DING!
You in the east and midwest know that sound, right? Well, here in Sunny SoCal, it’s one that I don’t get to hear too often unless it’s really really cold! Well, today it was really really cold. My day starts at about 5:15 AM, at which time it was right about 30. Put the heated seats to the test this morning too :D
Otherwise, in for service tomorrow for recall work to keep the smog police at bay and to check on the stumble/shudder. Oh yea, while I’m there I’m going to also check in on J/C’s ride who might be getting a new transmission.
Are you an ‘02/’03 MC owner coming up on 40K miles? This is something you really should have seriously looked at next time you are in for service. I know I was one of the first, but it seems that I’m still hearing about transmission problems from other owners, but only in the MC.
Right at about 72K miles right now. Big event this weekend and next, plus a trip to Mom and Dad’s before the end of the year. Any bets I’ll make 80K miles by Jan 01? hehe
Yep. Or something that is very much like the stumble. This time Roxy just shudders while sitting at idle and the A/C is on. Usually at the same time the fan starts turning. Something else that also happened on one of the warmer days is when the fan did turn on, the entire car vibrated and the noise inside the cabin sounded like an exhaust leak, but you couldn’t hear it from the outside. These are the noise that prompted my service call. Again, only when the fan comes on.
I’m also going to have the broken smog control pieces fixed before the smog police catch me. Oh yea, I’m going to check out what’s on the lot, that’s a given. Might even try to sneak me a ride in an X3 while I wait for a ride to the officel.
Update…This beautiful MCS has gone to a very good home in Newport Beach! All you OC MINIacs out there keep an eye out for it. –db
Looking for an MCS? How about 1 that is already ready already? I present for your bidding pleasure:
From this eBay ad:
This is a Chili Red (white top) 2002 MINI Cooper S with 42,000 miles that was purchased new for $20,000 and has approximately $20,000 in upgrades. It has been maintained well beyond factory MINI standards, by both the dealer and a local shop specializing in high performance and rally vehicles. It has always been hand washed and detailed by one of the area’s top detailers and garage-kept (currently it is in storage at the detailer’s facility). All fluids (motor oil, transaxle, coolant booster, fuel injector cleaner) are and always have been Red Line- one of the most expensive lines of fluids, but one of the best as well. Besides being well cared for, this car comes with a 6-year / 100,000-mile warranty purchased from Assael BMW / MINI. There are 5 levels of coverage available; this warranty is the highest level of coverage, the Advantage Preferred Plan. The contract is fully transferable for a small fee ($50- quite a deal since the contract cost $1,459). Nicknamed Austin, our MINI was born March 2002 in Oxford, England and we adopted him May 2002 in Orange County, CA. He was one of the first custom MINIs (first Cobra seats, first Supersprint exhaust system, and many other firsts) and was the cover car and feature article for the April 2003 issue of Eurotuner magazine. He was also the March 2003 Special Feature on the Speedoptions website (3 million+ unique visitors to site), and was a feature car at the November 2002 COMDEX convention in Las Vegas, as well as appearing on numerous commercial and personal websites. Austin has also made appearances at shows, rallies, and MINI events in both Southern California and Northern California.
This is by far one of the trickest MINI’s in the United States. Well cared for, nothing but the best in parts and service. Worth quite a bit more than the current bid (1:30PMPST 11/17/04 @ $18K). Auction ends 11/23/04, so you had better hurry up!
update…I just found out the reserve, and IMO it’s still to low. I will tell you that the current bid still has a ways to go. C’mon gang, this is a car that’s easily worth, oh, I don’t know, $22K ;)
[rant]
So, the Governator appointed a new head of the DMV. And, not even a week on the job, she is already advocating more taxes for California motorists, in the creepiest of ways.
From This article(free registration required):
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday appointed a new Department of Motor Vehicles director who has advocated taxing motorists for every mile they drive — by placing tracking devices in their cars. The idea would mean a significant overhaul of how California collects taxes to maintain its often-crumbling roads. Under the plan, the state gas tax — now 18 cents a gallon — would be replaced with a tax on every mile traveled by each car and truck.
Anyone care to take a guess on how they are going to track the miles? Already being tested in parts of Oregon and Washington state:
Privacy advocates worry about the government tracking the whereabouts of every car in California. In one scenario — currently being tested in Oregon — tracking devices send a signal to a GPS satellite following the car, and that information would be used to calculate the tax bill. Other devices send a signal directly from the car to the pump, which calculates the tax based on the odometer reading.
Yes, that’s right sports fans. A GPS locator that will report back to some hidden government hideout your exact whereabouts at any given, probably wouldn’t even be restricted to the state of California. Not only will they be able to tell where you are, they will be able to track the route that took you there and quite possibly the speed you traveled during your journey! Just what we needed, right? Tickets by remote control.
(Read on…)
Due to circumstances beyond my control…a hard drive in the server that hosts dbmini had to be replaced today.
We now continue our regularly scheduled programming…
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