dcmini

MINI Connected

2011-08-04T10:02:00.002-05:00

Here's a good walkthrough of MINI Connected with typical Brian Cooley commentary. Enjoy.

direct link

Fiat Vs. MINI

2011-07-15T09:51:00.002-05:00

I dare you to count the number of times MINI is mentioned in this Fiat review. I must say, the Fiat does have a lot going for it. Take a look at the Cnet review of the Fiat 500C.

direct link

MINI Countryman Dies while they Check the Tech

2011-05-05T12:49:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of Cnet's car reviews, mainly for its honesty. But what do you do when the car you are reviewing dies during your video review. Well, again, I like their reviews for their honesty. Take a look.

direct link

Countryman Rear Bench Option

2011-03-29T12:59:00.005-05:00

For those of you wondering what the rear bench option on the Countryman looks like, a video posted on Motoringfile had a quick glimpse. This is the first good look I have seen but there might have been others somewhere that I had not noticed. I think I would opt for the bench instead of the rail but that's just me. As far as I know, the rear bench is not available yet but will be soon.

Here is the video, bench shown at about the 5:15 mark.

The Smart still not so smart

2011-02-28T09:25:00.003-06:00

Here is a video review from Cnet for the 2011 Smart ForTwo. What was interesting was the inclusion of an automated manual transmission. What was expected was that it is still is quite bad. Perhaps that is why MINI has not gone the route of including an automated tranny.

Mini on MINI Action

2011-02-14T13:49:00.006-06:00

Snapped this photo over the weekend of the new MINI Countryman with a classic Mini on the roof. It was parked in front of Patrick MINI in Schaumburg. I think the recent travels on a flatbed tow truck were to get it from the east coast to Chicagoland. Keep you eyes open as I think it might be making the rounds to a city near you.

FYI, it seems to just be a steel frame on posts that are welded to the roof structure that support this classic Mini.

And That's Why I Just Don't Bother

2011-02-09T11:01:00.005-06:00

Sometimes internet commenters are just plain mean on Motoringfile. Some just take it too far thinking they can hide from being responsible and just lash out at other people. I used to love reading comments on Motoringfile four or five years ago because they were actually useful, entertaining, and/or smart. Now, just as on the forums over at NAM, it just is not fun anymore.

I will say that for some, comments/forums are still entertaining and useful at times. NAM is a great resource as is Motoringfile if you don't mind the occasional irrelevant comment. I just don't like wasting my time with this baby stuff by participating in comments or forum posts. That's why I reinforce Motoringfile's position and say, we ARE better than this.

Keep it positive people. Happy motoring!

MINI tattoo where? Ouch.

2011-02-07T15:37:00.007-06:00

I don't remember seeing this headline on Motoringfile. Those crazy Germans. Enjoy.
link to video
[UPDATE]
Well, I guess Motoringfile did report on this a last week. Don't know how I missed this article.

Don't Worry, I'm Still Around

2011-01-27T11:18:00.010-06:00

It's crazy to think it's been almost a year since my last post here on dcMINI. But it has and it not that there has been a lack of MINI related things going on. In fact there are plenty.

I will say that I have not been driving the MINI all that much, being winter in Chicago. I don't think I even dove the MINI for all of December and a good portion of November. I know, I really wanted to but I have a really good excuse. I was recently married and much of my focus was on that. We had a Parisian wedding! And it was fantastic. We ended up doing it a bit differently by combining the honeymoon with our wedding but I really had a great time. We traveled to Madrid, Barcelona and then Paris, where we were married in a really cool old church. We dont have the pictures yet of the wedding day but here are some photos of the rest of the trip. Anyways.... that happened. I am still under 50K miles and the car has been doing ok. And by "ok" I mean there has been some issues I have dealt with. Nothing major but still worth mentioning.

Some of you who listen to the WWR podcast know that they remind us, almost weekly, to check the oil level on our cars. Fellow MINI owner Taylor was one of the first I had heard about having a problem with this. Apparently there was a slow oil leak from the oil pan gasket that eventually caused the engine to seize up. Not fun! Fortunately, he talked his way into getting the dealer to help out with replacing his engine but still, knowing that could happen to a very knowledgable guy scared me a little. I have since had my oil pan gasket and valve cover gasket replaced since they were starting to fail as well. It was just a precaution but worth doing as opposed to replacing an engine. This was back in September of 2010

Now, I have a little leak from the coolant line, probably a hose seal somewhere, but I have to have that checked out. Since the MINI is not my daily driver, it is not a priority to get this fixed asap, but I plan on getting it in in the next couple weeks.

Now to address the fact that I have not been posting as much as I would like. When I first started this blog, it seemed that everyone that wanted a voice could just start up a blog. Now I have noticed that that is not the case. There are a few of you still out there doing their thing but most are hitting up facebook. I am no exception. Although not all MINI related, my facebook handle is www.facebook.com/dcmini if you are ever interested in that. Friend me up and let me know you are a dcMINI reader.

Thanks for reading, and I'll try to post up here on more significant MINI stuff as they happen. :-)

2010 MCS Mayfair Cnet Review

2010-03-11T10:15:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I think they just want to get a rise out of us. I still think this was a good review though. True about the volume knob. Check the blooper at the end.... Classic!

X-Ray Mini

2010-01-25T14:49:00.009-06:00

I came across this over at TED.com which I though was fascinating. For the 50th anniverary of the Mini, Nick Veasly decided to x-ray a Mini piece by piece. Check this video out. Towards the end, he shows the Mini in all its glory. Very cool!.

Video Link

BeachComber

2010-01-20T14:11:00.005-06:00

The Beachcomber seems like old news now that the R60 is all over the net, which it is heavily based on. Take a look at the new R60 over at Motoringfile to compare. It seems very clear to me. And I am digging the new look. I can't wait to see it in person, a very long time from now.... ugh.

Happy New Year (40000 Miles)

2010-01-05T15:22:00.004-06:00

The odometer on the MINI rolled over its 40,000 mile on New years Day! It was freezing (thankfully part of me was toasty with the heated seats). Things are going well with the MINI. My new brakes are a bit squeaky but that's ok. My new tires feel great. I had a change to drive it in some light snow and I felt sure footed. Huge difference! Happy new year! Here's to looking forward to new things!

Lenny Wins!

2009-11-18T15:39:00.007-06:00

I caught this on the Simpsons the other day where Lenny, Carl and Homer daydream of supervising themselves at the power plant. What else would you do but race a red, white and blue MINI in the halls. Good Stuff. Enjoy.

Rotors, Pads, and Tires... Oh My!

2009-10-13T09:04:00.003-05:00

As my MINI gets a little older, I tend to take the car out more often. Baby-ing the car has been lacking lately since the it becomes more and more difficult to make the time. So I decided that I would try driving the MINI on a more daily basis, even in the winter months that are approaching fast in Chicago.

I had my brakes redone at 37616 miles. I didn't go with any performance rotors or pads, just a stock rebuild kit from MINICarParts.net. They had a good deal with the entire kit, free shipping, and an additional 10 percent off. It's been a couple weeks now and the brakes feel good after starting out a little mushy.

In another effort to get ready for winter, I needed to replace my Kumhos badly. Although they were a great summer tire and were considered an all season tire, they are really not. In fact in any snow, they are down right dangerous. And at the last rotation, I had some serious road noise issues. I think being a very sticky tire also makes them wear a lot faster too.

I decided to go ahead replace those with a set of Bridgestone Potenza G 019 Grid. The ratings on the winter performance were considerably better than the Kumhos so we'll see if that is the case this winter. So far, after having them installed and aligned at 37659 miles, the ride is very smooth now.

Oh yeah, I also changed out my battery just in case with a battery from Autozone. So far everything is fine.

MINI Confidential

2009-09-03T18:38:00.004-05:00

Some of you might have received an email from MINI with this coded image. Since I did not have my MINI decoder near by I just tilted my laptop screen to reveal the message which brought me to a new site with a bunch of videos and images of what's new at MINI specifically the new coupe concept. As I was poking around I came across this sketch with a very familiar logo branding that made me think I was on Motoringfile for a second. (look at Motoringfiles header image with the "fast forward" icon) Interesting to say the least. btw, I do like what the coupe represents. I just don't think its useful enough to make the masses buy tons of them. What's great about the MINI now is that it can be used in so many ways. Exciting nonetheless.

4-1/2 Years, 36,000 Miles

2009-08-29T08:22:00.005-05:00

I just rolled over my 36,000th mile yesterday. I have been driving the MINI for more of the day to day errands and more often to and from work. I think the next thing I want to do is get some good winter tires. I want to start driving the MINI more and having the 205/45HR-17 Kumho Ecsta AST XL Tires is just to dangerous in the winter. I am not sure what tire I should get but I will keep my eyes open.

