My New 2nd Gen Chilli Red MINI Cooper JCW

[Pete Nov]

Picked up my JCW on Thursday & absolutely love it.

HUGE step up from my 1.1 Dynamique lol, the JCW is an absolute beast, especially with the Sport button engaged. The exhaust sounds immense, pops & bangs too which gets a little addictive sometimes lol.

Only the 1 pic for now;

 

[James28]

Looks nice that.

 

[Tommo.]

Really nice. Would love one of these. Any plans for it?

 

[Richyy182]

I love JCW's minis

 

[Bluebeard]

Nice step up from a 1.2 clio!

 

[Pete Nov]

Really nice. Would love one of these. Any plans for it?

Wheels need a refurb, was contemplating black but I think silver suits better. Looking to get the recess just above the exhaust in black so its breaks the back up a little.

Apart from that I'm very happy with it.

​Thanks for the kind comments!

 

[Matt Cup]

Very nice mate, good call on keeping the wheels silver.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Looks lovely!!!

If you havent already, get mini warranty, then go on minitorque and read about walnut shell de-coke, twin catch tanks & carbon buildup.

Enjoy

 

[Pete Nov]

Cheers Sir_Dave, I have read up about that with the JCW's. Hopefully mine hasnt quite got to that stage, as mine has only got 10,600 miles when I picked it up.

 

[Flat Eric]

I like that! Great colour

 

[RDH]

That looks great. As said, first thing to do is get a Mini warranty.

 

[Pete Nov]

Tried checking on www.miniwarranty.co.uk & seems I already have an existing warranty on the car which is good.

Will ring tomorrow & double check though as it is crucial.

 

[leeds_182]

Nice wheels.

 

[Alan]

Nice, tho it WILL break.

 

[Pete Nov]

Coming from my Clio, I can be certain it wont be as bad as that.

 

[Alan]

Coming from my Clio, I can be certain it wont be as bad as that.

I just got rid of my 08 JCW due to various issues, engine coking up, turbo was on the way out too.

 

[BeXE]

I just got rid of my 08 JCW due to various issues, engine coking up, turbo was on the way out too.

Snap. Exact same issues with my 07 Cooper S.

The 182 I replaced it with has been far more reliable!

 

[Pete Nov]

Yeah suppose its just luck of the draw really & the previous owner.

Luckily for me, mines only covered just under 11k with only the 1 owner, with full BMW service history, a free TLC pack left with all recalls done. *Touch wood*

 

[Alan]

Snap. Exact same issues with my 07 Cooper S.

The 182 I replaced it with has been far more reliable!

Yep, my 60 plate 200 feels far more solid and better put together than the Mini ever did, my previous R53 JCW was a proper car, BMW quality right there, none of the this part Peugeot nonsense.

Yeah suppose its just luck of the draw really & the previous owner.

Luckily for me, mines only covered just under 11k with only the 1 owner, with full BMW service history, a free TLC pack left with all recalls done. *Touch wood*

It's not luck mate, its inevitability, i bought mine from a main stealer, cherished car, with TLC XL which is up to 80,000 miles or 8 years, the car was on 40k one owner, i done 2k in 9 wks, it was like driving around in a ticking time bomb, no confidence to give it a boot as it felt like it was going to break, even tho it had the extended BMW warranty, a lot of dealers won't acknowledge the coking issue and sometimes won't be covered under the warranty as BMW blame it on the vehicle not being ran on quality fuel ie 97ron or above.

Watch out for the chain rattle too, they ALL do it at some point or another.

 

[Pete Nov]

Each car is different, mine has been an absolute joy to drive so far, yet to hear one knock & the car is very responsive and sounds fantastic. Quality for me feels very sturdy, although it would coming from a MK2 Clio.

Yours may vary slightly to mine though as yours was a Cooper S with the JCW kit added on IIRC? Like I say mines not even got 11k on the clock so its still pretty fresh out the box.

 

[Jimbo_M]

Very nice!

 

[Alan]

Correct tho it's the same engine with the same issues, a brief search around mini torque or new mini Scotland will illustrate this. I'd only ever have a charged one again, the R56 is pony.

 

[JackJack]

Looks nice, reliability issues put me off them though.

 

[RDH]

If it mates you feel any better mate, I've had an R53 as well and it was every bit as unreliable as the R56. Great cars, but I wouldn't own one again.

​Just make the most of it when it is working!

 

[Pete Nov]

First mod on the JCW. A friend does vinyl wrapping for a living & has done a fantastic job on the small recess surrounding the exhaust. Makes a big difference IMO. Delighted with it.

 

[RDH]

Much better mate, Red on Black is so epic on these. Kind of miss the looks of my old one.

 

[Daz.]

Yep looks much better that - they should have come like that!

 

[Pete Nov]

Was thinking of getting the scoop done in black RDH? Whats your thoughts? Too much, or a welcome addition?

 

[_Tom]

Looks great. Simple but effective.

 

[Advikaz]

Shame about these really, everyone I know who has/had one of these has had problems with it.

 

[Pete Nov]

*Touch wood* its been fine for over 1000 miles since I've had it now. Got the extended warranty on it too so any big problems will be covered.

They way the exhaust cracks & pops when driving is hilarious.

 

[ParisPeach]

the poor guy, everyone said its going to break he must be worried about it now, I like them but the price tags are huge!.

 

[Dano']

Typical CS.. some one buys something new and shiny, hes happy with it, then bandwagon come to piss on his parade and shoot down any reply he has with "yeh but it will break".. gotta love it

OP just enjoy it, like you said you have been

 

[Pete Nov]

Having owned a 182 shortly & also my brother owning one, the reliability issues were embarrassing, randomly going into limp mode, clutches & gearbox going on my brothers 182 & the cost to replace them were huge considering its a Renault too.

Any sports car will have problems, & the bad will always be documented far more than the good so I take it with a pinch of salt. As long as you do your research & ensure the car has been well looked after with all major work/services done, then you shouldn't have much to worry about, unless you really abuse it.

In terms of price, IMO it tells, interior is a lovely place to be with Satnav, full leathers, climate control, panoramic roof just to name a few. Fantastic power delivery & feels very planted to the road even when hooning it & reaching higher speeds, not to mention the brakes which are huge for such a small car, and are obviously brilliant, maybe even too good.

​

 

[davo172]

Shame about these really, everyone I know who has/had one of these has had problems with it.

Same here, unreliable BUT nice car all the same go well too .
Then again every car has its specific problems enjoy it mate great upgrade.

 

[Pete Nov]

Typical CS.. some one buys something new and shiny, hes happy with it, then bandwagon come to piss on his parade and shoot down any reply he has with "yeh but it will break".. gotta love it

OP just enjoy it, like you said you have been

Thanks Dmonz, appreciate the comment.

 

[Pete Nov]

Latest mod, is my private plate with it trimmed down a little, cleans up the front so much nicer with no overhang. Really pleased with it.

 

[Paul.M]

Fantastic looking car that, hope your enjoying ownership!

 

[Pete Nov]

Thanks Paul, car hasnt missed a beat yet. Will get some more photos up from all angles & interior once I get it cleaned up!

 

[Strell]

Great cars.
I love mine. So much scaremongering online about the issues with the engine.
I got mine walnut blastered for piece of mind and did make a really big difference.
Only £200 so not sure why everyone moans so much about the coking issue