I recently sold my 06 MC (PH/S) and bought a new 09 MCS off the lot at Towne. I've had turbo envy for a couple of years now, and since the warranty recently expired on my "justa", it seemed like a good thing to do.
So, let me introduce you to Blakester and his little buddy, Blakester II (my grandson's new MINI):
I started my blackout project over the weekend by taping the beltline. I'm thinking about Plasti-Dip for the headlight, taillight, grill trim and probably the gas cap. Anybody here have any experience with this? NAM has a ton of step-by-steps, but it would be good to *talk* to someone local who's tried it.
One other thing: has anybody with an R56 and the stock stereo done an upgrade? The only thing I miss from my "justa" is the excellent HK upgrade stereo. Specifically, I'm looking for guidance on two things ... the front/back swap and references for local audio shops that have experience with MINI speaker replacements. I'm just not wild about taking the door panels off my new MINI, and ripping apart the rear end gives me the willies. But, I'm not about to let a newbie do it ... I'm looking for expertise. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Hi nice color combo. They did not have those cool black rims when i bought my mini. As for the Plasti-Dip i have tried it. I would suggest that you try just the tail lights and see if you like it. Plus take the painted pieces and take them outside and look at them in the sun. Do that because i thought i had enough paint on them and took them out sided and still could see chrome throughout the paint. When i got enough paint on them they looked good but i did not like the plasti dip for two reasons , 1 seemed like a lot a of paint to get full coverage and 2 when washing the car your sponge or towel would get caught or hang up on the plasti dip because its grippy or non- slippery surface. So i took it off and it came off super clean and the chrome looked good as new. Then i just painted the chrome with flat black spray paint looks good and easy to dry only bad thing is i have some rock chips after two years, can see the chrome . I hope you can make sense of my mess here and i say try a piece and see if you like it .
nice! I plasti dipped everything on my mini and you have to repaint about every 6-10 months from what ive seen. something i actually have to do. i might just get all the paint off cause its a pain to repaint all the time.
__________________
Cerberus 09' Mini Cooper S. Shorty antenna, Full Tint, And sweet duck! thanks to yellowmininy of course! hehe
First off, that is a sharp looking car. The little one is a hoot!
If the car is registered new check you insurance. Some companies like Geico (ours) offer an extended warranty for 15.00 a year and bring it out to 7yrs/100,000 miles. I think someone here said Progressive had something too.
As far as the stereo system, what town do you live in? There are a few interesting things with the new systems and there are many things that can and can't be done. If you live in the Rochester area send me a PM. I am the one person you need to talk to before you do anything. My certifications in this area are excessive.
-- Edited by MightyMo on Tuesday 27th of April 2010 10:55:01 AM
__________________
MiniMo - 2008 MINI Cooper S, Mellow Yellow, Checker glass roof, mirrors and sides, black stripes on boot & bonnet, Piaa black HID Rally lights. Zig Around Zoom Zoom
Thanks, everybody! I appreciate the feedback and advice.
Mini Tabasco, I really appreciate the advice on Plasti-Dip. You addressed one of my biggest concerns, which is the stickiness of PD. The good news is how easily it can be removed, which would be my concern about traditional flat black spray paint ... it's final. A guy on NAM, who appears to be from WNY although I don't recognize his screen name, offered some advice on vinyl wrap. According to him, there's someone local who sells sheets of it at reasonable cost. I may pursue that ... if so, I'll post some results.
VeganBrian, have you tried or considered wrapping your chrome?
MightyMo, thanks for the insurance/warranty hint. Hadn't heard of that before. The reg was transferred from my old MINI, but I'll still check with my State Farm agent.
Re: the audio upgrade ... no, I don't live in or near Rochester. I'm in Arcade (south west Wyoming County). I've had work done at Daryl's Car Audio (West Seneca) in the past, so I spoke with them. They've done a few projects on MINIs, including one of their major reference projects, which included a custom sub enclosure and head unit replacement <gasp>. I'm definitely not thinking along those lines, but here's what I have in mind:
replace the front speakers with JL Audio TR650-CSi components ... tweeter mounted in the 4" location
replace the rear speakers with JL Audio TR690-TXi 3-ways (matched to the fronts)
install JL Audio XD600/6 amp, either in the left rear panel or in the tool cavity in the boot
install JL Audio CP108TG-W1v2 sub in the boot (I generally don't carry stuff in the boot anyhow)
Expert Roadkill sound damping at the speaker locations
I listened to the TR, C2 and C5 speakers side-by-side, and I picked the TRs. The C2s were too bright for my ear, and the C5s sounded slightly muddy in the mid-range. The TRs were nice and warm sounding.
I spoke with other custom audio shops in the Buffalo area, but nobody had ever worked on a MINI (especially R56) before. A few mentioned other German brands, including MINI's older cousin, but I'm not comfortable that they know what they're getting in to.
Thanks again for the comments.
-- Edited by Sparky63 on Tuesday 27th of April 2010 08:21:30 PM
One concern I have is with the JL Audio XD600/6 amp. It does not have a high level input so the installer will need to use an outboard one. Make sure you spend the money on this piece. They are not to much but there are some really garbage ones out there and they may not be able to handle the output of the radio with out giving you a bad S/N. It seems like you have been looking around and that is GREAT. See if the place you are going to will mount the speakers but not button everything up and allow you to sit in the car and listen to it at a med-low volume. See how it sounds. A speaker that sound great in one car (showroom) more often than not does not sound good in a different car. If they are willing to do that, then you might be able to try a few different ones to make sure. Just make sure the speakers are sealed to the locations so the wave coming off the back does not cancel the front. If you have any questions PM me for my phone number. One more thing. Do you have the NAV system in the car?
