Hi all! I bought my Mini new back in 2002, when the first "S" models arrived. I have been driving it now for almost 4 years (27,000 miles) and find it's a fun car to drive. I recently took it in for an oil change, and the dealer reprogrammed the computer without my consent. He said that it was a recall from Mini, and that the reprogramming was required to prevent stalling and rough idles. I knew about the recall, and purposely avoided it because I didn't want it done. I've never had a problem with rough idling or stalling, and I knew the reprogramming would slow down the car. Well, now that they've reprogrammed it, it does idle rough, and it's lost some power. Does anyone know of an aftermarket chip that will boost the car's performance? I had an '88 M3 that I replaced the chip in, and it's performance went up nicely, so I was hoping that some outfit might be making a chip that would do the same for the Mini. To anyone who is considering buying a Mini, let me offer some insight into owning one. First, they are a blast to drive, and the handing is excellent, although it does take some getting use to. I wouldn't recomment the Mini as your main means of transportation. They are very quirky and twitchy. If you get the "S" model like I did, the run flat tires, the sport suspension, and the small wheelbase, make for a very harsh ride. I would not recommend the 17 inch tires either. The 16 inch tires give you more sidewall and more air volume to fill that sidewall, which gives you a somewhat softer ride. The best thing is to dump the runflat tires and go with a regular tire to help cushion the ride. Also, it's going to develop rattles over time. With a harsh ride, you feel every cigarette butt in the road. Consequently, those bumps will eventually loosen up some things and cause rattles. It happens in all cars over time, and the Mini just happens to accelerate this. I also saw some comments reguarding premium fuel....well, USE IT! They recommend it for a reason, and pinging isn't the only reason, performance will be affected. One note here, if you live in a state that allows gas stations to sell gasohol (gasoline with 10% alcohol mixed with it), DON'T USE IT! I used two tankfulls of it, and it really messed up the cars performance. Gasohol came about in the 70's and back then it was blamed for destroying engines, and today is no different, so avoid it. If you want a Mini, but are concerned about gas mileage and reliability, then get a VW Beetle diesel.(or a Golf or Jetta diesel). I also have one of these, and it gets 46 MPG and it should go up to 50 MPG when it gets broken in (about 30,000 miles). They are not the fastest or most fun cars to drive, but they will go on and on with little maintenance. I also own a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am and, well, okay, we all make mistakes, right? So, back to the main question, is there an aftermarket chip for the Mini?
Talker (you can see why I have this moniker)