Oh yeah, and to avoid the "pup tent" effect you can always yank off Billy's antenna before covering him....

 

Thanks for the specifics. I had no idea what was used for what before. Now I have an idea and a shopping list!

 

If you want to develop a serious inferiority complex, go spend some time reading in the detailing forum...

It helped me come to grips with the fact that I will NEVER be in the top 5% of MINI "cleaniacs" - and eventually helped me settle in on the best combination of products/approaches that are seeming to work for me so far. (hint: I'm lazy but like my car to look good.) I have way too much stuff in my garage detailing kit, no doubt (my wife thinks I've gone insane), but I'm still WAY, WAY short of some of the Porter Cable / Zaino freaks...

Though I do have a PC kit on my Christmas list...

 

Hey! Who you callin a freak?

Haha...seriously though, I love my Prima stuff and I don't know if I could sleep at night without having quick detailed and covering Clara.

 

Happy Halloween everybody! My treat this year was getting Minx back from East Bay MINI. iPod adaptor working like a dream, clear bra much, much better (although not perfect, but I am a real stickler...) and installed a full set of all weather MINI mats.

I've signed on for the Nov. 25th Pulley Party in Emeryville. Other than the pulley install soon, I just need to do the nifty screwless badge install that JJ did for the front grill. I still love my tints and had a ball listening to the Eagles, The Who, The Doors and Santana on the way back from the East Bay today. As soon as it gets light tomorrow I HAVE to get all the bugs and dust off!

Off the watch a movie while waiting for the slow dribble by of the trick or treaters... "Born in a Brothel"

Cheerio!

 

YEEHA! Glad your baby is back in good hands, YOURS!
Moe needs a good washing also, he's going to the punkinpatch this weekend.. OK OK the apple orchards...

 

The last of the trick and treaters came about 8:30 last night. The "Crew" came in and help break down the display. Spent all day boxing it up and probably another two hours tomorrow.
Hope to wire in the driving lights on Merlin come Friday. Wish me luck. Saturday I work, come Sunday it is Motor Time! Three weeks and Merlin and I are finaly ready to take on some serious twisties in the Great Rocky Mountains.
I have had the opportunity in my little jaunts about Denver to meet up with some other MINI folks including a nieghbor two houses down. You know what? I honestly believe this little car brings together some of the finest examples of humanity that I know. Pat yourself on the back Mystic MINI owners for you are some of the best of the best.
One final note. Merlin will not not be garaged. He is much to low to make the grade up the hill to the garage. Merlin will be a street car but with a little TLC he will be one of the Bad Boyz on the block. Besides he is within a half block eye shot of the Police Department and they love Merlin and have given me a 2 MPH over the speed limit grace. Of course I have to take a whole bunch of cops for a test ride. Maybe I can convince the Chief to get a MINI squad car.

 

Merlin was officially baptized today. The PIIA 540 wiring install went fairly well, the usual Murphy's Law but nothing extraordinary. The very last task was reinstalling the plastic covers on the hood where the brackets and wires come through the grill. You have to trim a little bit of the plastic to accommodate the brackets. Out came the old Swiss Army knife. Trim, trim, slip! No pain so I continued on until I noticed a lot of red colored fluid on the plastic covers as I was installing them. Nice little 1" clean cut on the left thumb
Till you shed a little blood the car is not officially baptized. Merlin is now a True Mystic Mini.

 

No pain= very sharp knife! ( for keeping your tools in good shape, not for minor wounds )

 

handn

I try to take care of all of my tools but especially my SA knife. If I can't shave with it, then I'm not doing my job. After todays little install I came in and put the steel to the blade.

 

What are people getting in terms of gas mileage from their MCS's? I've been keeping track the last 2 tanks and I've been getting around 20 mpg. I shift pretty much at 3k 99% of the time and never am at WOT because of break in, so I'm not sure why my gas mileage has been so bad. I dont drive the car hard, and have been trying to go easy on it. What is going to happen after break in when I can start having real fun? I was expecting at least 24-25 mpg.

 

Ouch!! Now you two are truely as one!

Handn, I got a little package yesterday... I added it to the already existing pile of packages. This is the first weekend that Dan and I have had off together. Sooo, hopefully, he will get some stuff installed tomorrow. Can any suspension shop install my Koni's? I also bought the MCAW. I am excited about that one. Also picked up my sirius equipment today. Did I tell you thanks for the aux and parcel shelf install? Well, in case my roots were blonde that day, mucho gracias!

