GBMINI has a runny nose :(

Posted on by Ian C.

When I came back from England, I caught a cold; Margaret suffered too. Now apparently it has spread to GBMINI! I noticed recently that since the John Cooper Works upgrade, GBMINIs engine area is a little oily, as if there is a slight leak somewhere. Then yesterday I noticed a small oil patch on the driveway.
So I visited Gary at MINI Peabody today. He & Brian were not able to determine the source of the oil, although the crank seal is suspected. They aggressively cleaned the dirt and oil from the engine, and I will go back soon to see if, clean, it is possible to identify the source of the leak.
Meantime, they cleaned GBMINI outside as well:

 

While I was there, I met Danielle & Kevin picking up their new Chili Red MINI from Hrach … I thought they would never get away!

Auto-up Windows again

Posted on by Ian C.

With some small interest in auto-up windows from the discussion on Chicago MINI Motoring Club (hosted by North American Motoring), the article on Gabe Bridgers MotoringFile and my web page, I am proceeding with assembly of up to 25 circuits to ship to MINI owners around the country (and even in to Canada).

An interesting recent fact I have learned is that some MINIs auto-open their windows (and sunroof) when you hold the DOOR UNLOCK toggle switch up … this will cause me to alter the programming in the MINI circuit for some people!

Cracked Windshield (not GBMINI)

Posted on by Ian C.

At yesterdays NEMO meeting, Paul showed me a newly appeared stress crack on his MCS:


This is the first stress cracked windshield I have seen, and it looks quite clearly not caused by any object hitting the screen. This issue seems to affect a number of MINI owners, who have had multiple windshield failures – yet I and other owners have no trouble at all. Very strange.
The good news is that MINI appears to be doing something about this issue – this recent North American Motoring post discusses a new windshield part coming, and this post even lists the new part number(s): 51-31-7 146-544 WINDSCREEN GREEN (different p/n if you have rain sensing wipers).
Chase your dealership for the new part; time will tell whether this new design solves the problem for those who have suffered …