2nd Gen R56 Cooper S Hood Scoop Melt Down Resolution Question

Just take the honeycomb insert out and it will be fine. I'm not sure but I think the "carbon fiber" one is not totally carbon I think it's just the same plastic scoop with a single layer of carbon.

Start with the simple stuff then move on to the hundreds of dollars for shields and "race" intakes.

 

Dealer gave me a complimentary JCW CF scoop to replace the 3rd melted stock one. Catch is they will not replace it again. Fits nice, I removed the honeycomb this time seems to be holding up fine.

Oh and the CF one is true CF not laminated plastic. just fyi.

 

I have a little warpage, not to worry. SDmike, nice seeing your posting around here.

The CF is full CF, I may have to look into a replacement/upgrade.

Don

 

I'd make a stink about the warpage, apparently it was MINI USA that told the dealers to offer the CF as a free replacement

 

I wouldnt mind getting a CF scoop as a replacement for my slightly melted one but my dealership is really horrible so I doubt they would do that for me.

 

I swapped mine out for a CF one, needed minor mounting point adjustments as they were not wide enough to fit the attachment posts, but a little light drilling fixed that, now as solid as a rock. I still have the grill face in it, but may remove it. I doubt it will bend like the plastic as it has different heat tolerance characteristics. The CF one is a ton lighter, and obviously more rigid, the plastic one flexes in your hands.

 

Scoop of butter

I had my hood scoop replaced because it warped, the dealership has been very nice about the whole thing. I just purchased a 2009 Clubman S, so luckily it's under warranty. My new scoop is already warped so the dealer is going to put a carbon one on this time. I did try taking out the plastic vent and that made things worse because the plastic was supporting the scoops shape. There is a definite problem with this material, but I'm sure they'll come up with something.

 

M7 Turbo Heat Shield

Made it to 16K before my scoop drooped. Dealer will replace it, but with same cheap plastic. Didn't want to keep going back to re-replace it till the warranty ran out. Put on M7's aerogel turbo heat shield and the effect was dramatic. I've got a IR/Laser temp gun and had readings as high as 240F. Some have reported temps up to 350F! After the install, the highest I've seen is 125F. The M7 also lets the turbo cool down normally, not like a turbo wrap that eventually cooks the bearings. $200 too much? The only alternative is a true CF scoop ($325) and painting (at least $100). Take your pick. :mad2:

Note: The melting does not occur while driving, but when you park it. The turbo vents all it's heat straight up to the scoop. :mad5:

Good Luck, DW

PS: Aerogel high-tech insulator? It was invented in 1939.
PSST: -4 to +960F IR/Laser temp gun too expensive? $40 @ Harbor Freight!

 

Does anyone think the RIS from DDM Works would help this? :idea:
I was planning on getting this CAI system and was wondering if I'd kill 2 birds with one stone here.

 

M7 Heat Shield AND Ram2 Scoop

Put the M7 Ram2 scoop on as insurance against further melt down trouble (see post below). Got a BIG BONUS! Intake air temps dropped from 30-40 F. above ambient to 10-12 deg. above. I've since wrapped the intake tube with aluminum faced thermal tape and have the intake temps down to 3-6 deg. over in the hottest type of driving, stop and slow. At highway speed (+70), it holds steady at 3-6 deg. over ambient. Just shows the effect of a real air scoop on engine bay temps and what kind of heat the OEM RAM air tube was picking up!
Old SoCal Hot Rodder

PS: M7's scoop is wide open. Don't worry about bugs, worry about birds and small dogs! :eek6:

 

The turbo body can be ceramic coated with an ultra high temp blocker like Zirconia, and the heat shield with a more flexible silver ceramic. The turbos from Corky Bell’s shop are ceramic coated, so it can only be a good thing.

 

Wow! So you are still running the OEM intake? How does a larger scoop help with the OEM intake? Our, well my wife's car, already has the M7 shield.

 

Fresh Air Works!

Yup, still the OEM intake. The only other change I've made is a Alta high performance air filter. The OEM scoop is basically none functional as far as cooling down engine bay temps. The intake tube is being baked by turbo heat as well as radiator, inter-cooler and A/C condenser heat. The M7 scoop has about twice the opening area and has no screening, thus allowing a lot of cool(er) outside air to flow down over the engine and air tube. What ever is going on, it's working. I can feel a low and mid-range torque increase. Any HP increase is probably at higher rpm's. The thing looks kind of nasty, too!

 

I have this intake. I only have 10,000 miles on my Clubman S but have not had any scoop melting problems. Great intake by the way.