I can't say whether or not they work, but I personally think they diminish the good looks of the car. I did have my clear bra installer add some film in front of the rear wheel well, right where the OEM stone guards would go. As for mud/dirt I just wash it off.

 

Tinker, Yes once the ring is out, I'm not sure you'd get it back. But those holders are so small that I wanted at least one to be bigger. I've got a water bottle that I take along and it fits great now that the rings are out on that side.
I had a coffee from McD's before I removed the rings and I was worried that the tight rubber tabs were going to pop the cup.

Racetripper... The car looks awesome.... I think you were right to change the driving lamps and I really like the new shift ****.

Just finished washing and Hydroing Bernard. Amazing! I wasn't as thrilled with the Mystique wash though....I've been using some Turtle Ice Wash before doing the clay and Epic last week (didn't want to waste the Mystique when I was just going to Dawn wash the whole thing.) Today was the first time I used the Mystique and I didn't seem to get many suds and the lambswool glove wasn't gliding along like the Turtle Ice Wash. I thought I used plenty of product, but maybe not? Anybody else notice this?

 

Sweet, let us know how it works!

I have the mudflaps but haven't had time to install them yet. I'm hoping to do that this week and will let you know.

 

I have the mudflaps.. and actually like the look. I haven't drove Lucy without them since they were dealer installed, but must be helping since the back stays fairly clean (except for the ledge area.. don't know what it is called!)

 

I have had mud flaps installed on Phantom. I really like the look - somehow he looks incomplete without them. I cannot comment from experience about how well they keep junk off the back of the car, but have read several notes on NAM that said they do a good job, especially in the back. I would think they would help in the front, too, given where they are positioned. Adding them was my first mod, though I had the install done for me.

 

Thanks everyone for your advice regarding mudflaps. I'll keep cleaning and thinking over that decision. Speaking of cleaning - gbsim I'd agree with you. I used the suggested 1 to 2 oz and mine wasn't very bubbly either. I've used it twice. Maybe it's not suppose to be very soapy. The bucket and lambs mit certainly are covered, but when it goes to the car....very little in the way of suds. Not having the best of history in hand cleaning cars (as in I never did it - always used auto car washes) I can't tell whether that's a good thing or not. Funny enough the idea of putting my MINI into an auto car wash now just scares me to death!

 

A couple folks on our thread commented on the fact that Mystique didn't seem to create very much suds in the wash bucket. I inadvertently just completed a test. Last week I washed Phantom with Mystique at my mother's house in VA. Very hard water there, and I got little suds. Today, I washed Phantom again with Mystique at my home in Ohio - very soft water - and got lots of suds. So, it appears from my very unplanned test that Mystique must be like most detergents - the amount of suds depends to some extent on the hardness of the water. BTW, Phantom is looking great after his Mystique / Hydro bath. I put Wheel Armor on a couple weeks ago, and Phantom's wheels were easy to clean today, too.

 

Move over Racetripper!!! I just finished my second "mod" Feeling emboldened after the highly technical cupholder rubber retainer ring removal, I forged ahead and moved the Bluetooth microphone to the drivers side! Easy to do, but I didn't have a bit of wire to spare as it just barely was enough to stretch through the panel and reclip to the mike.

I'll be lowering suspension and changing brake pads next!

Hoping I enjoy the 60 mile drive in Bernard today.... going to have "exploratory" work done in a tooth that had a root canal last year. Well at least the ride there and back will be fun!

 

I think I'm going to do the strut brace and JCW steering wheel within the next month or so. The OEM steering wheel just isn't right now that I have the JCW shifter and ebrake.

 

I think you're going to have replaced so much that you'll have a whole new car soon! Wait! It was already a new car!!

 

I haven't really done all that much: stripes, tint, antenna, clear bra, shifter, ebrake, boots. Plus the V1 hardwire. I think that's it.

I'm really looking forward to getting it on the track.

 

Which suspension do you have?

I need to find a plug for my antenna hole so I can get that bad boy off of there...

 

I have the standard factory suspension. As this is my daily driver, I do not have plans at the moment to change it, but will see how things go at the track.

I bought a 4" stubby antenna. There's a thread about them.

 

Cool. I'm interested to see how the strut bar changes things. It's cheap.

As for the antenna, I like the look of the fin thing without any antenna, and I *never* use the radio, so if I can find a plug for free/cheap, that's what I'm hoping for.

 

If you can't find a plug, you can get a 2" stubby.

 

Hi everyone. I've been offline for a while (motoring). I'm still loving every minute of my daily commute. Is everyone still having a blast?

 

I love my mudflaps. Had them installed before I picked up Rally at the dealer. I have to say that the back of this car gets VERY dirty regardless. I have never had a car that picks up so much dirt on the back. Of course, I still love him. Lots of detailing on this AB, but he is so worth it.

