Dang, I'm super impressed! I should have done the shiny ovals on my door panels when I was painting the y's but I'm happy with it for now. I have been doing other projects since both the Mini's are doing good.

 

The armrest is in. I'm pleased with the bracket. A friend bought a welder last summer so I headed to his place to weld the screws in place. I thought he was going to weld it but he decided to teach me instead. Not the best job but I'll take it for my first time. It's 1/8" steel plate with 1" M6 stainless, button head screws. Primed and painted flat black. It's completely hidden when installed.



Here's the finished installation. It all went smoothly. I even remembered to reconnect the tire pressure switch before buttoning everything up (which I mention only because I very nearly forgot). I think it's a good addition to the car. One surprise is that at the back, it meets the back seat. I've seen other pre-facelift installs in which there is a gap at the back. I wonder if it's because my car is early pre-FL, built 09/2002.







My only complaint is that when in the down position, it is below horizontal. I haven't figured out a way to make it stop at horizontal. Maybe there's an adjustment? I need to investigate.

 

I've been out of the loop for a LONG time. A little background. We were going to relocate from Wisconsin to Western North Carolina next summer. That was the plan until another Wisconsin winter wore us down. So in early March we decided to put our house on the market. I spent about 6 weeks on preparation -- getting rid of things we no longer needed, sprucing up the place, etc. -- and it was listed on April 28. Then something unexpected happened: it sold on the first day. That sent us scrambling to try to find a house in NC and there was very little available in the areas we were targeting. In late May, we were very fortunate to find a place we like, saving us from trying to live in the back of my Mini and my wife's Outback. We arrive in NC about a week ago and moved into the house on June 26. We moved in but the movers don't arrive until tomorrow (July 3) so it's been a bit like camping. Anyway, today is the calm before the storm so I thought I would post an update.

I've done very little to the Mini since February as relocation has dominated my time. The only real progress is that I installed the dash pieces, door panels, and down tubes I painted in anthracite. This was a time-consuming and labor-intensive job. To recap posts from long ago, the anthracite color is Tesla Steel Gray Metallic from Automotive Touchup. The door Ys and down tubes are top coated with a matte clear and the door ovals and dash pieces with a gloss clear. The gloss bits were rubbed out with 2000 grit sandpaper, Automotive Touchup rubbing compound, and Griot's Perfecting Cream.

The scariest part of the whole thing was removing the airbag cover -- my car is pre-facelift so the airbag cover is very different from the facelift cars. The internet contains several ominous warnings about breaking tabs on this piece when trying to remove it. I considered painting it in place but the effort required to cover the entire interior in plastic to prevent overspray disaster put me off of that plan. So one day, I decided to go for removal (after noting that I could buy a replacement piece for about $100 if things went south). The good news is that it really isn't that bad. I went slowly and carefully and there were no tears or gnashing of teeth.

So now for the reveal. But first let me say that this is one of the best things I've done to the car. I absolutely hated the Alloy Patina interior. No offense intended to those of you with that finish but it just wasn't my cup of tea. In my opinion, the transformation is amazing -- it's like a different car. Here are a couple of shots of the dash and one of the right door panel. There are some odd reflections on the door panel that look like serious flaws in the finish -- I was too lazy total another photo when I noticed them.

Special tha@Here2Go for answering MANY questions and providing invaluable advice.







Next up is getting the AC to work. There is zero static pressure and I have no idea how long ago it stopped working -- it was before I bought the car. I need to make a plan for how to diagnose the system so that I don't start throwing parts at it. I also need to do something about the airbag cap in the steering wheel. Every time I post a photo that shows the steering wheel that marked-up cap is the only thing I see. But my immediate future holds a couple hundred boxes that need to be unpacked so Mini time will be limited for a little while longer.

 

Maybe next year we can meet up for a drive! Our yearly trips are to Spruce Pine, and we just arrived Friday. Congrats on the move and I'm super jealous.

Also, anthracite is so much better than that alloy patina. But I can understand why some may prefer alloy. The anthracite interior definitely makes it feel closed in, whereas the alloy makes it feel open and airy. I would have taken the easy way out and purchased the components rather than paint....dang

 

Do I detect a Dragon run in your near future?

