Don't you hate it when your MINI's spirit acts up--and it decides to not allow you to put your windows up after you turn your car off, and it in fact puts them down for you when you leave the car or start the car...Or it doesn't let you lock the drivers side door with the key fob or when you are in the car and manually toggle the switch...and the "emergency" key on the end of the spaceship doesn't work and will not turn...Its not a poltergeist despite the spirited appearance, but an actualizer problem...so if you are having these symptoms take your MINI to have the actualizer exercised and all will be well.

In all seriousness, this has been the most frustrating weekend--car started acting up on Saturday and being a holiday weekend I had to leave a message with my dealer, but they called me at 7:15am this morning and have the car fixed. Apparently the actualizer was installed 90 degrees turned the wrong way from the factory--I have read about this happening to 1st generation MINI's but have not seen anyone have this problem who has a Clubman. Just thought I would save someone else the headache I have experienced.

 

The Britishers in Oxford hate working for Fritz and sabotage things every chance they get. As they will never forgive Fritz the problems are likely to continue.

 

ok..you got me who/ what is Fritz?

--is this a reference to Metropolis?

 

Did not mean to but we are a few generations apart.

Going back to WW II the Brits refer to the Germans as Fritz, a common German first name and dislike them intensely. This may have something to do with the V1 and V2 flying bombs that peppered London forcing the populace in and out of shelters at the sound of the warning sirens.

British prisoners in German camps were sabotaging everything they could get their hands on and after the war some German companies with manufacturing links to England claimed that the sabotaging continued so as to bring marketplace advantages to the UK companies.

Much later, when VW and BMW flush with German economy money acquired Rolls, Bentley, BLMC etc. the British unions were furious that Fritz would come back and rob them of their national treasures. Needless to say that the early going was not a honeymoon.

BMW management in Munich has identified Fiat as the next development and manufacturing partner for the next generation Mini the export versions of which may very well not be built in England.