OEM Sirius Receiver installed!

I thought I would share this picture of an OEM MINI / BMW Sirius receiver. Note from the picture my receiver is installed on the drivers rear side as I plan to add the OEM Digital Powered Sound Module to my car. The Sirius unit has to go on the drivers side in that installation to allow space for the DPSM amplifier to be installed on the passenger side. Normally you would just add this unit to the passenger side and plug into the two plugs that are shown earlier in my web log for the changer controls. I used a factory "HK" cable which is really just a male/female extension cord to allow installation in the drivers side. Note this is the cable coming from the right side and plugged into the top of the receiver. I also had to add a slave cable to the Sirius unit to allow plugs for my DICE Ipod adaptor which is installed on the pass-through input on the Sirius receiver. You can see this cable plugged in on the top of the left side and the cables are coming down the left of the receiver and forward behind the trim panel all the way to the front of the car where my Ipod is located. My install is now complete and my DICE and Sirius are working great. Next step is the DPSM! That installation should be a real aventure as the installation manual is over 50 pages and requires a minimum of five hours. Ouch.

New Sirius Satellite Radio Antenna

Here is the new style "ugly" MINI satellite radio antenna. I had an older style MINI OEM / factory antenna base which included the sat antenna that I wanted to use. After getting into the installation the installer found that the plugs inside the OEM alarm motion sensor box in the roof no longer match the new 2006 model I have. This unit was only designed for ealier year models. I wished they would have matched up as I prefer to just have one antenna! I am sure we could have worked up some conversion plugs over time but at this point I just gave in and moved on. By now I would expect all automotive companies to add the satellite antennas to cars as an inital design feature. First of all it is detracting from the overall look of the car and the prices to add these options is through the roof. Oh well I have to have my http://www.sirius.com/ Sirius Satellite radio...can't live without it. Oh yeah, thanks to the service department at Flow MINI in Winston-Salem for their help with this installation. Top shelf all the way!

Say You Want a Revolution?

Here is the OEM head unit display in action with the Dice/Ipod selected. This is the "Revolution" track from the new Beatles "Love" cd/dvd. What an awesome collection of work that cd is! My daughter bought the cd for me for Christmas and I am loving it. You should hear the re-mix on that disc! The audio is perfect! The graphics are scrolling with the Dice unit and next you will see "The Beatles" come by...and then the word "Love." Very cool OEM integration, this device is rocking if you want an Ipod adapter. My steering wheel functions are working perfectly. No worries Mon. Thanks for the Dice Santa! Now on to the Sirius installation!

My Dice and Ipod in the seat!

Here is the Dice unit http://www.diceelectronics.com/press.htm in my passenger seat. You can see there is one plug in the unit from the rear and another Ipod cable into the Ipod. At this point it is 4 minutes after I opened the FedEx box and I am listening to my new cd off my Ipod on my OEM head unit. I was convinced to stay with the OEM head unit as I just love the MINI styling and decided to leave my Alpine equipment in the boxes after many hours of research and careful thinking. Now I just have to get this wire routed and my deal is done for Ipod integration. I plan to put the Dice behind my head unit and keep my OEM MINI Aux input in the glove box. The cable will route to my European parcel shelf as this is where I want my Ipod to sit. This device is so cool and so simple. Love it.

Got My New Dice Unit Today!

Merry Christmas!! Here is one of the things Santa brought me. This is a picture of my 2006 MCS (10/06 build) in the passenger rear side compartment. Notice the two connectors for the changer controls. I plugged my new Dice unit in to try it out as I plan to install my OEM Sirius unit and use the pass through on that module when it arrives.
Check out the pictures to follow for more detail on just how easy this thing is to install.
Now time for my testimonial. I am a real fan of superior customer service. If you want some awesome customer service give Tom a call for your Dice unit. A real nice guy he absolutely knows his stuff and will answer all your questions. Here is the web site: http://www.europeanautosource.com/ His company sponsors the forum link on the North American Motoring web site for navigation and audio posts. Don't walk, just run, turn that computer on and order your Dice right now! http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14 Tom took my order on December 23 and FedEx brought my Dice to the door today! Killer service for West coast to East coast and during the holidays!

