What did you do to your mini today?
...Added a Quaife LSD ...
What'd I do to mine today? Cleaned it and DROVE it!
Downshift - popBANGITYpoppoppop - turn <hee hee hee>
215-45x17 on 17x7's.
I'll post photos when finished.
Jim
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,836
Likes: 6
From: North Denver Colorado
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 7,201
Likes: 8
From: Norfolk, VA
Nothing sexy today, but on my wife's MINI:
New spark plugs, wires and serpentine belt. Also replaced the power steering pump cooling fan, a broken rear wheel arch reflector and the illuminated ring that goes around the cigarette lighter socket.
New spark plugs, wires and serpentine belt. Also replaced the power steering pump cooling fan, a broken rear wheel arch reflector and the illuminated ring that goes around the cigarette lighter socket.
5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,083
Likes: 112
From: Mount Doom, Mordor
Picked up oil change supplies and took Nudnik for a ride up South Mountain to Buena Vista and Dobbins' Lookout.
C ya,
Dutch
C ya,
Dutch
Last edited by joe_bfstplk; Nov 11, 2011 at 05:10 PM. Reason: apparently didn't hit the 't' hard enough in the word 'to' the first time around....
2nd Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 63
Likes: 3
I started my annual festivities for Day of Mini! (Every year on the anniversary of when I got my Mini, I detail him, pick out new music, and go for a ride.) Today, he got a wash and a glaze with the wax happening tomorrow. I can hardly wait!
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,980
Likes: 2
From: Eastern Long Island, NY
Yep - all of us with Gen 2's have that issue. I can't imagine why MINI would have done that - I'm dropped about 1.5" with H&R's and have ZERO issues with rubbing or scrapping. I think they gave the 2011's the 'pop and burble' - they need get these cars off the stilts!
I agree! It's funny how MINIUSA talks on how the cars ride low for performance - Although the Coupe is lower than the new hardtops so maybe they are getting the hint.
Alliance Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,101
Likes: 230
From: York, Pennsylvania
Backed into a stop sign pole in an alley right next to my house and put
a big dent and tear in the rear bumper skin. Bumper itself and everything
else is just fine.
The side back window was still frosty/misty and I just didn't see it.
Arrrgh stupid stupidity.
Next step will be a new rear bumper skin, take it to the body shop to paint,
then will replace it myself. I have $250 in MINI Moolah rewards on my MINI card
which will just about cover the part, but the painting is again as much.
a big dent and tear in the rear bumper skin. Bumper itself and everything
else is just fine.
The side back window was still frosty/misty and I just didn't see it.
Arrrgh stupid stupidity.
Next step will be a new rear bumper skin, take it to the body shop to paint,
then will replace it myself. I have $250 in MINI Moolah rewards on my MINI card
which will just about cover the part, but the painting is again as much.
When I first called, the price for the part was $285, when I called again to check on
availability again before picking it up, they said it went up to $357 the day after I first called,
then when I got there to buy it, they gave me a price of $325.
The "out the door" quote for painting it was $312. When I dropped the part off, it changed to $460,
then the final price on picking it up came down to $423.
When I asked why the quote for the paint job went up so much, neither MINI of Baltimore County
nor MINI/BMW of Towson Collision Center could give me any explanation.
Bait and switch and price gouging sounds like the explanation to me.
Last edited by cristo; Nov 12, 2011 at 10:11 AM.
Put the new bumper cover on today.
The price went up from $285 to $324 for the part from when I called to when I went to pick it up. The "out the door" quote for painting it
went up from $312 to $420 with no explanation of why.
Bait and switch and price gouging rule the day.
The price went up from $285 to $324 for the part from when I called to when I went to pick it up. The "out the door" quote for painting it
went up from $312 to $420 with no explanation of why.
Bait and switch and price gouging rule the day.
That would have pissed me off so much!
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,836
Likes: 6
From: North Denver Colorado
Too bad your'e way out east' I would of painted it a lot cheaper than that.
It kinda helps working off and on with my buddy at his paint/body shop to cover the bills.
Just throwing it out there, If anyone in the Denver area needs paintwork done for a good price, sendme a PM.
It kinda helps working off and on with my buddy at his paint/body shop to cover the bills.Just throwing it out there, If anyone in the Denver area needs paintwork done for a good price, sendme a PM.
I have a classic Mini you could paint.
1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa, OK area
Timing chain, tensioner, and rails... And a coolant leak
2006 R53 98,000 miles. Wife pulled up the other day and it sounded just like a diesel. Me: "Dear, How long has it sounded like that?" Her: "About a week, you need to fix it." Me: 
On my first day off I got it pulled as far apart as possible without a few of the specialty tools. Found one helluva slow coolant leak coming from the water pump seam or block coupling fitting. Good time to replace the pump and check the supercharger oil too.
On my next day off I got everything ordered. Special thanks to this forum and to Classic Auto Campus, Koch tools, and Baum tools. I am now around $1000 poorer. On the plus side, it was a good excuse to sneak on a 15% pulley, and a few other goodies.
Parts should arrive in a week and it'll be time to remember just how the heck everything went together. lol
On my first day off I got it pulled as far apart as possible without a few of the specialty tools. Found one helluva slow coolant leak coming from the water pump seam or block coupling fitting. Good time to replace the pump and check the supercharger oil too.
On my next day off I got everything ordered. Special thanks to this forum and to Classic Auto Campus, Koch tools, and Baum tools. I am now around $1000 poorer. On the plus side, it was a good excuse to sneak on a 15% pulley, and a few other goodies.
Parts should arrive in a week and it'll be time to remember just how the heck everything went together. lol
3rd Gear
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 214
Likes: 1
From: Wyoming
Spare tire maintenance on both the MINI and my other car. Ugly. Embarrassed that I let both of them get to their poor condition. Both had less than 15psi (should be 60psi) and both needed road debris and packed mud cleaned out. The plastic part of the carrier that holds the spare in place on my MINI also had a fairly bad crack in it. It looked pretty fresh - probably that nasty thump I heard when I hit road debris a couple of days ago. If I hadn't caught it I could see where it may have soon compromised the entire spare tire retaining system. I think my repair job with epoxy will solve the problem.
3rd Gear
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 193
Likes: 5
From: Seattle
Midlands rebuild from Mini Gearboxes Limited
I just finished rebuilding my Midlands 5 speed with the kit from Mini Gearboxes Limited (aka http://www.minigearboxes.co.uk/ aka http://www.minitransmission.com/ ). It's the one that basically gives you the entire contents of the case: shafts, bearings, seals, differential, with everything alreday mounted on the shafts. So you just pull your axles, drop the subframe, pull out the gear box, gut it, stick in the kit, and put it all together. Easy.
So far so good. The clicking noise that was rapidly getting worse is gone, and it shifts easily. Reverse is no longer a huge pain. We'll see how it goes.
I also upgraded my control arm bushings and put on ECB USR rotors and red stuff pads on the front. Oh, and I put in strut tower reinforcement plates. Which reminds me, I need to get my alignment checked now.
So far so good. The clicking noise that was rapidly getting worse is gone, and it shifts easily. Reverse is no longer a huge pain. We'll see how it goes.
I also upgraded my control arm bushings and put on ECB USR rotors and red stuff pads on the front. Oh, and I put in strut tower reinforcement plates. Which reminds me, I need to get my alignment checked now.
Last edited by Dennis Bratland; Nov 13, 2011 at 10:18 AM.