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Boy you said it!
The desert is unforgiving.
For someone like myself, that seriously detest dirt - It is beyond my comprehension why I moved out here in the first place
I've NEVER let my engine bay look like this. Pictured below is what happened during the first dust storm I encountered when I first arrived here. Before...
Pictured below is how I've always kept my engine bay looking (and still do).... Always before and Always after
I've gathered a collection of tools over the last decade: spray bottle of water, some de-greaser, and an arsenal of various make-up, stiff bristle brushes, plenty of chamois, rags and some Meguires plastic protectant.
I usually spend about an hour cleaning the engine 2wo or three times a week.. Cleaning the underside is a bit easier - I take it to a DIY carwash; jack up the front end and pressure wash.
It is my belief that: If an engine is dirty on the outside - one can only imagine what the engine looks like on the inside.
Boy you said it!
The desert is unforgiving.
For someone like myself, that seriously detest dirt - It is beyond my comprehension why I moved out here in the first place
I've NEVER let my engine bay look like this. Pictured below is what happened during the first dust storm I encountered when I first arrived here. Before...
Pictured below is how I've always kept my engine bay looking (and still do).... Always before and Always after
I've gathered a collection of tools over the last decade: spray bottle of water, some de-greaser, and an arsenal of various make-up, stiff bristle brushes, plenty of chamois, rags and some Meguires plastic protectant.
I usually spend about an hour cleaning the engine 2wo or three times a week.. Cleaning the underside is a bit easier - I take it to a DIY carwash; jack up the front end and pressure wash.
It is my belief that: If an engine is dirty on the outside - one can only imagine what the engine looks like on the inside.
After looks good.
Been considering getting one of those little pressurized steam cleaners that FB is putting between every other post. Looks like it might be just the thing to get the dust/dirt out from crevices....
Been considering getting one of those little pressurized steam cleaners that FB is putting between every other post. Looks like it might be just the thing to get the dust/dirt out from crevices....
That sounds like a great idea. Having lived in the SE, USA for almost 22 years of Mini ownership, I rarely had to clean my Mini (to this degree) as often. (There is very little air-bourne dirt in the subtropics). I lament not being able to have brought my aircompessor with me (to blow the dirt out of those nooks and crannies) now that I'm out here.
Luckily, I have recently discovered a truck stop that still has their drop-down (free) air lines within the gas pump bays for the truckers. Fortunately, I still have my air nozzel blower and now have other means to deal with all the dirt caught in those nooks
That sounds like a great idea. Having lived in the SE, USA for almost 22 years of Mini ownership, I rarely had to clean my Mini (to this degree) as often. (There is very little air-bourne dirt in the subtropics). I lament not being able to have brought my aircompessor with me (to blow the dirt out of those nooks and crannies) now that I'm out here.
Luckily, I have recently discovered a truck stop that still has their drop-down (free) air lines within the gas pump bays for the truckers. Fortunately, I still have my air nozzel blower and now have other means to deal with all the dirt caught in those nooks
Here in Azirona, we get dust storms. The dust gets EVERYWHERE. Places shielded from wind or easy dusting get full of dust and look like the engine bay in the picture in the areas where not blown off or dusted off. I got replacement mirror caps in chrome (well, one, and one that needs to be returned/exchanged for the chrome one I paid for, anyway), and when I popped the old one off, the inside of the thing had a puddle of crusted-on tan dust stuck to the bottom....
Drove down to The Old Pueblo while logging for my tune. Got gas at the QT on the Benson Hwy. that always has the lowest price around, paid only $3.39 a gallon. Drove home the back way via Park Link Dr. and Historic US 80 (AZ 79). Stopped at the Tom Mix Monument, like i nearly always do when driving that stretch of road. No issues with the car.
Logs should be interesting. Got a couple 2nd gear redline pulls and a few 3rd gear redline pulls in. Getting new calipers, Bluestuff pads, and EBC slotted rotors in the back on Monday, along with fixing the fuel filter leak that smells up the car with gas fumes....
Took a leisurely 100 mi drive this morning. Rolled 3ft out of the parking space before I noticed... Just turned over 120k...kinda sad that I've put nearly 15k miles on the OD within the last year and a half. But still reliable, running mean and fast after all these years!
Chasing rainbows down I-25
The Rainbow's end....
The pot of gold at the rainbow's end?? I haven't seen gas prices this low in a couple of years!
Coming back - Stopped off @ Phillips 66 - dropped in a bottle of Techron fuel and injector cleaner and $25 of 91.
Went over to the O'Reilly hub store in Chandler, and took the long way back to San Tan via Coolidge. Nice weather for a drive, and the car ran nicely. Got some nice logs to look at later.
Last edited by joe_bfstplk; Nov 29, 2025 at 06:05 PM.
The "Point of Safe Return"... My (near) Thanksgiving day nightmare.
One of the things I love, besides working on and driving my Mini - Is seeing the awesome performance and gas mileage I'm getting while driving cross country.
The other day, we were off from work (off set), for a couple of days. So I decided to take a nice little cruise down I-25 S. The absence of traffic had me wondering - I had no idea it was Thanksgiving day.
Lost in the bliss of cruising, nearly 150miles South from ABQ, I passed through the small town of Truth or Consequences.
I took comfort in seeing that I'd driven just under 170mi on a 1/4 tank of gas. Referencing my GPS I discovered I was just 80mi away from the Gila National Forest.
I figured, what the heck - I'm up for taking a scenic drive through the mountains. The way it looked; I had a fair amount of gas and can always top off on the way back.