2009 4th of July

2009-07-05T22:00:00.002-05:00

We participated in the 2009 4th of July parade again over in Oak Lawn. This year we decided to make a patriotic top hat that proved to be a bit challenging since there was a slight drizzle all morning. Thankfully there was no wind so we were good to go. There were a ton of kids snatching up all the candy they could get as we tossed handfuls of tootie rolls out the window. I had a lot of fun getting the MINI all dressed up. Check out the picts below and Steve's photos. He's the one with red MINI and the inflatable Uncle Sam that has a perfect parade hand wave. Nice! More info on the CMMC site as well.

MINI is a Favorite @ WWDC

2009-06-09T11:35:00.005-05:00

In case you missed the keynote yesterday at the WWDC, Apple presented a few new items including the new iPhone 3G S. And just like with MINIs, the "S" makes it go faster. ;-) Zipcar also introduced there new way to find nearby cars and reserve them via their new app. During their demo, they found a Prius nearby but opted for the MINI instead for the fun factor. And just in case when you finally get to the location and you just can't find the car parked, you can sound the horn from your phone. How cool is that! It's like when I call my own cell when I misplace my phone in the house. The keynote is posted here and skip to 1h33m for the Zipcar presentation if you don't want to watch the whole thing.

Three 3's and Two 1's

2009-06-03T08:00:00.003-05:00

Not really a milestone but more for helping myself remember when I rotated my tires. I really can't recall when I last did that but I know it's been a while. So I decided to get a little dirty and rotate them myself this passed weekend. While I was at it I also decided to clean my wheels inside and out. Now we'll see how long that last but for now the wheels look great. I did notice a couple of nasty gouges in the inside of the rim, probably from road debris, but you can't tell looking from the outside. Here are some photos of the finished product, a couple of days later.

I Pity Da Fool

2009-05-24T20:54:00.003-05:00

I passed up this classic van this weekend from vintage TV show, the A-Team. Awesome... Wait a minute... that is a Kia Van!! Only in America. Respect the Van! Hope everyone enjoys their Holiday weekend!

VW Bug Spoiler

2009-05-19T21:25:00.008-05:00

I snapped a shot of this Vdub with a pretty cool automatic spoiler. As I drove along the side of this, the spoiler would pop up at about 45mph and retract back as it slowed to about 15mph. I've seen this before on the Crossfire and other cars but I never knew it was on the bug too.

There's some really ugly VW bug spoilers out there but this one isn't all that bad. Now whether it actually does anything is a different question. I'm sure it's mostly for show. As a side note, the iPhone really does some trippy things with fast moving objects. Take a look at those wheels... weird! :-)

MINI E on Cnet's Green Show

2009-05-07T13:05:00.003-05:00

Here is a quick test drive of the MINI E. I have not seen one of these in the wild since they are only being leased on the east and west coasts. Not sure if they can even venture out here without worrying on how to recharge it. direct link

Bang for the Buck

2009-05-03T10:44:00.004-05:00

Here is an article that came across my inbox reinforcing the idea that the MINI is a great value. Consumer Reports compiled all of their resources to produce a "bucks-per-bang" for each vehicle. The Prius Touring tops the list with a bucks-per-bang figure of $325 but the MINI and VW Rabbit came in a close second.

The Prius is followed closely in our list by the Mini Cooper and VW Rabbit hatchbacks, with a bucks-per- bang figure of $330. Five small cars, the Mazda Miata sports car, and the Toyota Camry Hybrid family sedan follow with results ranging from $340 to $365. One of those small cars, the redesigned Honda Fit, has the best owner cost in the list, only $24,000 over five years.

Most Bang for the Buck via Yahoo.

CMMC Spring Drive 2009/B-Day

2009-03-23T11:41:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we had our first drive of the season. It was very cool with a portion of the drive being three traffic circles in a row! That made it very fun. It was also the 4 year mark of my MINI's build date. Check out my photos below and everyone else's photos on the CMMC page. Great weather and great times!

Google RSS Ads

2009-03-14T20:00:00.001-05:00

Just about everywhere on the internet, there is at lease one kind of advertisement that competes for our attention. dcMINI is no exception but I have tried to minimize there impact (no pun intended) and make the content of those ads be relevant. Now they have started to trickle in my RSS reader too. Not a huge deal but when I start to see wrinkle creme ads on Motoringfile, it starts to give me the wrong idea. And to make things worse, there is no division from what is the add to the content of the article (see image). There's gotta be a better way.

30,000th mile

2009-03-12T11:35:00.005-05:00

I hit the 30k mark over the weekend! And my fourth year of ownership is just around the corner too. If you click on the image you can even see exactly where it happened with the embedded geotagging info displayed to the right.

The MINI is still running strong, although I hate to think I am feeling an itch for a new one. We'll see. That Clubman is looking better and better every time I look at it. We even stopped by the dealer to ask some questions and wet our lips. FYI, the 2.9% financing MINI is offering only applies to those who take delivery now. Who knows when that offer will end so even if we were to order one, by the time it were to get here, it might not be offered.

WGN Courtesy Desk

2009-03-09T20:33:00.002-05:00

Not terribly MINI related but funny none the less. I sent in a comment a while back to the WGN morning news and I came across this viral video response from last summer. Enjoy!

direct link

Counterfeit MINI Spotted

2009-03-03T21:07:00.005-06:00

I came across this fake MINI while driving around Woodfield this past weekend. This has to be a real "fake" from the MINI advertising campaign from a while back. I just couldn't stop laughing! It even had a tacked on MINI spoiler that was just hilarious.

2009 Chicago Auto Show

2009-02-19T23:39:00.004-06:00

Last weekend I headed out to the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. I had gone a few years ago also so it was interesting to compare the two. This year was certainly less over the top than previous shows. Gone was the huge monster trucks and gas guzzlers, replaced with more efficient hybrid concepts and production vehicles. I was sure to check out the new Prius, Insight and Volt. Those three certainly had the most traffic. I think the Volt is going to be a great seller once it gets in the hands of the public.

As for the MINI, they too seemed to cut back. Last time I was there, they had a second floor section for MINI owners with free food and beverages, very nice. This time, it was simple. The new convertible was there but it was nothing new in my view. I still like the Clubman and still scratching my head over the ill designed center stack.

This year I didn't quite make it for the CMMC drive since it was also Valentine's Day, but we did get our hands on some free tickets. We headed down there a bit after the CMMC crowd. Check out my picts below of what I found interesting at the show.

First Oil Change

2009-02-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

Well, not exactly. The MINI has gone through three oil changes from the dealer under the service warranty. But those times have come and gone so it was time to get it done on my own. So Last weekend I got my hands on some ramps, oil, a filter from the dealer, a "how to" and some free time. I had just about all the bases covered except some decent tools. I attempted to loosen the oil plug but that thing was on there tight! I busted my socket just trying to get that thing to budge. (mental note: get better tools)

So I chickened out and took it to a local mechanic by my office. Nice guy, knowledgeable and competent in BMWs and now MINIs. I slipped him a twenty and he took care of the rest. Well worth it if you ask me for some peace of mind and no oil under my finger nails. ;-) I'm almost at 30k miles and the MINI is feeling great. I have been driving it all week since we have been unseasonable warm.

The Lowest Range

2009-02-11T12:39:00.002-06:00

Oh man! That was close. Yesterday morning I noticed that I was a bit low on gas. No problem, I thought, I'll just stop at the gas station on the way home. Well, something came up and before I knew it, I was on the highway with about 3 miles left on the OBD and about 5 miles left to the nearest station. Yikes! So I kept an eye on this for the rest of the ride. As soon as I hopped off the highway, the number jumped to 4 and by the time I rolled in the gas station it read 5 miles. I guess with the reduced speed, I actually made some gas appear from nowhere. Whew, I sweated there a little. Now, the MINI has a nice full tank and all is well.

The Office's Mindy Kaling Drives a MCSa

2009-01-25T18:40:00.007-06:00

We can another celebrity to the list of MINI owners. From what I can tell, its an R53 ('05 or '06) CR/W MCSa with nav, sunroof and anthracite dash. Very nice combo. Check out this NAM Thread for other notable celebrities with MINIs like Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, and Jimmy Fallon.

