Oh yeah... another package arrived late today... an 8'x4' rectangle of 3M Di-Noc in a medium grey dry carbon weave. The color seems to match the painted interior bits perfectly (dash, door ovals). It's supposed to be the most realistic carbon fiber vinyl out there. I'd love to start playing with it, but I've gotta wait for some 3M primer to arrive. Apparently it's a flight restricted substance, so it ships via UPS ground.
3rd brake light pulsar a little light electrical to start my day. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzGU13Q0zME"]Brake light pulsar[/ame]
"Did I ****ing stutter?" Ok. I've worked retail. I know that customers can be shits. I try not to be that guy. I'm polite. I'm friendly. I tip well at restaurants. I'm not without fault, but I like to think that I'm a nice guy. RantMode:ON Today I went to Hendrick MINI in Charlotte to have the state inspection done on Rufus. My local independent shop had some issue last week doing it (prob due to a lack of emissions data because of a reprogram / battery swap). I took it to the dealership because I didn't want to waste any more time... I need to get registered and send the plates back to the previous owner. During the inspection, the dealership spotted leaking PS lines, which I knew about. That's an inspection 'fail' in NC, so I said fine...can you fix 'em now? OK... do it, but don't you put those factory crimp hose clamps on there. I want worm drive clamps. If you can't do that, I'll have to do it myself. No problem! They said OK. An hour and a half later the SA comes out: the job is done Mr. Granger, but the tech says that the crimp clamps are better, so he used those. That's when I said it, and I'm not sorry. The service manager came out and started with the same pitch, but finally let it slip that the parts were "probably" pulled as a kit and the work done before the instructions got out to the shop. They offered to cut off the crimp clamps and replace (stressing the rubber and possibly nicking the hoses in the process). They offered to re-do the work with new hoses. Yeah... and I've got work to do. You wanna pay my hourly rate? No... I'll just take my car and learn my lesson." What lesson, the service manager asked? "Never come to Hendrick MINI for service... and spread the word." They authorized a 15% discount for the service, but still never said "I'm sorry that we didn't follow your directions." RantMode: off
Yup I agree 100% and that is why I never really go to any Stealership for work, they do not listen. My local dealership knows me and my car and they know to NEVER wash it or put it outside. They keep it upfront in the garage and other customers have even asked if it was for sale. Last time I went to the my local Dealership the tech, Service Manager and GM of new car sales all know me and my car. I was greeted and treated great. Everything was done right the first time correct way. I had my / their parts guy get me the parts early at my "SPECIAL Dave discount" and placed them on the seat. (Slave & Master cylinder and fluid) the SA is really cool the tech and others told me to contact them when I am ready to sell my car. They treat me very well at Otto's MINI. It also does not hurt that I send them a lot of sales business and parts business. Oh and the GM has my info for full car detailing and coating for those people that want that extra perfectly detailed MINI.
I miss having a great dealership. They are friendly enough there... but I've gotta trust a shop to follow simple instructions and "Use X part, not Y" is pretty freaking simple. Moritz MINI in Dallas was great in 2006, but there was a management shake-up there and things went downhill there pretty quickly. It didn't hurt that I knew a couple of the SAs from club events and a few of 'em had been on my Waco Run. My MA there was top notch as well. When I went back for service, I'd frequently walk into the dealership and say 'Hi' to Neil. He say "How long's the wait? Wanna take the new JCW for a spin while your car is in the shop?" and toss me the keys. It probably doesn't hurt that I sold 2-3 cars and sent him over a dozen prospects by handing out his business card when people asked me about how to buy a MINI. MINI of Dallas was my preferred shop by 2009 and remains so. Once a quarter they invite the local MINI club to come in on a Saturday morning and use their shop. They give the club 6-7 lift bays, a discount on parts and have a couple of their techs walking around to ensure that the lifts are used safely and to answer any questions / help out where possible. I was amazed when they first started doing it way back in 2010 or so and I'm still amazed that they continue that event to this day. Once they showed that kind of dedication to their local enthusiasts, I couldn't not switch over! License / Registration / Taxes: On a happier note, Rufus is now officially a resident in the state of North Carolina. He has shiny new plates and I've paid all of the appropriate title / registration / property / sales taxes for the purchase. I wanted to get some specialty "Friend of the Smoky Mountain" plates, but it was going to take 3-4 weeks and I need to return the TX plates to the previous owner, so maybe I'll upgrade next year... or maybe I'll just leave the stock plates on there because one less thing to draw LEO attention to a bright red, modified car is probably a good thing! Oh yeah... for those of you who know my detailing OCD... When I had the rear plate off of the car, I washed/waxed the area behind the plate, polished out a few scratches in the periphery and treated the plastic plate holder with some UV protectant. Just because I can't see it doesn't mean that it isn't dirty!