 

Well, I finally brought my new baby home. I've been calling her Minitron...but I'm sure I'll change it down the road. Starting to get frustrated with the hours of traffic we've sat through together. Although the interior is nice, the hifi sound and the bluetooth is neat...I am desperately in need of taking her out and letting her stretch her wheels on the open road.

Oh, and my camera battery decided to die the day I went to pick her up. Luckily I had my camera phone, and then I stopped buy my sisters and got some more picks on her camera.

 

Chugiakgirl and jessitron:

Welcome back! Thanks for the pics, too. I've updated your information on the Week 32 Support Group member list. I won't publish a new version until I have a few more updates.

 

Hi Chugiakgirl - yep, I am still LOVING my MINI!!

jessitron - FINALLY!!! I think you are the last of week 32! Love the srtips and the w roof with your AB! (sure Chugiakgirl does too!!)

Yes, Lucy shows more dirt than my other cars.. but they have all been 'gold' and that hides the dirt!

Took one rubber ring out of the cup holders - made a big difference!

I did get a stubby ant., and like the look much more. Today I ordered my vanity plates "P1P SQEK" a bit annoyed that I had to do it since it was suppose to be done at the dealers, but they dropped the ball and told me I could only have 6 characters.... it clearly says 7 on the paperwork THEY gave me!! It will take 2-3 months before they arrive!

I think tomorrow I will be washing Lucy with Mystiqu, so I'll see how it bubbles!

 

Spent a good part of the weekend working on my AB. First up was to debadge the rear. I just didn't like the Cooper S on one side, plus it was a pain to clean around. So I removed it and now the back is all smooth

Next up was the gominigo "Give them a Brake" kit. This $17 mod takes my fog lights in the rear and turns them into brake/running lights as well! I'm guessing I'll probably use my actual fogs maybe 6 times a year, so this is a nice way to ensure I don't have anyone getting too close to my beauty's rear end while still making use of those fogs.

After that I broke my shift **** insert to replace the with a union jack insert, unfortunately I did not read carefully enough when I ordered the insert as it is too small and not meant for 2007s . It doesn't look too bad, but luckily I'll be receiving a whelan shift **** in the next couple of days thanks to his Fall Clearance Sale. So so so cool.

I'll get some pics posted in the next day or so in case anyone is interested. Oh, and Doug at whelan shift machine is great to work with and I've read nothing but positive comments regarding his work so I'll report on that quality later as well.

Once the **** is in place I think I'll be done "mod'ing for a while. Clearbra, stubby antenna, Mini umbrella added to the mesh bag on the passenager side, fog lights mod, cooper S removed and shift **** --- Oh and a mini sunshade (which by the way is huge and not easily stored in the Mini).

Man, no wonder I'm tired and poor, but this sure is fun.

 

What method did you use to debadge? I will tackle this chore soon, I like a smooth tail end as well...but I tried using dental floss on my sisters Mercedes, and it didn't work, with makes me think we should invest in some fishing wire? Was is easy to work the glue off?

I too am looking forward to spending all my $$ on this car, and I haven't even made my first car payment!

 

Alright, wish me luck everyone.

Tomorrow morning my better half and I head out for 600 miles of driving to Road Atlanta, the great road course northeast of Atlanta where severe gas shortages plague the area. We talked about not going but can't bear to miss this year's Petit Le Mans, our favorite race event. So we're gonna give it a shot. Worse case scenario we sit in the car waiting for AAA + MINI Roadside Assistance to bring us some gas.

 

Hi all -

I've been offline a few days and am just catching up to the latest postings here. The few recent comments about Mystique not being too soapy made me recall an older but great video from Mike Phillips and OctaneGuy on car washing technique. After seeing the video, I was not at all concerned that the Mystique was not foaming over the bucket as I normally would expect from other car wash soaps. Not sure if you all have seen this, so thought I'd share the link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...sh+a+car&hl=en


I admit this video is a bit OCD-ish, but at around the 5 minute mark, Mike comments that soap suds are 'not essential' but rather the slickness is what is important. I think this video is great - thought I knew how to wash a car, but after watching Mike, I feel like I was doing things wrong - esp. the two bucket method that he uses makes a LOT of sense! His minimalist technique is just excellent. Apologies to those who have already seen this, but I just had to share for those who haven't.

On another note, finally got my clearbra installed, and my installer put on my checkered mirrors for me, too! Very happy with the clearbra - Vince from Omega is just great. Here's a couple of pics of Trooper - in addition to the checkered mirrors, you can see my stubby antenna also.

Lastly, I'm up to 800 miles! Gettin' closer to the end of break in period! Can't wait.

BTW, thanks to all for the well wishes for my daughter. Like I said, only time will tell. I don't mean to hijack the thread with comments on my personal life and in fact I am actually very private person in every day life, but this is such a great group of people to share experiences with that it seemed only natural.

Motor on, good people!

 

Hmm pics didn't take, for some reason... here's another try.