MINI Bathgate edition. Update.

[Cheezey]

Ah. Get some stickers made and really confuse people.  
Was BMC Bathgate just lorries? 

[holbeck]

14 minutes ago, Cheezey said:

Ah. Get some stickers made and really confuse people.  
Was BMC Bathgate just lorries? 

Stickers had crossed my mind, although it's like rearranging deckchairs on the titanic at the moment. 

Bathgate also made tractors and engines as well as the light trucks it was best known for. 

[Tartan58]

Wow I never knew that and I thought I was an original Mini geek.

I say go for the stickers, I got some Ecurie Ecosse ones done for mine along with racing roundals - it's not been out on the road since I put them on, but it looks nice in the garage!

[holbeck]

13 minutes ago, Tartan58 said:

Wow I never knew that and I thought I was an original Mini geek.

I had to put my anorak on!

[Alusilber]

And to this day, there's a BMC Social Club on Gorgie Road in Edinburgh - which is slightly odd as it's about 15 miles east of Bathgate. Presumably there were a lot of BMC employees living in Gorgie at one time.

https://goo.gl/maps/SSVPXC7ctUYuYVr47

[holbeck]

1 hour ago, Alusilber said:

And to this day, there's a BMC Social Club on Gorgie Road in Edinburgh - which is slightly odd as it's about 15 miles east of Bathgate. Presumably there were a lot of BMC employees living in Gorgie at one time.

https://goo.gl/maps/SSVPXC7ctUYuYVr47

That is weird, but fantastic.  

Perhaps a place for an AS meet when (if) we can do such things. 

[Mr Laurence]

4 hours ago, Tartan58 said:

Wow I never knew that and I thought I was an original Mini geek.

Me neither! Was there only ever the one made? It must have been one of the very first special/commemorative editions of any car

[Tartan58]

On 11/7/2020 at 9:41 PM, Alusilber said:

And to this day, there's a BMC Social Club on Gorgie Road in Edinburgh - which is slightly odd as it's about 15 miles east of Bathgate. Presumably there were a lot of BMC employees living in Gorgie at one time.

https://goo.gl/maps/SSVPXC7ctUYuYVr47

 

No way, I'm stunned - I've driven past there hundreds of times and never noticed this.

...off to hang my head in shame...

[holbeck]

 

Just a wee update.

The MINI still does not have an MOT so I've been dailying my C15 van instead (no hardship).

It's been a bit of a war to be honest.

First up the headlights, I'll hold my hands up to overthinking the headlamp leveling problem (google was not my friend here and I got thoroughly confused). I got a replacement used set of headlights through fb marketplace and found they had the same (common) fault as the ones I already have. Grr. 

The second set I acquired were much better, in that they weren't fogged and levelled on the Rheo. 

Next up, the strut mounts, new parts acquired through ebay and found to have more play than the ones that had just failed the MOT    FFS!

Second set from a different (more expensive) supplier were much better. 

Whilst the front suspension was in pieces the drive shaft boot needed replacement, this turned into a new driveshaft as the original was goosed. 

Just the exhaust, brakepipe and wipers and  it'll be getting somewhere close.

 

Verdict: No such thing as a cheap MINI

 

[Tartan58]

^ Truth

[Jenson Velcro]

4 hours ago, holbeck said:

 

Verdict: No such thing as a cheap MINI

 

Yep I’m still finding this out whilst stubbornly/ foolishly ( delete as appropriate) sorting my bargain*

[MJK 24]

The little Citroen looks well!

[Jimbob McGregor]

Re: the ABS fault. I’ve found that MINIs commonly flake loads of rust off the CV joint casing, which then causes havoc with the ABS magnetic pickup ring on the wheel bearing. 
Chunks get torn off the ring which means that the sensor gives a reading that is sometimes iffy. Bearing replacement sorts it. 

[Sham]

I've heard so many tales of people having problems with MINI's that I have vowed to steer clear. 

Cheap old MINI and cheap old BMW are just massive expense waiting to happen in my ever so humble opinion. Thats not to say they aren't nice cars, but I've heard enough horror stories to stay well clear. 

[holbeck]

50 minutes ago, Jimbob McGregor said:

Re: the ABS fault. I’ve found that MINIs commonly flake loads of rust off the CV joint casing, which then causes havoc with the ABS magnetic pickup ring on the wheel bearing. 
Chunks get torn off the ring which means that the sensor gives a reading that is sometimes iffy. Bearing replacement sorts it. 

Thanks Jimbob. I thought I'd solved it with a new sensor, but the fault keeps coming back so not solved.

[holbeck]

Remember this?

I managed to get an MOT on the MINI just before Christmas and I've been dailying it since then.

The ABS problem was sorted out by an Auto Electrician that my local garage got in when they couldn't sort it. The fix entailed replacement of the wiring between the sensor and the ECU.  

Probably because it's been such a PITA, I haven't really gelled with it.

I reckon I'll keep hold of it until the lockdown is over and then punt it on.

However this is unlikely to be via this forum as it owes me far more than the pricepoint here!