Guide to the John Cooper works Tuning and Sound Kits for the R50 generation of the Mini Cooper
R50 Tuning Kit (Dealer Fit)
John Cooper works tuning of the BMW mini commenced with the R50, early on in the cars life off the showroom floor John Cooper Garages announced their tuning kit for the R50, which increased power of the Cooper to 94kw or 126bhp, the kit consisted of:
Upgraded Cylinder head- The difference being enlargened on the exhaust ports when compared to stock.
A JCW cat-back exhaust system with chrome tip
Drop in air-filter replacement
Remapped ECU
Decorative JCW Cover for over the top of the injectors
Individually serial Numbered rocker cover plate
Decorative Exterior Badging
Certificate of Authenticity
How to determine if you have a legitimate JCW Tuning Kit?
A JCW Tuning Kit should look like below.
The checks to make:
The key thing to remember is that any cooper can have any of the options that were offered from BMWs line of John Cooper works optional extras.
There are however a few key spots to look to determine if the car you are looking at is a real John Cooper works or whether its “Dressed Up” to look like one.
The first thing to ask the owner is Does it have the John Cooper works certificate- This is an A4 or A5 piece of card that was given to the owner with the VIN of the car put on it with the kit serial and generally popped away safely in the cars service book. While the owner looks for this, have a walk-around of the car, look for the JCW badge on the rear hatch lid (Some may have had them removed) and have a look at the exhaust tip, it should have JCW engraved in it? (Also may have been swapped for an aftermarket system)
The next spot to look is in the engine bay:
Look for the JCW Plaque on the rocker cover, this should be stamped with a Number (E.G 525 or 5 with no letter stamped preceding it, unlike the sound kit or S JCW Kits)
Also look and check if the silver intake cover with the JCW badging is on the car.
The Next place to look on a tuning kit is for the Red or Green dot on the cylinder head. (In the same area there should also be an RA serial number either on the bottom edge of the cylinder head just above where it mates to the block, or just above the coloured dot location, the paint may have worn off but its unlikely the serial number has.)
See the image below for the location of where you may be able to see the red mark from.
The last check to ensure that it is indeed a Tuning kit, is to safely remove the ECU and check for a John Cooper Works Programming update sticker, and to ensure the VIN on the ECU matches the car.
(The programming update sticker will also tell you which dealer fitted the kit and the date it was fitted as well.)
Summary
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R50 JCW Cooper Tuning Kit |
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Kit Item |
Where to Check |
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JCW Cylinder head |
To the left of the intake manifold on the cylinder head (See image above and on R53 JCW tuning kit as physically in the same location) Additionally check for RA serial in same area. |
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JCW Rocker Cover Plaque |
Look on the top of the rocker cover for the JCW Plaque with the serial number identifying the kit (This should match the certificate, clubsports, K and C cars don’t have certificates) |
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Drop in Air filter |
Open the Airbox, likely to have been replaced, but should have JCW logo stamped into it. |
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Decorative JCW Cover over Intake Manifold |
Look in the engine bay, over the top of the intake manifold on the front of the motor should be a silver cover with a large JCW Gel Sticker on there. |
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JCW Cat-Back Exhaust |
A JCW exhaust will have JCW etched onto the underside of the muffler and will additionally have a JCW engraved exhaust tip. |
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Decorative Exterior Badging |
On JCW Tuning kits there will be a JCW badge on the hatch lid, and the front quarter panel blinker inserts. |
|
Remapped ECU |
Disconnect the battery, safely remove the ECU, on the ECU should be a JCW programming update sticker, it should have the date the kit was fitted as well as the dealer who fitted it. Additionally, check the vin on the ecu matches the cars vin as well, a programming update sticker and a vin mismatch will demonstrate it is a JCW kit transplanted from another car. |
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Certificate of Authenticity |
If the car has this, check the vin matches the car, and the kit number matches the serial on the rocker cover. |
R50 Sound Kit
The JCW Sound Kit was released much later in the cars life for the 05 and 06 Coopers, its focus was purely on enhancing the drivers experience through increasing the sound of the car.
