cmcveay

No problem.

If a vendor with a molding ability were interested, it actually wouldn't be too hard. They would be able to make the proper external dimensions to fit between the hatch and the sunroof, fit the contour of the roofline and then, internally, it would have the proper attachment point for the "guts" and the hardware to secure it to the roof. Lot's of people like the OEM antenna or they just don't have an opinion but i'm like you, it's a bit much. When I picked Merlin up, I was waiting on the paperwork to be done and I went directly to the parts counter and picked up the OEM Stubby antenna. Some "A" hole broke that a few weeks ago and I now have a Craven Speed stubby with the Detroit tuned logo on it.

ohhhh, now I can't wait to play! If anyone will be autocrossing or something and they would like to use my Kiwi WiFi device, it's not installed so you are welcome to play with the toys! I'm so busy with work and school right now, I don't have any free time at all.

Would you mind posting a photo of your antenna? I love challenges and while the Shark Fin doesn't appeal to me, I'm interested in how it can be done.

Does anyone know if this app will take the inputs from the Kiwi WIFI device? It transmits your OBDII information via WiFi so, in theory, it would work the same. I've seen some of the autocross videos that have the course layout and the car info in the corner of the image. Back to the original purpose of this thread... I'm attaching a couple of images. Still no time to work on them but I promise, I'm getting closer!

That happened to me years and year ago. I had plates from Fentress County TN and the Navy had me in Memphis (Shelby County). Long story short, I was running open headers and caught the attention of a County sheriff. He "did me a favor" and wrote me a ticket for not having a Shelby County inspection sticker without realizing I wasn't required to have one. I had to go to court and it was dismissed. I'm glad we live about 6 feet beyond the boundaries of the City of Fairfax. Out of curiosity, how much does that decal cost and what's the purpose of it?

Yeah, I paid my $40 "tax" and the $64 admin fee for the radar detector too. I think the Commonwealth attorney gave some bad info though. When I was on the other side of the badge in San Diego, we had to be cognizant of the registered state for the vehicle when it came to equipment and we couldn't write a ticket for something that was illegal in CA but legal in the state the vehicle was registered. In these cases, I think the tickets are written with the knowledge that a tourist isn't likely to come back to VA (or anywhere else for that matter) to fight it so it's "free money"... I'm thread jacking though - what was the question?

Yep, that's a fact. Maybe folks think they don't have to observe basic driving safety in the village?

Unfortunately, there's no way to stop stupidity. Sure, having a lead car helps lessen the danger to the general public but it certainly didn't make it the right thing to do and there's no question that it's illegal (it's a public road with regulatory signs that weren't followed). It would probably take someone like Barry or Nathan to contact them directly to let them know that they aren't welcome to return to an MOTD event if they want to post that video and intend to continue such foolishness. It makes me angry because the stupidity of a few can have a very large impact upon a much larger crowd who behaves responsibly. I'd put this in the same category as those who haul ass through Fontana Village, ignoring the posted speed limits and those who hang out around the various cabins and fire pits for half the night getting drunk off their ass and then driving back to their own cabin because "it's just right over there". I'll get off my soapbox now but there is room for some "self policing" in Fontana.

Turn your autocorrect back on Ali...

I think it will come down to just how much $$ and time anyone wants to put into this kind of project. If it's just AM/FM, it's probably not too hard. Adding OEM NAV and/or SAT RADIO, it starts getting tougher. I checked the part number and all of the BMW M and X series with Shark Fins use different antennas so it doesn't look like the internals of their antenna would work. There's a chance that with some time and epoxy, the internals of the MINI antenna could be removed and attached inside the fin cover that has been recontoured to fit the MINI roof line. Chris, do you have NAV or SAT Radio?

How long does this contest run this time? Last year, it seemed to have gone on for about 6 years...

Chris, We've had folks come to the end point to hangout. We can also use help with the final tabulating for the event if you'd like to get in touch with Laura - she can let you know if she still needs help and if your timing will be right for that.

Pretty sure that would be Mr. Carman... He has a "thing" for little rubber ducks.

He probably deserved it... I'm glad the little elves of mischief were thorough!

