Edge

The only real "mod" (other than some minor fixes/repairs) coming to my MINI for the spring are the GP underbody panels.

3 year / 36,000 mile Maintenance 4 year / 50,000 mile Warranty

I definitely recommend Royal Auto Body - they do good quality work, and have done a lot of work on MINIs. (703)433-5360. The guy in charge is named Ali (I think he's Turkish?), nice guy, very direct and cares about making the customer happy. They aren't the cheapest, but if you care about quality, they are a good choice. I don't recommend Ashburn Collision though. I believe both are in the Dulles region because MINI of Sterling has outsourced to both of them in the past.

Swapping an R53 HU is indeed very easy to do. 4 Torx bolts to take out the two downtubes, then a few screws on the front of the HU, and it pops right out. Easy peasy. Katie - consider dropping by a junkyard and looking for a totaled 1st Gen MINI (R50, R52 or R53 - won't matter which)... and perhaps then you can nab the head unit for cheap - after which, an Aux input is a simple install. I don't think they added support for the Aux input until the 2003 models, as JAB 67 alluded to.

I'll be there - looking forward to it! :top:

You aren't the one I was really worried about Jay. I'm genuinely interested in learning more about how they perform in rain, and I wanted to raise the issue for the benefit of other club members here who might also be interested in those tires. Since you only drive your MINI 1,000 miles per year, and I'm guessing it's mostly on sunny days, I'm sure they are a perfect setup for you.

Just because someone who is totally performance oriented has something doesn't make it great for all situations. My understanding is that R Comps are "barely legal" (as in yes, street legal, but barely)... and I have a hunch that they'll be AWESOME on dry pavement but you'll have to be extra careful in rain or on wet pavement. Curious to see how they work out for you!

Nice! I wonder how well those tires will perform in the rain though...

I received some "insider info" on extended warranties - they typically have a 100% markup from dealer cost. If you have an agreeable rep with which to bargain, you can indeed get the cost way down. In the end, I was able to get it for dealer cost + $100. It was still very expensive (I opted for the highest coverage available to me) but it has already paid out once for repairs, so I feel a bit better about it.

Oh, my bad. I somehow thought you were looking to get one installed... didn't realize you were trying to troubleshoot an existing one.

I understand that it's not too difficult to self-install the OEM alarm... then you'd just have to visit the stealership to get it activated... or did you deliberately want an aftermarket setup? Back in the 90s I used to get a lot of work done on my Mustang at a great car stereo & alarm place in Rockville, but I'm pretty sure they're closed now.

Be careful with the VA laws. What they actually state are: Front (driver and passenger) side windows - 50% Rear window and rear side windows - 35% So technically, 35% all around will be illegal because they want to be able to see the driver and front seat passenger better. I ended up just getting 50% all around, with blue tint. It isn't very aggressive but it's nice.

Jay, We've had a number of times where the Towson one had only 2 or 3 people show. One time, only a single person showed up. Can you imagine being that one person? If people don't want to go, and the dealer does nothing to help promote it and encoura

Actually, I personally think that having a lighter car

Ali, There are a myriad of choices, and the "right one" depends on you, your needs, how your MINI is equipped (primarily brake size, both now and in the future... if you ever decide to get larger brakes), and your budget. I'll be happy to talk with you directly and discuss your situation if you like. :wavey: Haemish.

Run flat technology has nothing to do with it, and certainly isn't the problem. I have run-flat snow tires (deliberately). So the question really becomes... summer performance run-flats or all-season run-f

Summer performance tires? :fisheye:

...unless of course you do indeed have integrated Bluetooth which cuts the music off when a call comes in. :flute:

Sounds like a good excuse to not answer any calls when you're motoring to me. :motor: However, Nigel, the OP... appears to have a hardtop MINI so the question is still valid. Nigel, I'll be happy to share my experiences and knowledge with you but I think you'll be in for sticker shock unless you opt for one of the less expensive aftermarket solutions.

Hard to say for sure, but I'd say probably not... at least not without the top up. A Bluetooth earpiece will definitely get better results with the wind noise.

Integrating with the controls on the steering wheel will require either one of the OEM Bluetooth solutions (there are 2 different ones for 1st Gen MINIs like yours, nlwilkinson), or a special 3rd-party unit that has been specifically designed to take advantage of the buttons. I doubt that anything found in a retail store (other than the MINI dealer of course) is going to work with the steering wheel buttons. Installation ease will depend entirely on your comfort level with pulling panels open to install stuff on your MINI. I have the higher-end OEM Bluetooth module on my MINI. It was NOT cheap (to say the least), but it's the only one that also integrates with my factory Nav screen, so that's why I justified it for myself!

I had planned on making it but I just found out that the father of one of my good friends died in a car accident last Friday, and the service is on Saturday morning at 11am - so I am unable to come to the M&G. I'm glad to hear that MoA is taking a more

Yeah but that's only on 2nd Gens... and unfortunately it doesn't change the dash lighting. I always thought that was silly - why did MINI make the lighting colors selectable but not include the orange dash lighting in the option?

LOL did someone forget to log off and log in with their own username?

That was awesome and so inspiring to see such a large turnout, and such a generous donation towards a worthy cause. Thank you to everyone for participating... next year will be even bigger, I'm sure! We made it on WTOP, perhaps we'll make it on TV nex