MOTOKU 2pcs Key FOB Shell Remote Case Replacement For 2002-2005 Mini Cooper R50 R53 Without Chip

If you want to use your old key then you need to reduce the thickness of the key itself. The wing snap in needs a small rubber washer the activate the UN lock button then you need to compress the two tabs with a hot nail head

Pretty easy to swap everything over to the new case. I did have to turn down the original key blade where is goes into the new case to make it fit. The key blade that comes with the cases is cut down where the pin goes through to hold it in place. It is thinner on the new case so you will have to grind down your original key blade to make it fit. I used a Dremel tool to grind down my key blade and it fits nice and secure. I also used a bit of hot glue to hold the electronics of the key fob in place since a lot of reviews mentioned it floating around in the new case. I also used a bit of superglue to hold the plastic bit on the unlock button. If you are somewhat mechanically inclined this should be a pretty easy swap for you, along with the cost savings of not having to go through the dealership and pay $200+. Tools I used for the swap were a small pair of needle nose pliers, an assortment of small flat head screw drivers, a small punch to drive the pin out of the key blades and a small hammer. And of course a Dremel for the key blade grinding. The Mini logo sticker for the unlock button I was able to find on ebay, this too had to be trimmed down to fit the plastic bit that goes in the unlock button.

Despite claiming to be compatible with my standard R50 key, it is in fact slightly different. The key section is different, and it does not clamp the remotes PCB in like the original. Additionally, the flexible plastic that the buttons press through are not fully plastic welded in place, both keys have it hanging loose in the top right making it difficult to fully close the key once the remotes PCB is installed. Finally, the metal key section is already roll pinned in place, so if I wanted to drill out the old keys roll pin and just move the metal key section over, I now have to drill out BOTH roll pins and then pin it in myself.These were so cheap that I'm not even bothering to return them, but they honestly should be.

Biggest disappointment of ANYTHING I ever bought on Amazon. Pure junk.key blanks are thicker than stock, so you can't readily swap original (already cut) key blade with old. Quality of "buttons" (quotes on purpose because the only one that COULD work is the unlock button - the lock button is junk). Also, the guts (electronics with the actual switches on it) that you replace from old to new do NOT even snap into place - they just rattle around inside the "new" fob. Absolute junk. I'm not even going to waste my time getting a refund - only $10 - you DO get what you pay for (unfortunately sometimes even less). I wouldn't pay 50 cents for these POS.

Not a good replacement option. The Mini symbol/button cover needs to be glued on or something and unless you get these cut, replacing the key part is not a straightforward easy swap. I returned and ordered something else.