As mentioned here, I had the used set of GY Eagle non-runflat tires reinstalled this morning. Those had been marked with prior position at time former owner had them removed in May before returning the MCS at end of lease, so a great time to position per FWD rotation pattern.

Only driven around town so far but it was immediately obvious that non-runflats do ride smoother and quieter. Another aspect noticed was that front wheel torque steer was reduced as well. My thinking is that super-stiff sidewall construction conspires to make the FWD steering hyper while on the throttle and turning into corners. Much more neutral and natural now!

 

Got a used center console switch unit from ebay.co.uk shipped over here, and installed it today. I have the rear fog light but not the wire that connects to it, yet. I feel much better not having a curious gap in my switches. Also a great chance to clean all the old coffee and soda stains from down in the cup holders.

Lately I've been using ODB Fusion on my iPhone with a Veepeak Wi-Fi adapter. It started working when I told OBD Fusion it's a Kiwi.

How come it doesn't read ambient air temperature?

I ordered four Smith's magnolia Classic Mini gauges from minispares.com, and Cravenspeed mounts. Hopefully they will look OK. What I really need to be doing right now is replacing my fan resistor and control arm bushings, but the parts are still on the way.

 

Your car should be pre wired for the rear fog light and the connector is probably behind the bumper by the cutout. You can try the switch after connecting the light but it probably won't work unless the car had the option previously coded on the car, which is unlikely. If it's not working, you'll have to get the rear fog function activated by the dealer, or a shop who can program the BCM in the car.

 

Yes, that's very likely. But ECS Tuning says I'm missing the last mile of the wiring harness, because my car was built from 7/2004 through 11/2004, and BMW did it that way for, uh, reasons?

I haven't taken the rear bumper cover all the way off yet, but I've searched a bit and don't see any wire going to the rear fog lamp. So once I have that 63120406620 kit I'll get the bumper cover off and get it plugged in. Then I'll see if I need a dealer reflash. I kind of want to open my doors on the first try so I wouldn't really mind going over there for that.

 

First touch of detailing after washing. Hit the wheels with Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus and the rest of the outside with CG Maxi Suds, dried with waffle weave, then laid down some Sonax Polymer Net Shield. Hit the wheel arches and interior surfaces with some 303 Aerospace. Hopefully it'll manage to stay clean for a bit. Silver cars don't really shine like darker colors, but it'll do





--Matt

 

Installed the CAM Position Sensor on my r53 to correct the "rough/cold start" issue. Also topped off all fluids and checked the oil. Waiting on parts from ECS now. Sadly I also blew out one of my Harman lower front speakers so I will be ordering one of those this evening too.

 

Almost looks like winter time until you see all the green in back.

 

Looks better post wash for sure. Very very clean.

 

Received and installed my new cables for the sun roof from ecs today. That's $511 that could have been spent on fun mods. But what's the point of a convertible if you can't put the top down?

Also got a new torque wrench and a hood emblem. Now to figure out how to get the old emblem off.

 

For the emblem use fishing line or string behind it to cut the double sided "tape" used. Then use goof off to get rid of all the residue. I did it to mine when I first got it and it worked great!

 

Be careful using Goof Off. I used some to remove adhesive residue on glossy plastic and it severely attacked the finish. Read the note precautions:

Goof Off® Pro Strength Super Glue Remover
DIRECTIONS:

Always use safety goggles. People with sensitive skin should use solvent resistant gloves.
1. Apply directly to adhesive/glue
2. Allow 1-2 minutes to penetrate
3. Wipe off softened glue
4. Repeat if necessary

NOTE: Multiple applications may be necessary to remove heavy amounts of cured glue. For tight areas, use a small paint brush for application.

CAUTION: Always test on an inconspicuous area first, as every hard surface is different.
Damages many plastics, some automotive paints, and some carpets.
You may need to rewax some surfaces to renew gloss.

 

As with anything you want to test the area first but the area I was talking about using it on was the paint and it has been approved to be used on automotive paint. MOTOR ON

 

Use wd40 on the glue.

 

Goo Gone is a lot more forgiving than Goof Off. I've used Goo Gone sparingly on a glossy book cover before with no damage.

 

Today was my day for putting on my shiny red AutoXCooper k-brace, and their strut tower plates. I put the plates in my R50 before; that went the same. I had my 5 year old daughter help me assemble the k-brace for a while, until she wandered off. My k-brace was from e-bay, and cheaper than the one on the website. I think mine is the old version, with square stock diagonals and two bold holes in the back, instead of the newer one with round tubes. I think it's fine for me.

Also changed the gear oil with some Redline MTL. Put in Gold Plug magnetic plugs in the oil drain pan and transmission. I had to grind the flange on the MT-10 18mm transmission plug to get it to fit, but at least it's half as expensive as the Dimple.

Now busy browsing ebay.co.uk for for a British looking classic oil can to make an oil catch can out of. Since I live in Ballard I used a Bardahl can for my Jeep CJ5, but I don't think that will do for a Mini.

 

I agree I will admit I typed the wrong thing and meant goo gone. WD40 does work as well. Its not a hard project lol

 

Brake ducts installed on the track toy, it's like these fog lights are made for it, pop off the glass lenses and it's a factory fit. Getting around the crank pulley and axle, not so much that's a tight fit, safety wired everything in place

 

So yesterday, I hit a milestone. No, not on mileage, but in where I drove the Mini. I waited a decade to finally have the chance, and I did it. I drove Egan on the Tail of the Dragon yesterday. I never could find the time for the annual Minis On The Dragon, so I just went ahead and made me own Mini adventure.

