Shooting Spree

Well since this past Sunday was such beautiful day, I decided to take MINI Dee out for quick photo opportunities. I first went out to the old 3com building in Schaumburg. This is a rather odd looking building but I managed to find a good spot to shoot some pictures. I then stopped by Patrick MINI to snap some picts of Randy's new MCS along side MINI Dee. I then headed up to my old high school stomping grounds and snapped some cool photos. Just after I graduated, my high school proposed a massive addition which actually turned out pretty nice. Also note the new grille badge from toddsmodds.com.

Curb Rash [UPDATE]

Well, I spoke with several body shops and even my dealer and they all pretty much said the same thing; Just leave it alone. Its hardly noticeable, unless your looking for it, and there is no concern for rust since its an alloy wheel. I also asked about this DIY fix using bondo and everyone said that it was not a good idea to use this on the wheel itself because of the amount of vibration at the wheel.
So to fix the wheel properly would set me back anywhere from $120 to $175 but that included sandblasting a smooth finish and repainting the entire wheel surface. Since the rim itself lists for $250 it hardly seems like a smart idea to get such an insignificant rash fixed. I am just going to keep it as clean as possible and leave it alone. And since I just had my wheels rotated, I would not be walking passed the scratched wheel as much. I'll just consider that one wheel now has more "character" than the others ;-)

Off Topic - WRR

I was listening to WhiteRoofRadio Podcast #50 yesterday and Todd mentioned someone had asked him about the clicking R98 web spokes. Todd then mentioned my trials with these otherwise very cool wheels. Thanks WRR for keeping the masses well informed.

As far as I know, nothing specific has been done to remedy the clicking from the web spokes other than the onset of cooler temperatures. With summer right around the corner, and more web spoke owners, I think more cases would probably surface. I have since ditched the web spokes and opted for the R99's double spoke wheels.

If anyone has any questions about how to identify if your web spokes are clicking, feel free to email me. It can be a bit tricky to hear them because and its not always consistant.

Not sure what wheel you have? Check the MINI wheel guide. It has proven to be quite useful for newbies... including me!

Otherwise, here are some related links regarding this issue:
Web Spoke Issue @ dcmini
Clicking Web Spokes @ Motoringfile
Calling All Web Spoke Owners! @ Mini2
R98 Web Spoke Wheel Problem @ NAM