Hi everyone. I'm back on the road again. Sure do miss motoring around in the MINI. So in order to get my MINI fix I visited one of the local MINI dealers :cool:

http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67878_thumb.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67878.jpg)


Talk about a mini MINI showroom. I always thought the showroom where I purchased mine in Chicago was small.... this one is only big enough for two MINIs next to each other, a desk, a glass display case and a couple of small tables in back. Everyone in MINI Roppongi was really really nice. They had some Japan only (I think, maybe in the EU also) products in their display case. I've been to many dealers in the US and have never seen the following.

Everyone here has stuff hanging from their mobile phones. In some cases, the stuff attached to their phone is much larger and heavier than the phones them selfs :p So, I suppose it was no surprise that I would find MINI branded phone straps on display.

http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67877_thumb.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67877.jpg)


They also had these three really nice race track key chains.

http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67876_thumb.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67876.jpg) http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67881_thumb.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67881.jpg)


Apparently these only work with '05 keys. I purchased the one on the right.

They also had on display an accessory NAV unit. If your nav unit doesn't pickup traffic, pay your tolls and do a gizzillion other things, it's last decades model. The BMW nav just doesn't cut it around here :cool:

http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67875_thumb.jpg (http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/25355/67875.jpg)


I left with my key chain and many other free MINI Roppongi branded things: some magnets, a little MINI Roppongi notebook, and some Japanese MINI International books with music CD's inside. I would have liked to taken away a MINI Roppongi license plate frame to replace my dealer one but I don't think they do that here because your license is locked to the car by the government.

If any March 05ers would like me to bring back any of the straps or key chains please PM me by Tuesday. The leather straps are pricey, around $40. The plastic straps, about $15-20. The key chains, about $25-30. What can I say, there's two things going against us wrt price, one, it's MINI, and two, it's Japan :p

Sayonara ;)

Hey, Y'all!

Glad to see the March Builders won't stop yackin'! I must confess that I've slacked off a bit, but I have a bit of an excuse:

On August 5, a new Motorist was born. Elizabeth Helen. 9 lbs, 4 oz, 19". Baby and mother are doing fine; Dad is up to his elbows in nappies (gotta speak the lingo, right?), spit up, and most of the household chores. Needless to say, I've been, uh, busy. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v617/crazy4blues/Black%20Jack/Babys1stMotoringTrip.jpg

And, while she didn't ride home in Black Jack from the hospital, she did take her first Motoring trip before she was a week old (mom didn't go, but she greatly appreciated a little break!).

Okay, that's all for now. I'm enjoying a small moment of "alone" time right now. I wish you all well, and I'll try to get back as often as I can. Cheers!

Oh, and put me down for a shirt!!! XL!!

Congrats JohnnyL! Great looking kid you got there :)

Hey, Y'all!

Glad to see the March Builders won't stop yackin'! I must confess that I've slacked off a bit, but I have a bit of an excuse:

On August 5, a new Motorist was born. Elizabeth Helen. 9 lbs, 4 oz, 19". Baby and mother are doing fine; Dad is up to his elbows in nappies (gotta speak the lingo, right?), spit up, and most of the household chores. Needless to say, I've been, uh, busy.

Congratulations Johnny - what a little cutie! That explains where you've been for a while!

gaminicool - hope that you've fully recovered from your wisdom teeth removal. I remember having that done in college. I was black and blue for a week! Nice picture too! I've never been to Savannah, but I hear it's beautiful. I think it's only a couple of hours (maybe a little more) from here, so I might have to motor down one Saturday.

Hi crosebud! I think it's good that we're keeping this thread alive. When I motor in my MINI, I often think about you guys. The March Production Group thread is just like a part of MINI ownership! I can't imagine it not being here!

Hi April. Hope you've had a good week! Did we get enough t-shirt requests?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Debbie

Have a great end-of-summer holiday!

Deb, not yet on the tshirt.

And what do we want them to say?

March 2005 Production Group

Champion Internet Big Mouths

?
You know...there's a witty retort just sitting there but I haven't been in here in ages so I can't bring myself to say it. Instead...how about a "Howdy!" from us old farts in Illinois?

I promise (weakly though) to stop in more now that I have shuffled the kids back to college for the year. I'll go back later and read back into the posts for the last few months so don't be surprised if you see an old quote again.