Good luck.
__________________
MiniMo - 2008 MINI Cooper S, Mellow Yellow, Checker glass roof, mirrors and sides, black stripes on boot & bonnet, Piaa black HID Rally lights. Zig Around Zoom Zoom
One concern I have is with the JL Audio XD600/6 amp. It does not have a high level input so the installer will need to use an outboard one.
Understood. However, I thought the Input Sensitivity Level settings would be used to compensate for the lack of high level inputs. Are you saying this isn't (or shouldn't be) the case?
MightyMo wrote:
See if the place you are going to will mount the speakers but not button everything up and allow you to sit in the car and listen to it at a med-low volume.
Great advice! I'll speak with them about this. MightyMo wrote:Do you have the NAV system in the car?
A little late on the uptake here, but welcome to the Club Sparky! Nice looking MINI(s) you have there. You must have practiced the beltline blackout on the little one first--it looks great! Good luck with your mods!
One concern I have is with the JL Audio XD600/6 amp. It does not have a high level input so the installer will need to use an outboard one.
Sparky63 Understood. However, I thought the Input Sensitivity Level settings would be used to compensate for the lack of high level inputs. Are you saying this isn't (or shouldn't be) the case? _____________________________________________
MightyMo Oh boy... sorry to say no. There are no RCA level jacks on the back of stock MINI radios. So you have to come off the speaker level outputs (wires). A high level input adapter will take that and convert it to low level (un-amplified) RCA jacks for the Amplifier. :)
The sensitivity level if used correctly at the time of install is set like this. Once all the work is done and the car is buttoned up, the installer should then with the use of a meter to measure DC volts, turn the radio up to a level that is just below acceptable DC levels. Then the gain control is adjusted with that in mind. For some customers I would glue this control when set so they don't mess with it. It is a little involved but really simple for an installer that understands the relationship between sound/speakers and amplification. In short a speaker works on A/C. Just as an A/C wave goes up and down, a speaker goes in and out. When the radio or amplifier is turned up to high you get distortion. Picture the nice up/down A/C wave with the top and bottom cut off. When that happens you may hear it as bad sound, cracking or popping coming from the speaker. That is DC instead of A/C going to the speaker. The DC will melt the voice coil in a speaker like a light bulb thus blowing a speaker. That is why audio power devices list s/n signal to noise and THD total harmonic distortion.
One thing you might want to ask for is a a Zobel network with a diode. The front speakers your getting (which are a great set) include a simple high base filter. That is ok but not great. A Zobel network will correct the timing of the sound and the diode will light up and eat DC voltage before it gets to the speakers. Just ask them and see if they have something that includes a diode. If they don't have anything and the install is done right and you do not crank it to distortion, you should be OK.
Do you have the NAV system in the car?
Nope.
________________________________________________________ Good. less issues with the computer then.
Sounds like your going to be ok. Now that you have some tech info they may involve you more in the system. Have fun.
Check for a PM I sent you.
Scott
P.S
Can I get that small car in yellow? lol
-- Edited by MightyMo on Wednesday 28th of April 2010 06:08:04 PM
__________________
MiniMo - 2008 MINI Cooper S, Mellow Yellow, Checker glass roof, mirrors and sides, black stripes on boot & bonnet, Piaa black HID Rally lights. Zig Around Zoom Zoom
As far as I know, they're only available in Chili Red. The BMW Baby Racers come in several colors. The closest I found to your MINI is this: http://www.minimotoringgear.com/#/product/126/PLUSH%20MINI%20BACKPACK?CenterId=null
:>)
Thanks again for all the technical info on the amp ... much appreciated.
-- Edited by MightyMo on Wednesday 28th of April 2010 09:40:33 PM
__________________
MiniMo - 2008 MINI Cooper S, Mellow Yellow, Checker glass roof, mirrors and sides, black stripes on boot & bonnet, Piaa black HID Rally lights. Zig Around Zoom Zoom
UPDATE - I had the speaker replacement and amp/subwoofer installation done last Friday, and in one word, WOW! I am totally thrilled with the results! The sound quality is even better than I had hoped.
When I arrived at the installer's to pick up my car (I had dropped it off that morning before work), the tech was still finishing up. While I was waiting, I overheard two of the audio shop's employees talking about my car. One of them said, "That MINI really sounds good". I figured if they were impressed, I was going to very happy. Sure enough, the sound is crisp and clear across the full spectrum, and the speakers will easily handle way more volume than I need, without any distortion. The little sub enclosure I bought pumps out plenty of bass; I can't imagine needing a larger subwoofer for such a small car (yeah, yeah, I know I'm an old fart who doesn't appreciate the finer points of rattling the neighbor's windows with throbbing hip hop ... sue me!). Bottom line: I'm completely satisfied with my audio system upgrade, the component pieces I purchased, and the excellent work of the installer (Daryll's Car Audio in West Seneca, NY). I highly recommend all of these to other MINI owners.
).
