Finally got around to installing my new shift and parking brake boots. Got them from MINI Cooper 2001-06 shift boot - RedlineGoods leather shift boot store and so far I am really pleased with the feel and look. Shift boot was a straight swap, but the parking brake boot was a bit more involved as the oem one was glued on as well as using some tabs. I used some CA glue to attach it to the frame. Also had to do a tiny bit of snipping to get the new one fitted like I wanted. If not for the very minor modding of the parking brake boot I would have given these a solid 5/5.
I find myself staring at the hitch too, it just doesn't seem to fit... Sad that it was you, but it is a sweet pic, mind if I do one of my artwork edits to it?
Go for it, Dick. The greatest thing about that photo, is I was barely conscious. But my first coherent thought, as I sat on the roadside, bleeding, with a concussion, was "I gotta get a picture of this". And I had happened to forget to put my phone in the dash cradle when I left home... so it was safe in my pocket. Somehow, in my head-injury fog, I pulled it out, unlocked it, pulled up the camera, and shot that. See, I'm an ARTIST.
I actually did this yesterday but upgraded my speakers all round, turned out to be very easy! What was even better was that there were already new speakers mounted in the doors albeit not properly. So upgraded the tweeters and upgraded the 6x9s in the back, sound is much better. Also managed to find a Nintendo DS game under my back seat!
So, Paul. Since you found physical as well as cosmetic damage to the roll-bar are you gonna fab a new cage or just expand/improve the old one?
That windshield frame is really strong. It's supporting a lot of the weight of the car. If every there was an image for the safety of a MINI this is a good one. ...and the driver walked away...
I dropped my 2010 R56s at the dealer for the fourth time in four months for overheating and AC issues. I have a 2015 4dr Justa for the next week or two, review coming. She has already been at the dealership for 45 days since April :-(
Driving to work today, hearing loud "clunk" every time a made a right turn but it does not seem to be tied to anything on suspension. Got to the office and took a look through the spokes of the rear right wheel and noticed the bolt holding the swaybar to the end link has broken. I was wondering why the car seemed to be understeering.
Well... yeah. The left A-pillar held up pretty well. The right A-pillar collapsed a bit. The top of the windshield frame collapsed a lot. IMO, the primary thing that saved me was the harnesses I use. I'm confident I would have been ejected if I had been wearing the factory belts, in a violent end-over-end crash with the top down. Secondary reason is my custom rollbar, which kept my head mostly off the pavement (I still bumped the crown of my head on the asphalt at some point, as I got outside the envelope just a bit). My roll bar creates a larger "envelope" than the factory roll hoops would have. With the factory hoops, I would have busted my head open, even with the harnesses. Now, the passenger compartment held up very well in spite of the severity of the crash. And much better than many would expect for a small car. But don't give the OEM MINI safety equipment too much credit in this specific case. I'm pretty confident it would have let me down.
Had to take the Porker for a multi terrain drive to get my head back on straight... Its been a really good week, mixed with a total PTSD influenced SHIfT storm of a week, and I almost lost it. Feeling a bit better now though.
Glad to see you're out and about in that great countryside Dick. Nothing better to clean out the dust bunnies.
Looks like a great drive Dick... I'm jealous. Keep your head, dude. Good therapy. Good call to go air out.