Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Mc Lean, Virginia

Mc Lean, VA Car Consumer Discussions

Good post

by mikey40 on Sat Oct 13 19:16:19 PDT 2007

Thanks for the in site, it helps allot. I'm in the process myself of getting behind the wheel of the same exact model VERY soon. If you don't mind me asking buy or lease....private message ok. I'm leaning toward lease myself.....I just want to make sure thst when I make my mind up I don't "take one" if you know what I mean! Many thanks MC

Re: need advice on options for Mini [tica]

by mini_dreams on Fri Nov 17 11:50:48 PST 2006

I've had my 2006 MCS for 3 weeks, so can only respond from that amount of experience. Here goes: 1) I love the sunroof. This is a very personal thing. Some say they are too heavy and too hot. I only got my car in late Oct. so it's hard to say if it gets too hot in the summer. You can get them tinted though. I may do that if I find it too hot in the summer. But on a nice fall day or a nice summer night... it is great to ride with it open! I want to open it more, but it's been raining! 2) I have the Aux input and it works just great. I was going to get the iPod adapater, but at $150 vs. $450, i went with the Aux input. I just plug my iPod in and set it in the cupholder, which holds it fine... either shuffle or playlist and I'm good to go. I can charge through a 3rd party adapter (I use the Griffin iTrip, and just ignore the FM transmitter part of it). Supposedly the Aux input is easy to install, but i'm not mechanically inclined. 3) so far, not much experience here... I have driven it next to trucks. I have to say, the MCS has a lot of power in 5th and 6th gear... so it is good for passing. i imagine the MC would do fine also. i'm more worried about rock chips than truckers not seeing me. I worry about SUV drivers not seeing me! 4) I added DSC at the last minute (+$500) because I heard that all American cars were going to have it standard as a requirement in like 5 years. Figured it would help with resale if I sell it in 5 years or so. 5) don't have fog lamps. If I'd had the money, I would have bought this, just for the extra safety. I've heard people they are a great safety feature in the fog, but not completely necessary. 6) I have the armrest because I always find myself leaning that way when driving. It works fine. Not much storage and the OEM version has a habit of sliding open if you hit it or lean on it wrong. However, it feels pretty strong and I have my arm on it even when shifting, so it doesn't interfere. 7) I love the sports seats... they have a bit of a bolster on the sides of the back and seat. The regular seats are flatter. I was going to get an MC originally and add the Sport Seats, so I'm all for them. Plus I think they look better. Also, leatherette is great... the real leather apparently doesn't fare well over time and is $$$$ 8) I love the stock stereo... no problems. And I have a pretty critical ear, but can't help much on aftermarket. 9) I don't think waiting will improve things much. If anything dealers may start to raise prices as their stock goes down. I would think in late Dec/early Jan., most dealers stocks are going to be slim, while they wait for the 07. My opinion on the 07... it is supposed to be a better engine and ride, but I would be too worried about buying the new production of a car for the first two years. Supposedly the 02-03 MINIs had a fair amount of problems that have been worked out through 04-06 models. Also, although there are some things I like about the new models, I don't like the center stack design as much as the 06 model. good luck... don't wait too long or you might not be able to be that picky about what you get. oh yeah... just to give you a few more things to consider.... i have the hyper blue/black roof, hyper blue interior with chrome line interior (great upgrade) and the anthracite headliner (also a great upgrade). I love the look of my car. AND rubber floor mats are great... especially for wet/winter weather!

Re: Just Purchased '06 CS [rome]

by billyg2 on Sat Aug 13 06:42:03 PDT 2005

rome, eventually ended up calling the parts dept @ champion porsche in pompano beach fl., the largest porsche dealer in the usa. they told me to call southwestern exchange in deerfield beach who they do business with. i ended up getting a brand new set of authentic porsche cay 18" turbo rims for $1000 plus $80 fed ground shipping. the rims had less than 20 miles on them & i can tell you they are in fact brand spanking new. they came off of a new cay s bought @ champion. i payed for them with the mc. yesterday after doing some homework i bought 4 255 55 r 18's perilli scorpion ice & snows for $839.96 from sullivan tire in burlington which they will run through today to take advantage of the ma non-tax weekend. the concencus from reading other sites, is balancing/vibration problems are more apt to be avoided when dealing with a shop that has the hunter road force balancing machine. sullivan matched direct tires pricing which by far in a way was the cheapest i could find anywhere. i felt more comfortable going to direct tire but the closest shop for me given that i live in carlisle is natick. the price included mounting & balancing. also they agreed to change the rims each season for no charge. sullivan was $90 plus more so i ended up calling their corporate offices in norward & they called back & matched the price. sullivan also has the corghi touchless tire machine that protects the rims. the manager assured me that they would put their "best" on the vehicle come this nov for the change over. porsche nashua wanted $3500(i think) for their winter package of 4 18" rims plus dunlap winter's. i can't remember which dunlaps & i can't remember if the rims are the turbo's or the regular 18's. i also was leaning towards nokian hakka's instead of the perelli's until direct tire told me they would more apt to cause vibration @ higher speeds. plus, the parts dept @ porsche nashua didn't have nokian's spected out as a winter tire alternative for the cay.

