MINI gone...

With just under 64,000 miles, 0 miles of fuel left in the tank (well, actually 0 turned up as I left Knebworth so it is more like -3 miles) and 3 years and 9 days old I handed the MINI over this morning. I am very sad to see it go - it has been such a fun car to drive. I'll miss its crazy under steer, ability to carry speed through roundabouts and the hugging you got from the sports seats. I'll also miss its retro looks and sculpted interior. One thing I won't miss is the lack of space for my right leg on motorways - about the only thing I can say I did not like about the car.

This afternoon I fly to Stuttgart and then on Friday I pick up the A-Class straight from the factory. Home again on Sat. One chapter begins as the other closes...

MINI's broken...

Oh no - it was doing so well. I got in the MINI last night and the engine management light didn't go out. Phoned MINI Emergency and they said I should drive it home and then drive it in to the garage tomorrow - no need for a tow but get it looked at asap. Took it in this morning but they cannot look at it immediately so have left it with them. They wouldn't give me a spare car as I'd driven it in! So, now I wait. I need to be in Bury for 14:00 so if it is not looked at by 11:15 I'll have to get a train which will be over 4 hours of travelling!!! EEK!

Update - took K's car to work instead - it's fun driving with the top off :)

Update - turned out the O2 sensor had died and needed replacing. Car back with me by the end of the day.

MINI Update and 0 miles :)

MINI released a new firmware update for their sat-nav just the other day.  Now version 10.  Took all of 3 minutes to load.  It is meant to be faster and more stable.  However, I have not noticed any real differences other than it tried to take me a different way home the other night... 

Whilst on the subject of my MINI - I managed to finally get the fuel counter to report 0 miles left :)  Luckily (and rather by coincidence) this happened whilst pulling into a petrol station - I know, hard to believe but K was there and she'll vouch for me.

35k = new tyres

Well, I think the MINI has done very well. Despite some spirited driving it has managed to reach 35,000 miles without needing new boots. However, as the ammount of aquaplaning this morning showed it was time for a set or replacements. A few searches later showed that there are not as many choices as I would have thought, mainly down to the skinny 175/65 R 15 profile. I took some advice though and have ended up ordering four new Dunlop SP30 - I hope the code is not an indication of what my driving licence will look like with them on! These tyres boast better wet handling than the factory fits and a reduction in tyre noise - having them fitted at 16:00 - will let you know!

New (new) MINI

J and I were invited to the new MINI launch - that's the *new* new MINI. We both got to drive the Cooper and CooperS back to back. The new S feels fantastic, the Cooper a little sluggish - although this could be due to the limited miles on the engine. Overall though we both fealt that the cost-cutting was a bit too evident. The cheap plastics down the centre consol and tacky switch gear spoil the whole car whilst little details like the seat not lowering as much and the mirrors being odd shaped should not have ben allowed to slip through. I am certainly in no rush to upgrade and might even try to hang out until the mid-cycle face lift in a few years.

MINI Nav OS V27.1

Updated my MINI sat-nav OS to V27.1 today. It is meant to make satellite aquisition quicker and fix a few other glitches. The update took about 5 mins and left my MINI boot-up screen and Female-GB voice unaltered.