Got a flash of the lights from an oxygen blue Cooper today.

 

Lucky you!! Not one, not ONE other mini driver has even looked my way so that I could wave!!

Checked my squeak out - it will have to be addressed at the dealers as I didn't see how to even remove the back speaker to look inside! Just knocking on it makes it rattle, where the other side is very solid in feel. I am not in a rush to go bring Lucy to the dealer to fix this, so unless it gets too loud or some other issue needs attention, I'll wait to have it fixed during her her first maintenance visit.

 

I've been waving, and getting no love. My wife thinks I'm acting like an idiot doing it so much. I'm not waving anymore unless someone else waves first and I notice in time to return the wave.

 

It took me probably a half dozen non-returned waves before I got one back. Don't give up!

 

I know.. I feel a little foolish waving too and getting nothing back!! I'll keep trying for a while..

 

It's not an issue of giving up for me. Honestly, I don't really care. I was just going to be a good sport about it, but if people around here aren't doing it, it doesn't really make a difference to me. I'm just as happy to find the MINI community at the track. If I see someone I know from the club or track I'll give them a wave or a flash of the lights.

 

Hope everyone has a beautiful first day of fall. I'm hoping to open the sunroof and let in some "cool" air today. Sikamini and Zouzou, dodge those pile of limbs on the sides of the road! I drive in fear that I'll have a branch rake the side of Bernard!

As far as greeting other Minis I'm a flasher myself (headlamp variety of course!) and used to do it when seeing the rare other Triumph driver "back in the day". Haven't seen another Mini yet that was in a position to either wave or flash at.

Seems I can't do two badges at once since my macbook doesn't have Paint or Photoshop and the iphoto program can't combine images. I'll have to settle for just one until I can get to a computer with Paint, make my image and mail it to myself. Sometimes being an apple owner has its downside!

 

Totally off topic, but best photo program for the Mac is Adobe Photoshop Elements. It's about $80 and is amazingly versatile. Is downloadable online, too. While I love iPhoto and think it is amazingly versatile, too, it has its limitations.

 

We met RaceTripper and his wife on Saturday morning for the StL Mini Wine Run. His new JCW is awesome... Since we had previous plans for the afternoon (making Apple Butter the old fashion way) we were only able to do the road run. Still we met several other Mini owners and had a great morning drive.

Here's a picture of "Fergie & Friends". RaceTripper's JCW is at the other end next to the Classic.

 

Has anyone figured out how to fast forward without track-forwarding?

To update:
The waterpump noise was fixed.
The side scuttles were fixed.
I've been getting 40mpg.
I've been waving... and getting waves in return (although, technically, not waves but peace signs or open-palmed hello's). Cuties in convertibles seem to wave a lot...

 

Also, I forgot to mention in the previous post. I have ordered an "Official 2008 Week 32er" Magtastic Badge & 4 Decals from Ed at Cooper Flags. He is using the design I posted and is charging $15.00 for one Custom Badge and/or $20.00 for 4 Custom Stickers. I should have them in a couple of weeks and I will let you know how they turn out.

 

W23 Invasion!

A couple of us worked with Mike and Hannah over at Aesthetic Creations to pave the way toward custom week badges and Mike and Hannah were great. It took a few weeks to produce, but they've made special orders to us available to us individually for our motoring badges at $6 a piece if I recall correctly.
Goal achieved, we noticed. Catching up to us? Good luck! We are 10 weeks past and going strong.

 

Well...looks like I had some odd timing with my previous post. We went with Aesthetic Creations as it was easier for us to individually order a badge and a bit cheaper. However I have several CooperFlags badges and they are of higher quality material so worth the price in my opinion. I'd urge you folks to talk among yourselves, they are both good choices for different reasons.

 

Zonedguy, welcome to the 32 thread (23 backwards??) Your vanity plate is awesome! I'm debating several plate possibilities and if I didn't think that my college aged son would be totally freaked out by the possibility of me driving around at Parent's Weekend at his college with your plate, I'd go for it.

I have a slight rattle/vibration in my right side front speaker at deep bass sounds. So far only noticeable during podcasts and when Bernard is talking to me with his Bluetooth voice. Sounds more like a blown speaker than a real rattle. Anyone know if the warranty covers speakers?

This is a very small problem though and after 3 weeks I have to say that this car is so much fun it is insane. I'm having a female midlife crisis and am in love with a piece of machinery!!

 

New car warranty is bumper to bumper (other than tires). I've had stereo equipment replaced on BMWs (e.g. bad CD player, speakers).

 

Thanks!

Just a year or so out of college, I'm figured I could get away with such a sophomoric vanity plate. I agree it requires a certain type of driver and you will want to consider it carefully. While lots of people enjoy my plates (had a driver almost run into me on the highway today taking a pic with her cameraphone) I get some nasty looks to go with the laughter too.
Whoa whoa whoa, you may really want to avoid this one. My plate is derived from the phrase, "It's not the size that matters, its how you use it..." as a response to the common notion that Hummer owners are compensating for something. I'm not sure a female would want to drive a MINI with that connotation attached. Your suggestion that your son would freak out means you obviously understood where I was coming from all along, but I just wanted to be clear!