Taz...still here..but kind of...fading a little... :cool:

Welcome back Taz! :D

Welcome back Taz! :D
Why thank you Miss April...I have missed talking to you and the others.
Now that I'm here-albeit only occasionally- I have a question for you (since you have owned multiple MINIs). Do you notice a pretty fair decrease in get-up-and-go when you turn on the A/C? (for that matter..DO you ever use the A/C?) Recently we went on a 4 hour trip and it got pretty darned hot in the car. We finally broke down and used the A/C which was niceee and colllldddd. BUT...our acceleration dropped noticably when we used it. Anyone else notice this or might ours be a pup and need looked at?

Otherwise...our toy still turns heads, still draws questions about it's size and origin, etc. Still gets lots of ooohs and ahhhs from people. We now have one rock chip in the front from our trip so it's no longer a virgin in that respect, but otherwise it's still in excellent shape since we park in another area code when we go to WalMart. :rolleyes:

Taz

Definitely get the performance drop when using AC, Taz... :(

Folks in the local club tell me the 15% reduction supercharger pulley mod works wonders for this problem (S models only).

_Dave_

Hey Taz, nice to have you back!

AprilW: Uh oh, just read there's been a mandatory evacuation of Ocracoke Island due to hurricane Ophelia. Wasn't your Blackbeard/Ocracoke run scheduled for this weekend?

Do you notice a pretty fair decrease in get-up-and-go when you turn on the A/C?]

I have a Cooper and yes, there is a noticeable drop in acceleration with the AC on. This phenomenon has been more noticeable in every 4 cylinder car I have owned that has had AC. In my experience, sixes and eights have not been _as_ affected.

Zip

Hey Taz, nice to have you back!

AprilW: Uh oh, just read there's been a mandatory evacuation of Ocracoke Island due to hurricane Ophelia. Wasn't your Blackbeard/Ocracoke run scheduled for this weekend?

It was scheduled for today :( Here's what I posted in the Run thread:

Blame the hurricane. :(

We started down Hwy 12 and saw the sign saying Ocracoke Island open for residents only. We had already decided to drop the ferry ride part of the run, so that was ok. But about 20 minutes down the road, the clouds were roiling and sand blowing enough that we stopped to discuss it with the other brave ones on the run. While parked, a lady in an SUV pulled in, coming from the south. She said that the sand was blowing so hard farther south that it was like a winter white out! So, that cancelled the rest of Blackbeard's Run. :( We stopped at the Bodie Island lighthouse, and ate at a restaurant recommended by the park ranger.

Doug, your hurricane dance worked! :D

We'll have to plan on doing this run another day...

I'll have to go against the flow and say that I haven't noticed any power decrease with AC in either my MC or MCS. :) But that may be because I have the windows/top down if the AC is off. :)

Hi guys. My AC also drags on the engine :( But like April, I usually keep the top down so i really don't use it that much.

Ocracoke Pictures (http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91145&onlybyuserid=0&page=3&pp=15)

I posted a LOT of pictures, starting with post #44.

AprilW: Bummer about your Ocracoke run being thwarted by the Ophelia hurricane evacuation. These are strange time we live in . . . On a slightly different topic, while waiting for the Ocracoke ferry in August a homeland security policeman stopped us and somewhat sternly asked to see my brother's driver's license. Maybe a likely place for a hurricane, Ocracoke, but hardly a high risk terrorist target . . . Oh, well.

Anyway, loved the photos--especially the one of the flying saucer house. I'll post a little something about it on the North Atlantic thread.

great pix April!

I can vouch for that! I haven't noticed much drop off at all. In fact, the effects of the 15% pulley have been greatly enhanced with a few 50 degree mornings recently :cool:

I keep thinking about other mods (exhaust and a chip), but, OH slippery slope!!! :rolleyes:

Besided, with the new baby . . .

Definitely get the performance drop when using AC, Taz... :(

Folks in the local club tell me the 15% reduction supercharger pulley mod works wonders for this problem (S models only).

_Dave_

Hey guys, long time no talk. The AC slows down my motor too. If I use the AC, I wait to turn it on until I am already on the freeway. I recently installed an intake, and I love the noise of it.

JohnnyL - Congrats! She looks precious.

