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Edge

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  3. Bluetooth install

    in Maintenance & Modifications

    Posted

    Sounds like a good excuse to not answer any calls when you're motoring to me. :motor: :biggrin:

     

    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.

  4. Bluetooth install

    in Maintenance & Modifications

    Posted

    It's always easy to justify buying presents for the MINI

     

    Do you think the OEM blue tooth would work well enough with the convertible?

    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.

  5. Bluetooth install

    in Maintenance & Modifications

    Posted

    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!

  7. Mach V Special of the Month: November-December 2009

    in Vendor Discussions

    Posted

     

    They do NOT replace the color-selectable ambient lighting. (You do know there's a switch to change that orange lighting to whatever color you want, right?)
    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? :frown:

  9. MINIs Take the Beltway

    in Events

    Posted

    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

  10. The Return of the Miniglenn

    in Visiting & Questions

    Posted

     

    Hey hey! Remember me?
    Sure do! Welcome back, Glenn! You, and your very talented photographic skills, are always great to have around. :biggrin:
    I've missed motoring with you all! I've been busy the past year or so with school and work and work and school and haven't had much free time, but in the past year I've convinced two friends and a coworker to get MINIs so I'm now trying to convince them to join DCMM too. :smile:
    Sounds great - I hope you're successful. Bring them along to some events!
    (edit: Oh yeah, the user control panel needs to be updated for selecting a 2010 model year...)
    Fixed. :top:

  11. MINIs Take the Beltway

    in Events

    Posted

     

    I am not familiar with this lot... I am from out of state and I really don't want to miss the run. Is the alternative rain meeting place easy to find on GPS?
    It's literally at the intersection of those two roads, so if y

  14. MINIs Take the Beltway

    in Events

    Posted

     

    If you want elliot to mention it be real quick because his show is getting ready to go to africa on a trip very very soon.
    Yeah I think they're leaving Friday morning, so I think I'm going to try Thursday morning. No promises th

  16. Winter Wheels and Tires

    in Maintenance & Modifications

    Posted

    It's why I kept my stock wheels with all seasons around; an easy change once the weather required it. Which seems like it will be soon.
    Makes sense if you already have them.

     

    I'm going to go out on a limb here... when your all-seasons eventually wear out from winter use, will you replace them with new all-seasons or will you buy snow tires? :smile:

  17. Winter Wheels and Tires

    in Maintenance & Modifications

    Posted

    My opinion is a little different than those above.

     

    The first and most important question is: what tires do you have now?

     

    If you have all-seasons (runflat or not), you should be OK. You will of course have to drive much more cautiously when we get a heavier snow (we usually get one or two "decent" snows per winter, where it sticks and lasts a day or two), but you'll be able to get around OK.

     

    If you have summer tires, you should consider getting a second set for the winter. You could just get all-seasons for your second set... but if you're going through the hassle of having 2 sets, why settle for all-seasons? Real snow tires absolutely trounce all-seasons when the white stuff falls.

     

    The main issue with using summer tires over the winter isn't just their absolutely abysmal snow traction, but it's also that they generally aren't designed for temperatures below 40 F. As soon as the temperature drops towards freezing, the rubber compounds in most summer tires stiffens up, and it feels like you are driving on bricks. Even on dry pavement, their performance will suffer tremendously in cold temperatures.

     

    Since I'm particular about wanting summer performance tires for 3 out of 4 seasons (I don't like all-seasons because they are always a compromise), I have 2 sets, and I swap them out at the ends of every winter. Your driving choices may lean towards all-seasons though, and that's fine too!

     

    I'll say one thing about snow tires though... the confidence it brings, when you're driving on 495 in a heavy snowstorm, and you see abandoned and/or wrecked SUVs littering the shoulders & medians... is quite satisfying. :biggrin:

  22. A few photos of Stanley

    in Photography

    Posted

     

    If I do the door handles and gas cap, I will probably order the covers from Aesthetic Creations and see how they work. I don't plan on doing anything to the scuttles. With the chrome I can't get rid of in the headlights and tail lights, having a small accent won't be bad.
    I strongly recommend Lyle @ Vinyl Styles instead. His vinyl work of door handles, headlight rings and many other things is fantastic. Mike @ Aesthetic Creations is a great guy and very talented, but I have seen his door handle covers fade over time. One of our former members tried them and was not terribly happy.

  23. MINIs Take the Beltway

    in Events

    Posted

    For T shirts try Craig at Evergreen Graphics. He does shirts for a bunch of MINI clubs across the country and has done our shirts for a while. He is absolutely awesome. Give him an idea of what you're looking for and he'll knock yo

  25. Hey all, and Questions...

    in Visiting & Questions

    Posted

    Mike / coyttl,

     

    I am afraid I can't help you with the "non-dealer MINI shop" question, at least not in your area. If you're willing to drive down to VA, one option is Mach V - they have been good to the club and are actually one of our "official vendors". :smile:

     

    As for the "locked garage" question - one option is to get a ground-level self-storage unit that you can just drive the Mini right up into, and lock. One of our former members did that for his MINI over the winter last year. Many of the storage companies allow you to park cars in their storage units.

     

    Oh, and welcome to the area! :itsme:

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