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Christina-JCW

Past Club Member
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About Christina-JCW

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  • Title
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Personal Information

  • First Name
    Christina
  • Spouse/Significant Other First Name - if none, please enter "n/a"
    "n/a"
  • Biography
    Avid Battlestar Galactica Fan
  • Location
    Somewhere in Time
  • Interests
    Mini's, Ren Faires, LOTR cooking, movies
  • Occupation
    A highly skilled but woefully underpaid IT Consultant.

My MINI

  • My MINIs Year
    2006
  • My MINIs Body Color
    Chili Red
  • My MINIs Roof Color
    White
  • My MINIs Name
    Starbuck
  1. Christina-JCW
    MINI Cooper S 2002 - 2006 (including convertibles to 2008) Part NME5034 Used only once. $60.00
  2. Christina-JCW
    Well - Starbuck lost her crank pulley. I was lucky that it had not completely separated. With 97,000 miles, I should have expected it. My mechanic replaced the alternator, installed a new belt, an axle seal (tranny oil was leaking) everything else checked out.. Well - due to cost issues and discovering the crank pulley when we thought it was the alternator- I decided to buy the M7 2% pulley. It's all back together - and is a lot smoother - especially with the lightened flywheel/clutch from last year. I'll post pics soon. ~Christina P.S. There is a little more power, and the shift points changed again. I was a little surprised when I downshifted to pass a car and I got there a bit faster. I wasn't expecting to catch up to the car farther down that fast. LOL Now if I just had enough $$$ to get a custom tune...not this year...
  3. Christina-JCW
    I installed the M7 drilled & slotted rotors with Mintex red pads 2 years ago on my R53. Complete replacement for OEM. I was able to get 50k miles on the front rotors before I replaced them last month. I have OEM in the front, still have the M7 drilled/slotted in back. I just upgraded to SS brake lines with racing brake fluid a month.
  4. Christina-JCW

    General Stuff

    Images added to a gallery album owned by Christina-JCW in Converted Albums

  5. Christina-JCW
    Has anyone ever experienced a loose spark plug? (or heard firsthand from another Mini owner?) Starbuck had the Check Engine light come on with misfiring above 3000rpm, and when I pulled the plugs, #1 cylinder was loose. (no torque needed to remove, it turned easily). There was soot on the plug , where exhaust gas leaked past the threads. The other 3 cylinders were fine. Because Starbuck has 75k, I replaced the stock coil with an MSD unit and added Brisk Racing plugs.:idea: (The MSD unit is less expensive than the stock unit). Everything was put back together without any issues. Car works perfectly, light went out, no misfiring, great acceleration.... Thanks!
  6. Christina-JCW
    Sorry to hear about your loss. We'll see you soon. I hope to be there. Just don't know yet. Have tentative p
  7. Christina-JCW
    definitely chatter when: 1) RPM's are below 2500 2) letting go of the gas at speed 3) chatter at idle other than that - it's nice. The chatter comes from the "traditional" flywheel. The dual-mass FW has a harmonic balancer to stop the chatter - it's just a noise issue. ~Christina
  8. Christina-JCW
    :motor:Starbuck has had a bunch of changes recently, some inadvertently. Clutchmasters FX100 clutch and flywheel (FW): the most noticeable are the changes from the 13lb FW (vs. approx 26lbs for the OEM). Quicker pickup, changes in shift points vs road speed. Starbuck hates to be below 2500rpm or so. MPG - slight increase. Suspension mods: 19mm Alta Anti-Sway Bar top and bottom Alta Rear Control Arms (adjustable) Alta End-links (for the Anti-Sway Bar) The 19mm bar adds the most: change in cornering - super responsive. The control arms are lighter than OEM - maybe 8lbs lighter for all 4. It's a good reduction in unsprung weight. What is really nice is that the car handles so much better with the JCW suspension than it used to. All of the parts contribute, and the advantage of the control arms (besides rear camber adj). My installer told me that he had to lengthen the lower arms a small amount (vs the OEM arms) to make everything assemble correctly and preserve alignment. One thing for anyone considering suspension changes: you will have to re-learn your car. Given the JCW suspension, the Alta parts and 16lb rims with Goodyear Eagles (non-Runflat) - the car handles very differently. It is hard to remember what it used to be like, but it felt heavier in turns, less responsive. At this remove, those are the best generalizations I can recall. In case anyone wants to know - the shop was Autotecnica in Manasssas, VA. Price for the 4wheel alignment and the suspension work is approx. $500 or so.
  9. Christina-JCW
    Will be there as well.... Starbuck has 4 new Alta rear control arms, a new Alta 19mm anti-sway bar, and the Alta End Links....
  10. Christina-JCW
    it was installed by Autotecnica (http://www.autotecnicava.com) located in Manassas, VA. I had them install my JCW suspension and a 4 wheel alignment at a very reasonable rate 1.5 years ago. Joe charges about $75 an hour...
  11. Christina-JCW
    well, i contacted my SA and never got anywhere....so - i decided to go my own way. the end of the story is that the throw-out bearing broke into 2 parts (outside was separate from inside).... I haven't had the time to take close-up photos - but I will do so and send copies to MoS and MiniUSA - hopefully this weekend - by Certified mail.... I am less than thrilled that a 1 year old throwout bearing BROKE.....
  12. Christina-JCW
    Hmmmn...didn't think of that. BTW - the clutch tool is only for 2005 and up Getrag 6 speed...all Getrag 6 speed prior to 2005 have a slightly different tool... Autotecnica - the shop in Manassas - had the clutch installed within 30 minutes or so with the tool... now for getting the rest of Starbuck put back together - that's another thing...
  13. Christina-JCW
    I had to buy one from Mini Mania and get it overnighted.... I contacted both MoS and Mach V (on MoS's recommendation). MoS doesn't sell it, nor will they loan or rent one out... Mach V says they don't have one, even in the shop to loan out...??? So - close to $200 later I am the proud owner of my own 2.5lb clutch centering tool...available for a low rental fee to anyone who wants to get their own aftermarket clutch...LOL...
  14. Christina-JCW
    After the Spring Run a few weeks ago - my clutch and FW went south.... So - after getting the slave cylinder replaced and an aftermarket clutch and FW (Clutchmasters FX100), my shop cannot align the transmission.... Last year both clutch and FW were replaced by MoS under warranty....hmmnnn... this is never good...2 clutches in just over 1 year (by 1 week)... So - anyone have any ideas on where to get the right clutch alignment tool? the one shipped with the clutch is wrong, and a universal one doesn't work right either....
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