Merry Christmas! I Got Your FAST Right Here!

Today was the Tarheel MINI Motoring Clubs Christmas Party. http://www.tarheelminis.org/

I thought Twister http://www.tarheelminis.org/forum/z/TWISTER/ was in the spirit with the wreath on the front so I am posting my picture of the red car for your enjoyment. Notice Mark is in the left hand reflection on the hood. (Remember click on the photographs to make them larger) Now besides being in the Christmas spirit you just have to zoom in on that badge on the left "I Got Your FAST Right Here" I almost laughed my head off when I saw this. I gotta' have one! Check this link out if you want to know more about FAST. There are some funny videos. http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/02/17/videos-volkswagens-bizarre-gti-fast-commercials/ As I have told you earlier in my web log I almost bought another VW GTI. Well after hanging out with all the MINI owners today there ain't no doubt I made the right move. 'Nuff said. Merry Christmas ya'll.

Double Naught MINI !!!

007 has his Aston Martins. http://www.007.info/Cars.asp

Mr Magoo has his Double Naught MINI! http://www.tarheelminis.org/forum/z/Red-Ryder/ As you can see there is a gun mounted in the grill! I am still trying to figure out which toggle switch turns this thing on!

Four MINIs Hanging Out in Greensboro...

Here are four MINIs hanging out in the parking lot while all the owners talked shop nearby. Very nice cars....hey that third one back there is mine!

A Whole Line of MINIs this Afternoon

Here is the parking lot shot from my first outing with the Tar Heel MINI Motoring Club.

http://www.tarheelminis.org/

We had just finished off some good Mexican food and had some great MINI and Formula One discussions. What a nice day in December! We were in short sleeve shirts!

Yesterday...a road trip to Seagrove, North Carolina

Here is my MINI parked in front of Seagrove Pottery. http://www.seagrovepotteryheritage.com/ http://www.discoverseagrove.com/ A fun day and another cool way to add some miles to the break-in process. I am now up to 601 miles! My first MPG was 26.29 with low average speeds...no over-revs mind you. Tonight I averaged 28.39 over the last 313.4 miles. $2.49 a gallon for BP premium! Ouch. The mpg is coming up as the engine breaks-in. The US government and window sticker MPG highway is quoted at 32 MPG for this car http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm and I think I can beat that quite a bit by using sixth gear on the four lane. Of course on the way to the speed limit is another matter....that may hurt the average a bit! Of course my trusty computer display on the tachometer is actually tracking rather close to my manual calculations.

Back to Pottery, for those who don't know Seagrove is a treasure trove of potteries. We rode down on Sunday afternoon only to find about half the shops closed! We picked up a list of open potteries and I quickly zeroed-in on two places I really like. I am a big fan of raku pottery and have a few cool pieces. Ray Pottery has some nice stuff and I headed over there via Cagle Road and some very nice twisty back roads to let my MINI rock. It was nice.....We picked up a few holiday gifts for some friends...This guy has some awesome green or white raku pieces and really nice red colored pieces....and a cool shop to boot. We headed back into Seagrove to stop at another favorite shop...LDDJ Pottery where they have some really cool stuff. I bought a nice glazed green flat fish with a cool design to add to the collection of stuff in the house. A fun day!

A picture after the first mile of MOTORING!

My car arrived with 8 miles on the odometer. This picture was taken at a stoplight as I pulled out of the car lot. I forgot to take one at the dealership! This will suffice as this was the my first mile in the car.

The door is open and it is time to MOTOR!

It's a bright sunny day and time to ride! Out of the show room and time to MOTOR!

My car on the Show Room Floor at Delivery.

November 24, 2006. My 2006 MINI Cooper S at Flow Motors in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Just out from under the car cover. Wow that car is spotless.

The Port of Charleston Log!

It is November 17, 2006 and my ship has docked in Charleston. You can see from the web log the Emden is at Union Pier in berth 3. By the next day just after lunch all the MINIs were on dry land headed for the BMW vehicle processing center in Spartanburg, South Carolina. http://www.bmwusfactory.com/community/scbmw.asp

The Emden? Didn't She Sink?