A screen shot taken as an example of my route. Yes - every little squiggle shown is just a mere illustration of what I was about to encounter.
Well, at the time , I'd never considered it was 4pm. Sunset out here is 5:30pm and it's dark by 6pm.
Yep - After a nice 40mi, sunset comfort cruise through the winding valley roads heading up to the mountains - by the time I'd reached the Gila National Forest it was pitch black...
(no pics):
Foolishly, I continued on. A nail biting, white knuckle drive into sheer darkness, attempting to negotiate the twisty mountain one lane road. Switch backs at every turn, hoping to avoid hitting the constant deer and nocturnal wildlife that
appeared out of knowwhere.(sorry no pics).
After about an hour, 30mi driving in pitch blackness, I finally reached the nexus just 17mi short of the Gila Cliff Monument and Hot Springs welcome center. It was then that I realized I was down to a quarter of a tank and hadn't seen a gas station
since passing through the small town of Truth Or Consequences (some 80-90mi away)! There was no GPS or cel signal up here. I contemplated the risk of going any further until daylight. With only a 1/4 tank - I was passed the "point of safe return".
Needless to say; I was a little more than concerned. To make matters worse; the temp had dropped down to 35º. So I bed down for the night (in the middle of the dark forest) behind the wheel of my near frozen Mini.
Come daylight - I awoke frozen to the bone. My Mini covered in frost. I couldn't even see out of my windows. The overnight temps had dropped to 20º. It had gotten so cold; the battery in my cel phone had drained.
I hadn't seen a car drive by all night long and even into the morning. As sat there for an hour with no means of outside communication to "the civilized world".(sorry no pics), I decided to brave the cold and walk out to the road where I came upon a sign pointing to the Gila Cliffs welcome center. Just 17 more miles up the mountain. The sign indicated hiking, camp sights, food and (hallelujah!) - GAS!!!. *(on a side note: I fail to fathom how it's even possible to drive a tanker up and through these steep mountain winding roads. Seriously; it's like Ice Road Truckers - "India" version out here!)
Cel phone battery 20% charged - Still no service and concerned, yet full of (false) relief, I took a chance and began to drive up the mountain road with hope that I can make it to the welcome center without running out of gas.
Finally arriving to the top of the Gila Cliff Dwellings near the welcome center. By then it was 9am.
To my dismay, my heart sank - only to find Everything was closed. Of course it was THANKSGIVING! - No gas, no food, no wifi - only an eerie sense of isolation.
At that point I had barely used up any of my last 1/4 tank. The range on my speedo tach showed a little over 90mi.
Having no choice (other than spending another day and freezing night hoping the facilities would be open the next day), I decided to take my chances; back down the mountain forest in hopes to reaching some semblance of civilization and a GPS signal at the risk of being stranded - out of gas.
So back down the mountain I went - for another wild, white knuckle decent.
Thankfully the mountain pass was mostly downhill. With "free fall" speeds in excess of 70mph; the Mini was nimble and a blast to drive (during daylight). I was also able to conserve a good amount of fuel.
"The eagle has landed"...
After finally managing to make it down the mountains and nearly out of the woods without going off a cliff or (worse?), running out of gas... The red marker on the gas gauge illuminated. I had a little over 1/8 of a tank left and FINALLY a GPS signal and cel service.
I searched for gas stations nearby and was lucky to find a Cheveron station (open) 40 miles away in the small town of Silver City.
I forgot to take pictures but long, long, story short - I made it to Silver City. I was certainly impressed and relieved to see that my Mini barely used up any of the remaining gas between that distance to get to Cheveron. Filled up on 91 at above the current price @ $3.59/gal.
(Top tier gas prices out here are currently around $2.79- $3.07). My OD read that I had traveled 316.6miles on a full tank during this entire episode..
Having made it back to the city; I really shouldn't be that surprised - In the past; driving across the country, on relatively flat interstates at a constant 75-85mph, I've seen my Mini go as far as 370miles on a tank of gas.
I envy you guys for living in the USA with such beautiful landscapes. Where I live it's just flat with either grassland or urban city.
Traveling through this country is absolutely beautiful and diverse. Over the past 40 years - I've driven through most states way North from upstate NY, through the Midwest, over to the furthest tip of Maine down along the Eastern cost to Florida and the Florida Keys - across the Everglades up "Alligator Alley" to St.Pete beach/ Tampa Bay. Across the Lousiana marsh lands to Austin, Texas up to Albuquerque, NM and onward across Arizona to Palm Springs/ Death Valley, Ca to Los Angeles. Not all in my Mini of course. But I think my most memorable adventure was driving coast to coast (2,500+ mi) from Los Angeles, CA to Tampa Bay, Fl in a $250, bone stock, 1967 VW bus powered by a 40hp single port engine. That trip took me almost 4 days non stop at a top speed of 65 mph (downhill - 40mph uphill). It was that trip alone is what made me appreciate the beauty and diversity of this country even more. Driving a Mini long distances makes it even more enjoyable and exhilarating.
Personally; I love driving through the long (desolate) stretch of flat grasslands.
I just make sure I have enough gas!
Come over and visit us if you can
This morning I stopped by a local gas station and topped off my tank ($25) w/91, @ a crazy never been seen before in many years, $2.50/gal.
Later that afternoon I stopped by the same gas station to grab something to drink - gas price rose back up to $2.89/gal for 91, in just a few hours!
I love to drive.
Hoping these low gas prices will hold on just a little bit longer since my job might have me driving out to Nevada for my next gig.
How sweet it is!
