Whoo Hoo! Raining cats and dogs is right. What a stretch of nasty weather in Oct.
I have no experience with the MINI automatic, but in my previous cars giving the transmision a momentary lift on the gas pedal made for an easier shift. This may have NO bearing on the MINI.
As for turning the music down...(after you feel comfortable) keep the music UP and just watch the tach. Motor On Minicounter!

 

Uhh. . .weather clear, mid '70's. . .slight breeze. . .sunny. . .
Will you all let me keep posting here?

I LOVE sitting in Scoop after a drive! I enjoy polishing the piano black and the english oak to a shiny perfection, hearing the whirr of the turbo fan cooling the engine. . . the smell. . .

(I guess I'm in ellipses land today!)

I'm itching to drive her, but won't get a chance for a while now (a few days). I'm thrilled to have her for my spare car, but would love to daily drive her!!!

 

You don't drive her every day? That must be horrible. Kermit needs to be cleaned so badly....I am a bad mom. The weather has been fairly rainy - in my defense. I ordered him a center console storage box from minimania.com. though - so I am not a completely lost cause.

So nobody answered my earlier question. Where are you taking your MINI to get its oil changed? Or are you doing it yourself? How can you tell if you should? I am quite lost in this area, and although my husband paints cars - he isn't much of a mechanic.

 

Oops! Didn't see your question! Hubby will change the oil, but he's built cars up from scratch (old Morris woodies and a Morris minor) and is really comfortable with the mechanical end. I would imagine your husband knows people who would either be glad to do it for pizza/beer or some cash. The dealership here is REALLY expensive on all optional service. You could check. Your humble poster here has never changed oil in her life, so I might watch the hubby and see if I even want to learn. I'm thinking probably not!

 

I'm going to the dealer today to pick up an oil filter and a crush washer. I think that is what I'll need to do the oil change. I've seen posts on NAM that detail the procedure.

I'm not a petroleum scientist, mearly a guy that has changed oil over the years and picked and chosen the most reasonable sounding male tales (as opposed to wives tales) I've heard and read.

As for how you know... Common sense tell ME (not talking for anyone else on this subject) that break-in means the seating and gradual wear-in of the mechanical parts. This process can and usually does mean that it can produce small metal fragments that then reside in the engine.

BMW must not have too many issues with these bits of metal within their warrantee period, or they would change their procedures to avoid big bills. I have also heard that the synthetic oil used is GREAT at lubricating the engine and may minimize any effect of the breakin rubbish. Since I plan on Frodo being around for longer than the warantee, I'm doing one now and will do one at the near mid-point (7500).

The color of the synthetic oil is not always an indication of the health of the oil. A dark color of the oil can mean really bad things in the engine that will not be solved with an oil change. Darkening color seems to happen to all oils, both natural and synthetic with use. I've actually used smell of the oil as the best indicator of oil health with my older engines.

Scoopmama - How do you leave your driveway without Scoop? I have trouble even going to work on the one day my wife takes Frodo. As for your 70 degrees and sun... Take a deep breath in, let it out, repeat. I welcome your posts (always), but I'll stick with my rain up here.

 

Mini2na I will be interested to hear how your oil looks, smells, (tastes? ) after the change. The hubby and I have been debating the issue...
Scoopmama I can endure your weather reports now because we've got a little break - It's only raining 'ants' with breaks for the sun. Enjoy!!

I had a neat experience yesterday. I had to deliver something to a 98 year young client (chance to drive ) He still has the sparkle in his eye! He was checking out the MINI and was tickled with it. Always fun to bring a smile to someone. Another person I showed her to said "oh you've got a smile car'

Soon I hope to give my 96 and 97 year old grandparents a ride. My grandpa used to ride Harleys and grandma passed on her lead foot and sense of fun to her prodigy!

I also love to hear the contented 'purr' my MINI gives me at the end of a drive

 

Kimberly - Are you a member of AAA? If so they have recommended places to get service. If not... I would check with BBB first before I took my car to a Jiffy Lube...they have had a bad reputation for a long time... sorry i couldn't help more but i'm not familiar with who you have up there...

 

Agree with not using Jiffy Lube or any of the other "fast change" places, most of them only pay minimum wage...... so not the most experienced employees.

 

Good to know! Yes I am a member of AAA. I will check that out. Thanks!

 

Yikes! What would get me up before 7 or 8 on a Saturday?

A MINI play date, of course! Yes, Scoop was asked to join about 20 other Minis for breakfast about 50 miles away. Such fun! So. . .throw the kids in the back seat, and we'll be off. Long Beach harbor- here we come!

I swear this car has a better social life than I do!

(No-didn't get to the oil change yet. Too windy last weekend. But she doesn't have 700 miles yet, so I THINK we're ok! )

What fun do your MINIs get to have this weekend? Any fun drives planned? I get to vicariously relive my wonderful year up north reading about your drives!

 

Hmmmm good question.
I didn't make it to the dealer yesterday so hopefully today will work out. So my planned drive this weekend is over the Interstate 5 bridge, South on 405 to the dealership.

I did pick up the T50 socket for the oilpan drainplug yesterday and get under the hood while looking at the directions I downloaded. Looks pretty simple except for the lack of room in the engine bay and under the car.

Motor On every one.

 

Well, it is supposed to be a relatively clear and warm day here in the NW. So gardening is on the menu. I have to get everything ready for the fall/winter weather. Kermit is definitely getting a bath as well. Probably no motoring on the agenda - unless I just have to go shopping or something. Halloween is coming up - there is always shopping to be done. Everybody have a great weekend; I look forward to hearing about your motoring adventures.

