Modern Parts & Service

[mxp01]

Gentlemen:

I've been away from this forum for a while, mostly because I've been living outside the USA for the past 3.5 years. I returned recently (ever so briefly) and have been using the last few weeks to get things up to snuff around my house - but especially with my cars. Yesterday, I went to get the oil and transmission fluid changed in my 2010 Mini Cooper Clubman (my tools are all in transit) I went first to a Valvoline Quick lube place - and was immediately waved off being told, "We don't service Minis." After a few more stops, I was able to get the oil changed but no one would deal with the transmission fluid. I even went to the Mini dealer who told me, "if you aren't having any problems, just leave it alone." So, I did.

Today, I returned to the dealer to get some touch-up paint and a PCV valve. I took my TR3 there. When I went to the counter the parts guy asked me for my VIN. I didn't know it. "Without a VIN I can't look up anything." "Nothing" I asked? I told him it was brown, a standard color in 2010. "Sorry, sir,' he told me, "without a VIN I can't look up anything."

Oh well, I'll have to return tomorrow with the VIN.....

Mike Pennell

 

[HealeyRick]

Things have changed. Don't expect to go to an everyday service place first and expect they'll know what to do with a classic Britsh car. Come here first and ask where to go if you don't do it yourself.

 

[nomad]

Sad new world isn't it! Went to get a set of colder spark plugs yesterday and it took the guy forever to find them because they were not what the factory called for. Asked who people get to do machine shop work locally and was informed that there is only one shop good or bad that they knew of. Used to be four in that town....now its 50 miles away.

Kurt.

 

[Pythias]

This is just some of why I'm about done with it all. I'm all but ready to sell off the red thing and buy a Miata. I'm tired of not being able to find (decent) parts. I'm tired of going to places that can't adjust a carb. Etc. Etc. Etc. I bought the car twenty years ago because .. A) I always wanted a Sprite, and B) I always wanted to learn to work on cars and the Sprite is both easy to work on and cheap to get parts for (comparatively). What I learned that most sticks with me is that I hate to work on cars. A Miata will give me all the thrills of a small British Sports Car without the freaking headaches. .. It's an Investment/Reward thing... and I'm old and tired.

 

[nomad]

Well, Bill, I've got a Miata and am not nuts about it. They are hot to drive without the AC on. Ventilation is poor. Having to run almost all the time with the AC on is aggravating to me. Then there is the power steering and the power brakes that take away any feeling of being connected to the road. My wife call's it her car so I would have a hard time convincing her to sell it and, I admit, when a long trip is planned the Miata is usually what we take.

BTW, good to hear from you Bill. Hope you stick around.

Kurt

 

[Desert Rat]

Hey Mike,
I've got a '03 Cooper and a 2015 Cooper S, most quick stop oil change places won't touch a MINI. If you're not under warranty your best best is to find a specialty indie BMW or MINI shop. If you need a recommendation in your area join North American Motoring, someone there will be able to point you in the right direction. MINI claims the transmission is a lifetime fluid but all owners I know change it around 30,000 miles or so.
As far as parts go, they'll either need your VIN or they can scan your key fob for the build info and can get you parts based on that. If you want to buy your own parts MINI Mania is a good source for OEM parts usually less than what the dealer sells them for.

Chris

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Not really new if you ever had to work on Corn Binders (International Harvester Trucks).

Build date, month and year, maybe day.
VIN.

Then, bring your old part in to match.
Seriously.

 

[mxp01]

I was just hoping for more ease in parts and service for my modern auto upon return to the USA. I was in Mexico for three years where the language barrier (for auto service/parts) and the local dealer's need to ship nearly everything in from MX City was frustrating. However, today I ordered a tube of touch-up paint ($52 - ouch!) that won't come in until Friday. I ordered some parts for my LBC on Monday and Tuesday and expect to have everything here by Friday - not bad!

Chris: My MINI shifts slowly between gears. The MINI service manager called that "normal." Any thoughts?

Mike Pennell

 

[BlueMax]

If you have the 2010 R55 Cooper Clubman, your PCV is now part of the Valve cover part # 111 275 859 06 it’s all integrated now.

 

[Desert Rat]

I was just hoping for more ease in parts and service for my modern auto upon return to the USA. I was in Mexico for three years where the language barrier (for auto service/parts) and the local dealer's need to ship nearly everything in from MX City was frustrating. However, today I ordered a tube of touch-up paint ($52 - ouch!) that won't come in until Friday. I ordered some parts for my LBC on Monday and Tuesday and expect to have everything here by Friday - not bad!

Chris: My MINI shifts slowly between gears. The MINI service manager called that "normal." Any thoughts?

Mike Pennell

Mike, auto or manual? Both of mine are manual. If yours is an auto a fluid change might sort you out, hard to say for sure but a good place to start. I'd recommend a local MINI club or joining or lurking at North American Motoring, they have forums for every year and model MINI and it's a wealth of information. There is a dedicated R55 2008+ Clubman area, luckily MINIs seem to have the same issues, not too many new ones crop up so someone has probably dealt with it already.

I know what you mean about the language barrier. I just returned from working in South India for three years. I feel your pain.

 

[JPSmit]

My mechanic will gladly service the Mini - but, ask him about significant fluid changes (other than oil) and he goes ballistic - basically the recommended change intervals are a fraction of the warranty life of the fluid - he maintains it is a complete money grab and his simple answer is "I will tell you when you need to change your fluid/filters." Nice to have a mechanic you can trust.

