Just bought my first mini!

Discussion in 'Starting Line - New Member Introductions' started by dchernikoff, Jul 19, 2016.

  1. dchernikoff

    dchernikoff New Member

    Jul 19, 2016
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    New to the forum here. After admiring the original Mini as a kid, and lusting after the new Mini's as an adult, I finally bought my first one -- a 2009 Chili Pepper Red Cooper S hardtop. And it's even more fun than I imagined it would be to drive! Or just to look at thru the window as it's parked outside my office. But my wife is convinced I've gone insane, I fear -- I've spent the last week reading the owners manuals in bed and cracking up. They are a hoot!

    It has some troubles, being a used car with 112,000 miles on it. But it was well cared for by previous owners, and I've found a shop to sort out the troubles (severed brake wear sensor cable, DSC/ABS warning light, leaky oil filter housing seal). I'm looking forward to doing some personalizations to it as well, and have already seen some things on this forum I want to try. Glad to be here!

    -Dan
     

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  2. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

    Jun 4, 2009
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    Welcome, some say red is the fastest color.
     
  3. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Welcome to MA! Nice color!
     
  4. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    Terrific looking second generation S and Welcome to Motoring Alliance the onlyest MINI forum you'll ever need !!
     
  5. dchernikoff

    dchernikoff New Member

    Jul 19, 2016
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    Thanks all! I agree, Red is the fastest.

    This is the fourth forum I've tried. The others are all dead! :-( Glad to finally be greeted in one!

    -Dan
     
  6. DneprDave

    DneprDave Well-Known Member
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    Welcome!

    Hey Crashton, wadaya mean, "Some say"? Red IS the fastest color!
     
  7. Red Bull

    Red Bull Active Member

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    Welcome! Which shop did you find, Edge Motorworks, BRR, or another one?

    I just noticed you have two posts in this thread, but your post count only says 1 :crazy:
     
  8. MelloCooper

    MelloCooper New Member

    Jun 18, 2016
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    Welcome and nice mini.
     
  9. Sig

    Sig Member

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    Welcome, I agree red is the best and fastest color :)
     
  10. wmwny

    wmwny Well-Known Member

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    Welcome to M/A!:Thumbsup:

    Nice looking S!
     
  11. Firebro17

    Firebro17 Dazed, but not Confused
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    Man that thing sure looks nice for all them miles! I never thought a car could be driven 14,000 miles a year in the Bay Area.
     
  12. Qik

    Qik Well-Known Member

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    Welcome! Nice R56! You're all wrong, White Silver is the fastest color :D
     
  13. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Welcome and nice Chili Red MINI. :Thumbsup:
     
  14. eMINIparts

    eMINIparts Well-Known Member
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    Welcome to the coolest MINI forum on the net...........:cool:
     
  15. Friskie

    Friskie Well-Known Member

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    You read the instruction book??!!!! We need to talk...
    Welcome to the world of MINI, the true art of motoring is at your feet.
     
  16. Goldsmithy

    Goldsmithy MINI Alliance Ambassador
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    Welcome. Great site and greater people.
     
  17. dchernikoff

    dchernikoff New Member

    Jul 19, 2016
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    First I went to German Motor Specialist in Mountain View. It's very close to my home. They did the pre-buy checklist, came up with a lot of things to fix. I had them do some, but they are very pricey. Then I called around, and a friend actually recommended Fast Lane European in Sunnyvale. Haven't gone to them yet, but my friend has taken his Volvo there for years, says they are very honest, do good work, and have good prices. He quoted the best price to replace the oil filter housing seal, and had a lot of interesting theories about the other problem (GMS said that the codes indicate the DSC unit needs to be replaced at $2000). So I will give them a try next week.

    --Dan
     
  18. dchernikoff

    dchernikoff New Member

    Jul 19, 2016
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    I'm loving this site -- already helped me discover that my new-to-me Mini has the Secret Compartment! I'm so stoked. Apparently it's so secret the former owner forgot it was there. When I opened it up it was full of CD's! He moved back to England so I'm not gonna bother mailing them back to him. They were all crap music anyway, lol.

    -Dan
     

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  19. Red Bull

    Red Bull Active Member

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    Wow, $2000 for the DSC light :eek6:

    Hopefully someone who knows R56's on the forum has some info on the fix without the need for a new DSC unit.
     
  20. dchernikoff

    dchernikoff New Member

    Jul 19, 2016
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    Yeah, tell me about it! I posted over in the Gen2 forum to see if anyone has a suggestion about the DSC. I'm leaning towards just ignoring it...

    -Dan
     

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