Brown barn doors - mini R55 clubman
Discussion
I'd previously blacked out the headlights but it was starting to peel in places. Someone localish who did a service of upgrading fiat 500 lights joined one the mini groups looking to branch out. I had a spare set of lights lying around so I got in touch.
Lights blacked out and drl added.
Sadly in the process of upgrading the lights the lens which weren't perfect got even worse....
I took a risk and bought a new set of lenses off ebay for £80ish. The lights had obviously been opened recently so easy enough to heat in the oven and release. Despite reservations the new lenses seem really good.
On the exhaust front I had tried to adjust it to sit properly several times but no matter what I did it always looked terrible. In my last round of adjustment it ended with the tips protruding several cm. Looked really ricer. Yuck.
So I got pissed off and took an angle grinder to the left backbox so it could slide over the y piece better. That and some serious bending of the hangar and I am finally pleased with the fit.
It's not perfect but it's good enough, much more subtle. It had really been bugging me so I'm delighted ....
Lights blacked out and drl added.
Sadly in the process of upgrading the lights the lens which weren't perfect got even worse....
I took a risk and bought a new set of lenses off ebay for £80ish. The lights had obviously been opened recently so easy enough to heat in the oven and release. Despite reservations the new lenses seem really good.
On the exhaust front I had tried to adjust it to sit properly several times but no matter what I did it always looked terrible. In my last round of adjustment it ended with the tips protruding several cm. Looked really ricer. Yuck.
So I got pissed off and took an angle grinder to the left backbox so it could slide over the y piece better. That and some serious bending of the hangar and I am finally pleased with the fit.
It's not perfect but it's good enough, much more subtle. It had really been bugging me so I'm delighted ....
Slight change in direction...
It seemed everyone was doing the brown and black combo and I always thought the chequer side scuttles and the white in the headlights needed a bit of something to go with it.
I managed to find some checked wing mirror covers for a reasonable price, and a pair of wheels came up for sale from a friend I had admired for some time.
They are Japan racing JR30 in 17" with Michelin PS4 tyres. Not as light as the oz wheels I removed but surprisingly had little effect on ride quality.
Now my biggest problem is I scratched an itch I had for a long time and now have another build thread.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
And I don't know what to do with the mini. I don't have enough room on the drive but I do still love it...
It seemed everyone was doing the brown and black combo and I always thought the chequer side scuttles and the white in the headlights needed a bit of something to go with it.
I managed to find some checked wing mirror covers for a reasonable price, and a pair of wheels came up for sale from a friend I had admired for some time.
They are Japan racing JR30 in 17" with Michelin PS4 tyres. Not as light as the oz wheels I removed but surprisingly had little effect on ride quality.
Now my biggest problem is I scratched an itch I had for a long time and now have another build thread.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
And I don't know what to do with the mini. I don't have enough room on the drive but I do still love it...
The poor old mini hasn't been getting much love as the Impreza is quite the time consumer!
Thinking about what to do with the mini, as I don't really have the space to keep it and the Impreza
if it goes I will be sad to loose it. It's great fun and full of character. The kids love it too...
With that in mind I gave it a bit of a clean inside.
Not long after I got the car actually I realized how dirty the leather was, so I set about cleaning and treating it.
Leather cleaning seems to be a complete minefield but I opted for an old favorite dodo juice supernatural which seemed to get the job done!
All Done. topped up with megs conditioner although I'm not sure how much difference it makes on leather seats better safe than sorry!
Now a thread on an R55 clubman wouldn't be complete without talking about the infamous suicide door.
As a concept it really works, gives a bit more space into the rear seats, looks cool too (IMHO). The biggest complaint in the press at the time was that it would open into the road in the UK, which is indeed true but I very rarely parallel park so I've never found it a problem.
In fact it works really well when you are parked on the drive or in a nice big parking space.
The real problem is when you are parked close to another car, you open the front door, then the back and the 2 doors act like a barrier in both directions. Your body is then in the way to close the doors, so you are effectively stuck between the 2 doors in one direction and the 2 cars in the other direction. Less than ideal. Luckily the driver's seat still slides forward far enough you have the option not to use the suicide door at all and just treat it like a normal 3 door. So once you know how much space you need it's not really a problem.
The barn doors were also criticized as it would stop you opening them if you reverse parked in say a multi storey. Again I can't say it's a problem I ever faced. The doors are really small and to be honest you can't park up tight to walls in most estates either. It's a small car so there is normally plenty of space to leave a gap at the back.
Again I love the way they look and the boot as previously mentioned is surprisingly useful. Besides you can always park nose in.
Interior on these also a pretty nice place to be, sadly not exactly free of rattles but it looks good and material quality is good considering the segment!
One thing I have been fighting with is the heater controls on these go sticky over time and get all manner of dirt stuck on them. I've tried various cleaners over the last couple of years on a spare set I had and it either didn't get the sticky off or ended up taking the original finish off.
That was until this weekend when I was just giving the interior a quick once over with these wipes from Halfords, and amazingly they worked brilliantly!
So much better
Thinking about what to do with the mini, as I don't really have the space to keep it and the Impreza
if it goes I will be sad to loose it. It's great fun and full of character. The kids love it too...With that in mind I gave it a bit of a clean inside.
Not long after I got the car actually I realized how dirty the leather was, so I set about cleaning and treating it.
Leather cleaning seems to be a complete minefield but I opted for an old favorite dodo juice supernatural which seemed to get the job done!
All Done. topped up with megs conditioner although I'm not sure how much difference it makes on leather seats better safe than sorry!
Now a thread on an R55 clubman wouldn't be complete without talking about the infamous suicide door.
As a concept it really works, gives a bit more space into the rear seats, looks cool too (IMHO). The biggest complaint in the press at the time was that it would open into the road in the UK, which is indeed true but I very rarely parallel park so I've never found it a problem.