 

Thinking of play-dates for the MINI - I've got one next weekend to escort the homecoming princesses at a local hight school. Got me thinking though (didn't hurt too much)
Kimberely are you in touch with any other MINI owners in your area? You probably thought of this already but I think I'm going to check with others in my group about where they take their MINI's for service.

 

Is it time to join PDX Mini club? They might be the best resource for service suggestions.
Minicounter: get a picture of this event that will feature your MINI, I mean the homecoming princesses.

 

I already did!

 

No oil change this weekend. Went all the way to the dealer to pick up all the parts, asked for everything I would need for an oil change and they did not include a crush washer for the drain plug. I'm glad I did not drain the oil until I checked. That would not have been nice to have it sitting in the garage with no oil in it.

I did put on the rear mud flaps. They look nice. I'll let you know how they work.

Hope everyone had as nice a weekend as it was here.

 

Well, Kermit is now clean and quite the handsome boy. Not much motoring was done this weekend, but when I had chores and running around to do, I did pick the stores all the way across town. We had an Indian Summer type weekend. Just gorgeous outside. I got most all of my gardening and housework done. Too many roses, too little time. But my garden is ready for autumn.

How was everyone else's weekend?

 

So Kimberly... did you decide on a plate yet? I'm very curious Scoopmam - did you get yours? Mine is on order and should be arriving any day!

I still haven't checked my oil yet but really need to. I'm right at 800 miles now and will be going to San Diego in 3 weeks. I guess I need to decide whether or not to change it before I go... any suggestions from the wise people of Mini World?

 

I ordered my plate, but it will probably take a while to get it. I got a special plate that is also a personalized plate - that cut me down to only 5 letters/numbers. So...I went simple with KRMEE. At least that was my first choice - they asked for three different choices. So, I will see what I get...someday.

 

Wait until after the break-in for the oil change, but I'm not sure that is coming from a "wise people of Mini World".

Oh, I found out that the dealership gave me an R53 filter, hence no crush washer. I am trying to write it off as the Saturday parts guy, no the first stringer.

 

Hi! Lil A- I don't have my plate yet. . .but should get it within the next few weeks. We should try to hook up in Oceanside for a mini MINI meet! I live about 80 miles north of San Diego!

I would change the oil before the trip, and then at 1500 miles. (Hubby's '96 Saturn has 220K miles on it and is running great! I'm a believer )

Kimberely - Kermee sounds perfect! I hope you get it!

MINI chili cookoff this Sat. . .Scoop is ready! (She really is spoiled. . .doesn't come out on the yucky oil slicked rainy roads, is the only one of our cars to be in the garage and get a hand wash, but yeah, whenever I see a cooper on the road I WISH I was in Scoop, 'cause I look like an idiot flashing lights and waving from my Saturn!!! )

 

I got the oil change done last night. It helped to have the correct oil filter.
the dealer was sorry about the mix up and gave me the R56 filter extra cost and an extra quart of oil free for my trouble.

Once you get the proper tools, T50 bit and 8mm & 27mm sockets, ratchet and long extension together with an oil pan, cardboard for the ground, latex gloves and paper towels it went pretty easily. I would say a novice could do it. It takes a bit of time to do it neatly. Not that you work a long time, but getting the oil to drain out completely from the filter takes about 45 mins or so. It felt good to do it myself, and sooooo much cheaper than dealer cost.

I would definitely suggest doing the post break-in oil change. I did find just a bit of grit, but not much. It was trapped in the filter, so that was good. The oil was pretty dark, but did not have a burnt smell.

I also found that you can use any API SH or higher fully synthetic oil. MINI sells SL grade. Costco sells Mobil 1 SM grade and Walmart sells other SM grade brands cheaper. I went with the MINI oil this time.

After driving in the crazy rain yesterday, I'll have to say that the front mud flaps help the side of the car. The rears may help the driver behind you and they look nice, but I saw NO decrease in the crud that got deposited on the boot.

 

Mini2Na~ That is so good to know, about the dealer and the tools etc. Also, knowing you found some stuff in the filter will motivate my hubby even further.

So is the rule where you live to not wash your car until May when the rains stop? When we lived in Bellview WA, there literally was no point to trying to wash a car after October!

Hope all is well with everyone. Didn't go to Long Beach this last Sat. . . got a flu shot the day before and felt lousy for about 3 days. Now back to normal, whatever THAT is! :impatient

 

I found us two posts from falling off the first page. I just couldn't see that happen just yet. I've never had an on-line family and can see how people become attached to people they have never met in person.

I was able to take a couple of drives during the week. My 6th grade students are up at outdoor school and I took a couple of afternoons to visit the 3 sites. I drove up to Welches, OR on Mt Hood, then on a great back road that was made for Frodo that went down the Bull Run drainage and the Sandy River to Troutdale. Even with the torrential rains I encountered, the fall leaves and the twisty roads made it a joy to drive.

Hope you all have great weekends. I have no MINI work planned, unless it stops raining for 20 minutes. Frodo is a dirt ball.

 

I hear ya there! Kermit's boot is just embarrassing. No clear day in sight as far as I know. I was wondering - is it safer (handling-wise) in the rain to drive in 'sport' or should I leave it off in the rain? Would it make a difference safety-wise (give or take the looniness of the people on the road around you)? I have just been pondering.