Hey guys, long time no talk. The AC slows down my motor too. If I use the AC, I wait to turn it on until I am already on the freeway. I recently installed an intake, and I love the noise of it.
Hello again all.
Thanks Kellzir and everyone else who added their thoughts about the A/C. I finally figured out it works best to do like Kellzir did and just use it on the highway. Once I'm up to speed it's not so bad. I noticed it mostly when getting back onto the highway when I'm trying to apply power and it just_wasn't_there. We'll live with it because the only time we really use it is on the highway anyhow. In town driving requires us to have the windows down and the top open to enjoy the air-no matter how hot it may be. We still get "nice car!" comments when someone pulls up to us and it would just be rude to not be able to answer them. :D

Oh..I came up with a totally off-the-wall idea that I think may be worth doing (and have picked up materials today). Anyone ever drive long distances and realize it would be nice to have a travel pillow-or kidney pillow as they are sometimes called? (about 8"x17")
I am going to make a couple of them up in colors to match our CR/W MINI. One side will be red, the other will be black and white checkerboard. Still trying to figure out what to put on the red side..probably just large MINI letters, or I Love My MINI..something like that. As soon as I finish them, I'll attach photos. (assuming I learn sewing really fast that is)
Keep scootin' down the roads people..quick but safe, ok?
Taz :cool:

Hi guys!

Sorry about your run getting messed up by the hurricane, April. Darned hurricanes! Nice pictures though!

On the AC topic, the only time I notice a difference is during takeoff...I have to give a little more (a lot more) gas when taking off if the AC is on. Other than that, I haven't noticed a huge difference.

I took my MINI on a road trip to Virginia this past weekend. I got to take my Dad for a ride. He was pretty excited. He's a huge vehicle lover and he's been down and out for almost two years because of a stroke. At this point he can't drive much, so it was cool to get to take him for a ride. I believe that he enjoyed his ride!

I also took my niece (age 6) and my nephew (age 9) for a ride. My niece was in the back seat giggling about the pop-pop noises...and my tire screeching in 2nd gear. She loved it. Then we headed up a curvy mountain road. My nephew has his eyes covered, but not my little niece - there she is in the back seat yelling "Faster Debbie, faster. I want to go faster!" It was the cutest thing. After that, she was telling everyone that she got to go for a ride in the MINI Cooper. So sweet!

I drove the 4.5 hours home on Sunday with the windows open and the sunroof open. Nice ride...and I've had a cold ever since! :-)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Debbie

Hi all. Atlanta Minis had their third birthday and the event was great. About 40 minis were there and even some classic ones! Coolcab even one the prestigious "cleanest Mini" award :D Some pix enclosed. Me and the GF are in one of the pix

Keepin' the March '05 thread alive :cool:

more pix...

Great pics, Thanks! ATL MINIs is one of the best clubs around. :)

Great pics, Gaminicool. Nice to see you and your GF are goin' strong. As of recently, I"m no longer dating the very tall guy . . . but gosh, I've met someone else . . . I swear it's the MINI.

Crosebud, glad you met someone else :cool: My GF even got a Mini t-shirt! She ordered it from the dealer and they helped her pick out the best one. Everyone at the event was asking her about her shirt! She likes the mini and me as well. ;) note: meeting someone who likes Minis is key in the relationship. :D

Great pics, Thanks! ATL MINIs is one of the best clubs around. :)


Glad you enjoyed the pix! I was partial to cabrios - if you can't tell ;)

more pix...

Hi everyone! Nice pics gaminicool. I want to go to a MINI event! I've also heard that the Atlanta club was good...someone at one of the dealerships mentioned it when we were there.

Congrats on the new friend crosebud! Sounds like you and gaminicool are using your MINIs to your best advantage! Although I'm married, I see what you mean about the MINIs. If I were a single girl, the MINI would be a magnet for sure. It is always attracting people when I take it out.

Hi April! You and the hubby enjoy both of those MINIs? 2-MINI households are definitely a good thing!

The past two weeks I've been driving my other car to work and driving my MINI on the weekends. Sort of a little experiment. I miss my MINI so much when I don't drive him! It makes me appreciate him so much more though. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cheat tomorrow morning though - the MINI is coming out!

I don't see too many MINIs around here, but today I had to venture out a couple of hours and I saw four MINIs that I hadn't seen before. I caught myself wanting to wave, but then I realized that I wasn't in my MINI...didn't want to look like a fool, so I refrained. It was tough though!

My husband I switched tires and wheels back two weekends ago. I'm going to wash my MINI this weekend and see if he has spots. Although it would solve the mystery, I'm really hoping for no spots, so please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Have a great weekend everyone! Where do we stand on the t-shirts?

Debbie

April - where do we stand on t-shirts?

I still want two :D

April - where do we stand on t-shirts?

I still want two :D


Dead in the water, toes up on this project.

Oh, that's too bad. :( Oh well, the Legend of the March '05 Builders lives on . . . Dead in the water, toes up on this project.