Congrats on your move and hope everything shows up tomorrow!

 

Looks awesome! I completely understand on the steering wheel center cap - mine is a sore thumb as well. Congrats on the move!

 

Congrats on great timing both with selling and purchasing! Now you need to update your profile location.

The R53 interior looks super nice too!

 

Welcome back...and welcome to your new home!
A huge round of applause from me on the OUTSTANDING job transforming the interior. Absolutely beautiful workmanship

Centercap issue will be resolved in a little while. Bear with me

 

Thanks all. My wife was concerned that the darker dash would make the car too dark, or closed-in as MegaDan said. I don't think it has that effect but that's just my opinion. My wife agrees now (or she's just being kind).

@megaDan Would love to go for a drive when you are in the area next year. Get in touch before you head down.

@Eddie07S Definitely a dragon run in my future. I'll probably wait until September-ish timeframe in the hopes that the traffic will be reduced after vacation season. I'm also planning on MOTD next year.

@Here2Go Thank you! I really couldn't have done it without your help.

 

Great work. It looks just like My son’s r53 with factory anthracite. Intimate amd upscale, vs the sort of gaudy patina in the donor car.

 

Something to check in relation to your A/C is the fan relay that seems to go bad on all these cars. I could not get mine to give me the right numbers. Took it to the dealership that told us the relay was bad. We declined the repair and fixed it ourselves and then it charged up perfectly! Hope this helps...

 

Have you tried just adding coolant into the system yet? I broke down and bought a recharge manifold tool because you can't access the high pressure side of the system without one, the low side, yes, but the high side, no. On mine, I tried just adding coolant to the low pressure port in the hopes that the compressor would kick on and pressurize the system, then just top up more on the low side. Apparently, if the high pressure side is too low, the compressor won't kick on. The clutch on mine would kick on, but blow only warm air. On mine, in addition to being completely out of coolant (I bought the recharger with sealant added), the A/C coil was also no good. If you end up having to take the clutch or the coil off, be careful - those bolts are easy to snap!

 

Before adding refrigerant you should check for leaks by injecting dye into the system and using UV light. Also, you should use a vacuum pump to clear the system of everything including moisture. Then add refrigerant. Many videos on YouTube showing this process. I wouldn't use the refrigerant with sealant. Fix the problem properly. Never try to add refrigerant to the high side.

 

This is aso what I was told = Exactly ^^^what RudeJoe said^^^

First off I know nothing about AC units.
When my AC went out on a 110° day while in Austin Texas. I had a small shop try to add refrigerant (without evacuating the system) to no avail.
2wo+ years later (still without AC), I took a chance. I replaced the AC clutch and coil. Happy days; the AC worked again. It blew cold but not really cold. I then brought the car into an AC garage for a simple re-charge.
It was then explained to me what RudeJoe had also emphasized.
$90 afterwards - No leaks and AC blew like an icebox.

I'm sorry - I have nothing more to contribute but yet, just another anecdote : "a day in the life with a Mini".

 

Retailers like Advance, AutoZone and O'Reilly's will let you burrow gauges and vacuum pumps for no charge. Well, they charge for the tool but then issue a refund after you returned it. I bought a set of gauges from Harbor Freight but have burrowed vacuum pumps from retailers in the past.

 

We take a break from unpacking boxes to bring you this message....

Thanks guys. I have a manifold gauge set and will check with Advance Auto about borrowing a vacuum pump. Static pressure is 0 so I'm not worried about releasing refrigerant to the atmosphere but the point about removing moisture is a good one -- thanks for that. Unpacking is going well so I may be able to start on this in a week or two.

As far as the fan relay is concerned, I replaced it and the resistor (Dorman kit) a while back and the fan worked great at that time and the car has not run hot since so I think that's ok. It occurred to me just now that maybe there is a separate fan relay for the AC? Is that the case?

 

@RudeJoe Can I check for leaks with the vacuum pump? I'm thinking apply vacuum to the system, shutoff the pump and see if the system maintains the vacuum.