Hey Man if you every want to talk about over the top OCD detailing let me know. I am retired detailer and people say I am the D in OCD. :lol::lol::lol: I still detail friends cars on the weekends from time to time. I know all the old school rotary buffer tricks but am well versed in all the new DA polishers and wet sanding and the all new nano silicon dioxide (SiO2) coating systems by Gyeon, 22PPLE, CQuarts, Kamikaze..ect and I will never use wax an sealants again. If you go to the Dragon next year look me up.
I haven't learned much about the new sealants. Most of my knowledge of that world is from the 2005 era. Zaino was tops back then (at least for the light colored cars that I owned back then) and that is what I still use. I might need to rethink with the red, but I've got a lot of polishing / painting to do first. Tail lights: I took one of the tail lights out yesterday. They are seriously cloudy / hazy and really detract from the look. I polished out a test spot on the lens, only to wind up with a perfectly smooth cloudy lens. I'm going to crack the housing open later today, to see if it can be polished out from the inside. If that works, I'll probably black out the interior chrome trim before sealing it back up.
^^^ Yeah it "in" the cheap plastic they used back then because it's not on the inside either. Sorry but it's better to just bite the bullet and buy a new set that's what I did. OEM ones at the dealership are not that expensive and look the best. With the new set I taped them off, fully covering the lens and used a dremel and cut them open and blacked out the chrome trim ring inside. They are easy to seal back up with no leaks.
I was thinking about these... not OEM, but they are red to the border (no chrome or trim at all inside) and they are VERY red, which I like, to blend in with the paintwork. I like the 02-04 style even more but, oh well... you can't have everything. Has anyone tried one of these LED tail light conversions? Word over on NAM seems to be good (1-2 years of history reviewed). [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xvh7rV_uLY"](ST AUTO) MINI COOPER R50-R53 NEW 2014 LED TAIL LIGHT - YouTube[/ame] [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbHbPkGqCUk"](ST AUTO) MINI COOPER R50-R53 NEW 2014 LED TAIL LIGHT (UPDATE) - YouTube[/ame]
By buddy got a set of those and we all make fun of him because the tail end of his car looks like old school light-brite.
Well... the MA team is proven right again. I opened up one of the lights (baked at 250 for 7 min, pry carefully... repeat until the front plastic lens pops off... BTW, you run the risk of cracking the lens... especially if it is old and brittle from sun exposure) and confirmed that it is in the full depth of the outer lens. A new pair of factory tail lights are on the way, along with a few other bits (black-out tape, a gasket, a JCW badge and some cool puddle lights with th JCW logo (for $20, I couldn't resist). I also got my vinyl primer, so I'll start some Di-now install once I finish scrubbing / treating the interior plastic. I also did some poking around the engine bay. It's pretty nasty in there, but a bit of Sonos compound and the painted surface sprang back to life. The frame rail under the popped engine damper is still pretty black, but it might be salvageable. The really good thing is that the JCW puffy emblem on the intercooler cover (or 'plate' using MINI official vocabulary) is a tiny bit discolored from age, light and heat, but a lot of the scuffing and grunginess came off with some plastic polish (which I really wasn't expecting). I can't seem to find that part anywhere, so it's a good thing!
Careful cleaning the engine rails and engine bay red areas by the motor mount. The paint does not have any clear coat on it and it is very easy to rub off with just windex. I cleaned mine once and exposed the yellow primer. The simple fix is get a can of Chili auto paint in a spray can from a body shop paint supply shop. They can custom mix it for you. I used aluminum foil to cover and mold around all the areas I did not want red and sprayed a few areas and it improved the looks a whole lot.