 

[Pythias]

Well, Bill, I've got a Miata and am not nuts about it. They are hot to drive without the AC on. Ventilation is poor. Having to run almost all the time with the AC on is aggravating to me. Then there is the power steering and the power brakes that take away any feeling of being connected to the road. My wife call's it her car so I would have a hard time convincing her to sell it and, I admit, when a long trip is planned the Miata is usually what we take.

BTW, good to hear from you Bill. Hope you stick around.

Kurt

It's not like I can turn on the air conditioning in the Sprite. The ventilation consists of swirling air beating ones head almost to death. I can drive the car faster with a hat on than I can with it off just because of the "ventilation". I admit, I haven't yet driven a Miata, but what else is there as far as a two seater convertible "sports" car? Mu Fiesta ST actually fills my performance car needs quite nicely so I just need a putt putt convertible for those nice days... (rare enough out here)

 

[nomad]

Well, we all have our own preferences but the only time I really miss an AC in the Spridgets is when it's blistering hot out and I can work around that. That really is only a few days a year and the rest of the time the Spridgets early ventilation works fine. I remember when Chevy came out with their "Astro" ventilation and an immediate need for AC that wasn't there before. Earlier cars had to be kept clean or the dust cloud would suffocate you when you opened the vents!

I personally would like to buy a light car with excellent handling and brakes with no power assist that had a front or mid engine and wasn't much bigger than our Spridgets but no such car is offered anymore. I tried talking my wife into a Lotus Elise but she wouldn't give up the Miata. The Lotus is about as close as I think I could get.

Kurt.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

S2000 fits the bill or a Boxster S

 

[nomad]

S2000 fits the bill or a Boxster S

Maybe so, Jim, but neither really trips my trigger. I'm working on restoring a Lotus Elan and am told that once I get that back on the road I will want to throw rocks at everything else! We'll see...problems with it as well in that there really is no viable 5 speed option for an Elan.

Kurt.

 

[number6]

Have you taken a squint at the new Fiat 124?

 

[nomad]

Have you taken a squint at the new Fiat 124?

No, I had not and didn't know Fiat had come up with a new 124. Looks promising but I can't imagine what electric power steering would be like. Unfortunately, I have bad memory's of Fiat's from long ago that I would have to overcome as well.

Kurt.

 

[Desert Rat]

I can't imagine what electric power steering would be like.

My 2015 Cooper S has electric steering, if you didn't know it has it you really can't tell. Switching to Sport Mode weights the steering and firms up the suspension but other than that it feels like regular steering.

 

[nomad]

You know that what I would really like would be what I'm endeavoring to do with old British iron. I think the ideal car would be a close facsimile to the original type 14 Lotus Elite. All metal molded into the body would be stainless steel and the power would be upgraded to today's technology. In general I don't like what has been done to modern cars other than the powerplant and that is spot on. A modern Elan would be OK as well but no need for all kinds of redundant power robbing ginger bread. If they can build things like the Ariel Atom why can't we have a similarly spartan street car but with weather protection and a decent drag coefficient. The original Elite had a Cd of 0.29...nearly as good as any aerodynamic trend setter of today.
Then there is really nothing wrong with the Elise except my wife doesn't like it!:rolleye:

Kurt.

 

[hcallaway]

It's not like I can turn on the air conditioning in the Sprite. The ventilation consists of swirling air beating ones head almost to death. I can drive the car faster with a hat on than I can with it off just because of the "ventilation". I admit, I haven't yet driven a Miata, but what else is there as far as a two seater convertible "sports" car? Mu Fiesta ST actually fills my performance car needs quite nicely so I just need a putt putt convertible for those nice days... (rare enough out here)

Well, Bill, I've got a Miata and am not nuts about it. They are hot to drive without the AC on. Ventilation is poor. Having to run almost all the time with the AC on is aggravating to me. Then there is the power steering and the power brakes that take away any feeling of being connected to the road. My wife call's it her car so I would have a hard time convincing her to sell it and, I admit, when a long trip is planned the Miata is usually what we take.

BTW, good to hear from you Bill. Hope you stick around.


Everyone has an opinion, but I don't experience the hot temps without the A/C on vs. what anyone would expect. As far as the disconnect with PS or PB, if driving to the supermarket is defining road feel, you might be right. If you push the car and drive it as it was designed you would be hard pressed to describe a Miata as lacking in suspension or braking? As much as I love old British Cars, other than a true raced prepped MGB, I don't know of one Midget Sprite or Buyeye that could have taken the abuse of pushing redline for 5 track sessions and never experiencing brake fade or running hot on a hot August Saturday as it experienced last weekend. Prepping the car involved changing fluids and air pressures. I did add frame stiffeners. Past changes were springs and shocks. The three cars we ran this weekend may have had a total investment of about 12K.


Today, Spec Miata is the most popular club-racing class in the country and the largest single class within NASA. Nearly one in six amateur race entries on any given weekend is a first- or second-generation Mazda Miata, and more than 3000 Spec Miata conversion kits have been sold to date. Just as the MG TC was the foundation of amateur racing in the postwar era, its modern, Japanese successor has been the savior of amateur racing today, partly because the buy-in is only about 10 grand.