Bert

I know, I'm one of them. :itsme:

Jonnie a happy welcome to you and MINIMO. I just joined at the end of March so I'm a newbie too. You can check out the Calendar to see a listing of upcoming events. There are a number scheduled in June and July and a few of us are joining a C3M (Central Maryland Mini Motorists) run up in Fredrick (MD) towards the end of the month. I'm glad that MINIMO already has a name, that saves Ali from having to ask.

Hey, hey. Let's not get into that now. The problems with drivers in the ENTIRE Metro area are that most are transplants, not only from around the country but from around the world. Mix all those together with their fast-paced, time crunched, caffeinated lives and you get these types of drivers. Knowing a number of firefighters (friends and family members)... I know that they were concerned for the occupants but they also hand fun cutting that roof off a new-ish car.

I hope that they are all right. Is that a Countryman? If it is, bummer, just about brand new. I guess that they have one of the first Countryman convertibles now. :embarassed:

I must have just missed you. I saw WUPWUP in the same aisle me as I was going to pick up a Subway for lunch. Sorry I missed you.

Ernie was delivered one week earlier to MoCo MINI. I had to order him since they couldn't find a BRG w/ a white roof, but no sunroof, anywhere. It was way cool to spec. the car and follow it built and travel across the pond on the MINI cruise ship. I was at the Alex. MINI M&G last weekend but I don't know if we got a chance to talk. Hope to see you soon too.

Make sure that you go out to the local Ace or True Value Hardware store and buy Stainless Steel license plate screws. You can even get painted ones, if you like (black, white, others?). It doesn't cost that much for 8 screws. Take a screw from the front plate and back plate in with you since mine are different (from front to back) on my MINI (one is a machine thread and the other a sheet metal thread).

Ok, so I haven't been on a run yet. I've only had Ernie 6 weeks, but I have been to 3 events AND I did try to help you with your plate screws.

Ali, loves to be the first to ask about the name. Welcome aboard and the crew is fun.

It is not that it has stopped working. It is that the short cable is too ridged, you have to place the iPhone in one of the cup holders, and a channel can go dead since the ridged cable is putting stress on the 3.5mm plug when you twist the cable when you put down the iPhone. The Kensington cable works very well. Their cable has a nice, black, braided insulation that is 3.5' long and gives you the length to put your iPhone in a dash mount. Granted you lose any video capability but I don't care about that. Also, the BMW cable looks similar but it is different, at least the one they showed me at Passport BMW of Rockville. It has a circuit board in the middle (at the split) and the 3.5mm plug is a 3 channel, not a 4 channel plug. The Kensington is also a 3 channel but we all have to make compromises. Thanks for your input. I appreciate any and all help finding solutions.

Wow, that was as close as the Preakness! Congrats to all.

Ok, I'm going to have to check out STKRS wheels. Plasti Dip? I've used it for hand tool grips and other things but never saw it on a wheel. Interesting way to go.

And a big SHOUT out to Laura for pulling this together. :congrats::congrats::congrats: It is a lot of work to get us to gather and to haul all that stuff around. I don't know how she fits it all in Cricket. Membership SWAG, Scanger Hunt stuff, DCMM tag cards, DCMM Grill Badges, etc., etc., and so forth. Thanks Laura!

Yep, it was a hefty chunk of $$ to have it factory installed too.

Since TGGRRR needed some minor surgery from Passport to remove the plates (yes, three of us could not do it this morning), this can be a reminder to the rest of us to check the screws that hold your plate(s) on. Most of us don't change our plates often but I think you would want to be able to get them off if and when we need. If you have the same stock crews that came with the car they are probably plain steel screws. If they rust they can get stuck in the square plastic bushings in your car. An easy preventative measure is to first check the screws and see if they turn, go to your local hardware store, take a screw from the front and back plate in with you (mine are different) and get stainless steel or painted stainless steel screws and replace the original ones. Don't over tighten them when you install the new ones, the screws are going into plastic. If you can't remove them, don't force them and ask your mechanic to replace them at your next service.

Updated the link. Thanks again.

Here is the link for the Kensington cable for the iPhone to the MINI, if you have a USB port (Craig found it.). http://www.kensington.com/kensington/us/us/p/1409/K39204US/2-in-1-car-charger-and-aux-audio-cable.aspx You cannot tell from the picture, or even in the enlargement, but the cable is not pvc or vinyl but a braided thread that is much more flexible and 3.5' long. I don't think that we should have to be paying $35 for a better cable than MINI provides after paying for the upgraded stereo connections but the OEM "y" cable (30 pin plug which splits to a 3.5mm and USB connector) really is not long enough and puts stress on the 3.5mm connection.

... does that make him a demi-god? (Don't let that go to your head.) I just picked up my third or fourth USB connecting cable (since the OEM MINI cable stinks). I had thought that I had tried the Kensington cable before Craig showed it to me but they were Griffin and other manufacturers. Well, the Kensington cord with the black, braided cable works, except for the video input as he had already stated. That you again for your help and expertise. :top: My daughter and I were rocking my playlists from my iPhone. :rock: I still like the mini Sandisk thumb drives but this gives me additional options, that I paid for.

Celia, I finally got to meet your Dad and you are not at the wrong Passport. Yes, MINI of Alexandria has a bigger building and showroom, it is shinier, and the parking lot is... I don't know... 20 times bigger... but MINI of MoCo is a mini MINI dealership and I like it. It is not this cavernous space that doesn't fit MINI.

I have a set of easy-outs that I can bring in the morning with a portable drill. The impact set might be too hard on the MINI.

I asked him about changing the lugs and he said that it was more involved. He said that it is easier to put second gen. wheels on first gens. but not the other way. He didn't elaborate and it my mistake not to ask more. I'll go with your advice since since I know that you (Laura and Haemish) aren't trying to sell me new wheels from the dealership. So... Sevan, if you are still game and I didn't piss you off, give me a call when you get home. I have 10 twenties available for your next project.

Sorry, per my voicemail, I have to decline the black rims. I just left MoCo after speaking with the Service Dept. Manager and he said that those rims (~2005) for 1st Gen. MINIs have slightly different holes for the lug nuts and the 2nd Gen. lug nuts are slightly different (more of a cone shape). They will not work on my car.

To answer my own question, I just checked the specs. and if these black wheels are the S-Lite (R85, 17" 205/45 R17) then they will work on the MC Hardtop Coupe and S but not the JCW. So... if I change the brakes to put the JCW brake set (calipers, discs, lines, etc.) then they will not work. Sevan, I'm still interested since I won't be changing the brakes for a few years and would love a spare set of shoes for Ernie. Per my PM give me a call.

Sevan, I am still interested in them if I can confirm that they will work on my 2012 MC S (2nd Gen.). I only live a few miles from you (Bethesda to Potomac).

Haemish, Are you saying that the black S-Lite rims won't work on my 2012 R56 MC S at all, or won't work if I have the JCW brake calipers? You are the OEM expert.