2010 Prius vs 2010 Insight

2009-01-15T10:24:00.007-06:00

Toyota finally premiered the 2010 3rd gen Prius. Overall it looks somewhat different, especially the interior. An improvement from 46 mpg to 50 mpg is a key mental jump but certainly not anything near the 100 mpg that had been rumored a while ago. The exterior is definitely Prius although there is a slight improvement in the lines. It's not so odd looking. The car appears smaller even though they tout more rear legroom than before. The optional solar panel roof is nice but is it really that useful? It is simple to ventilate the cabin on those hot days while parked. I also have a feeling that they are doing away with the display monitor as standard. All that info has moved to the instrument panel above. Although there will be the option for gps of course.

I am really not as excited about the new Prius as I thought I would be. The overall improvement just isn't there yet. I think I like the new Honda Insight a lot more now. It now has a back seat though it trails the Prius in mpg ratings at about 41. I also like the fact that the motor does not turn off while you drive. And the price is more to my liking. Under 20k for this make it very appealing to more people. This might be a great choice for my next daily driver. My current one has seen better days.

Check out the videos from cnettv.com of the Insight and the Prius. The insight is said to be availible as soon as April of this year while the Prius is coming sometime ing the Spring.

Better Milage than a MINI? Surprised?

2008-12-31T09:42:00.009-06:00

I don't think so. Seriously, there's a bunch of things that are misleading with this commercial. First off, they are comparing the hybrid model Escalade to a non hybrid MINI. If a hybrid model MINI existed it would certainly blow them out of the water.

Then they are comparing it to a MCSa convertible, which of all the models has the worst gas milage rating. MINI often advertises their best rating which is 37hwy/28city, almost double what they are advertising. I understand they are trying to make a point by juxtaposing their hybrid with the MINI and not necessarily saying by this Escalade instead. I couldn't imagine someone being in the market for these two polar opposites.

What's really funny is that GM/Cadallac then proceeds to tell you the price of the non hybrid model instead of what they just showed in the same commercial. I have seen this done in numerous advertisements from GM where they show you one model and tell you the price of something different. I wish they would be proud enough to just say the price of what they are showing instead of pulling a bait and switch. This all seems to be a desperate plea from a company that still has not done enough to adjust to the changing market. They need to get their act together pronto!

The New dcMINI

2008-12-29T23:00:00.009-06:00

As the new year approaches, I thought I would play a bit with old blog and bring it up to date. I went ahead and sifted through the old blog links and got rid of the dead ones and found a blog template that I liked. Let me know what you think.

Just to get you familiar with what I have done, to the left is a list of MINI related sites that I stay up to date on. The cool thing is that the order of the list is based on which one has the most recent post. The same thing goes for the MINI Blog list to the right. If you want to be added to the blog list just let me know. On the left I also added a slideshow of recent picts from my online photos.

Happy New Year!

Fluid Leak/Air Bag Light

2008-11-23T18:42:00.007-06:00

I had a couple issues pop up recently that warranted a quick trip to the service department. The first was a reoccurring issue with the air bag light going on when I had a passenger in the car. The second and more troubling was a fluid leak. I noticed spot on my garage floor earlier last week so I did a little investigating but I could not tell where the leak was coming from. I snapped a couple of picts of the leak under the car

So I dropped off the car on Thursday night and let them take a peek. They found the leak was due to a faulty gasket at the temperature sensor of the coolant. Turns out that the thick fluid that I initially thought was oil was actually coolant. They quickly replaced the entire sensor with the gasket. As for the airbag light, they ended up replacing the seat sensor which essentially requires to replace the entire bottom of the seat including the cushion.

So now my MINI is back in my garage and running great. I am glad I was still under warranty for these items.

Mini, Ooh Yeah!

2008-11-21T13:48:00.010-06:00

A few months ago, Moby held a contest to direct the video to the song Ooh Yeah. The video features a naughty classic Mini carwash, circa 1972. Good stuff. Watch to see if they clean behind the wipers! Ooh Yeah! Don't worry, it's not real porn. Just don't let anyone see you watch it at work. ;-)
Official music video for "Ooh Yeah" from Moby's new album Last Night (out now on Mute). Directed by Matteo Bernardini © Mute Records 2008. YouTube

MINI E

2008-11-18T12:10:00.003-06:00

I have always been intrigued by logo designs, especially ones with a good concept. The MINI E badge is no exception as it not only clever but very well executed. The most recent one I was impressed with was Obama's Logo but I think MINI has a great one at bay. Kudos to MINI for putting the thought into this branding. I love the play with negitive space and the resulting plug that appears.

It's great to see how MINI is taking on the energy crisis head on. Hopefully this will be a successful endeavor and will result in these being available to the general public. I would certainly buy into this concept if it weren't for a few minor drawbacks. One being that not everyone has a garage to plug in the car every night.

Only lockable garages or similar buildings will qualify as homebases and power stations for the MINI E

If there were numerous methods to "fill up" and if it were at the very minimum just as fast and convenient as conventional gas, then I think this would catch on instantly. Read more about the MINI E on Motoringfile.

MC in Nobel Son

2008-11-12T23:56:00.005-06:00

Professor Snipe returns! Here's a new movie that features an R50 as a full size remote control MINI Cooper that runs a muck in a shopping mall. Looks like it might be funny but it's no Italian Job. Check out the trailers at apple or at the official movie site. It should be out by December 5th so look for it then.

B&W Stamp

2008-11-11T16:16:00.003-06:00

Just having a little fun with photoshop. This one is a little like an ink blot. what do you see?

Here are some more images I messed around with.

Good to be in Chicago

2008-11-04T11:20:00.003-06:00

You can feel the air is thick with excitement. I hope we make history today.

dcmini Web Stats

2008-11-03T10:23:00.010-06:00

It is interesting to see where dcmini visitors are coming from. Here are a few maps that describe this rather clearly. To read the maps, keep in mind that the darker the green area is the higher number of visitors came from there. The maps are from google's analytics service that is tied into the blogger services that they provide. All for free and quite the resource.

World Visitors

From that you could see that the US is still very strong among world visitors. But it is nice to see that there are some people stopping by from Europe, Asia and Austrailia. Even some from Africa and South America.

United States Visitors

That was surprising. Apparently most of you are from the great state of California (Beautiful state I might add). I wonder if this is proportional to the number of MINI dealers in each state. I notice no hits from Montana or Maine. Where as California has the most hits with its four major MINI markets.

CA and IL Visitors

Starved Rock 2008

2008-10-28T15:12:00.002-05:00

From Starved Rock Run 2008

Once again I joined the CMMC crew for a wild drive down to Starved Rock. Wind was fierce on Sunday, causing us to be a bit more cautious while taking the back roads.

From Starved Rock Run 2008

It was a bit like an obstacle course in parts so it was fun. As usual check out everyone else's picts at the CMMC post and my picts below. Thanks to Arnie and Lena for taking a picture of us during the drive shown above. My picts can be found here. Happy Motoring!

Chevy Volt

2008-09-16T14:18:00.007-05:00

The Chevy Volt has finally been officially revealed. And at first glance, it does look decent. In fact, I think this might be a good thing for the brand. For a few years now I have been looking at the Prius as a replacement for my daily driver, something easy on gas yet would not be a small car like the MINI is. The Clubman was starting to get the hint but as I look more at it, I am not sure it is enough. What I would like is a normal looking everyday car that had the benefits of a Prius but that did not look like an oddly shaped spaceship. As a quick knee jerk reaction, I think this might me a good fit for the mainstream car buying public.

Now the big questions here is how much. people are guessing as much as $40 grand but we'll see if they are smart enough to negotiate some government rebates or control the price to make this a little more affordable for the masses. Also looking at the interior, I am not sure how the center console works with the white casing and 2nd LCS display.

Diggnation on Cars

2008-09-14T16:21:00.003-05:00

Kevin and Alex of Diggnation fame chatted a bit on the general public view of diesel and cars that are working to change that view. They were discussing a businessweek article about a ford that reached 65mpg but since it was a diesel engine, they just don't see the US buying them. I could not help but think of all the jumping and screaming DB has been doing over at Moteringfile trying to get MINIUSA the bring the MINI Cooper D to the states with no success... yet.

It also comes to the design of the car itself. I have never heard of people saying how good looking a Prius is but it's almost impossible not to mention the car's looks when talking about the MINI. Skip to about the 23 minute of this episode if you don't want to watch the whole thing when they mention how the MINI gets it right when it comes to small cars and god looks. I can't help to agree with their view on this. Diggnation is certainly worth taking a look at.

MTTS 2008 Memories

2008-08-08T10:28:00.007-05:00

Here's a post I had written back in July when MTTS Chicago was in full swing.

I was one of the many who attended the Chicago portions of this year's MINI takes the States. They really had their act together and it showed. From the BBQ in the park to the goodie bags to the Ridemakerz event, it was a pleasure to be there. I did not go to the Elkhart Lake portion but the rest of the party was a ton of fun. I wish I could have gone up to Wisconsin with the caravan and enjoy the concert but doing the local stuff was more than worth the $20 price.

