TGGRRR (Ali)

I can't say technically what's happening but I like that it makes the steering feel heavier. I use it all the time when I drive Mark's JCW. The first time I hit it, I was scared. Thought something dramatic would happen

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Did we just change the topic and are no longer discussing cup holders:questionmark:

Mr OEM looks lonely, I hope the bears didn't scare him during the night

I have some clipboards that I can bring to loan out.

If anyone needs a camera let me know, I can charge up the old Olympus and offer it as a loaner. Ali

YAY!!!!

I'm still working on more raffle prizes. I just scored a few pounds of coffee from Starbucks. I also have CarbonMINI Chimex some products from Prima Car Care a $25 gift certificate for Foxfire restaurant in Alexandria A $25 gift certificate for the Exxon in Annandale A $25 gift certificate for a wine shop in Reston Also - Craig and I are donating a photography session of your MINI including an 8X10 print of your choosing. It will be like the Glamour Shots that we did at the Dragon.

I just scored another raffle prize, a couple of pounds of coffee from Starbucks!

It probably needs to be charged

I've read about this issue and cringe at the thought of it happening to Tigger. From what I understand there are shops that will do it for less. When I had my Celica convertible I had the top replaced at Seatco in Falls Church. They did the whole thing for $1600 and did good work. They were reliable and got the job done quickly. There's another place in Arlington that specializes in convertible tops, they are more expensive then Seatco. They are called Sure Fit, they are also reputable as I had them replace the motors on the Celica's top.

My favorite are the old Hammer and Coop ones, ya gotta watch the whole series too

Me too

I am speechless :rofl:

YAY!!!!!! :rock::rock::rock::congrats::congrats::congrats:

What a great idea :idea:

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Honestly if you don't drink a lot of fluids while driving a cabrio, you'll dehydrate and could get sick. I know, I've done it. That wind can really suck the moisture out of you. But I have always ate and drank in the car. This one it's actually important to keep drinking in.

I've found some fun roads in the Great Falls area on the VA side

GRRRR Steve!!! I was just about to ask. MINIs like having a name. I mean, welcome to the club. I do hope we get to meet you and your awesome roadster soon. I love the color White Silver, it's one of my favorites. So, did you name it? Ali

Just make sure you start with an empty one. No cell phone pictures please

Some people just don't get it. I get ignored a lot too

Steve - When water gets on your top, does it bead up? If it doesn't you should probably consider protecting it. These tops don't last forever so the protectant really helps. Craig - I'd be happy to come over and spray my protectant all over Merlin's top if you like

I'm not sure how many of you treat your tops, but I feel it's important. So if you're not doing it, it's easy and I figured I'd share how. The most important is you need a really sunny day that will be over 70 degrees and no chance of rain. You'll need time at least an hour or two so that the initial application is cured, but you shouldn't take the top down for at least 6 hours so that the cure is good. Based on my research the two best brands I've found are Formula 303 and Ragg Top, both are used by a lot of high end car owners, so I feel safe with them. One year I used the Griott's brand and was not impressed. This time I used the kit by Formula 303 Start off with washing the top. I used a natural brush and the Formula 303 top cleaner. You want to really get it clean so after washing it, I let it dry and then went over it with masking tape to take off all of the brush hairs and any dust. Mask off the car. I found a method that worked really well this time. You really can't mask too much because if the protectant gets on the glass or paint it's REALLY a pain to get off (yes I learned this the hard way) I used sheets and masking tape and made myself a little Tigger fort (see pics attached). I have dogs, if you have dogs you'll find that there is no fabric in the house without dog hairs, soooo out came the masking tape again to get the dog hairs off of the top since the sheets had hairs on them. But, the paint and glass was well protected. Once the paint and glass was fully protected I checked the top and it was fully dry. Now it was time to protect, I used Formula 303 again. Using sweeping motions you get a light but thorough coat all over the fabric. I like to add a second coat so I gave it about 15 minutes and when it was pretty dry, I added a second coat. You don't want to saturate the top, just a light coat that has no gaps, be sure to overlay as you go, let it dry and repeat. You can go three coats if you have enough product. I also kept a microfiber in my hand just in case I got some on the car. Sure enough, the boot under the window wasn't protected as well as I should have and I got some on the paint. It's easy to get the stuff off if you catch it right away, so I sprayed, wiped, and moved on. Next time I'll tape paper across the boot. Once it's done, you can remove the protectant sheets and tape and then sit the car in the sun to dry and cure. They say it takes a good 6 hours to cure, so don't open the top or expose it to water during that time. I hope this helps, and I hope you're all doing this. It can really extend the life of your top. Tigger is on his second one, and I know this one won't be covered under warranty so I'm going to make it last. I was thinking if anyone ever wanted to do a top treating day, I'd be glad to help out. But it could be hard to plan because it's so weather dependent.

Mark does like his cup holder, but he bought it very late in the week and all they had left were a few from a bad misshaped batch. They are sending him a new one and gave him an odd one to use until then. So he said although it's nice, it's wobbly and off and he's waiting for the proper one to say for sure.