5,206 miles

The mission for Scavenger Hunt #2 is a tough one. It is a picture of your MINI in front of an amusement park ride. There are a few places I can go to get the mission done -- Coney Island, Dorney Park, Six Flags -- but they are quite far and with gas prices rising (and my work demanding my free time), I seriously doubt I can get this one accomplished. My best bet is to get a picture of my MINI in Seaside Heights. Unfortunately, I am not planning on going to the shore any time soon. wah.

Observation time! I guess the first thing I need to bring to the table is my soft-top. It is showing the dreaded wear marks again. I have concluded that the marks are caused when the soft-top is down. The vibration of my MINI while it is in motion causes the folded soft-top to rub against each other. Surprisingly, I am not so bummed out about it. I figured I can get another roof should the top continue to deteriorate.

Hopefully by then, BMW-MINI will have a permanent fix in place.

Temperatures will start dropping soon and I'll be driving with the top up more. So the marks shouldn't continue to become more noticeable. The marks are small and hardly recognizable, and no one really sees them until I point them out. I have also noticed other MINI 'verts with dreaded marks... and it does not look that bad. I guess I can live with it. To be on the safe side, I did purchase Raggtop's soft-top cleaner and protectant... and I will continue to cover my MINI when I know I won't use him for a while. I have even debated on whether I should buy the cab cover from mossmini.com. I think it would be a good investment (check out the sight!).

5,196 miles

Down the shore and back. On my way down, I was glad to see tons of 'verts topless... Benzes, 'Stangs, Audi's, Beemers, Jeeps... but only one MINI! Gee... wonder who that could be :)?

During dinner, I mentioned to my father that I have yet to use my air conditioner in the MINI. "Why" he asks. "I'm topless all the time dude!" I answered. He promptly suggested that I run the A/C just to keep it in optimal condition. Whatever. So I told my folks that I would use the A/C on my return drive.

And I did, but not because I promised Mom and Dad -- I actually dropped the top as soon as I turned the corner from my parent's house (HAHA) -- but because of rain. A strong downpour forced me to pull over and cover myself. The rain was strong and persisted for the duration of my trip. I did try to keep the top down, but after roughly 5-10 minutes of surreal rain-driving, I spotted an Audi on the shoulder retracting its top. I followed suit.

Glad I did, because we hit significant traffic near the Raritan river Bridges, which would have made for a very wet driver driving a very wet MINI.

With the open air and sky separated from me, top-up driving is extremely confining. The black top, coupled with the small rear window and huge B-pillar canvas siding, darkens the interior and makes the inside cocoonish. I also noticed that the back window has a tendency to collect rain and dirt, so viewing from it was impossible. Oh yeah, and then the whole 'incredible blindspot' came back to make the return drive home not the fun top-down experience I was hoping for.

On a positive note, I did run the A/C. The verdict: it was strong, quiet, and it quickly cooled the cabin... which was very good given the heat and humidity outside.

I will have to tell my Dad the next time I see him.

Motor on...

5,025 miles

Uploaded some photos I took this week. One of my odometer displaying 5,000 miles driven. I hit the milestone this morning commuting to work. The other two are of Bishu Koshy; a colleague and goof-off partner at work.

4,920 miles

This post isn't going on the Owner's Lounge (OL) because it pertains to it.

The OL is holding a 'Scavenger Hunt' for its members. Every week at 4am EST Tuesday morning, the OL will post the 'hunt'. Participants must take a picture of this object with their MINI in clear view. The game will continue for a month, and the winner with the overall lowest submission time will win a trip to Italy.

The Scavenger Hunt is proving to be quite the success on the OL. Its members are participating and talking it up. The best part of the game is that us OL'ers get to view everyone's submission... which makes for a great sampling of our wonderful country.

Below is my submission. I posted my picture at 7;17am, which made me the seventh poster. The first post came in at 4:37am EST. I'm on to the game now... stupid me for sleeping!

One person posted a picture of the Bendix Diner on Rt. 17 in Teterboro. Awesome... I wish you could see the pics!

4,850 miles

Quick note: I returned My Loaner 'Vert this morning and picked up Leroy. My car looks so nice. Prestige MINI replaced my soft-top, addressed (and fixed) my squeaky windows, fixed the loose rubber trim that lined the chrome along the soft-top base and washed Leroy. WOW!

I think I'll treat myself and drive Leroy to the gym... all 1 mile total distance :)

4,768 miles

Tuesday (08/09), Biju became the first passenger to ride in my back seat with the top down. He, Jessy and I took Leroy for a quick trip to the local pizza joint for lunch. On the return ride home, Jessy sat in the back. Both said the back was quite comfortable.

On Wednesday (08/10) I dropped Leroy off at Prestige MINI so they can replace his soft-top. On my way there, a Chrysler 300 (not a HEMI!) was road raging northbound; weaving in the rush hour commute. I was fortunate enough to watch him weave right in front of a state trooper (HAHAHA)!

The MINI they gave me as a loaner is a Hot Orange 'vert with a base engine coupled to a CVT tranny. I was disappointed to get another a 'vert, but happy to get a CVT. Why? Because of the SportsMode!

