I just got back from Hill Country. That was fun! You guys should come out next year, esp. Doogs (you live too darn close not too)! Now, to write that article for MC2...

My tech friend say he thought about driving up Mary to HCR as a suprise delivery, but thought I might kill him being the first to really drive Mary. So, tomorrow's the day!!!!

 

Yay, GBMiniGirl! As soon as you have her, the wait will be SO worth it.

Who's still waiting, and when's your estimated delivery date?

 

Mitch is still waiting to get his from the dealer.

 

She's here! She's here!

 

One of my coworkers just ordered a Cabrio this weekend! I haven't talked to her yet, so don't know the specs, but I know who's driving to get lunch on sunny days.

That will make 4 in our parking lot out of 350 employees, 5 on days when one of the Boston marketing folks comes to our office, and 6 when the husband of another of our marketing folks comes to visit.

Incidentally, of those six, 3 are Chili Red. (Maybe 4--I don't know the color of the one ordered this weekend). 1 BRG, 1 HB, 1 not sure yet.

One by one, we're taking over...

You know, I still haven't passed another MINI face to face yet so I can wave...

 

Wakey wakey, folks!

 

I'll play.

I passed two MINIs on the way home from work the other day. Waved twice and got two waves in reply. So far, two is the maximum waves in one trip.

 

I saw a Red Bull MINI today.

 

I-5 has seen Gromit up to.... well, I can post anything that might be interpreted as exibition of speed. But...

 

That reminds me, I really need to hardwire my V1 into Mary before break-in is over!

 

V1?

Logan's now around 850 miles. Getting there...

I still haven't gotten a wave! Ah, well--I shall persevere...

 

Phew! long time no post! small update... recieved my car last friday and i've just been soaking my mini up from every pore enjoying that new car smell . Getting used to the little charms of the mini ownership. I can't believe how paranoid i'm being parking at far opposite ends of the parking lot just to keep my baby safe.

Last night i was up in one of my spontaneous late night cruises and filled up for the first time. about 350 miles on 12 gallons, so 30 29-30 mpg on the first fillup. can't predict what i'll have after i can let the car loose after the break in period. :-D

still getting used to the gas pedal and gear ratios. getting the throttle blips on the down shifts can be tricky when i'm only using 50% of the throttle and keeping under 4500 rpms. But i suppose it'll all be kosher after enough time has passed!

keep motoring!

 

So the wife and I are finally going to take delivery of our new HB/W MCS on Monday morning!!! (are we the last ones from Prod Week 28?)

We're picking it up in Salt Lake City and driving it home to Washington State with a detour through part of Northern California and Oregon. We'll be traveling Monday-Sunday next week.

But we're really worried about the problems I've read about with the washer jets leaking fluid out the jets and permanently staining the paint. Some NAM members have had to get the area of paint repainted! (here's the thread with photos)

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=68821

We're trying to figure out how to prevent this from happening to our car on the long/hot drive home.

Would it be overkill to ask my dealer to activate the washers and run them out of fluid? Then throughly wash the car before our delivery? Can I actually trust the dealership to do this?

We've never owned a Mini. Heck I don't even know where the washer fluid is stored and how to get to it?

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

 

Today's the day.....FINALLY!!

Talk to you guys in one-week when we finally get our baby home. It's going to be a long drive home (20+ hours)

(Our MA said they would drain our washer fluid before we take delivery)

 

Congrats Mitch! Enjoy the ride and post some pictures when you get home.

I've got less than 100 miles to go until I'm done with my break in. I can't wait to open Ivy up. Woo-hoo!

 

Awright Mitch!

Gromit ticked over 2000 on Sunday. Went to the Palo Alto British car Show. Very fun event!.

 

We're back! The car is awesome! I can't believe how much power it has! No problems with it during the 1500+ mile trip home. I'm working on getting some pictures of it up in the next couple of days.....but first it needs a thorough cleaning as we drove through lots of road constuction, rain and even hail! I'd like it to look like new again ASAP.

