During the change, did you do a single drain/fill or multiple drain/fills to reduce the volume of old fluid?

Never mind - realized you have a manual...

 

Installed front and rear brakes, seatbelt extension guides, a 17mm ball for my CarPlay unit and the Bluetooth music module so I don't have to see any wires plugged into the USB/Aux port, new Black trim and hood scoop from eBay China and a gauge pod from Etsy.

 

Got the wheels mounted up today. Fresh Kumhos, new valve stems, fresh center cap stickers, etc.

 

Warning ahead: Yet another stoopid story not really worthy of posting...

It was just a matter of time. I've been running my grille mounted Rally Spot lights night and day since I'd mounted them back in July of 2020.

This afternoon, while admiring my Mini in the reflection, as I drove behind, a nice shiny pickup, I noticed one of the (H3) bulbs in my Rally lights had burnt out. I stopped into O' Reilly which was just up the street to grab a couple of replacements. NO GO = sold out.
Continuing on; I saw and stopped into an Advance Auto. Sold out.
On the way home I made the foolish mistake by stopping in at a local Auto Zone. They had 2wo left on the rack @$17.99/ea ($38 total) - with no other choice but only a single (H3) ultra white @$26.99 on the rack. I purchased the 2wo matching bulbs.


After removing the lens' and bulbs from the Rallys'; I come to realize the pigtails on Sylvania (Basic) H3 replacement bulbs I purchased were too short.
Rather than taking the smart approach and returning the bulbs or sourcing Amazon - I moved forward by splicing on a longer pigtails, connectors and heat shrinked the wiring's to make it work/reach.

That's all well and fine but...

Yet in a foolish afterthought; I went online and sourced Amazon...More to choose from at fraction of the price I had just paid.
No real moral to the story so I'm just going to end it there.

That's what I did wasted time and money on my Mini today = #face-palm

 

LOL, I've done that too. Didn't feel like waiting the 2-days for delivery from Amazon so I spent twice as much from buying it local.

 

Thanks @njaremka ...That was also my initial reasoning as well.
I almost kinda feel better now.

 

The brake lights on Grumpy have been staying on anytime the ignition is on. OK, no biggie, the switch died. Ordered a Hella switch, popped it in tonight, key on, lights are still on. Grrr. I guess I'll have to do more digging.

 

I feel your pain H2G, done that more times than i want to remember.

 

Started working on some custom side scuttle for Ziggy, our R55 Clubman S today. I sourced some used, slightly ratty Union Jack scuttle off Ebay UK. I wanted this style specifically for the flat recessed surface on which to apply an image. Today I began exploring and got one of them disassembled. As I was exploring I found they were made in Taiwan, so they are aftermarket. I ordered some more supplies to finish them. Hoping they turn out how I hope. I was a little disappointed to find some openings around the edges of the recess where the Union Jack image was. Adhesive removal left things a little more marked up than I thought, though, so covering the entire recess is now part of the plan, anyways.

 

Yesterday, I replaced the rear panel of the panoramic sunroof, also replaced both shade screens. The panel had shattered when I was driving on the freeway. I taped a cardboard rectangle in a plastic trash bag to keep the mini covered in case of amlny monsoon storms (I don't have a garage to park it in). Sourced a replacement panel from a junkyard, purchased the shades from Amazon. Replacement took about an hour. Now I have to work on getting the tape residue off.

 

Awesome!

 

Worked on some paint correction yesterday. Still more to go, but the buffer was a Father's Day present and I had to try it out! Someone got too aggressive with sap removal, a bird poop etch mark, and some water marks from around the washer nozzles down the hood. It's not perfect, but it's a huge improvement!


Bird poop mark.

Sap removal mark. There's more sap and another spot like this on the other side of the hood.

Looking good!

Imperfections are hard to photograph, especialy when they have essentially disappeared!

 

Nicely done on the glass replacement. Hope the glass on our 21 year old R50 just doesn’t decide to shatter.

I have used ordinary paint thinner to remove “stuff” like tape residue from car paint without damage. It is not very aggressive.

 

WD40 has worked for me to remove adhesive residue without damaging the finish.

 

Xylene or Xylol (ACE, Lowes, HD etc...) also works very well to remove duct tape residue, it dries slower and is a little more aggressive but still doesn't damage the paint, or at least it hasn't for me. I've used it on many different cars.

 

At 159,300 it was time for an oil change. I would have waited the last 700 miles, but there is a 1000 mile road trip coming up next weekend, going to visit parents and the dragon. LiquiMoly engine flush for 15 min at idle, let cool 15, drain, swap filter, new oil, let run at idle 15 min, drain, swap filter, plug, and new oil. Nice clean oil, all other fluids looking great, ready for some smiles per mile.

 

Having (once again) been stricken with a severe autoimmune impairment has left me unable to drive my Mini with any frequency for the last month.
I'm hoping that I can recover soon enough to enjoy driving the car again. But I know from past experience...it may be a while.

So there my Mini sits, parked outside, open to the elements; e.g: leaves, sap, bird droppings and whatever other vermin might come along looking for a good place to make a nest or worse - make a meal of my wiring and hoses.
As unfortunate as it is - It is almost impossible to park a car outside, away from a canopy of forest trees out here in the sticks.
Although I do have a nice waterproof canvas tarp that is large enough to cover my Mini, I have used it before on a couple of occasions but have noticed small scratches left behind on the glossy black painted roof. Scratches can be polished out.
Replacing chewed wiring, on-the-other-hand...