My thoughts on my loaner 'vert:
Pros...
I like the base engine's fuel economy. Originally I noted in the OL -- miniusa.com's Owner's Lounge -- boards that fuel economy was only slightly better than my MCSC, but I was driving using the SportsMode. Driving the base engine purely as an automatic yielded much better performance. If anyone is interested in fuel economy, the MINI Cooper -- not the 'S' -- should be on your list of vehicles to consider!
Another plus, though not specific to the MINI loaner -- acceleration is smooth. I notice that when passengers are in my car, I strive to shift gears such and lurching is minimized. With the CVT, I need not worry.
Cons...
Nothing beats a manny tranny for driving satisfaction. I enjoyed SportsMode, but I noticed that I tend to rev high before shifting gears... thus compromising mpg performance. I guess I was trying to 'feel' my car... trying to let it tell me when to go to the next gear. It is hard to describe, but if you drive a manny, the engine sound and throttle performance are definite indicators for shifting... none of which existed in SportsMode. At high gears, I feel absolutely nothing when tapping the shifter. There is no brief period when the car is 'out of gear'... nor is there that feeling when the engine 'kicks' in after shifting and starts revving to a different tune.
When shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, there is a noticeable lag between 'tapping down' and when gear box finally accommodates to my wishes... not good and again, another example of 'feel' -- or lack thereof -- that I so want from my car.
Secondly, I do not like the hot orange color. My Mom loves it, but I find that it attracts even more attention to itself. The 'vert already is an attention magnet, the hot orange finish makes the 'vert scream 'Look at me!!'. I can get away with hot orange if it was one of many cars in my garage (haha), but as a daily ride... no way. I am too introverted for all that attention.

Moving on...
I was told that there was a good chance Leroy will not be ready for the weekend, and sure enough he was not. I will call Prestige on Monday (08/15) to follow up and to also make sure they address the loose trim just below the soft-top on the driver's side. I also want them to 1) see why my windows squeak when I roll them up/down and 2) get Leroy washed.
Lastly, On Friday (08/12) a few co-workers took me out to lunch. They demanded that they ride in my MINI. Unfortunately, Leroy was in the shop. Fortunately, I did drive my loaner to work! Virginia Polifroni, a consultant at my company, loved the orange color... it almost matches her hair! Barbara DeJong, a co-worker, running partner (back when the company had a gym wah!) and good friend volunteered to sit in the back with the top down. She loved it! Though she did admit she prefers her vehicles to be larger. That's cool. Some people are just like that :)

Nothing else happened. I would like to close by saying I miss Leroy. I miss him a lot.

I hope he is doing well.

Motor on...

4,705 miles

Okay, it has been a few days...

Been spending time on NEMINI.org. They have a chat feature which is cool... I'm not a avid poster on NEMINI's boards, but I do like to chat and check out upcoming events posted on its calendar.

I finally took Leroy into the City. I drove him on Saturday (07/30). After working my way north checking out bookstores searching for Hindi Language CDs, I finally found it in a Borders in Ft. Lee (oddly enough, less than 1/2 mile from my office). So instead of working my way south back to Bayonne, I decided to hop onto the George Washington Bridge and head southbound via Manhattan. Great day for a ride, unfortunately, I forgot to take my digital so no pics to post (sorry). Where'd I go? Henry Hudson southbound until 42nd street, then I worked my way south via 7th ave into Chelsea... then to the West Village. Cruised around for a spot so I can grab a bite to eat, but I couldn't find one, so I headed home (wah!). The City, no surprise, was crazy crowded with tourists and locals enjoying the beautiful summer weather. I should really spend more time in the city... with or without Leroy (why don't I? hmm...)

As promised, I've been driving Leroy to work more often... okay, 4 times since I've posted to this journal. The weather has been cooperating for the most part and I figured I had better get some good quality time behind the wheel before the weather turns sour and Leroy goes into hibernation. Also, I may be heading off to India for a few months for business...

Ever since I learned that Prestige MINI was going to replace my roof, I have suddenly stopped using my car cover. The roof is on its way out in a few days so why should I maintain it? Well, turns out that I should have kept the car cover on to keep the rest of Leroy clean. Dirt has a tendency to accumulate on my car rather quickly... I never realized just how effective a car cover really is! Well, I will ask Prestige MINI to wash my car once the new roof has been installed.

I am considering buying a cab cover from mossmini.com. It covers just the top of the car. Its purpose is really to protect the interior from the damaging sun, but I think it can also be used to protect the roof from the elements. I think. I will have to post to see what others think. It should also be easier to put on/take off... which may or may not be a good thing. The car cover on Leroy helped prevent me from using the MINI for trips within Bayonne better suited for walking or cycling (like my gym or to the store).

Let's see, what else? I have also started noticing crescent shaped scratch marks on the side rear windows (I'll take pics and post soon). I think they are being caused by the soft-top mechanism. I will bring this up with Prestige MINI on Wednesday (08/10) when Leroy goes under the knife.

Last note, while driving my Mother, two elderly gentlemen that stopped next to us asked us what kind of car I was driving. "Its a MINI cooper" (okay, everybody's been there... done that and knows that drill), but I had to say it a couple of times real loud and super slow since I guess they were hard of earing ("It's... aaaa... MIIIINIIIIII... Coooperrr!!!"). They did eventually acknowledge what I was saying and quickly complimented me on my beautiful car just before the light turned green.

My Mom agreed.

Motor on...