I'll check my glove box for you when I go to work today and let you know. You've piqued my curiosity; everything must have a purpose, right?

 

Well fellow MINI owners, my story of tempermental German cars continues. In addition to my 84 BMW, I also still own the first car that was truly considered mine. My Dad bought me a used 61 VW when I started college and after my sister finished with it, my Dad was going to sell it. I bought it from him rather than see it go to a strange home. Saturday I drove it and noticed that he did not seem to be his old self. Dad did not believe me and well, to make a long story short, he is in critical condition. HERR B is going to have to be towed to his favorite mechanic for some serious engine work. Now I don't know if he is upset because he knows I am going to sell Beemie (they have been together for 20 years) or if he thinks he is going to be sold too. I have tried talking to him but right now he has attitude and will not listen. Who knew that two little British/German cars (MINI and COOP) could cause such a riff in the family. Beemie is going to a good home, I know the family, but HERR B is still in a snit. Normally he is a very nice little car. We may need to go on Dr.
Phil, stay tuned. (Picture attached - hopefully?)

 

Hey Kikimowse, sorry I didn't post sooner. It was a zoo at work yesterday! I checked my glove box but didn't notice any sort of clips or anything. In fact, there were no "cup indentations" on the lid of the glovebox either. I guess our coupes are different. I could take a photo so you could see what I mean, but there's really not much to see. There doesn't appear to be provisions for a pen or anything in the area you described.

I think your old HERR B is vying for some of the affection you're lavishing on your MINI! "Sibling" rivalry, I suspect.

I hope your old Beetle can be fixed (read: have it's attitude adjusted) without too much expense. I love those cars. There are a ton of them here in Sacramento. You just can't kill 'em! Great to see so many on the roads; like the MINI, they're happy cars. People can't help but smile when they see them!

 

Now on the Train/Bus/Train traveling down to Santa Ana to pick up Coop tomorrow morning. Listening to (what else?) the sound track from the Italian Job and of course checking out the news on the MINI forum.

A friend of mine says that he thinks he might be able to get professional help for my addiction to MINIs. I think he's just envious.

(pardon any typos.... typing this in a moving bus going over the grapevine)

 

Picked her up today!!!! Sorry no pics yet, too dark. Tomorrow I promise, haha, I feel like an overly enthusiastic parent that has to share the baby pics with everyone!! Also, I've never had so much fun driving a car in my life!! Gas is over $4.00 and today i just drove around, going nowhere, just driving for the hell of it, haha.

 

That's so cool, Bitzie!

I'm happy for you because you're about to go from being a commuter to a MINI owner! I'm STILL loving my car and I don't think I'm ever going to stop! So maybe we all need a support group for our addiction. Or is it "affection?"

Please post pix whenever you can. I'd really love to see your car. Motor safely!

 

Yeah, well I drove 66 miles before the first "candy corn" on my gas guage disappeared! Don't think you'll be visiting the gas station any time soon, buddy!

That's GREAT news, Greg! Way cool! WE WANT PIX! I know, it's dark now, but please share a pic or two (or more) with us whenever you can. These are good times. It's what this forum is all about!

 

I'm so happy that everyone is getting their cars and moving on to the next phase of MINIdom: Ownweship!! I have been out of touch because of vacation. I was able to drive my "Blueper" (the new name and license plate) and it was AWESOME!! More than expected...great mileage...very comfortable. This is so fun!!

 

I think I drove the slowest on the freeway ever....but there's my new baby just picked up from the dealer.

Apologies for the cheesy cellphone/camera photos, better photos to come!

 

here's a few pics I took with my phone.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...2/ppuser/55736
Here's the link to the gallery where I have more photos.

 

Bitzie is not kidding when she said that she was driving the slowest ever on the freeway. She was doing a whopping 45 mph on the 405 in Santa Ana. I was following behind her in a borrowed car. We (the Civic and I) nearly dozed off at that break neck speed! We even ran some blocking moves as she and COOP changed lanes as I could tell that she was being excessively cautious. We were laughing so hard we were both nearly in tears. (The Civic and I.)

COOP will not make the long trip home until Sunday so right now he is getting to know the neighborhood were he is staying for a brief visit. This is sort of the halfway house for our new babies. Ease them in to road trips.

