mikev

Came across a couple of MINIs last night on my way home from Sterling... One was a 2nd Gen Justa, don't remember the color... the other was a BRG 2nd Gen S, license plate R56 RCKT. The rocket and I went back and forth a couple of times as we progressed west on Rt. 7 and onto Battlefield Pkwy, before I broke off for home.

I'm sure part of the equation is whether you have the Harman/Kardon upgrade or not... there's a separate amplifier and additional speakers with that upgrade, and the issue is likely whether the amp communicates over the CAN-BUS network like so many other things in our cars do (i.e. turn on the radio, a CAN-BUS message gets sent to the amp to turn on, rather than just an electrical signal). If it works that way then I can see an aftermarket system not working right unless you also replaced that H/K amp.

I believe if it's just the standard radio, it can still be replaced (I've seen black plastic filling the spaces where the controls and the wide display usually are, with a single or double DIN head unit below the speedo where the CD slot usually is). Not sure about Nav/Connected. Here's the dash kit that's available with the double-din opening: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_120999309/Metra-99-9309-Dash-Kit.html?tp=3121

I believe that's the cost of the windshield stripes... $25 if you're getting the rest of the car tinted, $50 on its own. If I had to guess, he can use extra film not used in the tinting of the windows to do the windshield stripe... hence the discount. Otherwise he's cutting a windshield-wide stripe out of his tint roll.

The largest dimension of most image formats can be no more than 800 pixels; PNG can be up to 1500x800. There's also a 5MB size limit on images too. Many prefer to upload to a third-party site, then link back to them in their posts. That way you can upload a higher resolution version.

$20 for 12 oz can of spray paint matched to your paint color code... http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spray_paint_matched.aspx They also have a 12 oz can of clearcoat to finish for gloss/protection, $8 for that... http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spray_paint_clearcoat.aspx

There are a number of them in Arcola, between Belmont Ridge Rd and Loudoun Co Pkwy. Most have been patched over numerous times, making the resulting mess probably worse than some of the original potholes.

After being there yesterday for scheduled maintenance, I'm pretty sure I know why they wanted it pushed back. They're doing some serious remodeling! The MINI part of the dealership is now adjacent to the Service side of the building. The MINI side has quite a bit more space now too; they actually have SIX vehicles in the showroom, where they could only have three before, I think. While it looks like much of the work may be done on the MINI side of the building, there's definitely still work being done on the Rolls Royce side. I'm guessing that they wanted to have all of the work done before having an event. I'm putting myself as a Maybe for now... hopefully I'll be able to change it to a yes soon!

If auto wipers are present, it's possible that the rain sensor might be preventing putting the top down since it senses rain.

Not quite. Since I have a 2nd Gen, it's not right where it would go, but pretty close. Photos attached of just the mount as well as the phone/phone holder on it. The phone holder is made by Bracketron, it's just one of their universal holders.

I have a Pro Clip mount holding my iPhone 6 Plus... It sits just to the left of the glove compartment button in a 2007-2013, or on the sides of the center radio/HVAC console in the 2006 and earlier models. http://www.proclipusa.com I got the mounting bracket from them, then have another company's universal holder attached to it, so I can't speak to how their own actual holders work or fit. But the mount itself is in a good position where you can see the phone, and doesn't block your view of the road.

Tennessee is banning vehicles longer than 30 feet from traversing US-129/SR-115. Signage will be posted mid-January. http://jalopnik.com/big-rigs-banned-from-tennessees-tail-of-the-dragon-1667428609

BMW has moved across the street, so the service department at MOS is nowhere near as busy as it used to be. I would be surprised if getting an appointment is a problem still.

I've been there only a couple of times... worked with a different person each time... haven't been around enough to get to know anyone in particular but didn't have any issues either time. But then I haven't handed them anything difficult either...

There's always Big Meadow Wayside... between US-211 and US-33... right next to the visitor center.