Well, I haven't heard anything from my MA, he is very hard to reach. I checked the OL on Miniusa (which we all know is very behind) but I noticed it was updated it said my vehicle is at the VDC with an estimated delivery date of 9/15. Is that the day it gets to the dealer, or to me? the port is a little more than an hour from the dealer, what's the hold up?

As you can tell, I'm getting frustrated with this waiting.....WEEK 10 of waiting is the worst. I'm normally very patient. But I hate taking the bus everyday to know freedom is just a MINI cooper and a phone call away.

Racetripper, Like the stripes, makes it look like it's going 100 mph parked. Did you get to pick which driving lights they installed? I wasn't given a choice, I just assumed they would give me chrome/white since I got the white bonnet stripes. I HOPE i get the chrome. Did they charge you to switch them out?

 

RaceTripper - awesome looking JCW! Well worth the wait, huh?

Thanks to all for the kind words. During my wait, I found it a pleasure to read about all your individual thoughts, stories, and experiences so thought I'd share one of mine.

MsBrit - I will check out Cooper Flags. Thx!

Phantom - I bow to you if you are doing all that detailing by hand! I have a bad right shoulder so a pc is mandatory for me. And for the recod, I did not turn into an OCD-type until I ordered Trooper! In fact, my two other cars were sadly neglected - now they are sparkling clean and look great. I actually have yet to detail Trooper - am waiting for my clear bra installation before I get serious with the detailing. So far, I've only had time for some quick Nero on the interior. Will do more next weekend ... pics will follow after that.

I am sad to hear about all the damage due to Ike.
zouzou, sikamini, and others in the area - stay dry and safe.

 

quote from LaurenC:
Stupid question for my fellow S owners, I had my last car for 7 years and I am having some trouble getting used to the S. For one my old car always felt like it was going FAST and the S feels like im not going very fast but then I look down and I am over the speed limit, it creeps up on you where as my protege you had to like force it to speed up. Also the Protege was really touchy, so you barely touched the gas and it went so with the S i feel I have to have a heavier foot. Im also freaked out by every sound.



Lauren - I have the same 'problem' with the S, too. I have to be VERY careful not to go too fast. I think there are many others who have experienced the same. I, too, choose to show the digital speedometer reading on the tach to remind me of the speed (btw, thx to my MA for making me aware of this feature and walking me through how to do this). It is just too easy (esp driving alone) to ignore the analog speedometer in the center. Next thing you know might be seeing red and blue flashing lights in your rear view mirror!

 

Glad you like it!

I ordered the lamps in chrome/white. I also have a paper trail on it because I sent my MA and the sales mgr. an email specifying exactly that I was ordering chrome lamps. The dealer is taking care of the swap.

 

Here it is. I gotta say that it is a very unique car. Ive had much faster car but i just like how "easy" it is to drive this thing. Plus it is so fun without breaking your bank!

Thanks to South Bay MINI and my MA Philippe. Now time to get some tint and clearbra and a nice coat of wax...

 

Doc, I like the way yours is sort of simple on the outside, but really zinging on the inside!
Racetripper, especially like the reverse color of the stripes on the roof.

Lauren, I think I know what you mean. To get the S going, I've got to give it more gas than I'm used to doing in my other cars. It sort of hesitates a little at take off if I don't give it a little more. Also I find that it drops off fast and slows quickly at the end when coming to a rest. Probably something to do with the turbo engaging. I know for the first few drives, I was always trying to shift and hit the clutch (mine's an automatic). I finally pinned it down to the fact that it just went sort of silent when it was about to come to a stop and sounded like a freewheeling standard. I too find that I'm driving faster than it seems.

I didn't know there was a choice of driving lamps either. I just ordered lamps and got the chrome which I like. But I'd rather have black driving lamp covers. Do you think it is the JCW that has a choice?

After the invisishield, I'll be doing the detailing by hand too. I'll just take it a little at a time.

Let my husband drive Bernard for the first time yesterday. He was impressed and I was glad that he still had headroom despite the sunroof without having to lower my seat setting. Also the giant rearview mirror that many tall drivers complain about as a blind spot wasn't a problem. He's 6'7" and we're taking Bernard to VA next month so it'll be nice to be able to swap driving duties.

As a side note it is funny that I felt like I was "letting" my husband drive my car!! In college when we met, I had a TR-6 and NEVER let anyone drive my car.... period- no exceptions. When we began dating and got engaged, I still didn't let him drive it. Sold it before we got married, but I'm not sure if he ever got behind the wheel. Guess it has taken 30 years for me to have another special car that I'm afraid to let others drive!!

 

BTW, it's worth mentioning that the MINI speedos often read faster than they should. You can thank BMW for this. I haven't tested it with my GPS yet, but I went through one of those "Your Speed" things a few days ago and it said 37 when my car said 41.

 

Great Photos LaurenC, RaceTripper & Doc Cooper!

 

Clearbra and tint is next for me!!! I drove 150 miles today.. hahah wish i gotten it beginning of the weekend...

 

Gorgeous car, RaceTripper!

It is so easy to go fast in these things. My dad took mine out for a spin with me in the passenger seat, and... "Oh, geez, I'm doing seventy!!" (with a big grin on his face)

I know exactly the feeling.

-Will

 

Great looking car Doc. Took our AB up to South Dakota yesterday - 42mpg 400 plus miles, the wife and the two kids - very fun.

Half of the insects of SD on my grill and clearbra - not fun. Oh well, gave me a good excuse to clean today .
Thanks to everyone for the nero tip, of course that was not included in my starter pack of Prima products . Time to spend more money.
Driving hasn't been this much fun in years. Can't wait for morning.

 

Love the stripes....We have a PW with black roof and I wanted to do contrasting stripes like this. This is my wifes car and it was her choice and she didn't want stripes, she works at a private school and the students love the MINI and think its cool which totally blows her mean disciplinarian image, too sporty and there would be anarchy in the classroom.

 

I was going for the MINI Challenge race car look with the color and stripes, even though I didn't get the aero kit. My wife wants me to get the Challenge "logo" stripes above the sideskirts. I'm thinking about it.

 

OK, you are building mine (when we can afford it).

One of the few times I have driven it was to get groceries and a kid in a ricer tried to get me to race on the way home; it would have been a bad experience for the kid.

(Note: not for my driving skills but for the nice low end torque and that little sport button, scared myself with that)

 

Good afternoon Week 32er's

Had to laugh at myself this weekend; on Sat PM my husband and I went out in Bernard for dinner. Started to drizzle a little... go to turn on windshield wipers in the dark .... what a riot!

I've owned Chevrolets for 20 years now and the ww stalk is totally opposite of what I'm used too! Even though I had read the manual from cover to cover, I must have activated the rear wipers and wash 15 times trying to get the front wipers to work as we drove down the road!

Took a few minutes to STUDY the manual when we got home and think I've got it now!

Then Sun PM we went out in the rain again, this time left when it was daylight. I had only skimmed the part about the rear wiper originally. I've put over 500,000 miles on Suburbans with barn doors and never had the need for a rear wiper, so I thought it was just a cute thing that I'd prob never use.... WRONG! After just a minute or two in the rain, I couldn't see a thing out of the back windows!! Turned on the rear wipe (knew how to do it this time _ and wow! They are so cute! They sort of clap... go up and meet in the middle and then fall back down. And best of all they clear almost the entire window on each pane. Something about the aerodynamics, because you really do need them!!

Bernard is spending the night at the dealership getting the invisishield. I've got a loaner '08 BRG MC with 7K miles from the used lot.

Grace

 

Wipers?! Sounds like someone could use some Rain-X!

 

Yes!! I've been putting off doing anything except the interior until the invisishield is done and it's about to kill me!!!

They wash and strip any wax off the hood and bumper to apply it, so I figured I'd just wait and do everything afterwards. Course I probably won't be able to move my arms for a few days when I'm through with all the work.... good thing it's small!

 

LOL.. gbsim, I did the same thing with the wipers, took me a while to figure it out!!

So today, I left the house and notice a triangle with an ! inside on the Techometer.... uhohhh... thought I read something about this light coming on from the shifter. I pull over and get out my manual, dreading that I will need to drive 1½ hours away to the dealer. I searched and couldn't find it, but found the way it displays "check info" regarding the system. Whheeeeww found the problem - I NEEDED GAS!!! LOL felt a little dumb, but our last cars always had a little gas tank displayed!!

 

Really love all the pictures!!

 

Racetripper, what is the decal on the side window of your JCW?

 

I just noticed my first rattle this morning driving into work. A bit disappointed, but not really surprising. The rattle/squeak seems to emanate from 'back right corner' of the car and is triggered by bumpy roads - I'm talking far right corner of the car, so not likely from the club door (I have a clubbie) but rather it sounds like it's coming from the wheel well - perhaps a bushing? Anyone else get any rattles or squeaks yet?

 

Those are track maps, where I either go to watch races, or to drive in club events.

From the left:
Gateway International Raceway, Madison, IL
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (the F1 course 2000-2007)
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI
Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, FL
Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA

I've also been to the BMW Performance Center in Spartenburg, SC for the M Performance School, but don't have a map for it.

 

I have a slight squeak on the driver side door where the locking thing goes up and down. If i pressed and tap with my finger , i hear "squeak squeak" Kind of funny.

 

Now I see! I was looking at it as sort of a sequence... thought it was a seat folding diagram!!
Will you be driving the JCW in club events?



Grace

 

re: my squeak

It was driving me nuts, so after I got home, I went to the back seat and started pushing and poking to see if I could reproduce the sound ... and I did. Figured it out - it is a squeaky/loose rear seat latch - the latch that releases the seat to drop down flat. Now - what to do... probably need to bring it in to the dealer to get it adjusted, but I'll have to take a look at it in daylight. Relieved it was not a body panel or suspension bushing.