I do have some newbie questions though (maybe not the right forum for this):

1) How do you get the car on jack stands so you can remove all four wheels at once? (where else can you jack up the car, other than the factory plastic pucks?)

2) How come we could never feel air movement in the glove box? We made sure the adjustment valve was in the horizontial postion but nothing ever came out.

3) What is the big space in the glove box door for? We understand the cup holders and the spot to hold a pen, but what about the big center spot?

4) Anyone notice an off-idle hesitation? It's like there's a loose throttle cable or something. You have to push down the accellerator more than normal to get the engine rev'd up enough to let out the clutch. It could just be the lack of torque of the 1.6 liter, but I think it's a little more than that.

5) Once, I gave it a lot of gas in 2nd gear at around 1800 rpm's and the engine just fell on it's face. I had to lift off the gas and then slowly get back on it to get the car going again. (I'm guessing this was a "break-in issue" and might not ever happen again)

6) We love our painted interior. Anyone ever wax the dash to protect it? Is that crazy?

 

Never tried, wish I could answer. Maybe the guys in the Solo forum?

I haven't felt air flow either, but when I take my iPod our of the glove box after a couple hours of drive, it's cold to the touch!

Anything you want. Great place for maps or registration.

A wee little bit, but it was never enough to concern me. Check with the dealer just to be sure. When I first drove Gromit, his clutch feel was different, and I realized he wanted a bit more gas to get moving. I didn't feel it was anything out of ordinary.

I was told not to floor the gas while under the break-in period, and it also says that in the manual. Maybe something to that?

I think it might be best to leave any kind of chemical treatments out of the interior as much as possible, to avoid a film build up on the inside of the glass.

Awright Mitch!

 

I've gotten 2 waves so far in my motoring adventures! definitely persevere, it brightens your whole day up when make mini-contact

 

Congrats Mitch!

I've only nailed down about 700 miles or so but i'm just ACHING to bring it over that 4.5 rpm mark. I haven't done any full throttle romps but i think i've gone about 3/4 throttle.

 

okay... confession:

I'm in a bit of a naming crisis... at first i'd thought the car's name would be Ariel... but, ... it just doesn't fit.

for some reason "chester" pops out, but it kinda goes against my convention of naming a car a female name.

 

1. Getting all four wheels off the floor: There is a jack spot on the front and back. I highly suggest using those. But as for alternatives, which you might have to use if you have the aero kit because of clearance issues, feel underneath your car and you will feel a bar running the length of your car. Put a piece of wood on top of your jack to disperse the pressure point and you can lift it there.

2. The big space in the glove box door is for your sunglasses/case. That's why it's padded. At least that's what I've always been told.

3. You can wax your dash/door panels, but don't do it very often for the previously mentioned reason.

I got out of break-in yesterday, so I dyno'd Mary this morning to get a good base level dyno before I added any performance mods. I was astounded by the results: exactly the same as Mosquito WITH all the perfomance mods I'd planned putting on Mary. Basically 103 whp, 99.5 torque, top speed of 121mph (this is with no wind resistance, etc.). So, I've come to two conclusions: 1. MINI has made a lot of performance improvements to the Cooper since 03 or 2. The mod makers are full of bologna regarding the numbers they advertize. I suspect it's a bit of both. Time will tell I suppose. I'm going to dyno my car after each batch of mods to see what they really do. Intake will be first. I'm a little afraid it won't fit tho. My engine set up is very different than my '03 and the air box area is a lot smaller.

 

Male names are fine. Gromit fit my Mini perfectly! Gromit has over 2k on him now, AND I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN!

 

Last week I got two great MINI waves on the same day. Yay!

And the hole in the glove box is perfect for an iPod if you have the adapter...

Logan went over 1000 on my drive to work on Friday. Getting there!

While detailing today, though, I noticed that the clear film over the word MINI in the center of my wheels is peeling off of one of the wheels. I plan to call HC to see if they can fix it for me...obsess much?

 

those waves are the greatest aren't they? I've gotten 3 so far and they just lift up the rest of the day