Took my MINI out for a 100-ish mile drive, and filled the tank for the first time since early November..
Today i swapped parking brake consoles in my r53. Got one (r56) with an armrest from the u pullit for like 12bucks. Went in perfect.
Below zero today in Chicagoland.. The car started fine, but I made a mess that I wont be able to clean off for a while.
So today I changed the thermostat and housing (aluminum), and replaced a few of the small coolant hoses with silicone. I bought the hose kit off amazon for cheap and they actually look and fit really well. Found some PO bodges, harness side O2 sensor plug is a mess and the map sensor has both ears broken off (but still works I think). Have a Creator C310 scanner coming wed so I'll know more later this week. Accumulating parts for when I pull the motor this spring to do the clutch.
I do love the look of them.. Had them powdercoated in the same white in 2015 when they became my winter wheels instead of my all the time wheels, and it has been holding up well. I like the extra width and openness of my Enkai summer wheels, but the narrower and lighter holey wheels do make for quicker steering response
Well, the snow finally came to the Vancouver BC area today. I haven't been on Motoring Alliance for awhile because I have been shuttling my parents around the past few months. My mom has alzheimers and my dad is in his mid 90's and physically deteriorating. Today, most of the roads in Vancouver BC were shut down due to too many other drivers not having proper winter tires on. For what it's worth, my cars are fully winterized with the correct tires. But the risk is too high. So I stayed home and shovelled snow instead.
Smart move to stay home in those conditions. I always make sure one of our cars have true winter tires. What worries me are the people driving in the snow with no clue and the attitude "I have four wheel drive, NOTHING will stop me". Now that I'm retired I just stay home until the roads are clear.
Picked one of these up a week or so ago. Havent used it yet for anything real beyond peeking around a bit on my 2012 Clubman. Battery registration and identifying Check engine codes before taking it to my repair guy was my primary motivation for getting it.
It is the NT530 Should be good for current BMW/MINI and Rolls Royce.. There was an additional charge pack and cable for older BMWs that I did not get.
Started Checkers up and let it run a while. It's been 5 weeks since the last time. It's a summer type car.
Finally got a chance to bucket wash the MINI.. We have a club event in a couple week.. hope to keep it clean till then Since temperatures are above freezing, thoughts are turning to my first motorcycle ride of the season.. Too wet today but hopefully I'll get out for a ride tomorrow..
It should be 71 here. That's the good here's the bad. They are trying to pass a law that will limit the miles a classic car can be driven a year because of smog. How bad is that.
This morning was a little too frosty for motorcycling, so took the MINI out for a nice breakfast ride instead..