14 replies to this topic

[xandersers]

I bought a 998cc mini city and now because of insurance need to remove the stage 1 kit that was fitted to it, it has only been on there for around a year.

Is it an easy job to carry out?? Is there anything specific i need to buy for it?? and how long roughly would it take??

any other help would be great.

[Carlzilla]

Youd need a standard exhaust, a cast inlet/exhaust manifold (one piece) and the standard carb needle and air filter element (if the airbox is still on)
if you have a cone or other air filter, you'll need the airbox elbow and airbox.

standard exhaust - http://www.minispare...=...2639&title=
the standard manifold, airbox and elbow if you need it can be bought pretty cheaply off ebay or somebody on here or at mini shows.
the standard needle im not sure about, so somebody on here may be able to tell you which it is.

But before you start parting with your money for insurance, try footman james or adrian flux if youre 18 or over, theyre pretty upgrade tolerant and very cheap

[cradley-heathen]

seriously i wouldnt worry about it, do you really think if you have a smash they are going to send someone out to inspect the car that closely? good stage one kits (using an rc40) dont have huge tailpipes, and arnt excessively loud, so dont attract any attention.

i think the guys who get in trouble for not declaring mods are the saxo and corsa boys who drive cars that look like they ram raided halfords and everything stuck to the car.

im sure many people will disagree with me, but a mini with a stage one kit really is small fry as regards things to declare.

but on a technical note, if the car has been on a rolling road after having the kit fitted (which it really should have, as otherwise fitting it is a waste of time and money) it will need to go on a rolling road when you put it back to standard to get it running right again, unless you can land on a standard needle for your carb, and put the dizzy timing and fuel mixture back to standard using a haynes manual or similar as a guide.

[Shifty]

I bet you could find someone with a standard mini and then do a deal to swap them your stage1 bits for their standard bits maybe even get some help to do the job as well.

I know if you were closer I'd do it for you!!

[frog998]

I bought a 998cc mini city and now because of insurance need to remove the stage 1 kit that was fitted to it, it has only been on there for around a year.

Is it an easy job to carry out?? Is there anything specific i need to buy for it?? and how long roughly would it take??

any other help would be great.

Easy enough if your handy with a spanner, and as shifty says if your interested i know someone who will swap out there standard kit for a stage 1 kit, there'll even help remove and refit the stuff
I'll drop you a message as i'm only up the road in Addlestone

[grumpy2]

re cradley-heathen..

yes thats exactly what they do, I can cite several anecdotes where reports have been sent to insurers either by loss adjusters, insurance assessors or even repairers. These reports contain details of wheels, tyres, tyre pressures and even non-standard rocker covers. I know of no case where a claim has been denied but I know of two cases where payout has been to third parties only due to non-declared modifications.

In my own case I was unfortunate to have a young driver crash into the side of my daily drive on a roundabout. Her fault. I got a copy of the report from the repairers to the insurance company, it included amongst other information... tyre tread depth at 3 points on each tyre, tyre pressures, amount of fluid in windscreen washer bottle and condition of wiper blades.

G

[AVV IT]

seriously i wouldnt worry about it, do you really think if you have a smash they are going to send someone out to inspect the car that closely? good stage one kits (using an rc40) dont have huge tailpipes, and arnt excessively loud, so dont attract any attention.

i think the guys who get in trouble for not declaring mods are the saxo and corsa boys who drive cars that look like they ram raided halfords and everything stuck to the car.

UNBELEIVABLE!!

YES ABSOLUTELY, a specialist insurance inspector/engineer may well be sent to throughly assess & inspect a damaged vehicle. It may not occur in the event of a small knock/claim, but do try to remember that some motor injury claims in particular can run into many hundreds of thousands of pounds. An insurance company will therefore find any way possible to avoid paying out on such a claim & will employ a specialist inspector/engineer to go over a vehicle with a fine tooth comb to detect any modification that will allow the insurer to declare the policy as void. To think that such a professional inspector/engineer will not notice the presence of a stage 1 kit, merely due to the noise or bore of tail pipe is incredibly naive! Similarly believing that only "chavved up" hot hatches will draw the attention of an insurance inspector is absurd & equally naive!

