Woofcast #116

A little M$ bashing to start, then we talk about lights. Yes, Todd will find out about those ‘blue’ headlights very soon. Todd is letting the GP turn into a garage queen. Don’t tell Dr. Kay. Plus cold weather prep.

Do your door handles freeze? Motoringfile posted a fix. And you can see Josh Wardell’s RainX vs. Aquapel comparison here.

Download/Play | Subscribe | zip.alicio.us | iTunes | 55:07 | 25.2MB

15 replies on “Woofcast #116”

  1. I have had to have my left xenon seen to twice (on the BMW, not the MINI). Both times they replaced the “control unit” and the second time the bulb in addition. What happens is the headlight starts to flicker and then stops working. You get a warning light come on on your dash indicating which headlight has the problem. Both times the repair was covered by MotorPlan and was invoiced out at about ZAR3000 (About US$430).

  2. PLEASE don’t get blue tinted bulbs. Halogen bulbs with blue glass put out *LESS* light than regular bulbs. It sounded like Gabe was against it from a design / aesthetic point of view, but there’s a performance reason to be against it too. White light is a continuous spectrum of color. Halogen bulbs have relatively little output in the blue end of the spectrum (which is why they look yellow compared to Xenons) and all a blue bulb is doing is filtering the light to only let through the blue end. So you’re limiting the output to the poorer performing end of the bulb’s spectrum.

    Please, don’t do it..!

  3. MOOSEKNUCKLE!!! I was dying with laughter. Please educate Gabe more on the ways of Doug & Bob McKenzie. They are a Canadian institution eh?

    And no, living Salt Lake City does not require one to have snow tires 😉

  4. Okay, what changed?
    It’s been a while since I listened to a show.
    Things appear to be downloading/downloaded but no volume.
    Checked various settings, voluume levels up.
    Volume works with other software and media players.
    Any suggestions or information bulletins I should read. Thanks as always.

  5. There’s also Moose Creek, Ontario; Moose Factory, Ontario; Moose Lake, Manitoba; Or maybe you were mixed up with Moosonee, Ontario. ( A big cold weather testing location that GM and other car companies use. )

    Re: frozen doors. When we purchased our MINI and took deliver, our sales rep cautioned that sometimes MINI doors get stuck because the window gets frozen, not the locks, so check the top of the front windows and the bottom of the windows, where snow freezing can build up, as this will not allow for the normal opening and closing of the MINI doors. Remeber the door window drops about a 1/4″ and after the dor shuts it closes up tight that 1/4″. We were told to try chipping any ice or brushing off the bottom edge of the window if it freezes. Sometime this helps. I hope you understand my explanation, my Canadian is not that good.

    Also FYI….The following URL posts a recent European Winter Tire Test for 2006.
    http://www.motor.no/pdf/M806_DEKKTEST.pdf

    They used an Alfa Romeo 159 with 205/55R16 tires in real winter conditions.

    The Nokian Hakka 5 tied for first place in the studded category.
    The Nokian Hakka RSi tied for first place in the non-studed category.

    The SP Wintersport M3 that Gabe mentioned was rated second last just ahead of the Goodyear Ultra Grip 7 in the non-studded winter tire category.

    Good session this week, I liked all your winter tips and suggestions. I’ve missed quite a few programs lately, but enjoyed #116 immensely.

    I have heard quite a few stories about the MINI’s winter driving characteristics, that it really sticks to the road. Looking forward to some more happy motoring adventures.

    Your real life experiences are interesting and appreciated. Continued success with lots more information and fun. The MINI is a great conversation subject. We are finding many mainstream friends (Baby Boomers) buying MINI’s for themselves. These are people who drive Saturns, Chevy Cobalts, Porsches even. Thanks everyone.

  6. Tod- DO NOT GET the blue bulbs for your GP! I had similar bulbs in my old car and it fried the wiring harness. I left a message on the voicemail line with more info.

  7. Winter storm has drivers wondering why their Goodyear GW-3 runflat winter tires don’t work.
    Had some ice and 2″ of packing snow come down.
    Mini driver complained about tires and that their DCS was flashing and blinking. The car was sideways, making lane changes on its own………..Drive too fast on ice would be my quess. Too bad they didn’t listen to WWR #116.

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