp to 210hp

The tuning number for the JCW tuning package is found on the engine and should match the Certificate which should come with the car.

Other things to look out for are clutch wear, power steering rack noises and the like

[jcwuk]

See if power steering pump has been replaced as this is a real pain if it goes !

[nottyash]

Te exhaust should have John Cooper works stamped on the tailpipes and the airbox will have the logo on aswell as the JCW badge and number on the engine.

[Stevesh]

jcwuk said:

See if power steering pump has been replaced as this is a real pain if it goes !

Was this a recall or just a common warranty claim? any way of telling if it has or hasn't been done?

The Mini is now the strong favorite for my wife's car(and my fun car)!

Thanks

Steve

[Steve UK]

I looked at a JCW of the same year when the gf wanted a cooper s, some are done at the factory and some at the garage .

Some have the better brakes, some have the lsd, some have the airbox...some dont.

I found it to be too much trouble to find out what was what so we spent the extra money people wanted for the jcw on a newer standard cooper s, so we ended up with an 05 facelift model which we are more than happy with and will probably sell easier too.

Just my opinion, if your set on a jcw go for it but if not get a newer cooper s.

Steve

Edited by Steve UK on Thursday 2nd July 14:50

[DanGT]

The P stearing pump fails a lot no recall. Some do and some dont but if there is new one the hope is it will last. HPI check I think is worth the money (RAC 9.99) last one I had done. Work out what you want there are a lot of options on a mini befor you even start on the JCW parts. The brakes LSD and power up grads I think are the minimum JCW parts and I would go for an S with at least a chilly pack. As I said its worth working out what is what first. Good luck and I hope you like it.

[Stevesh]

Thanks.

Any way of telling if the car has an LSD fitted? If it has a Chilli pack, will it always have an LSD? What else did the Chilli pack have?

Thanks

Steve

[Steve UK]

I think only the ones converted at the factory have the brakes and lsd. The brakes are easy as they have bling red calipers. As for the lsd??? do a burn out

As said it's really conusing even before you start on the jcw stuff.

Have you tried mini2.com

http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?faq=new_faq_ite...

Edited by Steve UK on Thursday 2nd July 16:52

[Rakey]

Steve UK said:

I think only the ones converted at the factory have the brakes and lsd. The brakes are easy as they have bling red calipers. As for the lsd??? do a burn out

As said it's really conusing even before you start on the jcw stuff.

Have you tried mini2.com

http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?faq=new_faq_ite...

Edited by Steve UK on Thursday 2nd July 16:52

brakes and suspension do not confirm that its factory JCW, as those could also be added at the dealership

There is a date from when it went factory fit and that combined with a check at the dealership of the build docs will confirm it.

I can't remember the date, but have posted it on here before.

[JJCW]

Just fyi - you can get an r53 to JCW power levels for relatively little money.
Depends on if the branding is important to you.
Wish i'd known this before i got mine is all.

For a wealth of information:
www.minitorque.com
or
www.totalmini.com

Personally i found Mini2 to be awful, and iirc a lot of people have been leaving it in droves lately!