The JCW Sound kit included:
Decorative JCW Cover for over the top of the injectors
A JCW cat-back exhaust system with decorative JCW tip
Remapped ECU
Replacement airbox linking through to the firewall to enhance induction noise in the cabin.
Individually serial Numbered rocker cover plate
Decorative Exterior Badging
Certificate of Authenticity
How to Determine if you have a legitimate JCW Sound Kit?
A JCW Sound Kit should look like below.
The checks to make:
The key thing to remember is that any cooper can have any of the options that were offered from BMWs line of John Cooper works optional extras.
There are however a few key spots to look to determine if the car you are looking at is a real John Cooper works or whether its “Dressed Up” to look like one.
The first thing to ask the owner is Does it have the John Cooper works certificate- This is an A4 or A5 piece of card that was given to the owner with the VIN of the car put on it with the kit serial and generally popped away safely in the cars service book. While the owner looks for this, have a walk-around of the car, look for the JCW badges on the rear hatch lid (Some may have had them removed) and have a look at the exhaust tip, it should have JCW engraved in it? (Also may have been swapped for an aftermarket system)
The next spot to look is in the engine bay:
Look for the JCW Plaque on the rocker cover, this should be stamped with a D Number (E.G D520 or D20 etc.)
Also look and check if the silver intake cover with the JCW badging is on the car.
The Third and final easy check is look at the tubing on the right-hand side of the airbox, there should be a stamped JCW logo as shown in the image on the left.
The last check to ensure that it is indeed a sound kit, is to safely remove the ECU and check for a John Cooper Works Programming update sticker, and to ensure the VIN on the ECU matches the car.
(The programming update sticker will also tell you which dealer fitted the kit and the date it was fitted as well.)
Summary
|
R50 JCW Sound Kit |
|
|
Kit Item |
Where to Check |
|
JCW Rocker Cover Plaque |
Look on the top of the rocker cover for the JCW Plaque with the serial number identifying the kit. (Should be a D Number E.G D520) |
|
JCW Cat-back Exhaust |
A JCW exhaust will have JCW etched onto the underside of the muffler and will additionally have a JCW engraved exhaust tip. |
|
Decorative JCW Cover over Intake Manifold |
Look in the engine bay, over the top of the intake manifold on the front of the motor should be a silver cover with a large JCW Gel Sticker on there. |
|
Replacement Air-Box |
In the engine bay a JCW sound kits airbox will be triangular in shape with a linking tube going to the right of the battery linking to the firewall for increase induction noise and fresh air. The linking tube should have a John Cooper works logo on it. |
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Decorative Badging |
A JCW sound kit should have a JCW badge on the rear hatch, and some will have the Logo on the blinker inserts on the front quarter panels. |
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Remapped ECU |
Disconnect the battery, safely remove the ECU, on the ECU should be a JCW programming update sticker, it should have the date the kit was fitted as well as the dealer who fitted it. Additionally, check the vin on the ecu matches the cars vin as well, a programming update sticker and a vin mismatch will demonstrate it is a JCW kit transplanted from another car. |
|
Certificate of Authenticity |
If the car has this, check the vin matches the car, and the kit number matches the serial on the rocker cover. |
Does your car tick all the boxes?
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All images used on this site for educational and informational purposes only- All details amassed from several years of personal learning and confirmation from others within enthusiast clubs, and through research through sites such as Wikipedia and sales brochures and part catalogues from BMW and Realoem.
I must thank fellow club members of the Facebook group R53 Owners club and the John Cooper works Tuning Kit Register for assisting by providing some of the images seen above, other images are of my own personal car (Not an official JCW but has a lot of optional JCW parts)
All details listed above are accurate to the best of my knowledge and has been reviewed by peers in the community before publishing.
If you believe a mistake has been made, please send an email through via the contact us page.