Any modification from standard must be declared to your insurer otherwise your policy can be rendered invalid in the event of a claim, modifications that increase power (however small) are the most crucial to declare a they significantly effect the statistical risk of claim. Please do not condone the practice of failing to declare insurance modifications as it is incredibly irresponsible. At the end of the day it could be you, or a member of your family that is severely harmed and suffers life changing injuries and disability as a result of a road traffic accident. How would you feel knowing that you, or a member of your family had not only injured and disabled, but also not receiving adequate care, compensation & financial support simply because the idiot to blame was driving around with invalid insurance because they failed to declare performance mods on their car??

[bmcecosse]

Just phone round for an insurer who will cover it with the stage 1 kit fitted.

[cradley-heathen]

i was expecting a reaction but not that strong a one to my comments.

im sorry it rattled your cages so much guys to be honest. wish i kept my trap shut now!

im not saying its acceptable but being in the trade i see cars all the time with engine transplants and all sorts that are insured as standard, so to my mind i kinda thought a stage 1 kit was nothing to worry about.

sorry to have caused such a stir anyway folks!

now take that kit off and get it put back to standard!!!!

[andymini12]

i would phone around im sure you will find somewere were it does not put it up. have you tried footman james and adreinflux ?

[lrostoke]

but on a technical note, if the car has been on a rolling road after having the kit fitted (which it really should have, as otherwise fitting it is a waste of time and money) it will need to go on a rolling road when you put it back to standard to get it running right again, unless you can land on a standard needle for your carb, and put the dizzy timing and fuel mixture back to standard using a haynes manual or similar as a guide.

Don't worry about needing a rolling road after fitting all the standard parts, needles will be easy enough to get hold of. AAC is a standard 998 needle
All the settings for mixture and timing are in Haynes, those settings have served owners well since the dawn of time.

[AVV IT]

but on a technical note, if the car has been on a rolling road after having the kit fitted (which it really should have, as otherwise fitting it is a waste of time and money) it will need to go on a rolling road when you put it back to standard to get it running right again, unless you can land on a standard needle for your carb, and put the dizzy timing and fuel mixture back to standard using a haynes manual or similar as a guide.

Don't worry about needing a rolling road after fitting all the standard parts, needles will be easy enough to get hold of. AAC is a standard 998 needle
All the settings for mixture and timing are in Haynes, those settings have served owners well since the dawn of time.

Yes you can set up a stage 1 kit as per the manual, by ear & guess work, before the wide use of rolling roads this was the standard method. But that does not make it the best method in the modern world, things have moved on & if you want your stage 1 kit to perform to its optimum throughout the entire rev range then a rolling road will be necessary. I tried setting my stage 1 kit up myself but wasn't happy with the results, so took it for static tuning at a mini specialist instead. This improved things but it wasn't until I "bit the bullet" and paid to put it on the rollers that it ever performed properly.

The standard needle for your engine should be included with your stage 1 kit, but if use a reputable & "A- Series friendly" rolling road, then it may well get replaced by an alternative or modified needle that is better suited to your car's individual set up during the session. The whole point of the rolling road is that adjustments are made to your cars timing & fueling based on your individual engines setup & performance, not by the standard figures written in a manual, this is why they can often manage to get more power out of your engine than you can.

[lrostoke]

Your misreading my reply, The topic is about reverting back to a standard 998 setup and removing the stage 1 kit.

How many people take a standard 998 to a rolling road to be setup.

And to be honest I'm not that convinced about needing a rolling road when fitting a stage 1. The've been around for years the needle combinations are pretty widely mentioned. AAU , AAA or AAM being most common. And unless the rolling road is skilled enough to profile a needle to the exact profile then its only a matter of setting timing and mixture.
I set mine so it feels right under actual driving, which includes hills, head winds etc, A rolling road won't really simulate this.

[AVV IT]

Yes, my apologies I have indeed misread the thread, you are correct putting a mini on the rollers that has been put back to standard would be rather unnecessary.

[xandersers]

Thanks for the help, managed to get some cheap insurance off footman james.