AWM ART00191. Arthur Burgess, Emden beached and done for, 9 November 1914, 1920, Painting: oil on canvas, 168.5 x254.5 cm. The German light cruiser SMS Emden, aground and on fire after battle with the RAN light cruiser HMAS Sydney off Cocos-Keeling Islands, HMAS Sydney is visible in the far distance. This image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial. I don't think this is my ship!

Tracking My MINI on the Atlantic!

This is an image of the Emdens path on the Atlantic on November 10,2006. You can see where she departed Southhampton, England and is bound for the port in Charleston, South Carolina.

A story of how I ordered my MINI.

I ordered my MINI back on October 7, 2006 at Flow Motors in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I had been looking at MINI's for several months. I had called Flow back in the Spring and talked to John Sadler on the phone about the car and he spent some time talking to me about the car. The next weekend he took considerable time allowing me and the wife to try three cars out on the road. A MINI, MINI "S" hardtop and a convertible. They had a 5 speed, six speed, and even a manual paddle shifter on the steering wheel. I requested that one to try it as I wanted to compare. We had a blast with the cars so I went home and starting researching the car. What I found was amazing. Here is an English-styled and built car manufactured in England by BMW with parts sourced from all over the world. The car is still getting rave reviews from Consumer reports with extremely high comments on the late model cars being very reliable and having high marks from owners about "would you buy this car again" OK I have to admit. I have been driving a Mercedes Benz for many years now and cut my teeth driving Volkswagen pocket-rockets and diesels. With the Mercedes brand I am used to buying used cars and driving them for a while and sometimes even making money on them. So guess what I find out? The MINI, according to many sources has THE highest re-sale of any hatchback or convertible car currently on the market? http://www.kbb.com/kbb/Advice/GenericContent.aspx?ContentUniqueName=KbbWebContent:913 WOW. This car is calling my name!
The next thing I find out is how the MINI S is supercharged and how that feature will be going away and the car is going to be changed slightly for 2007. Details are starting to leak out but my research tells me the car will be turbo-charged and a couple of inches larger. The engine is a new design, on and on. The gas mileage will be somewhat better and the horsepower is going up. Well now I have to make a call on which one to get! After weeks of crunching numbers and all the facts I could get on the new car I decide to get the 2006 model. I really love to hear that supercharger whine. John had loaned me a convertible MINI on Labor Day weekend and I fell in love with it. I had driven the BMW Z4, the Porsche Boxter, the new Pontiac Solstice, The Audi A3, the Audi TT, the Mazda Miata-with the new automatic hardtop, the 2007 Volkswagen GTI...now there was a close call mind you - that car freakin' rocks, on and on - I just came back to the MINI. It is that good. Oh yeah if you are in my area and want some nice people go see the Flow Volkswagen people in Greensboro. They were super-nice to me and I almost bought another car from them. As were all the other dealers-including a guy by the name of Stephen Lane at Hendrick MINI in Charlotte. We talked on the phone and he knows his stuff. Yes I compared notes at the MINI dealers too...that's just how I am.
So there you have it, the order is in and now on to waiting for it to be built. John sends the order to England and now it is a waiting game.
The cool thing about this car is you can really customize it to your wants and needs. I ordered all the packages. That means you get cool stuff like rain-sensing wipers, integrated garage door opener, self-dimming rear view mirror, Xenon headlamps, dual sunroofs, bonnet stripes, headlamp washers, heated seats, run-flat tires, Star Trek computer, just kidding, and on and on. Trust me, the DST which is a feature that makes the car handle like you are an F1 star is high on my list. You can throw this car into a curve at high speed and not even hear the tires squeal. Unreal.
Well anyway after all those tangents back to the ordering process. I ordered my car on October 7th and it was immediately put into priority One status which means the car is sold - go to the head of the production line. It was scheduled for Week 43 production which is late October. And they hit the mark well. Just as I depart for Key West the MINI web site told me I am in production and my guy in sales, John Sadler then tells me my car is at the dock waiting on a ship to carry it across the pond. WOW they are working fast. My car gets on the "Emden" and heads this way with the destination - the port of Charleston, South Carolina. I used some of the tracking tools on the North American Motoring site - forum http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/ to help me track the GPS coordinates of the ship as it came across the Atlantic. Now that was cool. You can even watch these cars on a web cam in the English Channel or Panama Canal if they are headed to the west coast. I used a tool on the port of Charleston site to show when my ship docked and the exact day it off-loaded the cargo. A shipload of MINIs! Now on to the BMW receiving center in South Carolina! Soon I will have my car!

