Newbie Here

[WillM]

Hello All,
My wife and I just purchased a used 2004 MC today. 50K miles, seems to be in really good shape. This is our first MC. We are excited about our new adventure and hopefully not too many pitfalls along the way. I tend to do most of my own wrenching so I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions along the way...hope you all don't mind. Here's my first question....okay, my first 2 questions!
1. when is it beneficial to use the auto transmission in manual mode and why?
2. the rear view mirror is one of those auto sensing....is there supposed to be a lighted LED on the front? The one in my other vehicle lights up green but this one does not, though there is a sensor or LED at the center-bottom front of the mirror.
thanks
Will
http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/willmeades/Mini%20Cooper/minicooper.jpg

[SilverBeam]

I Will welcome! The MINI looks great, I love that color.

There is no benefit of using the manual shifter, it is just more fun to do. I hate to break it to you... but the pre 2006 automatic transmissions are a weak point in the car, I would keep it in drive and change the fluid regularly to try and keep it going as long as possible.

I'm not sure about the LED, I've never had a car with one, but my MINI doesn't have autodim so I can't really answer. My non-auto dim mirror has no light though.

Did you get the car inspected before you bought it? If not, look at the expansion tank, thermostat and power steering fan to make sure they are all in good shape. You'll take away a lot of potential headaches if you replace these parts preventatively. The expansion tank gets brittle with age and cracks, the thermostat starts to leak around the seal and the power steering fan (looks a lot like a computer fan) can just stop. If it just stops you can overheat your pump and replacing a $30 fan is better than replacing an $800 pump.

Well now that I've thoroughly scared you I hope you enjoy the car! And welcome to Bfc.

[MINIGURU]

The thing on the Mirror that looks like and LED is the sensor, there is no LED's in the Mirrors.

[WillM]

Thanks for the info.
We bought the vehicle from a bank (repo). It's our first time ever doing this, so it's a little unnerving; don't really know what we got, but everything I could look at seems good. Thanks for the heads-up on some of the common points of failure. I will definitely look into them asap. At least I know that the mirror is ok!:D
thanks again guys,
Will

[madsedan]

Congrats and good luck, I am only 1 month into Mini ownership myself and love it, great car for the money.

[WillM]

We just got back from our first little trip in the "Repooper" (that's repo and cooper together:D)! Everything seems to be functioning fine. We traveled about 800 miles, mostly interstate, a fair amount of hills, and some stop n' go. We kept it about 70mph and averaged a little over 30 mph. The auto tranny seemed to do fine, no hiccups on any front. Does that sound about right for this 04 with auto tranny (oh, and AC running the whole time)?

2004 MC
http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/willmeades/Mini%20Cooper/minicooper.jpg

[madsedan]

A girl in my office has a newer Cooper with auto tranny and she gets in the low 30's.
I only get just under 29 commuting in my 2006 Cooper S with a manual tranny.

[WillM]

Ok, here's a link to some better pics. I wish I knew how to really take pics!:(
http://s523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/willmeades/Mini%20Cooper/
Will

2004 RepoCooper!
http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w360/willmeades/Mini%20Cooper/sigpicmc.jpg

[SilverBeam]

That's a nice looking cooper, what interior does it have?

[WillM]

That's a nice looking cooper, what interior does it have?

Black and Grey - don't know if it's leather or synthetic.

[SilverBeam]

I don't think they came with vinyl in 2004, only cloth and leather, so it should be leather. If it looks worn at all then it is the real mccoy and not synthetic. That synthetic stuff stays looking brand new for ever.

[WillM]

I don't think they came with vinyl in 2004, only cloth and leather, so it should be leather. If it looks worn at all then it is the real mccoy and not synthetic. That synthetic stuff stays looking brand new for ever.

I found some documentation with it that states it is leather. But it looks almost new:confused

[beken]

One of the reasons you might consider using your car in manual mode is when you are on a highway with light changes in elevation. Your engine might drone or you may not get on power (like when you're trying to pass a truck) as quickly as you need. Locking it in some fixed gear ratio would make your car much more throttle responsive. This of course might sacrifice a very small amount in fuel economy.

My neighbor has an automatic CVT Cooper and I found it great fun playing with the paddle shifters in manual mode. :D

The seats were available in a synthetic leather (vinyl) called Leatherette.

[WillM]

One of the reasons you might consider using your car in manual mode is when you are on a highway with light changes in elevation. Your engine might drone or you may not get on power (like when you're trying to pass a truck) as quickly as you need. Locking it in some fixed gear ratio would make your car much more throttle responsive. This of course might sacrifice a very small amount in fuel economy.

My neighbor has an automatic CVT Cooper and I found it great fun playing with the paddle shifters in manual mode. :D

The seats were available in a synthetic leather (vinyl) called Leatherette.

thanks for the suggestions...and I believe you are right about the upholstery. It looks too good to be leather! I have also tried out the manual mode and have experienced what you are talking about.