On Friday, I headed down to the UIC/Maxwell Street for the owners meet and greet event. We were greeted by a number of people directing MINI traffic into the complimentary parking garage with big checkered flags. We then walked into the picnic grounds to meet up with other MINI owners, have some tasty eats and watch a movie outdoors. The movie didn't go so great since the park was semi lit and the projector was not that bright but it did make due for some. The MTTS event then continued without me on Saturday in Wisconsin.

On Sunday, the group headed back to Chicago for a meet up at Ridmakerz where we received a complimentary toy MINI courtesy of MINIUSA. These things are cool looking. We ended up getting the RC version which is neat but certainly not worth the regular price INHO. I don't think I would have paid full price for these on my own but they are still pretty cool to took at.
Check out the CMMC site for some great photos. I unfortunately didn't get to take many photos because of all the excitement but here is a link to mine as well. I hope this does become a regular event. Although if I could spare a couple weeks off of work, I think I would have really enjoyed the cross country drive like they did a couple years back.

Hit 25,000

2008-07-26T09:58:00.001-05:00

Had this post in the queue and I forgot to post it. oops. ;-) So I rolled over my 25,000th mile back on July 25th. Seriously the novelty of trying to match the milage and dates has worn off but this time it was merely a coincidence. Anyways, my MINI is still running strong. My other daily driver is not doing so well though so I tend to take the MINI out just a little more often than normal. Not that I am complaining, it certainly is a joy to zip to and from work. Some would say a little too much fun. :-D

4th of July Parade 2008

2008-07-10T22:01:00.003-05:00

Plenty of fireworks to go around this year. CMMC once again was invited to join the 4th of July parade, this year in Oak Lawn. There was a great crowd with plenty of young ones darting for the candy what we were encouraged to toss at the crowds. In fact the kids were treated to a load of free hot wheels cars that Cathy and Gary tossed out. The kids went nuts for those! Below are my picts from the event. You can check out everyone else's picts here. I had a wonderful time again and look forward to raiding the clearance items to add to my decorations for next year. Good times!

Snob in a ...

2008-06-13T09:45:00.002-05:00

I came across this ginormous spoiler with a small car attached that I thought this was hilarious. I wonder what the MINI would look like with a spoiler that was as big as this one. ;-)

Dragon Recap

2008-06-04T16:26:00.011-05:00

I finally had a chance to sit back and gather my thoughts on the 2008 MINIs on the Dragon. This was my first official MOTD that I had attended, but I have had the opportunity to drive though the dragon once before on a previous road trip.
We arrived late Thursday evening to find our cabin had almost gone up in flames, literally. I was told that a tree fell on some power-lines that sparked a fire. It took the locals a little while to put it out, but the scent of burning brush was still noticable when I drove up. By morning we had the power back so that was good news. The first official event was the Dragon Parade Run on Friday morning. The weather was great and I had a blast running up and down the Dragon with a lot of other MINIs.
We then headed out to do some side trips to visit the Cherokee Indian Reservation and the Smokey Mountains. All in all, it was a great day for a drive.
On Saturday, I participated in the Draggin Dragons pine car races. That was so much fun. Our entry made it into the second round but having lost some much needed weight, we were outed soon after. We decided to drive into the city to grab some eats and drive through the mountains again before the farewell dinner.
The greatest thing about this event was being able to hang out with a bunch of MINI owners. It was wonderful to see just about everything you can get for the car in every color combo and flavor. From what I hear, the group was a good size this year but not over crowded as it might have been last year. The highway patrol was fairly tame, no scary moments for me anyways. Overall a very good trip to the Dragon. I highly recommend it if you can get out there. It is definitely worth it.
Below are a few more pictures that I took. Also check out pictures from our cabin mates Francis and Paul, as well as a video from Taylor at the CMMC site.

Cnet Clubman Review

2008-05-13T10:53:00.010-05:00

Here's a Car Tech Cnet Review that I enjoyed. I saw many Clubmans on the dragon last week so it is certainly starting to become more popular. I really like the roof rack on the new clubman too.

Dragon Road Trip

2008-04-30T10:23:00.008-05:00

I got the car packed and ready to go. By tomorrow evening I should be rolling through the Dragon with a few hundred other MINI enthusiasts. Should be a blast.
I drove the MINI to work this morning and my tire pressure monitor went on. No signs of a flat so far but it got me freaking out since I do not have the run flats anymore. I think my umbrella pressed the monitor button which triggered the light but if anything it was a great reminder to get some tire sealants for the long road ahead.

High Roller

2008-04-24T09:20:00.003-05:00

The question is: "Why you would ever want to step up into a Miata?" All I can do is shake my head in disappointment..... and then point and laugh. HA!

$50 Fill Up

2008-04-21T10:12:00.002-05:00

I was so glad to see a gas station as I rolled up with only 4 miles left on the OBC until I was completely empty. But as I left I wish I didn't need to fill up so much. This is my first fill up that reached the $50 dollar mark.... Ouch. And we haven't reached Memorial Day weekend yet when gas prices are outrageous.

MCS Wannabe

2008-04-11T13:59:00.003-05:00

Ran into this guy yesterday with his dark silver vdub with centered exhaust. It gave me a a little laugh so I thought I would share it.

2 Years w/an MCSa w/Mods

2008-04-04T09:42:00.002-05:00

So I had a few inquiries about my mods at my last CMMC outing. They were from people who were about to take the plunge and start modifying their own MINIs but were still curious on some of the other details that are not so commonly discussed. What was also interesting was that they sought me out because I had an MCS with an automatic transmission. So I thought it might be useful to recap the things I have done and the experiences so far.

A Little History
I took delivery of my custom spec'd dark silver/black 2005 MCSa back in April 2005. That was the model year that MINI first started offering an automatic transmission on the MCS. I started right away with some minor interior accessories but I held off from doing any performance upgrades for a year just to be safe from any warranty issues. Most of the mods I did my self but the engine mods were a bit out of my league and the last thing I wanted was car problems that could be blamed on the mods that were improperly installed.

Performance Mods
After a year of browsing the forums over at NAM and MINI2 I knew pretty much what I wanted to do. Nothing over the top but just the three most common things that people do to their MINIs; a pulley, intake and exhaust. I initially wanted the pulley for sure. the 15% reduction pulley seemed to be the most reliable from what I read. Although there was hardly any difference, the 17% and 19% had a few reports of running the supercharger a little too hot which would cause the component to fail sooner. Again, I wanted to play it safe so went with the 15% reduction pulley, aproximately the same size as the JCW upgrade.After reading even more, I found that since the supercharger is compressing more air it would be smart to upgrade the air intake. I had it explained to me with the analogy of sucking on a straw. If you are sipping a drink with a thin straw you need to work harder to get more of liquid through. If you increase the straw diameter, you then make it easier and faster to get the same amount of liquid through. The same concept applies air and the engine. So I made up my mind to get an air intake upgrade as well.At the same time, with all that air going into the engine it needs to get out just as fast. The stock exhaust is good but is still restrictive so I started looking into replacing the exhaust as well. So in my mind it was not just a matter of throwing a pulley on, it was a matter of letting the pulley do it thing freely. I opted for the Milltek exhaust for its great reviews and its similarities to the JCW exhaust upgrade.

Now the issue was who would do all this work for me and give me the peace of mind that is installed properly. Again I turned to the forums and I found many reputable installers located all over the country. Luckily Randy Webb of Webb Motor Sports was scheduling one of his last pulley parties in Chicago at the time. I quickly signed up and had all three upgrades installed by him.So Far So Good
Currently, its been about two years since I had all that work done on my three year old MINI. My milage is improved a little but it is relatively the same when compared to my pre mod figures, about 26 with short fast drives. With the three mods, the car runs great. Shifts are smooth and the engine is eagar to rev. I have had no issues what so ever with the these mods. The sound from the exhaust is pleasing, not too loud, and just enough louder to turn heads at high revs. The supercharger whine is a welcome sound as well. With the upgraded intake, the sound from the engine bay does travel into the passenger cabin a bit more but it's not obnoxious. It's a nice way to get some audio feedback from the car.

Overall I can not be happier with adding the thing I did. I would highly recommend doing these upgrades for some added fun around the bends. It is definitely worth every penny. Speaking of cost, you can find how much I paid for these and all my other additions here.

MINI Cooper MINI?

