Hi again. I made it

[1.3_LHD]

Hi all,

I know it's been a long time and I promised to write something about my trip to spain , but i have been very busy I didnt really find the time.

Just to recap; the plan was to fly to Madrid, and then drive the mini to Santander, get on the last ferry to Plymouth, then drive to Penmbroke and get the final ferry to Roslaire.

Well. I made it, and even though it took me 2 days, it was not as bad as I expected.

Before I started the trip I got my friend to have a look at the car. He spotted that water pump was nearly gone, and the suspension was damaged.

He told he could change the water pmp no problem, but he was not sure about the suspension as he would need to lift the car to see what exactly the damage was. After having some difficulties finding the water pump and not making up my mind about what suspension I wanted, I decided to bring the car to a specialized garage for my peace of mind.

They were working on the car for a full day ( sometimes for 4 lads at the same time) and I changed the water pump and the rubber cones. They suggested me to fit also the hi-los , so i did. I wont say how much I paid in the end, but it really hurt!!!

Well, I suppose it needed to be done anyway, and the fact that I didn't have a single problem makes me believe it was worth it in the end.

So, Thurday morning 7 am, car loaded with food supplies for a month , gps, maps, oil, coolant, etc, on my way to Santander. 500 km aprox.

I got to Santander with plenty of time, got on the ferry, and went to sleep. Half of the trip completed.

When I got to Plymouth, for some reason the gps did not want to turn on, so I started to panic, but I got it to work in the end, and it guide me through England and Wales no problem. I really recomend one of this for a long trip.

So I got to Pembroke with plenty of time too, and I went for a nap in the car while we were waiting for the ferry to come. When I was about to get on, I got stopped by the customs police. The woman kind of look at me like thinking " what the hell is that guy doing with a mini with Spanish plates in wales at 2 am going to Ireland? " We chat for 2 minutes, and I finally got on, she was nice.

I got to Roslaire at about 6 am (if I remember right) and of course the guardai pulled over before I got out of the port. He asked me for my driving licence and where I was from; no big deal.

So finally at 10 am I was at home with my fiancee and my baby.

I took some pics:

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6919 ... ainsd4.jpg
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5580 ... topdl0.jpg
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/4406 ... derzl0.jpg
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/5880 ... adsde8.jpg
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7716 ... okeir0.jpg
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/5766 ... rrylq6.jpg

Saludos

[The Marcos Graveyard]

Well done on the trip, and good to hear that the Mini gave you no bother on the journey.

Just out of curiosity, how was the fuel economy ?

[1.3_LHD]

Thank you!

6.3 litres / 100 km. at 100 km/h average.

Dont know in mpg sorry

[DaveC]

Well done, glad to hear it all went so well. Whereabouts are you based? Hope to see you during the year.

I make that 44.96 miles per gallon!

[The Marcos Graveyard]

To convert ltr/100km to mpg, divide 282.48 by the number of litres used.

282.48/6.3 =

44.84 miles per gallon (imperial)

Which is pretty good going I would say.

[Billy]

Well done.

Where in Cork are you based? I am near Fermoy, 30km north of Cork City.

Billy

[1.3_LHD]

I suppose 44.84 miles per gallon is not too bad

I live in Carritwohill Billy.

I am sure I'll see you around. If you see a spanish mini on the road you know who the owner is .

Does any onw know a good mechanic in Cork?

Thank you all.

[Billy]

What do you need to get done?

Billy

[Quake]

Well brave to hit out on such a long spin, its great to see just how reliable a mini can be when its looked after - wish I had a cigarette lighter to plug in a GPS - might save me gettin lost so often

[1.3_LHD]

Couple of small things really.

I need to adjust the hi-los and to do that I presume would need to lift the car. And also the mini fails to start when I first turn on the engine in the mornings, the battery is nearly new and there is a loose wire that goes to the air filter (something to do with the starter?) that I suspect might be creating the problem.

[1.3_LHD]

I know Quake, my Mini doesnt have a radio, but cigarette lighter works perfectly

[Billy]

If you want to call out to me sometime, maybe I can help you.

Billy

[1.3_LHD]

Wow! Thanks a million Billy, thats very kind of you.

I'll keep you to your word , as soon as I am finish with the work in the house I'll let you know.

Did I ever say I love this forum?