Today I installed a sonic strobe emitting rodent deterrent I had ordered off Amazon about a week ago.


The Irony:
This is the first thing I saw (30ft from my Mini) as I walked out to the car this morning to perform the installation...

Ok - Hardly small enough to fit and make a nest under the engine compartment...but you get the point.
Unfortunately I was unable to take this photo with the Mini in the background without scaring him away. So I let him finish his breakfast.

I let the car warm up to 204º - at an oil temp of 212º and used a kitchen/meat thermometer to test the heat around the engine compartment before deciding where to mount the device.
Not many places to choose from in a Mini.

Under the passenger side vibration mount is a nice wide open spot on the frame in which the device fit perfectly.
It also appears to be the coolest area I could find under the hood.


Routing/tucking the wiring under the hood seal.


Circled in red: You can see the green glow of the sonic strobe rodent deterrent in it's ready state as it's mounted on the frame rail just under the vibration damper...


Device active and emitting a bright strobe throughout the engine bay.



To tarp or not to tarp? ...Therein lies the question. Scratch resistant car covers cost more than I care to afford right now.

Just a minute there....
Of course - I would be remiss to end this post without yet another anecdote:
Before I moved away from the metro/city; I lived in a "compartment" complex that harbored an over abundance of feral cats. It's not that I don't like cats - but the situation was out of control.
However, there was one particular cat I was fond of (from a distance that is), which I'd affectionately named 'Stilettos'. She was distinct; all black except for white on her hind feet that stretched up to her tarsals (upper ankles).
One early morning before sunrise, as usual, I set out for the 12mi drive to work in my Mini. Upon arrival, I backed the car into my usual spot, locked/set the alarm and proceeded to walk into the building.
Before I reached the front door I'd remembered I'd forgotten something in the car. As I started walking back to my MIni, to my utter disbelief - I see Stilettos emerging from my left front wheel.
She stopped, gave me one last look before casually walking away into some woods adjacent to a nearby neighborhood.
By some miracle, not only did she find a space in which to (safely) perch herself in the undercarriage (engine compartment???) but managed to hang on for dear life during a 6mi 65mph sprint down the expressway!

After that morning - I never saw Stilettos again.
I take comfort in knowing that she is better off and will live a much better life in the care of a suburban family.

Honestly. I can't make this s*** up.

 

So sorry to hear that! All of it. And wish you well…

As for “tarp it” -

The OEM MINI cover isn’t water proof, but it makes for a really nice, scratch proof cover. Use that or the like for an under cover then put a waterproof cover over that. That’s what I have done.

​​​​​​​All the best for you and your car.

 

Thank you @Eddie07S .
I'll take your advice and continue to source a good OEM R53 car cover in combo with my canvas tarp - ' Makes good sense for the duration.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions! Got a bit off this evening with the self car wash sprayer. My buddy had suggested this decal remover wheel, I was going r on give it a shot:

CANOPUS Decal Remover Eraser Wheel - Adhesive, Pinstripe, Sticker, Vinyl Removal Tool Kit for Cars, RVs, Boats - 4 inch Rubber Pad with Drill Adapter https://a.co/d/01iNMHYk

 

Been working on my R58 Coupe. I obtained some R112 rims with the donor car I bought to repair the damage from an accident caused by an uninsured motorist.

This weekend I had the time to spray them. I did epoxy primer Friday/Saturday (had to repair some runs, 1st time spraying epoxy and it has been almost 40 years since I have done any automotive painting). 24 hour cure before base clear on Sunday. Turned out pretty good. One run that I could see last PM



All the work I have been doing is in this thread
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4679472

 

Today I was pleasantly surprised to receive an unexpected package from a family member who had gifted me a car cover for my Mini while I manage my condition/remission for the next few months.


Although, it's non Mini specific - This universal fitment car cover is waterproof, "weather resistant", has a zippered driver side door access and seems perfect for my R53.


Water/weather resistant outer with a pretty nice soft, scratch resistant lining.

It should do it's job in keeping crap off my Mini for the next few months until I am well enough to enjoy driving the car again.

Truly one of the most thoughtful and much appreciated gifts I've ever received.

 

I sure hope your remission is going well my friend.

 

Last weekend, roughly 1000 miles. Got my 100 on the dragon before noon on Saturday, key is to get as many runs in as you can before 10. After 10 everyone in Tennessee and North Carolina are awake and heading your way. Other than no ac, didn’t burn or lose any oil, and she ran like a champ. She’s getting a bath today, tomorrow going to get the ac system evacuated and this weekend new compressor, condenser, o rings, and high and low side Schrader valves. Figured since the compressor went, might as well refresh what I can, since the system will be empty.

 

No AC in the summer months? - Yikes!
Although I hardly / if never run my AC (except for heat/winter) - Mine went out during the hottest consecutive 105° days in August while living in Austin. The dealer wanted $3,800 to change out the compressor rather than investigate what was wrong.
I spent 3 years without AC until I decided to take the cheapest route by changing out the compressor clutch myself. Had the system evacuated an refilled and all has been good since then. Having been stuck in summer gridlock, I've come to appreciate having AC more than ever.

Sounds like a lot of work Jason. But glad to hear that your taking it on as well as making the Mini right again.