I'm in your thread and I'm causin' trouble!

 

Hmmmm.....I suppose there is the possiblity that half of the readers with one set of chromosomes would see it one way and the other half the other?? I'd better stop typing or I may be responsible for our thread being banished to the off topic area...

In a somewhat similar vein, I've about decided definitely to go with the plate "BIGNNUF" If I get really flush with money, I may do one for my other vehicle which is a Chevrolet 3500 extended cab dually "TOOBIG"

 

Excellent choices! I'd do them both just for the humor in the driveway. Louisiana is pretty steep though! $25 a year + $13 in fees? NJ is $50 for three years.

 

gbsim -

If you want - shoot me a PM with the image of Bernard attached and I will try to combine it with the Week 32er Badge into one image for your signature. Send the original image used for your signature because it will compress when uploaded for the signature.

 

That's just cool!!

 

u mean for the cd player? just hold down the same key to skip tracks..

 

If you think that's steep, you must not have seen CA's fee schedule.




Another 23 invasion.

 

Hello All,

I'm back from my trip and will file a trip report soon.

In the meantime, I work on a Mac and can combine images to make a single image signature. (The one in my sig is a combo of 3 images.) If anyone would like for me to do that for them, please email me (via PM) and I'll send my personal email so you can send me the pics.

BTW, I use a nice Mac program called PhotoStudio to do this. Similar to PhotoShop, but inexpensive.

 

Phantom and I are back from Virginia. Total trip was about 925 miles from this past Friday through today. I went from Ohio to Virgina, through the mountains of West Virginia and western Virginia. Here are observations, impressions, and stats from the trip.

1. First mileage... Started with 185 miles on the odometer. After about 75 miles of highway driving, filled the tank - 8.209 gals (Shell 93). I had 260 miles on the car. Computer said I was averaging 34.2 mpg; hand calculation was 31.7. This was about 60% city; 40% highway miles. Filled up again yesterday after adding another 470 miles (12.926 gals). Computer said 38.2 mpg, but hand calculation is 36.4 mpg. (It seems that the reports I've read that the computer is about 2 mpg high are correct for Phantom.) Oh, this was almost all highway driving (avg speed of 55.4 mph). I returned home late this afternoon. As of now the computer shows 434 miles since yesterday's fillup, and avg of 43.5 mpg (avg speed of 61.5 mph). I can say that I'm very happy with the mileage so far.
2. The gas gauge is inconsistent as others have noted. Today it took almost 100 miles for he first light to go out, then about 75 miles for the second one. They are slow to go out at first, but later they go a lot faster. The 2 times I've filled up the computer estimated that I had just over a 500 mile cruising range.
3. HIFI system seems to work well, with the radio and with my iPod. For my taste, the sound is just fine, and I can even hear it pretty well with the sunroof cracked. It's nice to be able to control the volume from the steering wheel. I also like the FMA band on the radio. As I would go through various cities, I could automatically tune in the strongest local stations.
4. I'm enjoying all the computer readouts and computations. Remember that I've been driving a 19 yr old Honda up to now, so this is all new stuff for me. I like being able to check my mpg instantly and see how certain driving styles affect it.
5. I have used Prima products to detail Phantom, and I'm very pleased with them. Once I got to my Mom's in Virginia, I washed Phantom with Mystique and then used Hydro when I dried it. With a base coat of Epic, it was very easy to wash - even all the bugs on the front. Since then, I've used Clarity and Slick for quick touchups, and they are great. Very easy to keep Phantom clean if you just do a little at the time. I plan to do another wash and Hydro this weekend.
6. I like how the windshield wipers slow down then you come to stop.
7. I don't care for orange dash lights, but have no choice about it. I keep the brightness level pretty low, so that keeps the "mood" lighting so low it almost undetectable. I wish that didn't happen. I'd like to have the "mood" lighting brighter and the dash lights dim.
8. The regular headlights are fine for me. I didn't want to pay for Xenons and I'm glad I didn't. I don't drive in the dark country anyway, but I did try the bright headlights briefly and they are great (if needed). The front foglights really light up the road just ahead, too.
9. Though I only used it briefly, the cruise control worked very well.
10. Sad to say, I only saw one other MINI the entire trip, and that was on a 2-lane road in WV. It was in a long line of traffic coming toward me, and I just caught a glimpse of it as it went by. Where are the other MINIs?!?!

Oh, non trip related, but I've also been playing with the auto tranny in manual mode. I think it will be great for in-town driving. In manual, the transmission downshifts only to second when one comes to a stop at a traffic light. That allows taking off in second gear, and I find that I can safely upshift at lower rpms than the auto tranny does. I think that will help my gas mileage. Anyone else with an automatic had any experience with manual mode?

Happy to be back. Nice to hear from sikimini, too. There are still many people in Ohio who don't have power (since Sunday a week ago).

 

Two hundred sixty miles, and I haven't even seen another MINI.