'08 Black Auto

Today I brought home an '08 Black (looks like midnight blue, somehow...) S automatic, and left my '06 JCW at NW Mini.

My car - the '06 JCW has a broken center section in the exhaust pipe.  I took it down last week to have it welded up, but once again, the JCW side of my car reared it's ugly head.  Can't weld the center pipe as it will void the warranty.  Ask me about this...  sigh.

Anyway, Steve said the part would take about 10 days to arrive, but it was OK to drive my car until the new pipe arrived.  Well, OK until Friday evening, when the car started sounding like a '63 Chev pickup with a six cylinder and blown out rusted exhaust.  Waamba, waamba, WAAAAAAAbrbrbrbrbrbr, pop, bang, pop, WAAAAAAAbrbrbr...

Nasty. 

So were the looks I got as I drove home.

I called today and said I'm gonna get the dang thing welded, as the car was not very drivable.  NWM said NO!  DON'T DO IT.  We'll tow your car and give you an Mini to drive while you wait.  I said no to the tow, but blasted my way down to Fife (WAAAAbrbrbrbr, WAAAAAbrbr...) and dropped off Onramp.

I kinda like the '08.  Door pockets don't hold the stuff that Onramp does, but Onramp doesn't have the net in the passenger footwell, nor does it have the little secret compartment.  It has the stupid armrest that won't stay closed, though.  And I don't mind the giant speedo.  Kinda cool, actually!

One big problem, though - it also doesn't have my radar detector...  Gotta watch myself.

Pat

That is a Joke! :-(

Thanks, Kristin - I'm with you.  Can't wait to get Onramp back.  This car has REAR SEATS, of all things...

You're right, Tristan.  What, they going to send the broken pipe back??  On the other hand, they feel strongly enough about this to give me a car for a while...

Yes, John - I did push the sport button, which just moved the revs up the scale a bit.  Haven't had much of a chance to try the car out, and probably won't - I have a hard time pushing someone else's car.  What all does that sport button do - any suspension changes?  Be kinda cool to have the thing lower itself like the Bugatti!

johnf36 wrote: Not sure Pat that why I ask. May be some of these new owners can give some insight to how much difference the sport button makes. Would be real cool if it did something like that, only problem is NW would never give you that extra key to insert in the door on a loaner car. I myself am still out on the 08's. To bad they won't let you have the old exhaust. John

I've got a late '07, which is pretty much identical, from what I understand. The differences that I know of the 08 getting a USB port and auto-up driver's side window.

The sport button bumps up the throttle position a bit and reduces the power steering boost. In an automatic it also adjusts shifting points, IIRC. No changes to the suspension, but that would be nice

Lots of people swear by the sport button, but I'm kind of mixed on it.

To me the throttle seems more amplified when it's on, but less sensitive. It's nice for straight-up go-straight acceleration, or for starting out in first gear. From a dead stop without the button on, it feels like the car can bog down in the <1500 RPM range without an extra push to the pedal.

In the middle of the pedal range, I feel like it's just less pedal travel between big notches- maybe a poor explanation of it... It's kind of like trying to find just the right volume on a stereo with a click-stop volume knob- one click is just a tiny bit more than I wanted, but one click lower is just a teensy bit less than I wanted. So, I just drive with it off most of the time, after all, all the way to the floor is still full volume

I wish that I could keep just the steering in sport mode though- when the button's off the extra boost for the power steering gets turned on. It's not too big of a deal, I just prefer the heavier feel of the wheel- it gives more of a perceived feel of sharpness, even if it's not really all that different.

I tried the sport button more today.  Still not sure how I like the operation of the transmission.  I did notice that when you put the stick over into the manual plane, the "sport" light on the tach lights up, and I really like how it works without using the stick or the paddles.  The car is VERY quick in this mode.  I LIKE it!

Nick nails how the thing works.  I like the "less assisted" feel of the steering (hadn't really noticed it until Nick mentioned it, then "Oh yeah!").

Pretty cool car.  Don't want to keep it very long - I might get attached...

Pat

Pat,

I saw "onramp" sitting at NWMini today when I took my Mini (S-Quire) in for a P2096 code (exhaust leak).  They said I had a leak in the cat and they have to order a new one.  (I suspect the sustained high speed driving in the Nevada desert was partially to blame for that...)

They sent me home in an extremely ugly Dodge Caliber rental...  Consider yourself lucky!


Edited by kenru - April/08/08 at 4:59am

Last time I needed wheels they sent me home in a Kia Optima.  Nice appliance.  At least the Calibre makes an attempt at character.  If I recall, the little Dodge 4 cylinder cars make an awful drone at highway speeds.  We had the Jeep version in Missouri last year...  Ear plugs help.

Sorry to hear about your cat.  Do you know if it burned through (gasp!) or did it crack somewhere?  BTW, is S-Quire your blue car?

Pat

This one was pretty good too:

I agree, John!

Pat

Hi Pat,
Initially from your first paragraph, I thought that you had traded onramp. Sigh of relief.
Milt

I went back down to NWMini yesterday after they called and said my car was ready.  Darned fast service on the exhaust!  Apparently the exhaust manifold and cat were bad.  I had also mentioned to them that I noticed a clicking sound while turning sharp left hand turns.  They weren’t able to reproduce the sound but did offer to have the service manager (Steve) go for a ride with me to see if I could get it to click.  We went for a ride and I was able to make it click.  Steve did say it in fact did sound like a CV-joint, so back to the shop it went.  They are delivering my Mini to me today after installing a new CV-joint.

The point of this post was to mention that I got to return the Dodge and they gave me a 07 MC auto to take back home.  Much nicer ride!  Question though: should you be able to up shift AND down shift using the paddles on the steering wheel?  This one only shifts up, which is of limited usefulness when motoring through the twisties…

kenru wrote: The point of this post was to mention that I got to return the Dodge and they gave me a 07 MC auto to take back home.  Much nicer ride!  Question though: should you be able to up shift AND down shift using the paddles on the steering wheel?  This one only shifts up, which is of limited usefulness when motoring through the twisties…

Out of curiosity, I wonder if you're expecting it to work that same way that I was- pull the right tab for an upshift and pull the left for a downshift. Instead it's pull either left or right to upshift, and push either for a downshift. (Or is it the other way around? )

nicknbecka wrote: Out of curiosity, I wonder if you're expecting it to work that same way that I was- pull the right tab for an upshift and pull the left for a downshift. Instead it's pull either left or right to upshift, and push either for a downshift. (Or is it the other way around? )

Edited by hapa67 - April/10/08 at 2:47am

kulmini wrote: Forget the paddle shifters, since you are use to a stick just push the stick over into SD, pull back to upshift and push forward to down shift.  You can even move your left foot and pretend you have a clutch - fun never stops in a Mini.............  Transmission will never let you redline, it will shift on its own before that happens.

Yep, done that.  I took LEPRECN for a spin around PR at the Mini Track Day (MCC Auto).  I found the fastest way to drive it was to only use the stick for down shifting and let redline up shift it for me.  Actually, very efficient.

kenru wrote: Yep, done that.  I took LEPRECN for a spin around PR at the Mini Track Day (MCC Auto).  I found the fastest way to drive it was to only use the stick for down shifting and let redline up shift it for me.  Actually, very efficient.

Edited by hapa67 - April/10/08 at 3:06am