Well, I spent a lot of time doing paint correction this weekend! Unfortunately it was on my mother-in-law's older Ford Escape, not Brutus! Her car has seen several West Virginia winters and she isn't the most attentive driver in the world. The car got a wash, clay-bar, polish w/ the PCDA and some Sonas compound and some Zaino AIO sealant (their quick wipe-on, dry, buff off product that I use for daily drivers that need protecting, but not the full-out crazy Zaino shine). My wife's daily driver (Audi A6) also got its first hand wash, clay and some Zaino AIO, along with a good clean-up. I always feel a bit bad if I spend too much time cleaning up my car without having hers shiny and clean first... So... after all that, I did find a few hours to play with Brutus over the long weekend. Here's the first project: Tail Lights: I got the tail light assemblies out last week and got the lenses off the front. I baked one lens off, but developed small cracks from prying a bit too much. I tested polishing this one out and discovered that the yellowing/hazing goes all the way through the lens, so I ordered a set of OEM replacements. I dremmeled off the second outer lens from the other set and pulled both inner lenses (pristine). I cleaned them both well with Isopropyl Alcohol to degrease and prep for paint, which had the added bonus of removing the chrome trim painting from the inner lens (Really! The chrome paint came right off w/ 70% IPA and rubbing with a paper towel). When the new set arrives, I'll probably dremmel off the outer lenses, install the old inner lenses that I painted this weekend (satin black spray paint) and epoxy everything back together again, leaving the stock beta-link tape in place. I cut the lenses about 1/2 cm in from the most forward edge of the outer lens, so the epoxy seam will be completely hidden. I also spent an hour or two carefully scrubbing down all of the interior plastic with cleaner and a nylon brush and treating it with my favorite Zaino tire dressing (the best plastic / rubber / vinyl treatment I've ever found... nice medium shine and long lasting but not greasy/sticky). It isn't glamorous work, but it sure feels nice being inside with everything nice and clean! The leather was cleaned and dressed and I found several spots in the upholstery that will need a second cleaning once the rest of the interior work is done... no point in a fine detail when folks will be crawling through the interior for other jobs. What's next? Hmmm.... I'm almost done with the interior refresh, so I'll probably keep going there first. As soon as I have the taillights done and can get the car on the road, I'll probably get it to a tint shop. The old tint is absolutely due for a refresh... ripples / waves / scratches everywhere and starting to turn a bit purple in places. I think I've found a good shop on my side of Charlotte. I'll keep the tint level well on the side of NC legal, but will probably tint the sunroof panels fairly dark as I can remember getting the top of my head baked in the TX summers before I tinted my first R53. After that, I need to get the exterior clean and ready for polishing so I can get a good look at the paint. Several of the body panels are going to need a respray, so I'll start taking things apart. The lower front bumper, under the lower grill, had been painted and that is covered in rock chips... hundreds of chips down to the primer (a complete mess). The rear bumper has some sort of chemical spill on it and I think it has etched down into the base paint layers, so that probably gets a repaint as well. The rear spoiler and hood scoop colors are off (bad repaints or simple paint fading)... if they don't polish up or get covered in vinyl, they will need a respray. I have a used set of aero side sills (the best part of the R53 aero kit and only one worth having, IMHO), but they are pretty chipped up. My potential tint shop also does custom clear-bra work, so I'll have to think about having that done on some pieces once the exterior is painted, cured, polished and put back together. Anyone know a good paint shop in Charlotte, NC?
It's cheaper to buy new bumpers and have them painted then the labor cost to any shop strip, fix and paint the ones on your car now.
I uesed my local parts guy at the dealership since I get a "special" discount. If you send a PM to an M/A user "eMINIparts" he will hook you up on a good deal.
Wow! I was digging around on my web server, looking for a place to post an image for my Mother-in-law and found a set of files for my old R53. Did you ever look at your fully detailed / modded engine bay and hear your OCD say "Hey! Look at those freakin' ugly yellow and green safety stickers just over the radiator! Why yellow? Why green? Why not red, like everything else in there?" Yes... I went there! I had a page or two of these stickers printed up for me years back. Looks like I'll need to have 'em done again. I dug through my file cabinet, but couldn't find the spare stickers. I seem to remember mailing a few sets out to some folks, so perhaps I just ran out. Here's a link to the PDF file I had printed: www.focusoa.com/sticker/Combined_white on red.pdf
So.... I'm confused. Is the new MINI Rufus or Brutus? Your Sig and thread say Rufus, but post #55 says Brutus twice. Does he have an identity crisis?!?