Like many others, my Battery just died after three years. I'll have the car towed to the nearest dealer (2 and 1/2 hours away) to make sure it's just the battery.
I'm just a little bit nervous about the transportation though.
Anybody ever had any scratches or bumps from those towing?

 

I've had MINIs towed twice...

Never had any damage to the car... Last time I had a MINI towed it was on the rig for over 3 hours (driver took the LONG way)

Also your car should be flatbedded, that makes a bit of a difference... There is a way to tow it without flatbedding it, but for best results it should go on the flatbed...

 

One thing I urge every MINI owner to do is purchase a second tow hook. The car must be attached to the truck by at least 2 points. MINI only gives you one hook, so the tow truck driver is going to guess the best place on your car to wrap a strap and crank it tight with an incredibly strong winch. You don't want him doing this to something not meant to take that kind of stress.

 

Hmmmm, that's a very good point. I guess I have a bigger problem now: my tow hook on the lower grille is covered by an M7 ultimate grille, so I have zero hooks now...
Any guess on where would be the best place for the strap now?

 

newbie question, but where to get additional tow hook? I've seen some styles that are a different. Any DIY ones out there? Stainless? It's a standard thread pattern right?

 

Xman, the best place (in my opinion) is to have the strap wrapped through one of the front wheels. You should be able to cut a round hole in your M7 grille and place a rubber grommet in place. You'd think that M7 would offer such a thing considering that many track events require a tow hook.

SCmini, just buy a hook from the dealer. It is a standard BMW part, but it is NOT a standard thread pattern at all.

There are various "race" tow hooks available out there. Some of them are suitable for towing and some of them are just toys that look neat.

 

I've had 2 of our 3 MINIs towed. Most recently in Vegas during MTTS. (My 06 MCS clutch slave cylinder was leaking) I've noticed that the straps the drivers use on the flatbed are usually very greasy, leaving greasy black stains on my otherwise pristine white S-not-so-lights. This time I made sure he used clean rags to protect the wheels from the greasy straps. No bumps or bruises to report from any tow event. It should be noted however, I've ridden with the driver to the dealer on every occaision.

 

Thanks a lot for the tip. I'll make sure I'll check it out since I also have the white S-lites.

 

Thought you might like to know I got a letter from MINI a couple of months ago saying my battery might crap out, Aug. 03 build 03 MC), and to come by the dealer for a new one. Small problem is the dealer is 4.5 hours away. I'm going there in a couple of weeks for my last maintainance checkup and will get the battery then.

 

Everytime I've had a dead battery on other cars had someone jump start me and drove to the dealer, no need for a tow. Unless you think it's something other than the battery. Just a thought....

 

I thought about that. But I just want to make sure it's not something else draining the battery. I'm also a little worry that the dealer couldn't take care of the problem on the same day, don't want to spent the night in a Hotel...