Finally got some mods done to my car...

Before, just after de-badging




Trim on



And finally tinted... 20% all around





The rest of the vinyl is arriving tomorrow... I hope the heat gun gets here too.

 

Looks great!!! The blue is such a sweet color when the sun hits it.

 

Looks fantastic. Any particular reason that you did not tint the front stripe across the windshield?

 

I will add on that my car has had the cold start issue about 3 times now. It has 2600 miles on it.

Each time was moving it a short distance from the garage to the driveway..

*sigh

 

I guess we just wait and see what they come up with. MINI appears to be trying to figure it out. Fortunately, my clatter hasn't been too often or too severe, so I would rather wait for the real fix rather than have them perform "medical experiments" on my Clubbie! It is curious that almost everyone has had it happen with a re-start after a short move from a cold start.

I've owned MGB's, Triumphs and Jaguars, so I'm confident "good olde British know-how" will solve it. (Did I just say that?)

And don't even start with the German/BMW stuff. I had a VW 411 Wagon in my youth. That car was yellow for a reason!

 

I'm sitting here looking at Rich's signature and realized that it's been 2 weeks since my badge order....The email said shipped within 3 weeks so my W2308 badge should be here this week or early next week!

 

Just not a fan of it, i think it looks goofy. I like the ones that come factory that blend, but I don't like just the strip of tint.

 

I think mine ships out very soon, at least that's what the email from Hannah alluded to.


Gee, thanks.

Actually, it takes a bit of getting used to. I also prefer the fading factory tints, but with the barely functional sunvisors and the large gaps on the side and near the rear view, i felt it was worth it.


------
Oh, after getting my first wave on saturday, got my first honk today. *yay* 1 out of 6 today isn't bad.

 

I was told by Hannah that my badge will be shipped out by the end of this week or early next week at the latest.
I'm sure all of them will be on ths same timing.

 

it all depends, if it's cut right, they definitely can look good.

 

oh and i got my vinyl in today... I found a match to laser blue!

 

http://www.city-data.com/city/Fallbrook-California.html

Hi friends,
I am stuck and I really need your advice.

Matt and I found a truly wonderful 4 bedroom brand new home in a community outside Fallbrook California. Its a fab house! But, the commute to Naval Pier will be almost 70 minutes (46 miles- but traffic at some points).

We've got mystique so car rides are fun-- but daily slogging is not really motoring..

Do we shut the door to the nightmare commute that goes along with the dream house, to settle for a smaller place more centrally located to the pier??

Something else to consider- This is Matt on deployment/sea duty. Girl left on the pier, crying alone sorta stuff...Do I want to be alone in a terrific home a million miles from the city?

OR, Pick a smaller home somewhere inside the actual city to get a healthy, short commute and live in a smaller house, but closer to city ammenities and action, and fellowship of Navy families while the hubby is deployed?

WHICH do you pick?
THE dream house with the nightmare commute
...or the dream commute in a house that will make do?

(Believe me, we cannot afford the identical home from Fallbrook ($400K, 4 bedroom, yard...within a closer distance to Naval pier!)

Any thoughts? I wish buying a house was as easy as buying a MINI.

 

4 bedrooms? That's a lot of bedrooms! Do you have a family to fill them up or is it just Matt and yourself?

I'm in a situation sorta kinda like yours where I commute out to Central NJ each day for work (about 45 minutes one way on a good day) but as a single guy I value living right across the river from all the action in NYC so I pay out my eyeballs for rent and parking. However, if said dream house included a beautiful kitchen, it might be a really tough call for me. It seems like it really depends on your personality and desires more than anything else. Driving your MINI is fun so my 45 minutes fly by!

 

Ten years ago we were faced with the same decision. I was being assigned into the Pentagon. Did we want the big house and a 45-90 minute commute, or did we do something smaller, close in and maybe have a life? Humm....

We ended up buying in DC, on Capitol Hill. One of the very best decisions that we have ever made (like maybe #3 behind marrying and having a family). A grind of a commute will just suck the life out of you.

Re: Girl crying on the pier. Kind of understand that one. The other half was Army as well for the first ten years. When we celebrated our seventh anniversary, it was the second time that we were able spend one together. Trust me on this, you are going to want the support of other spouses.

 

ok my story is - I hate the city life and found a beautiful house in the country. But things to remember, it is 8 miles to the closest grocery store, and i have (on a good day) at least 1 hour drive one way(hense Nugget)!!! but at the end of the day I get home mix a drink and sit on the deck and watch the sun go down and enjoy my quiet life. We have great neighbors that are always there to talk to!!! I guess it is all what you are looking for.

good luck with your decission! it's a tough call.

 

I don't envy you the decision. When we lived in LA, my DH transferred to Laguna Niguel. I worked in downtown LA. We moved to San Juan Capistrano to a great house, but the commute was nearly 2 hours and an hour plus by train. Add that on to the 10 hour days and I transferred before a year passed. I agree that a great kitchen would be hard to turn down though.

 

I have to tell you I hate, hate, HATE the commute. I live in Baltimore and commute to D.C. Its 45 mile one way, on a good day its 1.25 hour commute by car, somtimes its 2 hours. Most times its in stop and go traffic going less than 30 mph. Its horrible. If I take the train, its a guaranteed two hour commute (car, train and subway).

I've been doing this for four years. Why? I'm in construction, you have to go where the projects are. There is no telecommuting for construction. Second, my husband works less than a mile from where we live. He sometimes walks to work. He takes care of a lot of the household chores.

I say get a house near where you work so the commute doesn't suck. You will have another opportunity in your life to get the bigger house. In the mean time hire an architectural designer/interior designer to do some plans to make the smaller house yours.

 

think long and hard about that commute. an hour commute each way will make your work day seem MUCH longer. not only does it make the time at home 2 hours shorter, but you've gotta wake up an hour earlier, etc.

My vote goes to sticking in the city. I'm living about 5 mins away from work right now and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

Having just come back from a week in SD, i'd have to say that Fallbrook is WAY too far, even riding your MINI.

Consider something closer in let's say.. Poway, Santee (lots of my buddies live there), Ramona, maybe Escondido. They're all closer, though, I have to admit, i'm not sure about prices there. I'm sure it's possible to find a 3-bed+office type of home if you're not dead set on a 4-bed.

You really do want to be closer to your support network, and it sounds like you dont have family in the area.

On a side note, i did get to see CVN-73 while she was docked at North Island. If i can get a peek at 75, i'll have seen all the Nimitz and Roosevelt carriers.

 

just got done wrapping my tail light rings in black vinyl.

This is so easy... I should have it all wrapped by the end of the weekend!

not looking forward to the handles though.

 

Thanks for the feedback
More brain candy...

 

You keeping them on the car to do it or taking them off? And make sure you do the keyhole area first.

 

I'm gonna attempt to leave them on. I'm gona pull all of the other pieces off though so that I can get the vinyl wrapped around behind everything.

Thanks for the heads up with the key hole area. I'm hoping the heat gun will help me out quite a bit.

here's the tail light rings

 

Looks good. I was going to ask if you were going to do the boot handle but then I remembered that S's come painted w/ the car color as opposed to the chrome I had.

Keep up the good work!

 

thanks...

I think it's time to take the grill trim off now... took off from work a little early.

I actually found a company that makes a metallic blue vinyl that matches laser blue. It's raising some thoughts, I might be re-wrapping some pieces in color matched vinyl, we'll see.