Caught Another One!

Here is another MINI right around the corner from the cemetary. This one has a "paper" tag on it. Another new owner!

I Told You I Was Sick!!

As I said, there are some really funny headstones in the Key West Cemetary. Here is a picture of the one I mentioned. This guy was a real joker and the marker is noted on the tour map at the caretakers office. I took this picture in 1996 as I toured a whole bunch of the cemetary via moped....yes there are streets all through the cemetary and it is easier to see more of it via 2 wheels!

The Key West Cemetary.

This place is pretty big and you can actually tour it. Go to the caretakers office and get a map. I spent my time looking for the headstone that says "I Told You I Was Sick" Funny stuff. There are real characters in Key West. I am still crossing the backstreets looking for more MINI's I keep seeing them on the move and they are out-running my moped! Convertibles everywhere!

B.O.'s Fish Wagon!

As I pull out of Pepe's I pass right by B.O.'s Fish Wagon. This place has awesome fresh fish sandwiches. It don't look like much but the food is to die for.

Upside Down Mango Cake and Key Lime Pie!

Here is dessert. I will spare you on what we had for lunch! As I was talking to a local guy at another table he told me to try the upside-down mango cake. It took me about a millisecond to decide whether to order some. In fact it wasn't even on the menu that day. Notice the key lime pie. This place is famous for the key lime pie. So I had to have both....well I did share... that arm you see in the shot belongs to my old pal from Maryland, Ray Worley. Trust me the boy can eat. Well it does take some serious calories to MOTOR on a scooter. Not.

Time for Brunch!!

Pepe's on Caroline Street. Probably my favorite place to eat in Key West. Man the food is outstanding! More on that in the next picture. As I left Pepe's I ran into Scott Kirby http://www.scottkirby.com/ and JL Jamison. JL works for Jimmy Buffett and is a local.

Mile Marker Zero Key West.

A brief stop on my quest for more MINI pictures. What am doing in Key West anyway? For more on that check out my other blog at http://www.downsouthradiohour.blogspot.com I am still putting pictures up there too...man it is already December and I am still blogging my Key West memories. As I stand here in this picture my MINI was already on the Atlantic on it's way to my garage. More on that in a while...

A MINI with the top up? OMG.

A MINI with the top up? Oh no....well we are in Key West and yes it had been raining so I guess we will have to let the owner protect the interior! Can't you just feel the humidity in this picture? 87 degrees in November. My kind of weather.

MINI's in Key West 2006!

OK so now let's fast forward to November, 2006 where I am Motoring around on my moped looking for MINIs in paradise. Here I am on Duval Street in Key West and I see this really cool yellow Cooper sitting in front of Starbucks. Notice the Conch Republic magnet on the hatch. I blurred the license plate for the "owners protection." A shame actually because that is a really neat Florida plate.

Let's Motor!

Is this cool or what?

My first look at a MINI during the USGP in Indy.

I am a huge Formula One fan for decades now and I took this picture at one of the the first USGPs in Indy. This was September 2001? They all run together. I have been to every United States Grand Prix up there and now my wife will not let me miss a single race. It is just too much fun. http://www.usgpindy.com/
This was the first MINI I had seen in person. They were not for sale and everyone was going crazy over this car. As I recall there were two of them in town for the race and both were mounted on rails on these special Ford Excursions right on the steet in front of the race track. Very cool. I sort of had a feeling at the time that I would own one of these cars one day.
Notice the writing on the side glass "Take Me for a Spin Schuey" For the non-F1 fan this is a reference to my all-time favorite F1 Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher who just retired this year. Yes I know this is a BMW and I am sorry but I have been a formula one Ferrari tifosi for decades.