Greg’s MINI

Posted on by Ian C.

Long ago, in the days of GBMINI#2, I spent a day at the Yarrowsport dyno, and met a friendly new MINI owner called Greg, who was wondering if his new-to-him MINI did or did not have the Harman Kardon upgrade (no – it only had the speaker grilles!)

Subsequently I’ve met Greg a few times, including at the 2005 Boston chapter BMWCCA Advanced Driving Skill School …


Greg was getting more and more into tracking his MINI, and has since got much more in to it (check out his many threads on NorthAmericanMotoring)

Now, his VERY modified MINI is on display at Inskip MINI and, looking at pictures posted on MINI2, it’s quite hard to see the resemblance to the car I saw back in 2004 …

Head over to the MINI2 thread to see more – including video (and thanks, PartsMan109, for posting the pics)

Turning off that light!

Posted on by Ian C.

For the third time in the last couple of weeks, since it got cool, GBMINI#6’s flat tire warning light is on …

Apparently my right rear tire has a slow leak – each time, it’s down to 20psi or lower, while the other tires are holding pressure at 32+ … so it’s off to MINI Peabody tomorrow to get it sorted.

Meanwhile, it’s infuriating trying to clear the light after putting air back in the tire …
Start engine, press button, drive off – no, that doesn’t work.
Press button while driving – no …
Drive, stop, press button, drive more – no …
Press and hold button, no …
WTF!?

Finally, desparately, consult the owners manual:
“… start the engine but do not start driving [yup, did that] … press the button long enough for the indicator lamp to light up for a few seconds [but it’s on already!] … drive off …”

So, how long is “long enough” when you can’t see the light come on because it’s on already [clever design – not!] … answer, who knows!
With this information, I started the engine and pressed the button for a VERY LONG TIME – maybe 10s – then drove off; and the light turned off after a few seconds! Finally.

UPDATE:
So GBMINI#6 spent a few hours at MINI of Peabody today, and I spent $260 – it was a nail in the tire, as expected: