Most liked posts in thread: What did you do with your MINI today?

Oh, without a doubt. But, that is true of almost every car from that era. When people say, "they don't build cars like that anymore," I respond with, "it's a good thing they don't."

Restored classic cars are the real version of what we remember them being, even though they weren't.

CD

 

If the sound is coming from the AC compressor under the Alternator don’t drive far if at all. Mine made a ticking sound one day and the next day it seized and broke the belt on a 10 minute trip. I am sure you know when the belt goes the Alternator, SC & Water pump all stop working and overheating is a real concern.

 

That's pretty slick, where'd you source that?

 

5% tint works great.

Oh and yes you can tint the sunroof and the glass will not break. That is an old myth.

Mine has been done for over 10 years now without any issues.

 

CD check that the cabin filter is clean. Once they get full of carp they limit the amount of air available. It could also be that you have lost some refrigerant over time.

I've had a dark limo tint on the sunroof since we got Skooby & it's not been a problem.

 

I had a new cabin filter and one day, there was a funky smell and no air flow, a mouse had built a nest on my cabin filter. I renewed the filter and put a screen on the air intake, under the cowl.

 

We took our two poodle boys to West Carolina for a week, they are oh so happy to be back home today - enough with the car and constant motel changes!

 

Being an R58, I would have the timing chain and tensioner checked out, especially since the noise is coming from that end of the engine.

As for oil-change intervals, I am a science-based guy, and the scientific evidence says that a quality synthetic, like Mobil 1, is good for at least 10K miles. So, if you are superstitious, or a science doubter, I would think that every 5K would be more than enough. But, it is your money.

CD

 

Wish I could join you Teddy. Time seems to move a lot faster these days. I’ll wish you a Happy Birthday now, because I’m sure I’ll forget about it before then. My clock rolled over 25,915 days last Sunday so I have an excuse.

 

Could this be a sign of a bad Vanos unit Lee? Not sure so you better pour a load of Seafudge in there. Best snake oil ever.

 

Finally changed the control arm bushings with polyurethane ones. Feels so much better, and not all over the road. Alignment was still good too

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

Got ISTA communicating with the MINI. Actually took me a couple of days to get the program loaded and the connection cable process figured out. Going to use ISTA and a program that can record a portion of the laptop screen as a way to do some data logging. No smart phone as I gave them up when I retired so forget the apps.

 

On the weekend, the Mrs and I went to visit our local MINI dealer. We had planned on just having a look and spending about an hour there. We ended being there for 5 hours. Drove a 2014 (R60) Countryman Cooper S JCW, fully loaded with almost every available option an only had 30K miles (50K kms) on the odometer. Then we drove a couple of F60 Countryman Coopers, well optioned with less than 10K kms (8000 miles) on the odometer.

Power on the F60 Cooper was perfectly adequate for a family car. The R60 JCW definitely had more power and tighter handling, and in my opinion, the price was a bit of a performance bargain. The F60 is definitely a bigger car with much more leg space in the back, a bigger boot, and overall, a much more luxurious (BMW) feel. I felt handling and ride were noticeably more controlled and balanced than the R60. It had less of that tall car, short wheel base feel, especially in the rear seats. I am not sure that would translate to a faster car, but driving it would be much easier for my wife and if I had my parents or passengers in general in the back seat, they would be much happier on longer rides.

So with the two R60s that we looked at, they were fairly well equipped so the out the door price would not be much less than if I configured a new 2019 car with the options that we definitely want and left off things we didn't necessarily need.

One more thing that surprised us, in Canada, the F60 Countryman comes with a spare tire.

 

You can get a spare in a Cooper or Cooper S Countryman with the newer generation, unless you get the bench seat instead!

Also, I really am a fan of the F60. Have you seen the new pricing structures? Helps streamline the pricing and makes everything a bit more cost effective.

 

That's awesome. I just hit 225,000 miles. Wife is not that impressed though. Says I am nickeling and diming now with parts going. Fix one thing and another thing goes out. Nothing runs forever I guess

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

Ingenuity is the mother of invention .... Nice job.

 

Keep in mind that a 2017 Countryman (if you can find one you like) is going to be the same as the 18s or 19s except for the 19s have the new "flat" logo, new pricing structure, and on board concierge/emergency services. Good for you for sticking to your guns though, and keep us posted