In fact it works really well when you are parked on the drive or in a nice big parking space.
The real problem is when you are parked close to another car, you open the front door, then the back and the 2 doors act like a barrier in both directions. Your body is then in the way to close the doors, so you are effectively stuck between the 2 doors in one direction and the 2 cars in the other direction. Less than ideal. Luckily the driver's seat still slides forward far enough you have the option not to use the suicide door at all and just treat it like a normal 3 door. So once you know how much space you need it's not really a problem.
The barn doors were also criticized as it would stop you opening them if you reverse parked in say a multi storey. Again I can't say it's a problem I ever faced. The doors are really small and to be honest you can't park up tight to walls in most estates either. It's a small car so there is normally plenty of space to leave a gap at the back.
Again I love the way they look and the boot as previously mentioned is surprisingly useful. Besides you can always park nose in.
Interior on these also a pretty nice place to be, sadly not exactly free of rattles but it looks good and material quality is good considering the segment!
One thing I have been fighting with is the heater controls on these go sticky over time and get all manner of dirt stuck on them. I've tried various cleaners over the last couple of years on a spare set I had and it either didn't get the sticky off or ended up taking the original finish off.
That was until this weekend when I was just giving the interior a quick once over with these wipes from Halfords, and amazingly they worked brilliantly!
So much better
Sadly time for some of minis mods to go back to standard. I've had the car advertised for a while now and had a bit of interest but nothing concrete. A lot of the feedback is the gear shifter is a bit extreme for some...
Time to fly!
In true Haynes style refitting is the same steps as fitting in reverse (or something like that) so exhaust comes off, heat shields come off then you can get to the underneath of the shifter mechanism. Very clean under there....
The coolerworx is so much more substantial than the standard unit. Now it's back to standard it's actually quite suprsing the difference it makes.
The standard shifter certainly encourages a more sedate driving style and feels quite soft in comparison.
Whilst it was up in the air I put the standard exhaust back on and decided to go back to OEM wheels. Whilst all the wheels were off it was a good opportunity to give the arches a good pressure wash. Yummy...
The material that bmw use in the arch liners really does a fantastic job of clinging on to dirt.
I knew the front subframe was starting to get surface rust on so I blasted it with a wire brush attachment on the drill where ever I could see rust. Example.
Treated the rust
Then it got a coat a satin hammerite. I think this will start becoming a weak point on older minis going forwards. My car is pretty clean and well loved, sure it was only surface rust but if it had been left for much longer it could get more serious. The coating obviously failing in high attrition areas. Hopefully she will be good for a while now. Once the hammerite is properly cured I will give it a spray with lanoguard too.
And back on with OEM wheels.
Flame alloys have long been a favorite of mine so I have been collecting a set over the last few months and giving them a diy refurb. Long way from perfect up close but from a distance they look great. Think they suit the clubman quite well!
I will I think swap out the chequered wing mirrors and indicator scuttles too, it's only a 5 min job and not to everyone's taste I guess.
Gonna miss the mini
Time to fly!
In true Haynes style refitting is the same steps as fitting in reverse (or something like that) so exhaust comes off, heat shields come off then you can get to the underneath of the shifter mechanism. Very clean under there....
The coolerworx is so much more substantial than the standard unit. Now it's back to standard it's actually quite suprsing the difference it makes.
The standard shifter certainly encourages a more sedate driving style and feels quite soft in comparison.
Whilst it was up in the air I put the standard exhaust back on and decided to go back to OEM wheels. Whilst all the wheels were off it was a good opportunity to give the arches a good pressure wash. Yummy...
The material that bmw use in the arch liners really does a fantastic job of clinging on to dirt.
I knew the front subframe was starting to get surface rust on so I blasted it with a wire brush attachment on the drill where ever I could see rust. Example.
Treated the rust
Then it got a coat a satin hammerite. I think this will start becoming a weak point on older minis going forwards. My car is pretty clean and well loved, sure it was only surface rust but if it had been left for much longer it could get more serious. The coating obviously failing in high attrition areas. Hopefully she will be good for a while now. Once the hammerite is properly cured I will give it a spray with lanoguard too.
And back on with OEM wheels.
Flame alloys have long been a favorite of mine so I have been collecting a set over the last few months and giving them a diy refurb. Long way from perfect up close but from a distance they look great. Think they suit the clubman quite well!
I will I think swap out the chequered wing mirrors and indicator scuttles too, it's only a 5 min job and not to everyone's taste I guess.
Gonna miss the mini
Another year another mot.
Passed with flying colours. I was a smidge worried about the sports cat and emissions but a thorough warm up before the test and they were spot on.
On the way out of the mot station we spotted a very distant relation so we stopped for a quick selfie.
One last wash...
And away she goes to her new home
Very sad to see it go, a car I really jelled with and the 2nd longest I have ever owned a car (out of about 20 probably)
Really great fun and never let me down. Comfy, quick, economical and surprisingly spacious. Real winner. Made my kids cry when I said she was sold.
Seems to have gone to a good home where she will be loved (hi Simon!)
Thanks for everything Conker!
Passed with flying colours. I was a smidge worried about the sports cat and emissions but a thorough warm up before the test and they were spot on.
On the way out of the mot station we spotted a very distant relation so we stopped for a quick selfie.
One last wash...
And away she goes to her new home
Very sad to see it go, a car I really jelled with and the 2nd longest I have ever owned a car (out of about 20 probably)
Really great fun and never let me down. Comfy, quick, economical and surprisingly spacious. Real winner. Made my kids cry when I said she was sold.
Seems to have gone to a good home where she will be loved (hi Simon!)
Thanks for everything Conker!
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