2008-03-27T12:38:00.006-05:00

I thought this was silly. Shouldn't it be mini MINI Cooper? I guess it's not common knowlege that MINI is the make and Cooper is the model. Either way, it's a mini MINI. ;-) And the look on Conan's face every time he knows a writer's sketch is stupid is priceless. Plus that MINI has two stubby antennas. Weird. Scan to about 18 minutes in if it doesn't queue up.

Dragon Bound

2008-03-26T10:52:00.003-05:00

Yup, that's right. I was bitten by the dragon bug last summer when I drove through but now I wanted to see what it's like when a whole bunch of MINIs take over. Registration is seems fairly low so well see how it goes. It might be nice for the roads not to be over saturated. Either way, I am excited to get down there and ride that dragon roller coaster!

Happy Birthday, I Think...

2008-03-19T09:59:00.005-05:00

Not sure what I would celebrate as the birthday of my MINI; the built date or the delivery date. But a couple of days ago (3.18) marked the day my DS/B MCSa was completed at the factory and awaiting transport to the states. Three years so far and no signs of letting up.

2008 Spring Forward Drive

2008-03-10T10:24:00.005-05:00

The annual CMMC Spring Forward Drive took us on a nice trip this Sunday up to Lake Geneva where we met up with the Milwaukee MINI club and ate a good lunch at a restaurant I like to go to a lot, Houlihan's. After a quick stop at Culvers in Burlington, WI, we headed for some nice side roads on our way to Lake Geneva. Check out the pictures below.On a side note, there was a "MINI Motoring Against Cancer" Banner at the event which raised almost a thousand dollars for the American Cancer Society. The banner will be heading out to AMVIV and hopefully out to the dragon in a couple months.

Motoringfile NewsRoom

2008-02-26T10:31:00.015-06:00

The MotoringFile NewsRoom was introduced today for all your MINI related and general auto news. While still in beta form, it looks very polished and worth a bookmark or two. dcMINI even made the list right on the front page, bottom center of the MINI news section. Thanks Gabe.
A similar website has been in existence for many years, GoMotorong, but it seems that Mark Volgar might be selling (or has sold) the site according to dbmini.us. Here's what Mark said about his RSS MINI site

I don’t hold claim to RSS feeds nor do I think that GoMotoring has claim that I made reading RSS feeds better. What I will say is that while numerous technophile users out there don’t see a need for my site, most users are very happy that I provide a one stop NEWS PORTAL for MINI related news. This shows in my repeat visit stats on the site. I never wanted to compete with NAM or MF, I just wanted to make the average MINI owner a spot to get all their information from one location and be able to go the site with the information they wanted to read.

When I got my MINI I surfed at least 15 sites a day and very few of them had anything new to say. GoMotoring took care of that problem for me and has now been quite useful for many, many MINI owners in the same way

I used to do the same almost everyday. I would check out GoMotoring first, scan the page for any changes, and read any new items. The problem for these types of sites is that personal RSS readers are a lot more convenient. I now use Google Reader and I am glad I do. I have all the RSS feeds for all the sites I like to visit, including a few non MINI related ones, all in one place. And in addition I can mark items as read so they do not show up the next time I check for updates, a real time saver. GoMotoring used to be a time saver for me compared to visiting each site individually and checking for updates. Now Google Reader is even faster and customizable.

It seems that there are a number of MINI related sites that are transfering ownership in one way or another. NorthAmericanMotoring was recently sold and MINI2 was bought out a year ago I think. A lot of things are changing and hopefully for the better.

New IPhone Button for dcmini

2008-02-08T12:00:00.002-06:00

Those of you with an iPhone or iPod Touch can now add dcmini to your home screen with a cool new icon. I gave it a shot and it seems to work fine. I hated having a super tiny preview of the webpage itself show as the icon since the content usually changes from time to time and the icon doesn't. I starting to see more and more sites be iPhone friendly and decided to do the same for dcmini. Give it a shot and let me know what you think......

boy do i miss warmer temperatures... it's freezing! :-)

It's My B-day and I'll Drive If I Want To

2008-01-08T13:51:00.000-06:00

That's right. The big two-nine came today and with great pleasure. Since winter is in full swing, I usually do not get to drive the MINI so much... by choice. But the weather is springlike today and just a little wet so I just couldn't resist.
I decided the MINI could use a little run through the puddles today on my ride to work. The temperature is just about right for the engine to zip in and out of traffic. The MINI is just so peppy on days like today. And with the slick roads, it makes those empty parking lots just that much more fun. Happy New Year everyone!

The 20,000th Mile

2007-11-14T15:03:00.001-06:00

This passed weekend, my MINI tacked on its 20,000th mile! That's well over 10,000 miles with a pulley, intake and exhaust on an MCSa with no issues to date. Here's a choppy video I captured of this moment on a Chicago expressway.

Starved Rock 2007

2007-10-30T22:43:00.000-05:00

With the leaves turning those wonderful colors, it was time for the annual Starved Rock Run. What a great drive right in my own back yard. And this time the club had it planned just right with a nice brunch at a resort lodge nearby. I had a great time. Here are a few pictures of the event.

Holy Crap! The Dragon is Awesome!

2007-08-13T21:33:00.000-05:00

Absolutely the best road I have ever driven. Hands down. This winding road demands full concentration and the utmost respect. I highly recommend it if you can make it there. I will most likely be attending next years MINIs on the Dragon if at all possible. It's that good. Here are a couple of picts of the pre Dragon part of highway 129. We just couldn't take any pictures during the really curvy parts because we needed to hold on. I did add the pictures from Killboy.com, which I will be ordering full res shots soon. Enjoy!....... and btw, you should go to the dragon..... now! :-D

MINI Road Trip 2007 (part 2)

2007-08-10T10:21:00.000-05:00

First off, I just realized that this is post #101. Posting has been extremely fun for me and hope to continue for some time to come. Thanks to everyone for visiting.

Road Trip 2007:
Continuing on from Part 1 of the road trip, we made stops at a few more locations. The first part we stoped at Springdield IL, St. Louis and then Memphis. This half we visited Nashville, the Smokey Mountains, and Cininnati. Check out the pictures below. And with the stop to the Smokies, a visit to the Dragon was inevitable. ;-)

MINI Road Trip 2007 (part 1)

2007-08-06T20:02:00.000-05:00

Road trip USA... in a MINI. So far it's been just great. We have traveled through Springfield IL, St. Louis MO, Memphis TN and Nashville TN. With temperatures reaching well over 100 degrees, we have been staying cool. There's still a lot more traveling to be done. With no exact route planned, we have ultimate flexibly. Next stop, The Smokey Mountains. Check out the pictures to far below.

DSG: Not Anytime Soon

2007-07-26T11:08:00.001-05:00

All you MCSa heads out there, don't hold your breath waiting for a DSG type tranny in a MCSa. It seems that there just isn't any resources to develop this under the BMW roof. And nothing currently in development could be adapted to the new MINI. Here's an exerpt from Motoringfile's interview with MINIUSA product manager Jeff Stracco:

MF: A lot of posters want to know if MINI will be getting a DSG or equivalent.

Stracco Speaks: The only real manufacturer of Dual Clutch Transmissions right now is VW. They don’t have a supplier, they manufacture the DSG themselves. Their front wheel drive box is actually manufactured by VW under license from Borg-Warner. They can afford to manufacture it themselves because they have huge volumes with VW, Seat, Skoda, etc. But, as you could imagine they are not prepared to manufacture those for anyone outside the VW family.

Everyone else has a dual clutch gearbox “In development” or something like that. Or if they have one, it’s not appropriate for a MINI. So it will be a while yet.

I am not an expert in market feasibility but I would think the "business case" would be very strong seeming that the market would include everyone from a novice motorer to a well experienced driver. The fact that the DSG transmission could produce faster shift times and ultimately faster cars would get me (and many other enthusiasts) very interested.

For more info check out:
GTI Test Drive [ dcmini ]
VW DSG [ Carpages.co.uk ]
DSG Auto [ dcmini]
Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) [ about.com ]

Portillo's 7.11.07

2007-07-12T08:50:00.000-05:00

Hot Dogs and MINIs, what a combo! For what seemed like a casual gathering of a few enthusists set up in a NAM thread, we had a very large crowd show up. I also met up with Juan, of blu-iguana.us fame, who happened to be in the area with his indi blue cooper with well over 100,000 miles on it. Wow! And he gave me a poster with a ton of his pictures! Very cool... I'm getting that framed soon.

I had a blast talking with a couple new faces as well as some passers by. I hope we can make this a regular event.

