Since I am mechanically/car repair challenged I asked Tim (09MellowJCW) to help me remove the NM Engineering intake that has been on my car since November of 09 and replace it with the very awesome Defenders of Speed CAI. Actually he did the work and I assisted. Thanks so much Tim!!!

Later in the day my badge holder and a few badges showed up in the mail. I tried to do this easy install. Well its not so easy when the driving lights are in place. Also the screws that come with it are way too long so while removing it I lost a srcew and washer in the car. Off to home depot in the morning to buy new screws. Told you I am mechanically challenged.

 

Changed the oil. OEM filter, Castrol Syntec 0W-30 European Formula (BMW LL-01 rated). Much easier than I rememberd, and the filter is so small!

 

Washed and waxed Zim today. What job it was, didn't realize how dirty it could get from ripping up the road. Say hello to Zim.

 

First wash in the driveway since the fall. Going to meet up with 10 or so MINIs tomorrow afternoon and, of course, arriving with a dirty MINI Cooper is bad policy.

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I like the wheels.

 

Sup Zim! I gave Douglas a much needed bath today. We live in an apartment with underground parking so I used Griot's spray-on car wash. That stuff works wonders. Douglas has the same web spoke wheels as Zim so I know what a PITA it can be to get it sparkling clean. But spraying the wheels, waiting about 30 seconds, then wiping off with several clean micro fiber towels did the trick for me. The only sad part about washing your car is that you have to get up close and personal with all the paint chips.

 

Changed out my Excel 22 wheels yesterday and but on my Rota RBs, today is a wash clay and wax in the garge and then out for a drive and maybe a few pictures

 

cleaned up all the wiring for my JVC KD-NX500, GPS stop working a few weeks ago, ordered a few parts and reinstalled everything. New faceplate that actually locks in a fits makes it worth all the effort and bloody knuckles (my hands are just too big).

 

I redeemed myself today. I went to Home Depot and bought 2 1/2 inch set screws and installed the grill badge holder. It is a real pain in the butt to have to remove one of the driving lights to do this.

Displaying the MINI 50 logo magnetic badge.

 

Nothing earth shattering.......threw a coat of wax on it. Then I watched as my 1 1/2 yr old Granddaughter smiled like crazy every time I put the roof up and down with the key (well okay, maybe her smile was just a bit earth shattering ). With the mild weather we've been having in Eastern Canada, I could have been driving it a month ago (being a cabrio, I put it away from Dec thru Mar). But I figure I'll wait another week or so, until the new rims & tires come in, mostly though, I've been holding off until the salt is off the roads.

 

Hey there ... I live in an apt., as well (no garage, tho)--what's this Griots spray-on car wash stuff u used? Is it waterless??? I have the same wheels as yours (just had them installed yesterday), and would like 2 know what u used on them. Thanks!

 

Here's the link to Griot's site. I got the kit for about 30 bucks. It was recommended by the guy who installed my wife's clear bra. I used the sample that he gave us and was so impressed I went out and bought $75 worth of Griot's stuff.

 

Yes I know what you mean about the paint chips, especially on the front bumper and hood area. I have decided to have a clear bra installed soon.

 

Awesome ... thanks so much!

 

today I took the kicker speakers out of my eclipse, emptied out the change bin, cleaned off my "cabin storage area with restraint straps", and then proceeded to make one final trip to the grocery store speed bumps of hell. I forgot they were there, in other words...

anyway, T-20:00:00ish and counting 'till I take delivery of my '05 :P long story short, don't buy a car in MA after 4pm on a saturday. it's disappointing.

 

A couple weeks ago, I turned on the a/c for the first time since I got the car in October, and it smelled a bit like a vacuum cleaner, so today I removed, cleaned, and reinstalled what I can only assume was the original 7 year old cabin air filter, which was filthy and full of bugs. I guess the previous owner's dealer never bothered to do that part of the service in the 36k miles before it found its way to me....

After that, it smelled less like a vacuum cleaner, but slightly of wet dog (it was still damp when I reinstalled it) so I pressed the "recirc" button and shot some Febreeze through it. I hit it with the Febreeze a little too hard, so I took a spin out by Saguaro Lake today with the windows open to blow a bit of the "Summerfruit" smell out. While I was at the lake, I saw someone in a red Amphicar (the only car there cooler than mine ) driving down the boat ramp and right into the water and out for a "swim". Alas, my cell phone's camera is a pain to use and very slow, so no pixs....

I eventually will have to order a new cabin air filter, but it's cleaner than it was before, so it'll do for a little while. I'm getting the M7 strut bar first, though--the roads here are pretty lousy, and so far (knock wood) my towers aren't mushroomed....

C ya,
Dutch

 

Made him play with other MINIs!

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Thanks, Tmini!

 

Performed the "Plasti-Dip" mod on my headlight bezels. Fantastic product that Plasti-Dip.

 

Wow....what a day. Its been 2 weeks since I gave Lucy a bath. Its been raining off and on.

Today I started by removing the bonnet stripes and the clear bra off the mirrors. The hood and bumper look great, but the bra on the mirrors were turning yellow and it was looking bad. I'm not sure what I'm going to get to replace them with. Possibly Union jacks.

Then I gave her a much needed bath, cleaned the wheels and the interior, glass, waxed the dash areas that were color matched. Now I can see the reflection of the doors off the dash, I like.

The bonnet stripes gave me a bit of a problem trying to come off and left some glue, so I used some goof off to get the remaining glue off. Then I noticed some light scratches on the hood. That turned into buffing the entire hood, which will need to be done by a pro since I'm just not that brave to cut paint with a buffer and ruin it. So I went to get a clay bar, pulled in the garage and clay bar the entire car.

Tomorrow I will finish with a nice coat of Eagle one Nano paste wax. My arms are already numb from 4 hours of clay bar.

 

Hey, thanks for the link!

I live in an apartment. No washing the car or repairs allowed. I could probably get away with doing plugs/wires, and I already have gotten away with changing an air filter and wiping down everything under the bonnet with Armor-All cleaning wipes every couple weeks, but that's pushing it a bit....

C ya,
Dutch

 

i plasti-dipped my down tubes and worked more on my rear seat delete. i got it bolted down on a hinge for now, but still need to find some black automotive style carpet and some other stuff. not horrible for $20 in supplies.

im thinking about plasti-dipping my headlight rings but I havent seen any good pictures of pure silver MINIs to decide if I want the racoon/panda look.

 

Oh wow....thats horrible. When I was single I lived in apartments that had garages.....so I rented 4 garages in front of my apartment and took the walls down in between them. I was 27 with a 1 bedroom apartment and 4 car garage. I was in the middle of an engine swap one day when the apartment manager walks by and her jaw drops when she sees 2 cars in there, 1 on a portable lift and the other getting an engine yanked. She threatened all kinda stuff, but in the end I told her I paid for all 4 garages and they would be back to normal before I moved out. The best part, the power bill for the garages didnt go to us. They paid that power bill.

 

 

A garage.... Droooooool....

I used to have a garage when I was a kid. My dad was previously a mechanic, too, so he had all the tools I needed, and we lived in a relatively rural area, so nobody complained about you doing work on your car. If things go well this year, though, with the way home values have dropped here in the Great Frying Pan, I might be able to move from the apt. to a small house with a carport....

Just drove Nudnik today--work, y'know. It was a nice drive, though (as usual)....

C ya,
Dutch