What are you doing to your MINI before the Dragon?

Mine:
Oil and filter change
Renew coolant
Flush brakes
Rotate/balance tires

Wife’s:
Oil and filter change
Flush brakes
Rotate/balance tires

 

Who did you have do the clear bra?

 

Automotive Appearance Pros
aapcolumbus.com

Dave did my custom graphics too. They do great work.

 

Brake flush
Paint touch-up
Install summer wheels
New chain tensioner
Secure battery a bit better
Detail in and out

 

i've got to take delivery and break in my new boy before the trek from Florida. Also have lowering springs, RSB, lower control arms, rear end links, PULSAR, Smoked side marker tint, Badges galore, and maybe a hanging pair of fuzzy dice =p

 

Head gasket...possible cylinder head...YIPPEE!!!
Oil change (part of the head gasket/cylinder head stuff...)
Coolant flush (part of the head gaskey/cylinder head stuff...)
Brake fluid flush
New wipers (sorry, but the Silblades didn't last long at all)
Top of washer fluid levels
Detail the interior (to include removing, cleaning & reinstalling the Wet Okoles)
Claybar, polish & wax the paint
New tires
Replace the strut portion of the Megan Coilovers on all four corners
Lube the rear swaybar via the zerk fittings (love those!)

 

Do you use the dealer touch up paint for touch ups? I found that it looks really bad on the Cool Blue. I have tried various other things unsuccessfully.

 

New dancing shoes for Skooby the clubster.

 

New brake fluid should help the S get thru the twisties.

 

^^^ Can't be too careful.

 

Lets See.......

1. Powder Coat wheels - Done
2. New Tires - Done
3. Spark Plugs
4. Air Filter
5. Transmission fluid change
6. Drive Belt
7. SS brake lines and fluid change
8. Install JCW front Aero bumper
9. Lots of cleaning

 

well so far I have installed new IE camber plates, changed drive belt (really can't believe it wasn't slipping yet last hole on the tensioner you could only see half of it), 5mm spacers, converted to wheel studs, on the list of things to do...

Install wilwood BBK
Brake fluid flush
Lube rear caliper sliders
Rotate tires
Get alignment in the front checked
Change IC boots

list of possibles due to time or mileage
oil change (only about 2k into the current cycle, will be around 3500 at the dragon)
full clay bar wash and wax

 

Sorry - just saw this.

Nope, not the dealer paint.

I've tried a few different sources. The only formulation I've found that looks decent is Standox. It's the OEM-spec paint, as I understand it, or really close. Available from Finishmaster and some other pro paint suppliers. The 3M color that is supposed to be the same, isn't even close.

If you go to your local Finishmaster, or find another Standox supplier or someone who does small touchup quantities using Standox formulation, and order Mini Cooper Cool Blue, it will be very, very close. You'll still need to apply it properly, and use clear coat properly, and blend it properly using something like Langka. Or wet sand / buff if your a pro and know what you're doing. But don't call me if you wet sand through your paint.

 

So far I have replaced the following:

Belt
Belt Tensioner
oil pan gasket
crank sensor seal
vinyl-deleted the sunroof

Need to do:

install the R53 JCW brakes I picked up
mount the summer tires onto the summer wheels
Joey mod the xenons
black out the belt line
black out the headlight rings
get the rear glass tinted
oh, yeah... and DETAIL THE $#!+ out of it.

 

Welp the mechanicals are finally all sorted...

Still needed:

Brake Fluid Flush
Finish Brake Cooling Ducts
Full exterior detail
Install Gang Stripes
Few other small bits if I get time

 

Think we are finally done Modding Spider. Since we got him a few months ago, we done the following:

Painted the Arches to match the car
Painted and installed JCW side skirts
Blacked out the Belt Line
Blacked out the Rear Lights trim
Blacked out the Front Lights trim
Blacked out the Front Grill trim
Added Stripes
Custom two tone leather seats
Painted the interior door rings
Painted the interior center dash
Paint the door handles
Painted the Side Scuttles
Painted the rear chrome roll bar covers
Powder coated the rims

Just need to replace the white lights covers on the side scuttles and we are good to go!!

 

Unfortunately I just had to add a new Alternator to my list. :mad2:

Well at least it is done now and did not fail on the way too or on the Dragon.

Great catch by the guys at Helix while doing my PreDragon inspection / tune up.

 

DaveO - my alternator failed at the Overlook two years ago on the Saturday afternoon ending the Dragon!

The Mini is programmed to sequentially shut down electrical components to protect the running engine, and one of the highest-draw items is... wait for it... the POWER STEERING! I swapped batteries with a riding companion, and drove back to Fontana with no power steering - and the Mini is designed to always have power assist (it's not like a Miata or Rabbit where the geometry allows no p/s and easy steering at speed). Felt like Chuck Norris when I made it back!

Thankfully, can't say enough about Hendricks Mini, who had one of "their guys" coming out from Charlotte that evening. They got ahold of their parts guy, who grabbed an alternator, and they hotshotted it out. I got it at 130AM, and the car was running on the new alternator by 330AM, drove home on it the next day and haven't looked back! (don't ask what a factory alternator cost 3 years ago, with hotshot shipping, but it was altogether cheaper than missing 2-3 days of work and staying in a hotel!).

For me?
- Konis/springs/plates (that's the biggie!)
- ebrake cable (PITA repair!)
- tie rods (corroded and can't be adjusted!)
- Rear rotors
- another Group4Autosports exhaust prototype!

 

Complete pre-trip going over at MAG for the MC-cvt, including new brake fluid.

Replace rear struts and tophats on the MCSa.


Whichever car gets done first is the one I'll bring to MOTD.