CMMC 4th of July Parade 2007

2007-07-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

What better way to show off your MINI than in a parade! There was a total of eight MINIs that showed up to churp their tires, rev their engines and decorate their MINIs for the crowds at the Skokie 4th of July parade courtesy of the CMMC. My grandfather happened to be in town so he rode along with me and he said he had a blast. It was great fun and great weather. Check out the club post for more picts including mine or just enjoy the slide show below. Happy forth of July to all! Hope yours was as memorable. :-)

One Hand on the Wheel....

2007-06-23T19:34:00.001-05:00

How funny is this!! I went out to buy a mattress set for my mom and needed to get it home. I wasn't expecting to have to take it at the time but since her home was less than a couple of miles from the store, it didn't seem like it would be a problem to toss them up on the roof for a quick drive. With a little twine and a strong fore arm, we made it home with out a hitch. I never thought I would be one of "those people", but it needed to be done to close the deal. ;-)

My First Flat on the MINI... Awww

2007-06-18T21:51:00.000-05:00

On my way home this evening, I heard a loud thumping like something got caught in my wheel. I pulled over and didn't notice anything so I drove off. A few minutes later, my tire pressure light went off and I knew I must have run over something bad.

When I arrived home, luckily only a couple of miles where this happened, I heard a loud whistling from my rear driver's side tire. And this is what I saw:

It's a house key that had a key strap attached to it. I think I'll keep it as a momento. Now I get to track down a place to repair it. fun stuff. :-) click the picture for more photos.

Since I didn't want the MINI to ruin the run-flat, I jacked it up and took the wheel off. I then tossed it in the trunk of my other car. As I walked away, as a matter of habit, I set the alarm. When I came back I thought I would level the car out since it was jacked up pretty high. As I let the car down a bit, my alarm went off and scared the crap out of me. Its good to know that the alarm is in good working order. I didn't think it was going to be that sensitive but I'm glad it is.

Going Green [Video]

2007-05-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes being MINI can mean a lot of things. One of the side effects of being an architect is that we tend to cater to people who are well off and/or are not interested in reducing the size of their project. This house with regards to its size is certainly not very MINI. As an offset, we look at other ways to reduce the impact of a project as a whole, not only financially but environmentally. With that, there is often a little up charge for going green initially, but in a short time it most often pays for itself and them some. But what is even more rare is having a developer invest into such a concept up front. Here is a project I worked on that exemplifies just that. It was also featured in a local NBC news segment, Going Green. Check out the video here. If you are using Safari, it seems a little buggy with the video. It works fine with Firefox.

HD Dice iPod Kit

2007-05-15T15:06:00.000-05:00

My Previous Setup:
One of the first mods I added, back in April of '05, was the OEM AUX input ($42). This was a simple, easy and inexpensive way to get my tunes off the iPod and into the car. It was much less expensive than the often buggy Dension Ice-link Plus at the time. After a short while, a ground loop became an issue and would cut out the AUX every so often. To solve that added the Belkin Auto Kit ($40) that I received as a Xmas gift back in December of '05. Since then i've been jamming my tunes without any problems. It was a clean set up, just one cord going from the cigarette lighter to the center coin tray, and it kept my iPod charged and ready to go. It even paused when I turned the car off so that I could resume it later.About HD Dice:
After a while I grew tired of not being able to advance to the next track with the steering wheel controls. In addition, I kinda always wanted to see the song info without having to access the iPod itself. Then along came Dice, and their new and improved HD Dice Ipod Integration Kit. I became aware of this product from a NAM Q/A thread started and maintained by Tom of EAS. So what's different from the regular Dice iPod integration kit? Well nothing really in regards to the iPod. The module is definitely larger but the iPod interface is pretty much the same from what I can tell. The big difference is the 'HD' for High Definition Radio. Being in a large metropolitan area, Chicago has pretty much most of its over the air radio simulcasted in high definition, but having a regular radio would never be able to receive the HD signal. With the HD Dice, you can not only get all your ipod features, including displaying current track info on the stock head unit display, but also listen to HD Radio. Some stations also have hidden channels, such as HD2 that have different programming and some surprisingly have uncensored content. The device itself emulates a CD changer so it connects to the CD changer connections in the boot.The Install:
The DH Dice iPod Integration kit is very simple to install. The hardest thing I encountered was fishing the cables through where I wanted to run them. The HD Dice comes with two items, the control unit itself and an HD radio antenna. The instructions suggest that the HD Radio antenna be installed on the side of the front windshield but I thought that would be horrible to look at. After-all, I have my iPass mounted on my rear windshield because I would hate to look at its white creamy color every time I look forward. So I installed the HD Radio antenna in the fixed rear sunroof pane and fished the wire down the rear 'C' pillar and back the the boot. From there, I connected the module to the antenna in the side cubby hole, since this is where the CD Changer connections are. Now the challenge was to get the iPod connected so that I could have it at the coin tray by the e-brake. To do this, I needed to buy an extending 8 pin MINI din cable in addition to the iPod connection that for some reason is an option to the kit. So I fished these cables under the carpet lining, under the rear seat cushions and ultimately to the e-brake. It's not so hard once you get going, but with all this said and done, it took me about a couple of hours with a bit of trial and error with where to run the wires exactly.HD Dice Reviewed:
Overall, the sound from the iPod and HD Radio is superb. Definitely better than the AUX input, cleaner and sharper. With the AUX input, i noticed sometimes that the highs and lows would sometimes sound a bit muffled. Certainly not very noticeable but now it is a bit more evident when comparing the two side by side. The interface of the HD Radio is a bit slow for my liking but it gets the job done. I went with the HD Dice because they currently have a rebate which basically covers the added cost from the regular Dice iPod setup. But what really makes this worth it is seeing the iD3 tags on the head-unit, and using the MFSW controls to advance to the next track. If I wanted to select a specific song, I still can navigate from the iPod which would be the fastest way. Overall, a very good upgrade to get iPod control and iD3 text on your head unit.

EAS Support:
I just want to say that Tom over at EAS was more that helpful. In fact, I did shop around before buying from him, but in the end he was the the one who offered a whole lot more than just a sale. He is easily contacted and usually responds to any questions on the NAM Q/A thread within a few hours. Big thumps up to him.

The Great Parallel Park-Off

2007-05-14T15:35:00.000-05:00

CNET, in typical tounge and cheek fashion, have a great little episode that features a new R56 MINI Cooper S in a parallel parking challenge. Check it out.

MINI Motorby In Action, Happy B-Day

2007-04-15T18:58:00.000-05:00

Today marks the day that I took delivery of my new 2005 MCSa, just two short years ago. It just so happened that I also received my MINI Motorby keychain. So I went for a short drive to the MINI billboard, which was located surprisingly close and in a bunny infested manufacturing district. As soon as I turned the corner, there was my name, with two different phases; "Keeping it Loose, Daniel" and "Turns Are Made to be Carved, Daniel." How cool is that. Not sure if there are other phrases but those were the only two that were cycling for about ten minutes. I'll drive by later to see if there are any phrases, perhaps some more that reference those questions I answered when I signed up. Either way, very cool! and Happy Birthday to my MINI. Two years young and still truckin'!

Spotted My First R56

2007-04-08T23:02:00.000-05:00

So on this Easter Sunday, I spotted my first R56 on the road. A liquid yellow MCS driven by an Asian woman. I gave her a wave but did not get the favor returned. I spotted the chrome side marker from a good distance so I knew it was the 2nd generation model.

Spring Fwd Drive '07

2007-03-15T09:02:00.000-05:00

Bright and early! We headed out for the annual spring drive for CMMC this past Sunday. We headed up from Kanuz MINI to the Jelly Belly warehouse in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin to get some snacks, then up to downtown Kenosha for lunch. As usual, the drive included some hair pin turns (some with ice on the corners!) and a cool jump off a railroad crossing, yikes!.... Check out some more picts here which include some shots from Jon, a college buddy of mine that has been bit by the MINI bug. It was his first outing with the club and it seems it won't be the last. For even more picts check out the CMMC Post.

Motoringfile Photo Contest

2007-03-05T23:48:00.000-06:00

The results are in! Motoringfile.com hosted a photo contest in February to promote MINI owners to get out and snap some pictures. So I gave it a go, captured this one and sent it over to the Motoringfile flickr pool. Although its not first place (wow that is a great picture btw), I did get an honorable mention over at Motoringfile. Thanks blalor! There are some great pictures there.

So if you have a camera, send in those pictures. Flickr is a free service so there's really no reason not to.

R56 MCSa Faster Than Manual?

2007-02-26T23:35:00.000-06:00

I was over at Motoringfun.com where Pedro linked up a roadfly.com video review that states the MCSa actually ran the 1/4 mile quicker than the manual. Very interesting. I imagine they forgot to press the sport button or something because it does seem hard to believe. The best time for a manual was 14.9s while the MCSa ran it in 14.77s.