And let me just say, I thought I knew the limits of the Mini, but after those runs I did yesterday, it was more capable than I had thought. The whole time, it felt absolutely planted to the ground, and never once felt unsafe. I always knew the Mini could handle like it was on rails, and on those roads-not just the Dragon, but other surrounding ones-it really did handle like it was on rails. Absolutely astounding.

And today? Decided to try out the Blue Ridge Parkway, and take a few detours on some roads off the parkway. And holy crap. I found a few different roads which were like mini-Dragon sections, and others which I could drive on all day.

So far, I've driven around 1.5k miles since Saturday on my trip, and Egan hasn't missed a beat. Not bad for a car with 154k miles on it, and original clutch and suspension. :nods:

 

Congratulations! Doing things for yourself is gratifying. You should always do the things that you dream of - no regrets. Glad that Egan is still performing well for you. Motor on and on and on.......

 

Nice going. Hope you got a chance to stop and take pictures to share. Probably the way we'll have to do the Dragon. There's always something that comes up in the Spring for us to get in the way of the trip.

Minis are great fun on any road, but there are those "special" places.

 

Received my OBDII Wifi scanner in the mail today from amazon and paired it with the dash command app for my iphone. Since I have the nav on my r53 I now have a way to monitor things such as coolant temp, mpg, intake temps etc. I am pleased with the kit that I put together for like 25 bucks.

 

Finally got the Roadster in for a first service at Mini of Peabody in Massachusetts, since there are no Mini dealerships in Maine. Long day, with a 2 hour drive to get there in the morning and then 2.5 hours the car spent in the shop. We went out for a walk around the area most of that time and ended up having an early lunch.

Anyway, Mini of Peabody is where our Roadster was originally sold a year ago last May. The original owner kept the car until late August (4 whole months) and traded it for a truck. Was able to contact the original owner who put 5,000 cross country highway miles on it after visiting a Toyota dealership to take a look at it. We found it there after looking around in Car Gurus web site. Figured it would be a low miles fixer upper, but it turned out to be a pristine Roadster with perfect body, engine and paint. Not exactly as I would have ordered it, but close enough.

Toyota said they changed the oil, and it was very clean when I pulled the dip stick. After driving it a couple of times we made a very quick and good deal on it... one that my wife and I took, since the discount over a new one (none to be had that we liked by then in the USA, we searched) was about $13-14k from it's original price.

The Mini started to ask for Maintenance last week, so I booked a service date. Never having dealt with an actual Mini dealership, I was pleasantly surprised on the service. Noted great attitude from the employees, and a smooth process. Very willing to please and happy to represent Mini. The workshop was really clean and well maintained.

So, oil, all filters, wipers, brake fluid replaced and a needed alignment was performed. We also ordered a new key, since ours only came with one. They definitely dialed in the suspension and left the steering wheel straight. The painted piece below the front black bottom grill had been loose since we bought it. They fixed that, even though I forgot to mention it. The car was well washed and dried when it was handed over, even though it went in clean. Engine compartment was left clean, as well. Oil/brake fluid levels right on the marks.

No complaints. Several Maine Mini's scheduled maintenance there during the day and saw 2 of them, R56S and an R55, didn't run into the owners, but there was only one Roadster on the premises yesterday and it got a fair amount of attention.

We then took a nice top down drive from Peabody to Salem, Gloucester, and Rockport. Very picturesque area, lots of interesting history. I've lived in New England 21 years now and had never had the opportunity to make it out to that part of MA. Will have to go back to spend some time in that area after vacation season tapers off in September. Definitely worth the tour. Didn't get home till after 7 pm, a 12 hour day and nearly 7 hours of it actually driving the Mini.

Fun Mini trip, even for maintenance. A good day.

 

Yup. Egan is running as well as ever. No mechanical faults, or anything really worth mentioning. The only thing I could probably say is I think some better brakes will be in order. Not because of brake wear, but rather I want better stopping power. Tires wise, those Bridgestone Potenzas are awesome in the dry, but not as good in wet conditions.

This winter, I hope to service the supercharger, and clutch, add a LSD, replace some seals, and anything else that would be a good time to replace since I'll have a lot of stuff removed. Egan will be ready for another 150k miles at this rate.

And yes, definitely motoring on and on. Going on those roads, and getting a perfectly synced heel-and-toe shift before a corner, and then back on the power again. Hell, just rev-matching, and letting the car brake on its own before a corner is a glorious feeling. Just shows how much I love it.


I honestly did not take as many pictures while there because I was having so much fun driving. That being said, I did manage to record some footage of a couple Dragon runs, as well as some other roads I discovered off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Call them, Mini-Dragons if you wish.

Today, I was at the Shenandoah National Park, which was more of a relaxing drive than a more ***** to the walls type drive. Got to enjoy a lot of awesome scenery, and a couple of times, the music playing perfectly matched what was happening. Those moments make any drive worth it.

By the time I'm back in WI, I'll have put on around 3,000 miles on this drive. I'll let you guys know the exact figure when I get back Saturday night.

 

Put my stripes on today...

 

Do you have a wider shot of that? I like the diagonal.