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General MINI TalkShared experiences, motoring minutes, and other general MINI-related discussion that applies to all MINIs, regardless of model, year or trim.
Thanks for the pics on the dipstick, very helpful 👍
Must be karma or something, just after I made this post I went out to drive the mini and decided to check the oil ...pulled out a broken but intact dipstick! However I was able to read it a little better because now there's a light milkshake on the end , wtf! Can't catch a break with this car...
Must be karma or something, just after I made this post I went out to drive the mini and decided to check the oil ...pulled out a broken but intact dipstick! However I was able to read it a little better because now there's a light milkshake on the end , wtf! Can't catch a break with this car...
Oh, that suck big time…
Blown head gasket, likely. Good karma as you caught it early. Hope you can fix it…
At the beginning of the week as I was exiting the highway, I noticed a slight whine from the left front wheel. It got progressively louder over the next 100 miles. Quick check of the tires ruled that out, so I bought a set of wheel bearings (with hubs, of course) and installed this morning. Also rotated the tires while I had it in the garage.
Happy to say the whine is gone....just hope these tires will last to the end of the season, not much mojo left on them.
Well after 1 year and 15k miles, I changed my front brake pads on the JCW. I was getting a nasty squeal from the left front. Pretty easy to change.
once the wheels come off you only need 3 tools, I used a 3/16 punch, small hammer and a flathead.
changed wipers after a year also and gave her a bath and vacuum. No more squeal! And no more streaky windshield!
When we purchased our '04 R53 back in 2003, it originally came with a Mini signature pen in the glove compartment. After a few years into ownership, I was sad to find the pen had gone missing at some point.
In 2008 I stopped by the dealer to see if I could buy a replacement. Unfortunately they said that the pens were NLA and only came with the preorder 1st gens. In recent years I had searched the internet off and on to no avail.
About 2wo weeks ago during a fluke search, I managed to score one on eBay. Today I received an original, genuine Mini pen...
Of course the ink had completely dried out over the past 20 years.
But - after an hour or so, I finally managed to rejuvenate the old ink by soaking the cartridge in near boiling water and chlorine.
It's all in the details
As strange as it may sound, my Mini almost seems whole again with the inclusion of this pen.
Happy again
Nice, i have seen people shine those up with wire wheel and polish. Almost looks chrome. But it was for a show car. lol
No need for me to go as far as polishing to mirror like perfection. I'm just grateful to have discovered that you / @ECS Tuning still sell replacements!!!
Thanks!
Yep, glad to help.
I have seen that pen. I got the rare Hot Orange clear one for the MINI Convertible launch.
Oh that's cool!
Show 'n' tell?
' Love to see it (even if it's not "what you've done to your Mini today").
BTW: Would you happen to know if there was a black version in any of these pens?
For some reason I keep picturing the one that came with our Mini was black...but it's been so long ago, I can't be sure.
All My MINI item are at the BMWCCA Museum in Spartanburg SC for the MINIs to the Max 65 years.
This is right next to the Spartanburg SC BMW plant and BMW Performance Driving School. I would make a trip if you can while its there! Open to the public!
BMW CCA Foundation, 190 Manatee Ct, Greer, SC 29651
Most of those item in that case are mine. They did not display all my items, i gave them too many lol. In fact over the years of BMW stuff I gave them more items then anyone they have seen. That includes all BMW owners.
I gave them some of the rarest MINI items ever made and some were ONE... one per dealer.
1. Euro Picnic set
2. Dealer only tea sets in black and yellow, displayed in the case when first 50 dealers opened.
3. Hey Horn
4. MINI Motorer 'Rat fink" design banner that only got one per dealer, these were in the showroom and only in service, the set i bought was from the company that originally designed them. I bought them from the design companies manager.
5. MINI Gas cap - one per dealer
6. many other rare items that should be in a museum.
MINIUSA donated some items but my items were more rare. As most were internal or dealer level. MINI and MINIUSA did not keep as much as I have. They must have thrown some stuff away.
Insane!
Above and beyond what I expected. Thank you - for not only posting the image of the other official pen but to the overwhelming contribution you've made to the BMW museum - WOW!
Hmmm - And I thought I did really well to have saved the pen, the owner’s manual, the leather case it came in and some road game cards that all came with the car. You definitely got me beat…. Nicely done.
Finally got around to the Powerflex control arm bushings, today. Install went really smoothly thanks to having access to the right tools. The car feels fantastic, now, with nor more shimmy when braking from highway speeds and feels much more planted over rough roads and in corners.
Yes, the lift is super nice to have access to. I also didn't even have to disconnect the electrical connectors on the steering rack. Used an 18mm reversible ratcheting wrench to loosen to the bolts. I did fully pull the arms so I could get the BMW puller tool onto the arms/bushings. I used a sacrifical nut to knock the balljoints out of the subframe. Tech tip on opening up the exhaust clamp when it's still in good shape. I used a bolt and two nuts to make a separator the spread it open and hold it open to remove the exhaust. These bushings were meant for this car, they tie in with test of the motif.
All My MINI item are at the BMWCCA Museum in Spartanburg SC for the MINIs to the Max 65 years.
This is right next to the Spartanburg SC BMW plant and BMW Performance Driving School. I would make a trip if you can while its there! Open to the public!
BMW CCA Foundation, 190 Manatee Ct, Greer, SC 29651
Most of those item in that case are mine. They did not display all my items, i gave them too many lol. In fact over the years of BMW stuff I gave them more items then anyone they have seen. That includes all BMW owners.
I gave them some of the rarest MINI items ever made and some were ONE... one per dealer.
1. Euro Picnic set
2. Dealer only tea sets in black and yellow, displayed in the case when first 50 dealers opened.
3. Hey Horn
4. MINI Motorer 'Rat fink" design banner that only got one per dealer, these were in the showroom and only in service, the set i bought was from the company that originally designed them. I bought them from the design companies manager.
5. MINI Gas cap - one per dealer
6. many other rare items that should be in a museum.
MINIUSA donated some items but my items were more rare. As most were internal or dealer level. MINI and MINIUSA did not keep as much as I have. They must have thrown some stuff away.
The speakers are 4ohm impedance, not 2 ohm like the OEM HK speakers. BUT, these have a higher sensitivity. I "May" have lost a little bit of loudness, but the OEM HK amp can push hard enough not to notice. My long term goal will be to change out the rear 6x9s, change out the HK amp, and add a subwoofer. But for now, I am 100% satisfied.
Another interesting choice @njaremka .
As my next project is to "upgrade" / replace my factory speakers. I'm still running my original factory Alpine...
I really know nothing about audio speakers - I currently have a pair of (4ohm), 6.5 JBL Club6520 and a pair of 6x9, 300w/ea, JBL GX963 sitting in a cart right now but haven't yet pulled the trigger.
I'm not familiar with the DS18 brand (I do prefer a midrange),but would be interested to know what you think about them.
I had contemplated the JBL Club 6.5" coaxials. They spec at 3ohm impedance, so closer to the OEM 2ohm. Since I had planned to keep the HK system intact for a while, I was trying to find a balance between impedance, sensitivity, and cost. I read so many forums and articles discussing impedance and amp matching, that my eyes started glossing over. Since I'm going from 2ohm speakers to 4ohm speakers, there is no impact to the amp. If you went from 4ohm to 2ohm, then you'd have to make sure the amp is stable at that load, and it won't over heat. It ultimately boils down to power handling and sensitivity. A speakers sensitivity is a measure of high much sound power they can produce as a function of the power being provided. As long as the new speakers have better sensitivity, you won't notice much difference in output going from a 2ohm speaker to a 4ohm speaker.
As for the DS18 brand, they are an inexpensive speaker. The two mid-range are ~$35 each, and the 4" mid-door speakers were ~$38 for the pair. They have a paper cone and iron magnets. The lows hit similar to the OEM HK speakers, and highs are nice and clean - at least that's how my uncalibrated ears hear it. I would have no issue recommending them for speakers. Once I add an amp and a sub, I'll have way more audio than I know what to do with.
I had contemplated the JBL Club 6.5" coaxials. They spec at 3ohm impedance, so closer to the OEM 2ohm. Since I had planned to keep the HK system intact for a while, I was trying to find a balance between impedance, sensitivity, and cost. I read so many forums and articles discussing impedance and amp matching, that my eyes started glossing over. Since I'm going from 2ohm speakers to 4ohm speakers, there is no impact to the amp. If you went from 4ohm to 2ohm, then you'd have to make sure the amp is stable at that load, and it won't over heat. It ultimately boils down to power handling and sensitivity. A speakers sensitivity is a measure of high much sound power they can produce as a function of the power being provided. As long as the new speakers have better sensitivity, you won't notice much difference in output going from a 2ohm speaker to a 4ohm speaker.
As for the DS18 brand, they are an inexpensive speaker. The two mid-range are ~$35 each, and the 4" mid-door speakers were ~$38 for the pair. They have a paper cone and iron magnets. The lows hit similar to the OEM HK speakers, and highs are nice and clean - at least that's how my uncalibrated ears hear it. I would have no issue recommending them for speakers. Once I add an amp and a sub, I'll have way more audio than I know what to do with.
Thanks for the quick response. It has helped me to understand a little more regarding the relevance of impenitence (which I didn't quite understand). and potential results between ohms (±) . From what I've read; the stock/factory speakers are 4ohms.
I plan to keep the factory Alpine head unit. I believe it is also 4ohms. I think I should be good...it now, only boils down to affordability (I don't need a lot of bass).
Originally Posted by njaremka
....I read so many forums and articles discussing impedance and amp matching, that my eyes started glossing over....
Thanks for the quick response. It has helped me to understand a little more regarding the relevance of impenitence (which I didn't quite understand). and potential results between ohms (±) . From what I've read; the stock/factory speakers are 4ohms.
I plan to keep the factory Alpine head unit. I believe it is also 4ohms. I think I should be good...it now, only boils down to affordability (I don't need a lot of bass).
Yeah...I too began to feel a bit woozy myself
Thanks!
Does your car have an amplifier? Power handling is the other consideration, or watts RMS. Speakers are advertised with a max power handling and RMS, which is the continuous power a speaker can handle. You don't want a speaker with a high RMS on low output headunit/amplifier, or you will lose volume. A 300W max speaker on a 50W max channel is not going to produce the sound you want, and vice-versa. Too low vs amp output and the speaker will distort and fail. Too high and you won't get the sound output you want. So research what the output of the factory system is before jumping in. I know modern systems have a higher output than older systems, but it is definitely something to keep in mind. (Just when you thought you were understanding it. Lol!)
, wtf! Can't catch a break with this car...
Nicely done. 