I've seen discussions about this over on NAM. Typically, the shark fin antenna is from another make/model vehicle and it's been grafted onto the MINI. Some of the problems were that the curve of the antenna base doesn't match the MINI roof and, the length of the antenna (especially if there's a sunroof involved) interferes with the rear hatch (for the R56 at least). Keep in mind that there are other elements in play here. Catalina has the Factory NAV system and the OEM antenna isn't just a radio antenna, it also houses the SIRIUS and the GPS antenna for the NAV system. If you have more than just AM/FM radio, you are going to have to figure out a way to replace/incorporate those additional antennas into the new shark fin. It might work to swap in a BMW antenna but then there's going to be the issue of the curvature of the base. Nobody is making one of these for the MINI because it's going to be pretty darn expensive. Looking at the shark fin for the X5, the housing all by itself, no internals is over $150.00. Then you have to figure out if the guts of the current antenna will fit under it, have that done and then pay to have it properly mounted.... That's got the potential to be a $300+ mod just for aesthetics since it's not going to improve the performance of the associated systems. I don't want to be the negative nelly there, I'm just laying it out there.

Never fear, there will be enough to go around...:top:

Hey Bert! I agree, the cable supplied with the car is too short to be of any use and I have the same problem with it pulling itself out of the phone unless I stick it in the cup holder. I hate to point elsewhere but there is a Connected forum on NAM and there are a couple of cables that have been purchased and tested for this. I was going to try a standard USB extension cable and a stero extension cable to see if they work properly. I've got 'em at the house, it's just a matter of finding time to try it.

My dad promised to have the wagon wheels tuned up and I think he's been using Black Wow on the leather harness so Maggie and Mable (yes, it's a 2 HP wagon) are looking sharp. He has asked me to shoot the alligator in his pond because it's eating his ducks so that will be dinner one night and I was thinking about trapping a couple of armadillo's and a possum in the backyard for another night. I'm also ordering 100lbs of crawfish to share with my cousins Festus, Goober, Gomer, Billy Bob, Frankie Sue, Sherry Lynn and Joe (Sherry Lynn's ex-husbands older brother). We'll send pictures.

For 2nd Gen's, that's not the issue like it is in 1st Gens because the radio/AC controls are higher and the cup holders are lower. Apples and Oranges. The issue many of us face is that the size of the cup holder simply won't let you put some containers in them and others will fit but it's a wrestling match to get them back out. Lona refers to it as playing tug-of-war with the car but that's typically only with things like the larger water bottles, Arizona iced tea bottles/cans and things like that. Lona's travel mug is also one of those "problem children" an I wince everytime it's in the car as I can imagine the results of the contents flying across the interior of the car as it's pulled out with too much force. For the vast majority of containers, they work just fine. It looked like the MINI FINI cup holders had a diameter that was larger so it would allow them to hold larger containers with less tension. I'll ping Mark to get his perspective once he's had a chance to try it out for a week or two.

Adding the brake light pulsar is a great option and might work to resolve this for you. It's not very expensive and it's easy to install. That way, the 4 foot wide, chest level flashing red lights are real attention getters for those behind you. Yeah, I agree, there's not much that can be done to defend yourself against the idiotic pedestrians who have their focus in the palm of their hand... As for auxillary lights up front, I'm big fan of the Hella Black Magic lights. I've got a quad light bar on the car and I'll be mounting a pair of the smaller Black Magic's in the near future. Another coding feature is the ability to keep your front fog lights on regardless of the headlight settings. OEM driving lights only work with the hi beams on and OEM foglights only work with the high beams off (makes sense considering their intended use). With the coding change, I can have my fog lights on any time so if I have to flash my high beams for some reason, it doesn't turn the fogs off. I find that the fogs do a great job of filling in that light gap between the bottom of the xenon's and the hoodline so I can see those close in objects.

Yeah, Ali manajed to hijack the thread to talk about her 1st Gen cup holders which are an apples vs. oranges comparison to us 2nd Gen peeps. My two questions/concerns about the MINI FINI cup holders are whether or not they flop around (the 1st Gen cup holders can change radio stations and other things of that nature when they wear and loosen up on the mounts) and the other is what size cups do they hold and how well they work. I'm waiting to get feedback from Ali's Husband Mark as he does have one of the MINI FINI mounts in his car now and I trust and believe in his feedback. After having held one of them in my hands last week, the construction and appearance looks really good so now, it's just how it works in the real world.

Wired legally (and from the factory) the lights will only come on when the high beams are on. Of course, where you draw power for the relay is optional if you do your own install. I didn't get the question about the reverse light but I know some people are conflicted about the Clubbie having only one. It's legal and it's bright - bright enough that I'm able to back into wherever I need with it. From what I've heard, you can order a UK tail light assembly and run a wire over to make it light up when the other side does.

Check with Ali (Tggrrr sp?). Her husband had one of the MINI FINI cup holders installed at the Dragon and I'm waiting on his personal feedback to decide on this myself. They appear to be capable of handling a wider range of cup/bottle sizes. My wife is tired of playing "tug of war" with the car to get her coffee cup back.