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1st GearNew members: make an initial post and introduce yourself as you shift from Neutral to First Gear. Current members: meet some of the new members.
Hello all. Been a long time lurker, but figured I'd post up. I come from a long line of cars varying from old American muscle to Jeeps to German hot rods. I've probably owned more vehicles than I've had years on this rock. Just a lover of anything on wheels really. My latest toy was a 2011 BMW E90 M3 6MT that was unfortunately totaled out by a young, negligent driver, so I found myself getting antsy not having something with a little bit of fun behind the wheel (have a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 and 2001 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 in the garage). I've been driving the old Cherokee each day and decided it was time to get something a bit less antiquated and with three pedals. I had a supercharged R53 once upon a time, so I figured why not give the new F56 a shot at driving each day and eventually get a dedicated weekend toy (probably end up getting another E90 if I'm honest...ooo wee that high revving V8 is something to behold).
Searched for a few months trying to find some specific options in a Mini and it finally popped up just a couple hundred miles away from me at a well respected BMW dealer.
2015 Mini Cooper S 6MT
Moonwalk Grey over Carbon Black leatherette
Comfort Access
Harmon Kardon
Panoramic roof
I-Drive with backup camera, navigation, & HUD
LED lights
Got it well under Blue Book value and got all the negotiating out of the way over the phone. Hopped in the car with the gal yesterday, drove down, signed papers, and drove back. Absolute seamless transaction with no smoke and mirrors (shout out to BMW of Columbus... Stan and Alex will find business from me again I'm sure). Got a little bit of sleep last night, but ended up waking up around 2AM and said "screw it." Went out to the garage at about 4:00 and had an hour long romp through a completely empty Atlanta. Hoot of a car with exhaust pops echoing off the buildings in the city center. She's getting ready right now, but we're getting ready to hop in and go for a long drive today and get lunch.
Overall pretty happy with my purchase with it being less than 24 hours of ownership. Hoping I can slap the miles on thick. As of now, the only complaints I have are the terrible OEM runflats and an almost squeaking noise coming from the steering wheel when it is turned. Seems almost like a dry seal rubbing against a steering shaft. Anyone have any thoughts? Still have some warranty left, so will probably end up taking it in. Only pictures I have are from pre and post city romp in a very dirty apartment garage.
Will be tinting the windows and am considering finding something to black out the chrome trim to match the roof. Is there anything out there for this? Do you guys think that black rings around the headlights will look goofy?
Welcome. I am not a fan of the black trim rings. I think color match rings look better, but obviously harder to do. Detroit tuning sells vinyl trim tape for blacking out chrome trim. You can also buy the tape elsewhere, I have not done it yet.
Welcome and Congrats. I had a similar noise on my 2016 MCS. It only did it when it was cold. The dealer was able to fix it under warranty. I think the culprit was a brass or copper ring that wasn't properly lubricated
Thanks all! It's been just what I needed so far. Certainly a bucket of fun, but plenty useful, too. Folded down the rear seats and stacked in four families' worth of Christmas presents, a dog bed, crutches from my knee surgery, food, an overnight bag, and a cooler full of drinks. It's been the best little commuter I've had. Put about a thousand miles on it so far.
Odds of collection, very poor. Here is a good summary https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/vehicle-damage-due-to-poor-road-conditions-who-is-liable.html
Odds of collection, very poor. Here is a good summary https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/vehicle-damage-due-to-poor-road-conditions-who-is-liable.html
Thanks for the read. Sounds like a great way to spend time that I don't have to not achieve results I'm after. Sounds par for the course.
Well, since the wheel has got to be bent (pretty big impact), may as well upgrade, right? Guess it's time to look into wheels and tires already... where's a good place to buy? Should I stick with 17s?
Hard to tell if the wheel is bent, but agree that having a good excuse to “upgrade” is always a plus. Re: 18” wheels, conventional wisdom is that ride comfort will degrade, as will resistance to damage like you’ve just encountered, but they will likely look great! The direction you go might be determined by the weighted value of these three factors (ride, protection, looks).
As an update, the wheel turned out to be in good shape (!!). Friend and I put it up on jackstands today. What a pain in the... Sucks that the lifting point is also where you would want to put a jackstand. Ended up lifting from the passenger rear lifting point and it eventually got the passenger front off the ground enough to put a jackstand under and get the bad tire off.
Took the wheel with the bad tire to Discount Tire to get it checked out and make sure it wasn't bent - got the good news. Went home to do a little research here on the forums to see if I wanted to stick with OEM 205 tires or bump up to a 215. After settling on sticking with OEM sizing, I called up Discount Tire to order a set of Continental Extreme Contact Sports and no one would answer the phone. Dug around a little further on the web and found out that Costco was running a special. Ended up getting a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports (essentially the better version of the Conti's) with a road hazard warranty more than double the length of Discount Tire's and even cheaper than the "worse" tires installed and out the door.
I've never bought tires not from Discount Tire, and I have bought a LOT of tires over the years. So I feel a bit disloyal, but I just couldn't say no to a better tire with a better warranty at a cheaper price. Tires should be here in a couple days, so the car will continue to sit sadly in the garage.
Up next is a visit to @WayMotorWorks (stoked that they are just a hop skip away from me). Hoping to toss some wheel spacers, lowering springs, and a rear sway bar to the car if I can break free from life for a little bit. Even with the bad luck I got with the car, I'm still happy to have it!