Bitize and I already went accessory shopping today. She purchased a rubber boot mat for her car to protect against spills and of course she had to purchase a MINI Cooper umbrella for this winter. I am not sure who will be using it more, her or COOP. I purchased, about a month ago, a cab cover for MINI from Moss MINI. I love it. Protects the convertible top and leather seats from the sun and can be installed and taken off almost with one hand. Not the hassle of the full car cover and fits in the boot nicely. Bitize more than likely will purchase one too.

Her car is really cute and I love the secret compartment above the glove box. Nice for sunglasses, but I would not trade my baby for anything. Her checkered theme is really cute and blends with the dash, and the door threshold. I really like the dual sunroof and the shade covers. Another nice feature is that she can program her own owner preferences whereas, I have to have the dealer do that if I decide that I need something changed. Not really an issue as I like what has been set up. I just don't know if the settings will be lost if the battery is every disconnected.

Well, good motoring to everyone and may the fun continue.

 

It was not 45 it was 50! But yeah I was laughing on how timidly I was driving.

 

Beautiful pix, Greg and Bitzie!

Both of those cars are HOT and they've been nicely adorned with flattering aesthetic and performance accouterments. That's a long-winded way of saying they're AWESOME!

Greg, if money were no object, I would have sprung for that kickin' NAV system. It is so cool. I love the way the speedo needle rides around the perimeter of the dial. And the silver accent trim and checkerboard dash pieces look great on your car, Bitzie. COOP has found a good mom in you, and it was cool of your sister to act as your wingman on your first "flight"! Thanks again, to the both of you for sharing your photos with us.

Now you both can have the long weekend to get acquainted. Best of luck with your new babies. I'm going back to the dealer tomorrow and pick up some more "bling" for mine: the Union Jack scuttles!

I love these cars...

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

 

Beautiful grey gregp84. I really like how the white pin stripe stands out next to the black racing stripe on the bonnet. This feature is not as noticable on the pepper white color. The NAV system is one of the things that I had been planning to add to my Cabrio had I been able to order my car like you guys did. But I have no regrets. I got so much more than I had ever dreamed of with my little adopted one.

I have only been away from him for one day and I already miss him. Bitzie and the three boys - Pierre, Nate and COOP had to go on a Frys run tonight, (Pierre and Nate are real boys incase you were not sure) so as to avoid going into withdrawl. We do not have a Frys where we live so we have to make at least one run when we are in the LA area.

Oh I did find out about the clips in the glovebox for those that are interested. (Many thanks to Christian Banks at Crevier.) When the MINI's first came out, the dealerships gave new owners a thin pencil that fit into the clips in the glovebox. The do not do that any more. Since the cabrio has not yet been redesigned as of 2008, they still have the clips and the cupholder indentions in the glovebox. These will go away on the cabrio in 2009. With the design of the new dash and hidden compartment, the glovebox door no longer has room for a cup and as such no indentions for cups anymore. Now I just need to find the perfect pen to go into the clips!

Enjoy the holiday weekend and stay safe.

 

Try eBay! They've got everything.

Look what I found... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MINI-...mZ160276992395

 

Oh Avid, you have no idea who you are dealing with here. Just ask Bitzie. They do not call me the Queen of eBay for no reason! I have purchased not only MINI Cooper items on eBay even before I owned one, but I purchased a 1950's OKeefe and Merritt gas stove and a Steinway Square Grand Piano built in 1864. Stand back, I am on a mission. One MINI Cooper pen is about to be found.... stay tuned.....

 

Whew! I'm glad you weren't going to ask me for advice on how to "shop victoriously" on eBay. I'm terrible at it!

I tried bidding on a book once and lost because I didn't know what the heck I was doing. It worked out, though, because I found it on barnesandnoble.com for less than the winning bid and in pristine shape (for a 32-year-old book, anyway).

Happy hunting!

 

The ambiance lighting inspired this purchase from ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=016

 

Wow! Great find! I love neon signs. It's cool how the etched acrylic disperses the light.

I'm partial to the Guinness light too. Being the Irishman that I am.

 

Minnie had her first casualty. Thursday on the way home from work, I was about 3 miles from my exit when the tire pressure warning indicator came on. I didn't notice any difference in driving but I slowed down a bit anyway. Another mile, could definitely feel a strong pull to the left but control was no problem. Pulled into the gas station right on the corner. Definitely flat. Tried putting in air but I could hear it whoosing out as fast as it went in - found the hole right in the middle of the tread.

Drove home (less than a mile) and found a tire center about 2 miles that carried the Goodyear Excellence Run Flats. However, after I got there he 'discovered' that he didn't have the Excellence. He had an Eagle - he said it was basically the same except for the tread pattern. I went ahead and got it because I didn't want to drive any further than necessary and risk damaging my wheels.

