From what I've read so far, I'm very impressed with the knowledge and passion MINI owners have! I've owned my 2002 stock non-S for 4 weeks now.

I plan to change the oil after reading the threads on using synthetic. I only used synthetic in my BMW, but I'm assuming the non-MINI dealer I bought from, used mineral based and I was going to wait to change over, but after reading, plan to change this weekend. I also found a handy post here showing exactly what I needed and how to do it.

I do have a few questions, I hope some of you vet's can answer.
1. How do I remove and re-seat the drivers side mirror? I noticed the rubber gasket it sits atop of, was pushed down, so I want to re-seat. I also noticed a thin line of bubbled paint, just a tiny bit wrapped around the very front edge, from top to bottom. Is it possible this mirror is letting moisture in and cause a rust problem or might MINI USA cover under warranty?

2. I too set the airbag light off by placing a bag in the passenger seat. I dread going to the only dealer here in the Twin Cities as they're snobs, but have no choice if looking for recall/warranty work. From what I've read so far, it seems I'll need to bit the bullet and bring it to them.

3. Does the stock exhaust have a natural 'a bit' noticeable deep tone or am I looking at exhaust work? It's not loud, but throaty between 1st and 2nd gear, around 3k rpm.

4. Is it normal to have it rev up to 2k on a cold (60 degree) start, upon shifting from 1st to 2nd? After it warms in a few minutes, it's gone. I literally don't need to hit the gas when shifting into 2nd in this situation. After it does warm up, it does idle well, but does vary a touch, maybe +200 rpm or so, normal? I'm using Premium gas as well.

Sorry for all the questions...Thanks!