I Saved Over 2 Grand!

2007-02-23T10:25:00.000-06:00

I always had the intention of paying off my auto loan for the MINI in less time than the life of the loan. I estimated that I would save about a grand if I sent in a little extra every month. Well a little became as much as I could and boy did it pay off. My 60 month loan became a 22 month loan and I saved about $2200 on interest. Here's the details:

*MINI Loan Summary*
Loan Amount -		(no down payment) - $28,508
Life of Loan -		60 Months
Total Cost of Loan -		$31,905
Total Interest Charges -		$3,397
Actual Cost of Loan -		$29,729
Actual Life of Loan -		22 months
Interest Saved -		$2,176

This may not be for everyone but it has been my experience that a little extra every month over your regular payment will make a difference. I was lucky enough to send at least an extra full payment every month. Now comes the hard part, what am I going to do with this new found cash?... spend it on the MINI of course! ;-)

Ninjas, Ninjas and more Ninjas

2007-02-21T09:06:00.000-06:00

Last night, MINIUSA and Maxim/Stuff/Blender Mags hosted a private screening of the first three webisodes of the parody/ad campaign, Hammer & Coop as well as the movie Breach (I guess they selected this movie because Chris Cooper is in it). Kevin from PatrickMINI brought out a lighting striped laser blue R56 MCS out to the show. Looks great!

The third webisode of Hammer & Coop, expected to premier Thursday online, is hillarious! There's this great part where Coop makes fun of Hammer when he tries use his wristwatch to call him. I was dying, it was so funny. Be sure to check it out at hammerandcoop.com when it's posted up. I can't wait to see it again. Also, you can also get a sneak peek of future webisodes at your local dealer a day or two before it gets posted. Very cool!

Thanks to all including CMMC and PatrickMINI for inviting us and treating us to some free popcorn, sodas, some mags and a movie. Good show!

Oh, and did I mention ninjas!?!!

R56 Video

2007-02-13T21:25:00.000-06:00

Just thought I'd post some video of the New MINI from the 2007 Chicago Auto Show. It's always fun to listen in on non-MINI owners experiencing the MINI for the first time. Enjoy.

2007 Chicago Auto Show

2007-02-11T19:55:00.000-06:00

With the auto show coming to town, I could not pass up a first glimpse at the new 2007 MINI Cooper and Cooper S. Check out all the photos here.
Here's a few things I noticed:

The sunroof perimeter is not the dreaded felt that we are all used to. It's just a rubber lining so there would be no chance of lint getting cought there. Very nice improvment there, but I would imagine waxing the roof would require a bit of attention.

The tail pipe tips are much larger that before. The pipe itself is still the same but the tips are much larger.

The seating controls are much improved. Including the location for moving the seat forward and for flipping the seat forward to acess the rear seats. Nice improvement there.

The upper glove box is a bit awkward. With absolutely not graphic indication that there is any storage there, many did not know it was even there. You have to push the colored dash for it to pop out and the plastic mechanism is a bit flimsy.

The AUX input is located in the glove box, no surprize there, I just wish it were located out in the open so that one could charge their device at the same time. [UPDATE: It was confirmed that it would be located under the toggles. A better location imo.]

The sunroof shade is still not solid as some might want. I personaly like the shade not blocking out the sun completely. What is different is the shade can be positioned half way open. Gone is the snap back opening that I'm used to.

The speedo is pretty cool. I like the general size and shape. The tach and displays are easy to read. I still don't like the center stack controls.

I'm not sure what this rubber button is for on the door handle but it might be for a passenger to unlock their door with the key fob in the drivers pocket. Just a guess though

The stalks are nice and sturdy. There's also a button at the end of the turn stalk that you can program to a certain setting on the audio system. i.e. if you use the AUX input alot, you can set it for that button instead of using the dial in the speedo to select the mode to AUX.

The wheel arches are much wider, giving the apperance of a raised stance for the MINI. And it is a smooth finish black plastic, not the emossed, texture that we are used to. Not sure if that brings any issues with waxing the new MINI. The models at the show looked to have some blemishes. Also, if you look closely at the image above, you can see a scratch on the edge of the headlight cluster where the bonnet scrapes against the light when its closed. That scares me a little. I really like my bonnet with the lights affixed to it. [UPDATE:the arches shown are just preproduction pieces. The texture will me more familiar on the actual production model.]

The auto MCS shift knob has the appearance of a maunal transmission at first glance. You have to really look to to tell the difference.

What a Tease!

2007-01-16T10:01:00.000-06:00

I'm not one to get too wrapped up in politics, but at least its starting to get interesting. Obama for President? It doesn't seem so unlikely now. It will be fun to see him and Hillary duke it out for the prime spot. On with the show!

MINI Motorby Program

2007-01-11T09:01:00.000-06:00

We'll see how this works exactly in 4 to 6 weeks. It sounds like a great idea. I guess it worth having a profile over at the MINI owners lounge, although navigation of that website is such a pain. I'll be sure to post any picts of the billboard. I love the tongue in cheek humor of MINIUSA advertising. good job!

A New MINI Brother

2007-01-02T18:36:00.000-06:00

Well it was bound to happen. A long time college buddy of mine just recently crossed the line into MINI ownership. It's a great time for some deals on those '06's on the lot, now that the 2007 are around the corner. Needless to say, he is extremely thrilled, and I'd like to think that I had a little something to do with it since he picked my brain for some MINI insight. Chilli Red/White MCSa with all the bells and whistles, including the anthrcite headliner, clear bra and roof rack. Very nice! Congrats Jon!For more blurry photos click here [Flickr]

Also, with a new year comes new audiences. dcmini is now linked from GoMotoring.com on the front page of live RSS feeds. Looks like I'll have to sharpen my proof reading skills ;-) Thanks Mark.

If you are new to dcmini be sure to subcribe to the RSS feed or email subcription to the right or just get your updates from GoMotoring.com like I do everyday.

Enjoy and Happy Motoring! Happy New Year Everyone!

dcmini now linked at MotoringFun.com

2006-12-15T10:20:00.000-06:00

I was over at MotoringFun.com to check out the recent live interview with Fireball Tim and noticed that dcmini was linked up over at Pedro's site. Very cool and much appreciated!So I went to visit some other MINI blogs that I frequent and low and behold dcmini is linked on many other blogs as well. Thanks for to all for linkin' me up. Its greatly appreciated. And be sure to check out MotoringFun.com. Pedro does a great job at keeping things interesting over there as well as great chat room.

Here's an updated list of sites that have linked me up:
bushfinger [NEW]
MarksMINI.com [NEW]
MotoringFun.com [NEW]
paulr.us [NEW]
taylorsmith.biz [NEW]
dbmini.us
MINI links [GoMotoring.com]
mdsbrain.com
murmini.com

If you linked me on your blog/site, or know of a good one and would like it to be added to my list, just click be added and send me the link.

[UPDATE] With the recent redesign of GoMotoring.com, Mark was kind enough to add dcmini to the front page of live RSS feeds instead of the links page which no longer exists. Thanks Mark! and site looks great!

First Scheduled Service Maintenance

2006-12-09T12:34:00.000-06:00

I can not stress enough how much of a difference a quick oil change and tire rotation does to the smoothness of the ride. This morning my MSCa was riding a bit rough, and the gear shift were a bit undecisive. The tire rotation probably took care of the rough ride but the oil change seems to make the shifting a whole lot smoother as well. With these two thing done at the same time, its like having a brand new car once again.I had this done back in april for the 1 year mark, but this time my service indicator was at -100 (my odometer read 11473 miles). Everything is running smoothly so far, no issues with the mods I had done with the MCSa. And my brakes are holding strong at 9mm (they change those out if they are less than 3mm)

While I waited I surfed the internet with the dealer's free wireless broadband connection and caught up on all my MINI related news and blogs. Great service from Patrick MINI once again. Thumbs Up.

Weekend @ Sturgeon Bay

2006-11-07T09:09:00.000-06:00

As an architect, I have a variety of types of clients; from the money hungry developers to the planet-loving tree-huggers. But it is extremely rare to get a client who not only cares about sustainable green architecture, but has enough trust in you to let design something bold and out of the comfort zone. It is with these types of clients that architecture can be truly rewarding. Such was the case with this vacation home we designed. I saw this project grow from a tiny sketch on a piece of trace paper to realization. And to top thing off, the client extended an offer to me that I just could not pass up; to spend the week end there to experience the home for myself. Wow. How cool is that.