$250 for one tire - pretty pricey - so I did some research. The dealer keeps saying that you can't repair a run flat but that's not true. According to Goodyear, as long as the sidewall isn't damaged, it can be repaired just like any other tire. The deciding factor is how far did you drive with it flat? Next time, I'll either call AAA to come plug it or (if necessary) I'll do it myself (I put together a repair kit yesterday - compressor, patch/plug kit, pliers, etc. - for about $50). Then I can just have the tire place patch the inside for $25 or $30 and it should last the life of the tire.

I do like the security of the run flats (although a lot of people complain about the ride/noise). I plan on replacing these with run flats when they wear out. I was thinking about the Michelin Primacy or the Conti ProContact SSR - they are cheaper but had much higher reviews than Goodyear (they are pretty unforgiving).

I'm just wondering if I should have the 'odd' tire moved to the back? I haven't noticed any difference in how she drives.

 

Sorry to hear of your tire woes, MinnieMama.

I think you did the wise thing by getting a replacement tire asap, any tire! I've got the run flats too and the added peace of mind of having a spare because I don't have a MCS. (I still have to "rehearse" how to change the tire using the MINI tool kit, though!) I really don't notice any noise or harshness in the ride, although I must confess that I wouldn't know what to compare it too, because the car I test drove had the run flats!

So MinnieMama, am I to understand you will switch back to conventional tires when it comes time to replace the run flats you're riding on? I'm puzzled. (Doesn't take much! )

While we're on the subject of hurt MINIs...

I think I beat all of my Aida shipmates back to the dealer, though. The trouble started on delivery day, when I tried pulling on the hood latch and it came free from the cable! They took the car in back and fixed it right away, fortunately. However, when I got home, I noticed that whenever I opened and closed the bonnet, the passenger side would scrape against the headlight! The tolerance was too tight. So I emailed the dealer and set up a service call for the following week (yesterday). I emailed them this photo of the damage, along with a helpful hand to point out the area of concern. See below:



They called me right away, confirmed my appointment and told me that they had already ordered a replacement headlamp! I returned to the dealer yesterday and they swapped out the damaged headlamp, made adjustments to both so the tolerance wouldn't be so tight and now I'm better than new! They even gave my car a bath.

GREAT SERVICE, Niello MINI!

While at the dealer, I picked up this 1:43rd scale MINI. While not an exact replica of my car, it is an R56 in Chili Red with a white top. The hood even opens to reveal an amazingly detailed engine bay. Incredible detail, in fact.





I also picked up my Union Jack scuttles and installed them myself in less than five minutes:







Hey guys, can you tell I LOVE my MINI?

 

Glad they were able to get her fixed up and the rest of your mods installed.

I'm so "in love" with Minnie. I just love driving her - I'm not going to save on gas because I keep finding reasons to drive somewhere!

No, I am going to get Run Flats but I'm switching brands. I've heard less than stellar reports on Goodyear and I've noticed the ride is a lot 'rougher' than my old Toyota although better than my husband's Silverado. I've read a lot of good reviews on the ContiProContact SSR (and the price is right).

If I'd been prepared and known what I know now, I would have just stayed at the station and called my husband (he was about 5 minutes behind me) and he could have plugged it right there. I don't plan to get another new tire (over $300 w/installation) if I have a simple puncture in the tire tread again (repair probably cost less than $50). Sidewall damage is another story.

I personally have only had two flat tires in my life (do not use goop!) and both were nail/screw punctures in the tread area. My husband said he has plugged tires before with no problems at all later on. And if it does go flat again, well that's the good thing about having run flats!

 

Drove home to the San Joaquin Valley today and COOP was treated to cool weather compared to when MINI had to drive home in the heat. MINI and COOP are getting used to their first night together in the garage.



MINI has been giving COOP the details of his new accomodations and so far COOP is settling in quite well.



https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...=74512&cat=500
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hp/photo/74511

 

That's sweet, Bitzie. I can definitely see the family resemblance in those MINIs!

Here are my "beauty shots" from today (Where I first noticed a horrible blemish on the driver's side door. I'm still heartsick over it.)







I was going to take photos of the inside as well, but lost heart after noticing the damaged finish. Someone, somewhere had attempted a half-hearted repair job on the blemish, using a poorly-matching paint. Yeah, I'm disappointed.