[ Our Minis ]
52 June 2019 MiniWorld
a few lbs since 2006, when I fi rst took
to her driving seat, but I am not taking
full responsibility for this one. So I can
see that needing to be sorted before the
year is out, even if it is only to save me a
fortune in tyres as the rub when I take
a left hand corner is getting worse.
The tracking also needs doing as,
at the moment, she has one wheel
looking at you and one looking for you.
Then there’s the mystery of the lack of
reversing light. I had some re-wiring
done in the boot last year but still
What's the first thing you do
after getting your Mini back
after 18 months off the road?
A selfie looking very pleased
with yourself, of course!Up on the ramp,
with all her wobbly
bits exposed.couldn’t get it working. Up on the ramp
it became clear why, as the reversing
light switch rod was nowhere to be
seen, just the hole it was once screwed
into under the gear-lever remained,
unhelpfully with half of the old screw
that was supposed to hold it in place.
With her engine running well, I was
soon on my way back to Sussex, though
not before an old gremlin reared its ugly
head. For a while now Nicole has been
randomly and unpredictably cutting
out. There is no real rhyme or reason
as to when it happens. Sometimes it’s
moments after I start up, other times I
will be powering along in the middle
lane at 70mph and I suddenly lose all
acceleration. The only constant is that it
only ever happens on a hot, sunny day.
Naturally, 1 April was a hot, sunny day.
I found myself on the side of the road
on two occasions while she cut out a
further three or four times after I had
stopped and pulled up in a car park. The
problem with this particular gremlin
is that it is unpredictable, and she has
never done it when inspected. And she
has been inspected by many people
now! The ECU isn’t giving out any fault
codes, and everything else appears to be
in order. [We had that happen on Sputnik
at least three times and it was a faulty
ECMU relay box, although he wouldn’t
start again afterwards. KD] I can only
assume that there is an electrical issue
causing the fuel pump to short out when
it gets particularly warm. Since 1 April
though, we haven’t had a particularly
hot day, nor am I driving her at the
height of the sunshine during the day,
so it remains to be seen just how much
of an issue this is going to become.
The next month or so is going to be
very telling as to what work needs to be
done as Nicole steps up to become my
daily drive to and from the o ce along
the back roads of West Sussex. She’s
never been scared of a bit of mud but I
fear some of the potholes on my daily
route may be a bit more of a challenge.
Come the end of April, Potteries to
the Peaks will be the real test for her
as I bomb up to The Midlands but
this is just the warm-up act for the
warm-up act as, a month later, I am
heading back up to Scotland on the
annual pilgrimage to the excellent
Thistle Run. But even this run pales in
comparison to the serious road trip we
have planned just a week later. Nicole
and I are heading over to Germany for
Wäller Mini Tre en, in Untershausen.
It’s going to be a busy old summer
but I, for one, cannot wait. Let’s just
hope Nicole is as enthusiastic as she
usually is for an adventure!
“The next month or so is going
to be very telling as to what
work needs to be done...”