Edge

That was fun! Although it was frustrating to interrupt it for a 90 minute work-related conference call at short notice. :hmpf: I like the new location, although it was a bit confusing at first that the showroom is located in the "back". What's the deal / plan with the two buildings in front of it? Does anyone know?

That was fun! Although it was frustrating to interrupt it for a 90 minute work-related conference call at short notice. :hmpf: I like the new location, although it was a bit confusing at first that the showroom is located in the "back".

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure the case would be the same in any state that requires a front plate.

Although I am not directly familiar with the "Swift Performance" version of the hideaway license plate product, I have lots of experience with a very similar, competing product called the "Show N Go" by Altec Products, which is sold by many vendors including Amazon. I bought the motorized one, because it was a cool idea. Indeed, it's a pretty neat trick to hit a button on your keychain and watch the license plate fold away out of sight, or pop back out again. However, after I made the initial investment (it's about $100 extra for the motorized one vs. the non-motorized one), plus the labor of installing it (including figuring out a way to easily detach it when the bumper cover has to come off), I can say that it has been nothing but a bad decision. I have had so many of these break or fail on me... I think I've bought 5 of them now, each at $130-150 a pop. They are so flimsy and the motor and drive wires to drive the plate are so cheap. Due to the design requirements, just about everything is exposed to the elements, right there under your front bumper cover. Looking back, I wish I'd just bought the $50 non-motorized version and manually slid the plate away (or pulled it out) as desired, without the fancy motorized version. Assuming I get my MINI back the way I want it from the April accident, I will be replacing it with the non-motorized one. I like the tow hook designs (the US Mill Works one is definitely very well made), and you can't go wrong with that method... but I like the idea of quickly and easily hiding the plate when you are at a car show or you travel to a state that doesn't require a front plate (like TN & NC... every year for MOTD).

No biggie! It's not a forum "rule", it was just a suggestion that Tyler made at the start of this thread, and I think it's a good one... it makes the thread easier to read.

In the spirit of Tyler's request, I edited Stephanie's post to remove the quoted photos... it sure makes the thread easier to scroll through!

It was a fun day... thanks to Ali for organizing it and to Catalina for letting me drive Lola!

Or just wait it out in the tunnel, right?

An EVIL petting zoo?

I find it funny that the Back of the Dragon website tries to poke fun at the Tail of the Dragon with the phrase "eleven... try thirty-two", implying somehow that Route 16 is better simply because it's longer. Hmm, let's do the math, shall we? Back of the Dragon (VA-16) Curves: 260 Length: 32 miles "Curviness": 8.125 curves per mile (average) Tail of the Dragon (US-129) Curves: 318 Length: 11.1 miles "Curviness": 28.65 curves per mile (average) Ummm... yeah. Not even close - with 20 extra curves per mile on average! That being said, I still want to check out Route 16 sometime! Doubt I can make this trip though - logistics.

In order to link to an image (using the icon), you have to paste in a URL that is directly to the image itself, NOT to the page containing the image. In order to do that from the Flickr links above: Right-click directly on the image Choose a size (from "Medium 500" to "Original"), and that will take you to another page containing the image in its new size. Then, right-click directly on that image, and choose "Copy Image Location" or "Copy Image URL" (depending on your web browser). Use that URL with the image icon above () and the image will embed for you here. As far as the paperclip icon (this one: ) is concerned, that's for "attaching" actual files to your post. It is only available in the "Advanced" view when editing a message, and only for actual (paid) club members, not guests, because it consumes storage on our web server.

I went ahead and stickied the event thread, along with others from the same weekend, so they'll stay at the top now.

The longer you wait on the clear bra, the more you'll regret waiting. when the pits and dings of rocks and other things take their toll, it's too late. Yeah, it isn't cheap, but it really makes a difference in keeping your MINI looking nice. Welcome to the DCMM forums! Hope you like it here and decide to join the club!

Is a green Mustang sweeper OK? :angel:

HAH! It's so easy, a Caveman can do it.

On topic... apparently it was 20 years ago today that this movie was released: Disclaimer: No, I haven't seen it. Nor do I really want to.

Cricket did though.

Here is the status of ECU-induced burble from the factory, by model year - to the best of my knowledge: 2002-2004 1st Gen S (original): No 2005-2006 1st Gen S (refresh): Yes 2007-2009 1st Gen S (R52): <unsure?> 2007-2010 2nd Gen S (original): No, except Factory JCWs (2009+), which do have it 2011+ 2nd Gen S & JCW (refresh): Yes Here is the MotoringFile article that mentions the first introduction of the burble in 2005 models: MotoringFile » Archive » Exhaust Popping The amusing thing is that due to customer complaints and concerns about it, MINI had to release a service notice ("service measure") explaining that this is perfectly normal and intended behavior. It also reveals (at least in the 1st Gens with it) that it is specifically designed to occur when engine braking in 1st, 2nd & 3rd gears, or when over 3,000 rpm when stationary. So there's the trick to know to force it, at least in the 1st Gens with it! Not sure if the 2nd Gens with it were programmed for the exact same triggers or not.

I just found these times on Friday: 10:30 am | 11:30 am | 1:20 pm | 2:20 pm | 4:10 pm | 5:10 pm | 7:00 pm | 8:00 pm | 9:50 pm | 10:50 pm | 11:50 pm What about the 8pm showtime? That way, the movie will be over right about the time that the cars are released from the display. Also, easier to make it there on time for those of us who will be fighting Friday rush hour traffic.

The only machine car wash I will use are the touchless car washes, for the very reasons that folks have described above. The touchless ones don't do as good of a job, but they are OK in a pinch, especially if you don't have time to do it yourself.

Nope, Rocko is an R53... which is why I asked about the wisdom of trying to put the muffler in the middle, when the battery box would directly interfere. :dontknow:

Putting the muffler in the middle on an R53 doesn't make much sense because of the battery box. It makes much more sense to just use the factory location on the passenger side (to balance out the weight of the driver a bit) and be some with it.

His name is Mark. His nickname/handle is mdsbrain. He's a former DCMM member, sold his first MINI a number of years ago, but has now bought another one. Good guy, known him for years (and his wife Kimberly). He has an account on our forums but is not a full member any more. I believe he's more active with C3M, which makes sense since he lives in Bowie, MD.

The Insert Image Link button () is to allow you to put in the URL of an image. In other words, an image that is hosted somewhere else that you want to display here using that URL. It is not supposed to be for attaching an image file on your hard drive. Yep... if all you have is the image file on your hard drive, you can attach it instead, using the paperclip (). It isn't as "pretty" or elegant a method as inserting image links, but it works. Of course, if you have a Photobucket, Picasa, Flickr or other image hosting site account, you could upload your pics there, then link to the images there using the Insert Image Link button. That's what I do (I personally just use Picasa because it ties in with my Gmail account).

Please note this is only true for 2nd Gen MINIs, which have a LOT more wheel & tire clearance than 1st Gen MINIs do, especially in the rear. Two immediate examples: Alan put 215/45R17s on B.A. - and they rub on any hard bumps or corners in the rear. My autocross tires are the same size, and I have the same problem. The stock size is 205/45R17, so it's a very small jump. 1st Gen owners need to be very careful about straying beyond OEM sizes. I imagine that 215/40R17s would be OK for 1st Gens, but that size is much less common.