Messing around with the Mini

"ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability" (italianjobr53)
06/05/2020 at 08:58 • Filed to: Mini

I’m still waiting for the Vette’s tires to get here so I decided to paint the Mini’s radio antenna red coz it make it look more silly :)

I’m not sure if I wanna paint the little black enclosure thingy on the bottom of the antenna tho. Any opponions?

DISCUSSION (24)

PartyPooper2012 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
06/05/2020 at 09:06

I have been sitting on my hands when it comes to my R53. I have air in the ABS system. Car is not registered or insured so I cant take it to a dealer... so One day when you come over, you can help me bleed the system... but I warn ya... many have looked at it.. .still not working. Already installed new master cylinder... bled the system till I was blue in the face... I might have to give this car to you...

Black with white roof.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 09:09

I’ve never messed with brake bleeding on any of my cars...thats one thing that I leave to the pros since its a big pita imo

TurboSquirrel may be able to help you out tho, he had similar issues with his R50 last year.

Also, do we both own a R53 and C5? Whats the likelihood of that...

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
06/05/2020 at 09:10

I have an opponion...

Leave it black but wrap it in tinsel and call it Xmas in July!

PartyPooper2012 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
06/05/2020 at 09:10

I was waiting for you to tell me that I am just copying you... but no.

I also have a 05 GX470 and wife has an MDX.

Also have a 95 Honda Shadow and 2002 Ducati...

Just in case those come up later and you have samesies

CalzoneGolem > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
06/05/2020 at 09:14

Definitely paint the surround red.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 09:15

I don’t have a GX nor do I have a wife :)

But I guess I now know what to aim for!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
06/05/2020 at 09:16

Haha, that too much work for me tho lol

PartyPooper2012 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
06/05/2020 at 09:26

Highly recommend GX470...

The wife is too expensive to maintain.

Victorinoo > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 09:27

I have been in this position with many ABS equipped cars and even though everyone and their mothers said it was possible to manually bleed with two people, the only solution turned out to be a pressure bleeder. I had let the system run dry while changing calipers. In the past I’ve owned non abs cars and those things are easily bled with two people, but an abs system that has drawn air at or above the pump is not from my experience.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 09:30

LOL

PartyPooper2012 > Victorinoo
06/05/2020 at 09:44

Yep. I bought a pressure bleeder last year, but my hands have been occupied with other things so far. Maybe this weekend I will drag it all out... hook it up... and finally fix it. I cant tell you how many projects like that I have...

Project on the menu - Gather tools and come up with a plan. Finally plan and tools are together, but no time to get to it. Finally have time to get to it... simple question - WHY throws a monkey wrench into the whole equation.

Wife used to drive the mini. Banged it up a bit in a snow storm. I fixed the body damage... then noticed her brakes were sorta deadish... replaced master cylinder. no help. Bled brakes. No help. Used a ABS activation gizmo and bled brakes. No help. Tried again while applying pressure to brake pedal. No dice.

One thing left now is to use pressure bleeding system... but wife already has a lease on MDX so we are wondering what the hell we need to fix the mini for. .

I can’t raise my hand and junk a car with 50000 miles on it... but also have C5 for fun and GX470 for work

stuckMTB > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 10:55

If you’re looking for a professional opinion, look up Chad the owner + master mechanic at Detroit Tuned. They’re a small shop in Metro Detroit that specializes in MINIs. They kept my R53 alive for years! Miss that car, but I don’t regret upgrading to a C6!

PartyPooper2012 > stuckMTB
06/05/2020 at 11:18

Honestly, if push came to shove, I would just put that car on a trailer and haul it over to a dealer... but it’s not a priority and more of a personal challenge now. I will fix the damn thing even if it empties my bank account... After that I will call Kars4Kids and have them haul it away... i hope not... but if my bank account is empty cuz of it... I will torch it and then donate it

stuckMTB > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 13:02

Noooo! Save the R53's, especially rust-free ones like yours. All the ones up here are starting to suffer from cancer below the tail lamps :(

PartyPooper2012 > stuckMTB
06/05/2020 at 13:34

I nominate you as the new owner, once you release possession of some of your money...

stuckMTB > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 13:36

sigh, that’s why I got rid of mine. It kept my wallet significantly lighter than after I got rid of it.

stuckMTB > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 13:41

I do have some great memories of mine though, super fun cars!

Kinja'd!!!

It’s still my avatar, and I even t ook it ice racing a few times! That supercharger whine is so fun.

Kinja'd!!!

PartyPooper2012 > stuckMTB
06/05/2020 at 13:55

I have to say tho... other than maintenance, it has asked for nothing. Other than this air that somehow mysteriously made its way into ABS.

<< Knocks on wood, head... considers it not enough. Goes outside knocks on a tree to be sure>>

PartyPooper2012 > stuckMTB
06/05/2020 at 13:58

yeah. They are fun. C5 has more everything tho ... more cylinders, more pedals, more gears... more d ecibels. If my R53 was manual, I probably would not have bought the C5. All I was looking for was to get off that couch that is GX470 and row some gears. Took me a while to pick.

It was something like 280z, 370z, Integra, S2000 or Corvette.

280z was a bit too old for my pocket, My friends werent too happy with 370z and Integra and S2000 are porsche money these days so corvette it was.

stuckMTB > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 14:12

My MINI was a stick, which helped. It seems like it was always in the shop though. O n the other hand, my corvette has needed nothing except consumables and a starter for some reason. T he smiles keep coming!

PartyPooper2012 > stuckMTB
06/05/2020 at 14:19

I would gladly wrap my C5 around a tree.

Weather stripping is all shit. Every plastic bit inside the cabin rattles broken or cracked.

I have mad maxed it for a week. That was fun but also sun glare was a bit tricky.

I went to push hazards light on. Button went into the abyss of the dashboard.

I took the dashboard apart. Figured out why that happened - some bracketry that holds the button in place broke. I ordered a replacement but did not want to put dashboard on and off again so I left it out and drove without it for a week. Black dashboard absorbs surprising amount of light

stuckMTB > PartyPooper2012
06/05/2020 at 14:49

Wow, I know the interior quality jumps with each generation but that’s pretty wild! Sounds fun to drive around mad-max style though.

PartyPooper2012 > stuckMTB
06/05/2020 at 15:10

My particular one has been around the block. I checked Carfax and it had quite a bit of owners... Whatever tho. Japanese cars don’ t seem to suffer from this problem unless there is damage .

I took the car into a dealer for them to fix ac door controls and had them adjust one of the window regulators because you could literally stick a finger in between glass and weather stripping.

I get it. corvette doesnt have frame around the window, but that should have been accounted for with some fancy engineering.

Like I said originally. I would love to wrap C5 around a tree or the engineers that designed it and CEO who signed off on the budget for it.

Soviet cars were made with better quality. Are you hearing me, Mary Barra?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > stuckMTB
06/19/2020 at 09:15

Its the exact opposite with me! Mini is unbreakable and the Vette is kinda a needy baby