It has been a while since I've been up to see the progress of a vacation home we designed. Usually when a project is done, we really never get an opportunity to actually spend a lot of time living in the house. I couldn't help but relax in this vacation home with its radiant floor heating, jaw dropping view of Lake Michigan and secluded location. The four hour drive was absolutely worth it. This is officially my first design that I have slept in. I always feared that I would be overly critical seeing everything that was compromised but due to the wonderful clients and their trusting nature, there weren't any compromises. This is truly a great project that I am particularly proud of.This project did make it in the Chicago Home Magazine back in the spring debut issue (page 115) but that was pre construction. Hopefully soon this project will soon be featured in some other magazines in the near future. But for now here is some pictures of the finished house.

Starved Rock CMMC 2006 Fall Run

2006-10-31T09:57:00.000-06:00

A whole lotta driving and not a lotta pictures. Great "Indian summer" type weather for this CMMC event with about 50 MINIs zipping along a 100 miles of highway and side twisties. What a great route! - scenic and exciting to drive even at the speed limit - well done. Except for a couple of minor hiccups, the event was very well organized and executed . And it was great to see some of the regulars attend this event as well as a few I haven't seen before.

Read more about this event here with even more picts from other CMMC members.

New WMS Intake Soon? [UPDATED]

2006-10-15T12:02:00.000-05:00

Not much is known about the highly anticipated and very secretive new project coming out from the team at Webb MotorSports but it sure is exciting. Here's a quote about the new "SportBox" from Randy Webb himself.

The SportBox with the RAF has given more than any other intake to date in prototype form. I will be sure to post all of the numbers when it is released. The cost will be $250 at the start, but there are modular additions - like the RAF component, and I haven't figured costs on that just yet.

Read more about the new SportBox here. Otherwise the debut will be unvailed very soon probably at the WMS Store or NAM.

[UPDATE] Product just officially announced at WMS Forum

MINI@10000

2006-10-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

Well, it finally happened. With a little patience, planning and coordination, I managed to pull it off. I set my trip meter to read 10 miles when my odometer turned over to 10000 while going 10 mph on the 10th day of the 10th month at 10 pm.... well actually 10:01pm but it was really close.

In addition to that, I was listening to a CD I bought for $9.99 when my trip meter was showing 9.9 miles and the odometer read 9999 miles.... Yeah, I'm a dork but I had a blast getting here. It took me 18 months to get to 10k. Here's to the first 10k (s)miles and to the many more to come...

WMS Alive and Well!

2006-09-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

There has been a lot of rumors floating around saying that the end of Webb MotorSports was near. Due to the less than perfect customer support, many were venting their frustration on threads like this one. But Randy Webb just wanted to set the record straight.

We are not going out of business, going bankrupt, closing the shop, etc. I have heard these and it makes me laugh knowing how busy we are..

He is also getting back into flying again. Not sure why exactly if he's so busy at the shop but it gives him quality time to answer emails and forum posts during his layovers. The WMS forum is all cleaned up and is showing some activity.

Hope all this works out. Randy has a great MINI mind. He installed my 15% WMS reduction pulley, WMS HDI Intake and Miltek Exhaust at the last pulley party in Chicago, and I'm glad he did.

Read the full update from Randy Webb here.

Did You Catch It? MCSa JCW

2006-09-21T09:14:00.000-05:00

That's right. The '08 MCSa R56 will be available on a JCW variant! Better known as the elusive MCSa JCW. Hopefully, it will come with all its JCW goodness, smoothness and nimbleness. As an owner of an MCSa with Miltek exhaust, 15% reduced pulley and a WMS HDI intake, these mods have made a world of a difference in responsiveness and overall smoothness. But the power-band doesn't really kick in until about 4k rpm.

As this is also evident in non-automatics as well, many have reconsidered the whole JCW package as a worth while option. Many JCW owners claimed that the power-band is clearly evident at very low rpm's as compared with the most common modifications many other MCS owners have added to their cars. Now the question is can they do the same with the '08 MCSa R56. Hopefully the JCWa will be as potent as the MCS JCW. Of course it will.
So on a related note, on whiteroofradio woofcast #94 while discussing this news story, db made a comment that perhaps those who choose to buy a MCSa are perhaps not motoring enthusiasts. To which Gabe disagreed and rightfully so. I am enthusiastic about this little car regardless on its transmission and just because I own an MCSa doesn't mean I am not an enthusiast. In fact it is quite the opposite.... I'm sure no offense was intended with the comment, so none taken. Bring on the MCSa JCW and all its haters! It sure is fun to get them all riled up. ;-)

It Seems Like Yesterday...

2006-09-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

Apple updated there iMacs with a monster 24" version. In true apple fashion, they certainly are not done. Today they are about to launch a few new items.

follow along as they happen here

Here is an unconfirmed agenda of today's event.
• Welcoming of Media Members
• Discussion on iTunes software, iTMS integration into iTunes, and iTMS sales and facts.
• Announcement of iTunes version 7.0
• Announces better search feature for Music Store
• Announces Movie Store. Available Immediately will be movies from Disney and Pixar, among other studios.
• New iPod Nano Announcement (nice brushed casing, while it will have same features as first gen, only a longer battery life)
[Update: the following turned out to be a bit off]
• New iPod Announcement (Widescreen, Bluetooth, and featuring virtual touchweel. Does not include Wi-Fi, or any other protocols)
• One More Thing....TubePort. A $99 2-piece set that includes a dongle that connects via USB to your mac, and another dongle that connects via included HD cables or regular Component cables to your TV. The movie is accessed on your Mac via an iDisk-like storage component hosted by Apple.
Jobs will then explain the pricing structure of the Movie Store. Movies will be available as either a smaller iPod-format (which will cost $9.99 per movie), or as a larger, streamed movie to be streamed to your TV via TubePort. This cost $14.99 per movie. To purchase an iPod-formatted movie and a streamed version of the same movie, it will cost you $19.99."

The apple store online is currently updating their site.

R56 Interior: More Comments

2006-08-09T14:00:00.000-05:00

So you either love it or hate it, right? Well, I don't love it, and I definitely don't hate it. But there is certainly a lot of features I like a lot with the new R56 MINI interior.

Good Ideas!:
I'm starting to really like the new steering wheel on the R56 MINI. Those accents on the silver trim pieces are very cool. The accents on the broad ellipse on the door are looking good too. It seems like there is a slight bevel which give it a chiseled look... Very cool.

If you look at the center speedo, you just might find another set of controls (mode, music and menu buttons) that resemble the MINI logo. That's what I'm talking about when designers ReCreate instead of ReUse a general theme. Extremely clever and not overly obvious. kudos to them.

I found out that chrome circle/button on the dash just below the air vent opposite the steering wheel is the glove compartment latch. Not to mention the start button and option to have the button functional without taking your key out of your pocket. Very trick!

There is a new feature where you can switch the illumination color (5 step range from blue to orange), very very cool! not to mention the door storage lighting, nice touch. The new door itself is probably my favorite, but I'm just not sure where the tweeter is yet or if there is one. It does look like there is another speaker in the door where the armrest terminates but that's too big, and tweeters are best located higher up on the door or dash.I also wonder if the steering wheel will telescope forward or not. There are some buttons below the turn stalk on the steering column but I cant really tell what those are for yet.

I am also digging the color options of the seats, dash and the door armrest. Us MINI owners love more options. thumbs up.

Not so good:
Not to beat a dead horse but I spotted some more of those silver rings that have invaded the new R56 MINI interior. We now have three more to add to the list. The two cup holders and the gear shift surround. These were concealed in the previous photos from MINI2.com I'm surprised there isn't a wheel option or tailpipe design that copies the silver rings concept to the exterior. Just kidding.
Also, the new headlight design, the "eyes" of the MINI seem to have "eyeliner" now. It must be a black rubber gasket or something between the bonnet and the actual headlights. And the amber turn signal is a bit odd. Its like the MINI has a little eye crusty. Again just kidding. ;-)

More high resolution images from seriouswheels.com

CMMC, BSSP Ad Agency Run

2006-08-08T20:45:00.000-05:00

This past sunday was the second presentation from MINI's relatively new ad agency, BSSP. Along with some nice insights of the ad ajency strategy, which seems to be a bit heavy on poking fun at the old SUV segments, there was a 50 mile drive of some of the back roads of Cook and Lake county. This was officially my first club drive as a CMMC member and it was a blast.

There were over 50 MINIs there and one Mini too. Thanks to BSSP for coming out to Chicago to give us an inside scoop of future MINI advertising strategies, Thanks to Patrick MINI for hosting all of us, and thanks to CMMC for providing breakfast AND lunch! I had a great time and look forward to the next run.

Check out my Flickr Set for more photos as well as the a CMMC Flickr Pool. There are some great picts!