#Mini motorways tips and tricks driver
#Mini motorways tips and tricks tv

After seeing an ad for ArmorAll Wheel Protectant on TV and watching a YouTube video extolling its virtues, I sprang for a small can. The black dust rinsed off a little easier for a few weeks then I couldn’t tell any difference. The first couple of times I rotated my wheels, I used the highly touted “Wheel Wax” to mitigate the issue. The rust spots like the ones above, can actually fuse the wheel to the hubĬlean Wheels We’re all familiar with the soft pads and rotors that come on our MINIs and the mess they make on our wheels. The one coat of grease seems to have done the trick. I wiped them clean and put a thin coat of marine grease on both surfaces, and wiped off the excess. The wheel to rotor hub interface had rusted and fused them together. After rapping the edges of the tires several times with a rubber hammer, there was finally enough wiggle, then I muscled them off. Then, after I removed the wheel bolts, but the wheels wouldn’t budge. A 1/2-inch drive torque wrench and the floor jack put an end to that mistake. The tire store torqued the wheel bolts so tight, I had to use a 3-foot length of ¾-inch galvanized pipe as an extension on the MINI wrench to break them free. I’d had the wheels rotated (before I bought the floor jack) and paid a tire store to do it. Wheels Rusted to Hubs The first time I rotated my 16-inch Bridgespoke wheels, I had a couple of issues. After a mile or two, the alarm will clear. The next time you’re out motoring, even though your didn’t change the tire pressure, you’ll get a low-tire error, and need to reset the sensor using the left stalk to step through the “Settings/Info” to and hold to activate the reset.

When you’re done, ease your MINI back down and torque the bolts to 103 ft/lbs. The shortest jack stands I’ve seen are about 1-foot tall at their lowest setting, so I use a bottle jack I already had that fits perfectly into the MINI’s rear jack point for a belt and braces measure. I use a 1-foot length of 2X4 (for load distribution and to protect the plastic molding) with the front end of the 2X4 pushed right up to the MINI’s jacking point (see the photo below). Because the MINI is front-heavy due to the engine location, I found that jack placement should be directly below the outside mirror for equal front-rear weight distribution. Jacking Point When rotating your wheels (I do it about every 5,000 miles) it’s a simple matter to jack your MINI so that you can switch both of the same-side wheels at once by placing the floor jack near the balance point on the MINI.

Should you find yourself in a similar situation, momentarily rotate the knurled knob on the end of the right-side stalk forward (but not too far unless you want a dose washer fluid) and then immediately back to give a one rear-wiper wave.

Then, their rear wiper made a one-cycle sweep to acknowledge my wave. The back glass was tinted so I couldn’t really see if they saw me.

#Mini motorways tips and tricks driver

I gave the traditional MINI wave in case the other MINI driver was looking in their mirror. I learned this one day when I pulled up behind another MINI at a traffic light. The release lever will be at your finger tip. To avoid groping for the safety latch release, extend an imaginary line from the driver’s side windscreen washer nozzle to just inside the front lip of the bonnet. Silver Aluminum Smart Key Fob Ring Rim Trim Cover Replacement for R55 R56 R57 R58 R59 R60īonnet Safety Latch Release Location So, you’ve popped the bonnet release inside your MINI, and get out to check your oil on the unreadable dip stick or cook supper on the turbo’s heat shield. To do the same, and the axel grease hits the fan, it’s your own fault. Disclaimer: These tips and tricks are things that have worked for me.