Most liked posts in thread: New to me 2006 MCS Convertible Hyper Blue

  1. Friskie

    Friskie Well-Known Member

    Jul 20, 2009
    1,650
    1,333
    113
    Highly motivated retiree
    In the here and now, for now.
    Ratings:
    +1,339 / 0 / -0
    #2 Friskie, Apr 2, 2013
    Good find! Solid, W11 cast iron engine and Getrag gear box will give you lots more miles of service. Sounds like you are prepared to take good care of it.

    Some other things to look to: Get in the habit of rotating your tires about every 5 thousand miles. The built in negative camber will unevenly wear the rear tires. Keep the canvas clean and treated with either 303 fabric guard or RaggTopp and clean it regularly. You don't want grit cutting into the fabric. Look around in ebay or other sources for a R52 wind deflector. This will make topless motoring an even greater pleasure.

    Sure do hope you get a lot of fun out of your MINI!

    Here are a few URLs you may find useful in becoming a MINI person:
    Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada
    Top Tier Gasoline
    Mini Cooper Info. 1st gen. Minis, Mini Parts, Mini performance, Mini specs This has hundreds of independent MINI shops all across the country.
    LightInSight - Windshield Mounted Traffic Light Lens They are out of stock right now, but you really want one of these.
    MotorcycleRoads.US - Great Motorcycle Roads in the US
    MotoringFile | MotoringFile | MINI news, reviews and opinion. MINI Cooper, Cooper S, Clubman, Countryman
    RealOEM.com * Diagram Selection
     
  2. SooperCooperInfo

    SooperCooperInfo Member

    May 31, 2009
    78
    57
    18
    Retired aircraft salesman
    Land of Oz
    Ratings:
    +58 / 0 / -0
    #3 SooperCooperInfo, Apr 3, 2013
    It's always prudent to change out all fluids on a first gen MINI if no maintenance records exist. Congrats!!
     
  3. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

    Mar 30, 2009
    25,144
    10,052
    113
    Writer
    Short North
    Ratings:
    +10,069 / 0 / -0
    #4 Nathan, Apr 3, 2013
    Welcome, thanks for joining Motoring Alliance, the FUN and Friendly MINI Community.
     
  4. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

    Jun 4, 2009
    19,445
    10,057
    113
    Retired old fart
    Hooterville Ohio USA
    Ratings:
    +11,698 / 2 / -0
    #5 Crashton, Apr 3, 2013
    Welcome to M/A....
     
  5. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
    Staff Member Articles Moderator Supporting Member

    Jul 31, 2009
    11,306
    6,278
    113
    Male
    Ratings:
    +8,071 / 10 / -3
    #6 MCS02, Apr 3, 2013
    Welcome to the fun
     
  6. eMINIparts

    eMINIparts Well-Known Member
    Motoring Alliance Sponsor

    Mar 13, 2012
    3,751
    1,087
    113
    MINI Parts Advisor
    Bedford NH
    Ratings:
    +1,090 / 0 / -0
    #7 eMINIparts, Apr 3, 2013
    Welcome to the AWARD winning COOLest MINI forum on the net!
     
  7. BrianC72bgt

    BrianC72bgt New Member

    Mar 26, 2013
    2
    0
    0
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    #8 BrianC72bgt, Apr 10, 2013
    Thank you all for the warm welcome. I've been enjoying the car tremendously, but I do need to swap out all the fluids pronto...just to have a starting reference point. I've got a suction type or fluid extractor that I've used for oil changes, and I was wondering if I could swap the supercharger oil without removing the unit.

    I also get the faint smell of a of what I believe is a burning belt after a high rev wind through the gears. Is that a common occurrence? Thinking maybe the supercharger belt is slipping? dunno... I've been keeping a close watch of all the fluid levels...alll good, no changes, no visible smoke.

    Thanks again for the great advice.

    Brian
     
  8. rum4

    rum4 Club Coordinator
    Lifetime Supporter

    Aug 17, 2011
    4,568
    1,475
    0
    SC
    Ratings:
    +1,478 / 0 / -0
    #9 rum4, Apr 10, 2013
    welcome to m/a
     
  9. mrntd

    mrntd Well-Known Member
    Supporting Member

    Sep 30, 2011
    5,083
    1,762
    113
    Male
    Sales and Marketing manager
    Hilliard, Ohio
    Ratings:
    +1,763 / 0 / -0
    #10 mrntd, Apr 10, 2013
    Welcome Aboard!
     
  10. SooperCooperInfo

    SooperCooperInfo Member

    May 31, 2009
    78
    57
    18
    Retired aircraft salesman
    Land of Oz
    Ratings:
    +58 / 0 / -0
    #11 SooperCooperInfo, Apr 10, 2013
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2013
    Access to the supercharger is a pita since one nearly has to dismantle the front end. So when the time comes to service my SC I will consider adding one of these:Imperial MINI.
     
  11. ZippyNH

    ZippyNH Well-Known Member

    Jan 25, 2010
    1,404
    688
    113
    Pilot
    Southern NH
    Ratings:
    +688 / 0 / -0
    #12 ZippyNH, Apr 10, 2013
    Welcome to M/A!!
    Above all else, go out and enjoy your car!!
    Many folks start to do "repairs" on stuff that is still ok, and can make things worse!! Sure these cars have weak points, but a few OCD folks go crazy sometimes it makes some of these cars sound like unreliable death traps!!
    To put it in perspective My car has been to the dealer 3 times since new...
    and had "upgrades" done at an aftermarket 3rd party a few times..bushings, struts, etc, when I don't feel like diy'ing it.
    There are some many ONE item issues that ONLY SOME cars have, like repeated PS failures, or SC lube issues, or low speed cooing fan, etc...don't let the reading of all that stuff make you think you WILL have those issues...some do, some don't.
    Many a SC has gone 100,000+ miles....as have PS pumps and cooling fans!!
    So enjoy the car, and know IF an issue comes up, the info is around to help you fix it!!
    Swapping the belt is a good thing..check for markings to see if it is an OEM pulley, or a smaller one....post what you find, and we will get you a belt size!
    IMO the oem is good for about 3 years, 2 years with a 15% reduction, and 1 year with a 17%...the smaller belts are used with reductions, and the smaller surface the grab with the reduction can cause a bit of wear...and many of them WILL start to slip as they get old.
    Fluid changes can be good to learn about your car, just do some research to find WHICH fluids...the PS pump uses a special fluid for example, and the Tranny oil recomedned changed based up if a LSD was offered in the year you bought the car...
     
  12. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
    Lifetime Supporter

    May 4, 2009
    25,021
    13,497
    113
    Burbs of Philly, PA
    Ratings:
    +14,644 / 10 / -4
    #13 Dave.0, Apr 10, 2013
    Welcome to M/A the FUN Mini site. :Thumbsup: