New update from Andrew ‘Agro’ Ross about AMVIV7, happening March 25th – 28th, 2010. In case you missed it, we actually talked to Agro during Woof 308 so you can go back and listen if you haven’t already.
Hi everyone. It’s been a while I know, but I finally have some AMVIV news for you.
We have signed a hotel contract! We’re moving away from Palace Station this year, to another property in the Station Casinos family. We’re going to Aliante Station which is a brand new, absolutely beautiful hotel casino. The hotel part is a bit smaller than Palace, and we will have the entire hotel blocked out for our attendees. Yes, if you see someone in the hotel elevator, they will be another AMVIV attendee.
Here is a recap of the last month or so with my MINI.
- Took it to the dealer to have the clutch replaced
- 1 week later, took it back to the dealer to have the transmission mounts tightened
- Drove from the dealer straight to a local shop, barely, to have the cooling system looked at
- 4 heater hoses replaced
- MINI is still overheating. Mostly while the A/C is running and she is stopped. The radiator fan has gone out
Sometime this week I’m going to get a quote on getting the fan replaced. It’s supposed to be close to 110 here almost everyday this week, and I really want that A/C!
Last week I got to cruise over to MINI of Ontario to check their progress and meet the guys. Full write-up, with audio, to follow. Sure they are sponsoring the show right now, but even if they were this is going to be a very nice facility and the people are awesome!
Took the MINI into a local shop yesterday to have the cooling system sorted out. Currently, they are waiting for new heater hoses to come in before they can complete a full diag. Something about leaking like a sieve. Anyway.
Driving to an appointment yesterday in El Jeep, I start hearing noises that sound much like steam escaping from a small opening. Then I saw steam escaping from under the hood. Lots of steam.
Besides the alternator belt breaking, the water pump decided to give up the ghost. Odd it was the same day that they MINI went in for cooling system repairs. It was easy enough to replace if not terribly time consuming.
This is how my days have been going. Livin’ the dream in SoCal my friends. Livin’ the dream.
Over the past month I’ve gotten the opportunity to drive not only my MINI, but also a varied assortment of other vehicles. Here are a few thoughts about them.
1978 Jeep CJ 7
Nothing Beats a Jeep [insert trademark symbol here]. This bright orange beast belongs to my Dad and I’ve been driving it daily for the last week while the cooling system of the MINI gets sorted out. I can tell you that it’s not quiet, does not have a smooth ride or handle very well. Hell, it doesn’t even have A/C. Still, it’s got a beefy V8 under the hood and when the go peddle is depressed in an aggresive maner, it does get up and go. Corners need quite a bit of braking to navigate safely and rough roads really require a kidney belt, but with it’s openness, throaty V8 and badass Jeep attitude, it’s still fun to drive. As a daily driver, I would have to pass, but for the occassional run around town it’s a hoot!
3 stars
2009 BMW 328i
If you are looking for a BMW to get your Mom, this would be a great car. It’s quiet, comfortable, reasonably priced and handles like a Camry. This car could be great as a daily driver too since it even pulls in a respected 28MPG on the freeway. Too bad it’s a boring ride. Moving the automatic transmission level into sport mode helps a little, but it’s not going to set your hair on fire or anything. I will say that the brakes on this car were excellent, eventhough they are a full 1″ diameter smaller than the brakes on the 335i. Sport suspension would help this car quite a bit. As would a different color. I can’t stand primer gray.
1 thumbs up
2009 BMW 335i
Now we’re talking! Power, handling, relatively economical and an overall blast to drive. This is the BMW that you want in your driveway, ignore the almost $US50K price tag of course. The transmission is better, the throttle response is better, the handling is better and the sound is better. Dear god the sound. The only real problem I had with this BMW was the seats. Obviously designed for a much thinner driver than myself, I still fit ok but felt more cramped than held in place. If you ever get the chance to take a spin in this one, you really should.
9 out of 10
2003 MINI Cooper
[you've seen it]
[you've read about it]
[no rating needed]
Here is a short bit that I pulled out of the upcoming Woofcast 305. We all go on a bit of rant concerning dealer service. I didn’t think it was terribly appropriate for the show, so I’m hiding it over here instead.
Woofcast 305 goes up Monday at 6:00a PST. Watch for it!
WARNING This was only edited for length, not content. There is an F bomb or two in here.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download | 2.25MB | 4:51
Older Articles »