 

That's the recommended process before filling. Vacuum down to -29 (Hg?) turn pump off and make sure gauge doesn't move for 10 minutes. If it does then you still have a leak. If not, then fill away.

 

A funny thing happened today. First, a little setup. I was planning to get a loaner vacuum pump and evacuate the system as @RudeJoe suggested. Unfortunately, the only local auto parts store with a vacuum pump is O'Reilly's. Their loaner period is only 48 hours (Advance is 45 days -- quite a difference). I'll need the vacuum pump eventually evacuate the system prior to refilling with refrigerant but I realized that I don't need it to test for leaks. I remembered seeing a video in which the presenter used shop air to pressurize the system to test for leaks. So that's what I did.

That's when the funny think happened. I pressurized the system to about 110 psi and an hour later the pressure hadn't changed. Two hours later the pressure hadn't changed. I had assumed that there was a leak since the static pressure was 0 when I bought the car. Maybe not. I know almost nothing about the first 18 years of this car's life so I have no idea when or why the A/C stopped working. I expected to be ordering parts to replace the leaky bits, assuming I was lucky enough to find a leak. Now what I'd like to do is evacuate the system, replace the drier, and charge the system except that I should test the compressor first. In the video I mentioned above, the guy ran the compressor for just a few seconds while it was pressurized with air. That was enough to demonstrate that the compressor/coil/clutch were all working. So I guess I'll try that, though it makes me a little nervous given that the system has been at 0 pressure for at least a couple of years and possibly much longer. So who knows if there's any oil where the compressor needs it. But it's only a few seconds. We'll see how brave I'm feeling. I'd like to avoid charging the system to test the compressor since that would require having the refrigerant removed at a shop if the compressor is bad.

I'm open to suggestions, particularly for obvious things I'm overlooking.

 

Here is my take on it and it is likely worth about as much as you paid for it…. as I have never done this. But…. Here goes…..

In the olden days, when I did some recharging of the AC, the systems had oil in them. I would think the same is true today. Oil doesn’t evaporate (or shouldn’t?). With some oil still in the system, it is in the compressor. Operating for a few “seconds” should not hurt it given that it is still somewhat lubricated.

Curious that it seems to hold pressure with pressure, but maybe leaked at some time….

Here is another thought on this…. I have had my R56S into the dealer twice to fix the AC. It would hold coolant for about a month, then it would stop working. I would assume a very, very slow leak, somewhere that they didn’t find. They said that they added dye and did find some things to replace. I would also assume they did the vacuum leak test. So don’t know on that one. Maybe something to think about.

Another AC story… The AC on our ‘04 R50 stopped working after 19 years with no service. After a recharge, it is blowing as cold as it ever has, and it has held the charge for a while now. Hopefully that is the case with yours.

 

I would guess that there would be oil in the system unless someone replaced the compressor and didn't add any when they did it. From my understanding/experience each component, when replaced, will have some oil added per instructions with the component. A condenser will get X number of ounces, compressor a different amount. I changed out leaking condensers on my kids' Honda and Toyota last year and had to add a specific amount of oil to the condenser before installing. Unless you've had a leak in the system, especially at a low point of a component, then I doubt the system has lost much if any. Caveat - I am not a mechanic, just a owner hack who watches a lot of YouTube videos, and before that read a lot of Haynes and Chilton manuals.
I do wonder if 110 PSI is too high? Seems like most recommend about 90 psi on the low side depending on the ambient temp.

 

Thanks guys. I had a Guinness which gave me all the courage I needed to engage the compressor briefly. And it works. So I'm ordering a drier. When that comes in, I'll get a vacuum pump to purge the system, put the drier in, fill with refrigerant, and keep my fingers crossed.

 

Although, I might have gone with a Three Philosophers from Brewery Ommegang to help with the decision making…

 

9.7% ABV?! That might have given me too much courage.

 

I thought that was a beverage whose name alone would instill contemplation and careful decision making, versus making a rash decision as with having a Mad Elf or worse yet a Blithering Idiot. But when all is said and done, and all comes out as planned, there is comfort in sitting back and enjoying a Perfect Nose…



PS: some beer names just stick with me…