2nd Gen R56 Cooper S Stage 1 Tuning Kit Price... Okay I Guess I'm Gonna Complain

Alright guys and gals, those of you who are musicians break out your tiny violins. Otherwise, take a shovel and start digging some banks for that river I'm about to cry because I don't think I brought enough sponges to soak it all up.

Now that everyone is prepared, I've been attempting to get the JCW factory tune on my 2010 Cooper S for a long while now. Before anyone mentions it, I'm a little wary of aftermarket tunes at the moment and I like the idea of working within my warranty for as long as it'll last (at least for something like an ECU). I'm not looking for maximum power as much as I'm looking for some nice gains along with something safe and reliable. Hence, the JCW tune. I also understand that you can't seem to get just the tune. Yes, I know that various tuners have the JCW files, but since that'll still void a warranty I'm a little apprehensive about going that route.

So that just leaves the kit. The absolute best price I've seen online so far comes from Crevier MINI, but they want to add $600 of labor before taxes. Now, I already have an aftermarket intake and exhaust which means I won't need for them to install those items so I would hope to save on labor there. Basically, I'd be buying the kit solely for the tune and as for the left over parts I'd have to figure out what to do with them.

What I would like to know is how are some people getting such good deals on this kit? I've seen posts across various boards saying someone has bought it for anywhere between $1500 and $1700 out the door. Is there some magic password I'm not aware of? Do I need to know the secret handshake? What's the trick? I must be missing something. Hopefully someone can share some insight.

tl;dr: :cryin:

 

I'll take that under advisement

 

I couldn't get a straight answer out of the parts guy I spoke with over the phone. He kept going back to a bunch of labor charges even though I said I didn't need the exhaust or intake installed. Perhaps I'll have to go down there and negotiate in person since I felt like he was giving me a bit of a run around.

 

One would think MINI would want to make a few extra bucks by making this a bit more accessible.

I'll admit the JCW tune isn't what you'd look for if you were looking to maximize on power, but in the tune's defense I'd imagine it's also safer. From what I understand, the Prince engine doesn't seem to be as robust as the Tritec engine, which is why for the most part I've concentrated on improving handling. I just felt the JCW tune would be enough of a boost to keep me happier both in the straights and on the streets.

I suppose I'll have to see if this is really doable, or if I need to simply wait for my warranty to expire and look at the options available at that time.