Uscfan, I have been averaging anywhere from 26-28 mpg. 26 has been with more city driving, 28 is mostly hwy with a small amount of city. I just reached 1250 last night. Today, I drove it a little more aggressive around town. ok, alot more. She is in need of a serious bath!

 

Merlin, please tell us that you just slapped a little epoxy on that bad boy and got back to work, right?

 

Nah, I just sterilized it in a little Goof Off and wrapped it up in Gorilla tape . Figure I'll hit it with some detailer tonight and polish her her up.

 

Hmm...I wonder what's wrong then. I guess I'll wait a few more tanks and see if things improve after break in.

 

Hello fellow '36'ers. Just got back from Berlin and Paris and saw something mini'er than our beloved Mini's, a Smart Car. I guess Mercedes makes 'em and they will eventually be for sale here.

Of course we couldn't resist taken a snap of the old reliable Mini Classic as well. Rained quite a bit in Berlin where these were taken with three of my four daughters but Paris had excellent weather.

Ciao'

Foo

 

I would take it in to the dealership first to have it checked out. Are you sure your doing the math right?
PIAA driving lights. I went out last night to adjust them and test them out. I was disappointed with the output, I expected more. Then I remembered a post somewhere on NAM about removing the stone guards. Man what a big difference. Plenty of light for those dark lonely roads. It was well worth the thumb wound.

 

The first time I saw a smart car was in Switzerland back in 2001. It was crazy. Of course, we had to take photo's of ourselves beside the car too!

 

Smart cars -- I think it was in Berlin that I first saw them, and they were parked perpendicular to the curb, not parallel. I almost fell over laughing. It sure was an indicator, though, of the coming success of the Mini -- tiny streets, no parking, no space -- all suited well for a fun car with some pep.

 

PHEW then I'm safe to say I scraped a knuckle when I was running the antenna wire for the XM install.

 

I am impressed with you eenieMini! We started to install siruis tonight, and figured out that the antenna is the wrong one. So, my SO reinstalled the panels, and now we will have to wait for another couple weeks before it can be attempted again. But, getting just to the part where he figured out the antenna was wrong was pita! Thank god I wasn't doing it.

 

The XM was so simple took less than 10mins. I have the Harmon Kardon system. I bought the XM Direct unit and a "Blitzsafe" adapter as per the audio forum. In the boot on passenger side is a little panel with tabs that make it uber easy to open.... there is a subwoofer there, right under is wires, including 2 with tabs. They go in the blitzsafe piece which goes in the XM direct piece, zip tie to make it snug and pack it in. The XM attenna was easy... put it right behind the radio antenna (has magentic bottom). Then pull out that rubber hose where the cable to the trunklid goes in... there is a nice hole.. I made a little slice in the rubber so the wire would fit nicely w/o leaking... then push all hte wire through, fish it out of that little box inside the liner (where the alarm parts are, it just pulls right down)... then pull out a tiny bit of the rubber/seal along the boot, top right corner.. pull down the headliner just a tad and you can grab the antenna wire and drop it down into the area of the xmdirect/subwoofer to plug in.. push the seal back on (if you only pulled alittle off it goes right back on easy.. press the rubber grommet back in at hte cable on top and you're good to go.. seriously plug and play... everything plays out of the head unit and stearing wheel controls.

 

Went out for our first motoring adventure yesterday. Did some open highway, twisties and plain old dirt road driving. Theses photos were taken on Virginia Canyon between Idaho Springs and Central City. Some call it the "Oh My God Road", it really isn't all that bad if you drive it reasonably. If you don't, you die.



I noticed something yesterday on the dirt road. The back of the MINI gets filthy compared to the front.

 

That's about what mileage I was getting until a freeway trip to Riverside and back, when the average mileage shot up to mid to high 20s. Prior to the longer trip, most driving in south oc is pretty hilly, plus it is tempting to listen to the supercharger run a bit....

 

Yes, it does. When I got home from auto-x in SD Saturday, the back was nice and grimey. Sunday my wife asked "didn't you just wash the car Friday?"

Nice pics, BTW.