Re: moody 01 V6 in the rain [jeffandhebbie]

by gunnersmate on Wed Nov 10 18:42:13 PST 2004

Well welcome aboard! Passion can sometimes obfuscate the intentions of we humans. Here are some things you may want to begin considering a useful resource. The website of course. There are many threads dedicated to the LS here and you will find some useful tips here. Autozone if you have one in your neighborhood can be very helpful. They can scan your LS's onboard computer when the Check engine light comes on and pull codes which will be useful when troubleshooting. Fordpartsonline.com is a great source for ordering OEM parts at discount prices. The owners manual is also very useful. No kidding! :) There are other websites out there and I think your resourceful husband may have already stubled over 1 or 2 of them. If you have to go into the dealer for repairs check to see if they are AAA approved. AAA will mediate problems if you are a member they can lean on the dealer a little harder but they will still try to remedy the problem if you are not. If you have a credit card it can be helpful to pay for the service visits with it. VISA and MC have great powers. small disclaimer... I do not advocate incurring un-needed debt so use it wisely. I have been stung in the past and quickly learned the unimpeachable powers the CC companies have when it comes to dispute resolution. Well like the commerials say travel well.

I think i have decided

by fever on Sun May 09 19:47:51 PDT 2004

I have been doing my homework on different car and think that i have decided on the mini. I have a good idea about what i want, but i do have a few questions. I start looking at the mc but the more i think about the mcs it seems to be a good deal for what you get. Any thoughts on that? The other question is not as important. What color should i get. I am leaning toward black on black and red with a black top. Anyone with regrets on there finial decions. There are almost to many choices?

My New ML

by gwprice on Sun Oct 14 16:58:14 PDT 2001

I got back last night from my trip to pick up my ML320 at the factory in Alabama, so I thought I would post a few things about the experience while they're still fresh on my cranium. First, here are the basics: brilliant silver/charcoal; M1, M5, M7, Bose; ordered 14 Jul 01/built 20 Sep 01/picked up 11 Oct 01; paid invoice +$1000. - Factory Delivery: This is a great experience. They really treat you like a VIP and the off-road course is a blast. The factory still isn't doing tours, but I got a rain check on that and I got to drive the off-road course (instead of just riding) as a consolation prize. Getting to drive an 01 ML430 up and down a 70 degree hill, through water, over rocks, etc., is just good, clean fun. Presentation of the vehicle is very thorough. I can't recommend this experience enough if you're an auto enthusiast. - The Vehicle: It looks great. Whoever picked the exterior/interior color combo (i.e., me) must be a genius. PROS: The new lights, bumpers, and wheels are a nice improvement. I was very pleased with the fit, finish, and materials. Climate control and rear AC are big pluses. Third row seats are easy to install/remove (and the lady at the factory delivery center had an extra cargo cover laying around, so she threw it in for free!). Sound quality of the Bose is excellent. CONS: Ergonomics are generally quite good, but I cannot believe the placement of the radio controls. I'm around 6 ft tall and have freakishly long arms, but I can't turn down the radio without leaning forward! Perhaps the MCS controls were intentionally designed to entice buyers to spring for the phone/voice control combo. IMHO, a vehicle in this class (and at this price) should have steering wheel audio system controls anyway. This is standard equipment in cars at about a third of the ML's price. Climate controls take a little getting used to, but they're fine after that. - The Trip: I put around 900 miles on the ML coming home to Texas. Much of the trip was through end-of-the-world-type rain storms, and she handled it with ease. The Dunlops stuck to the ground like glue. Handling on dry roads was surprisingly good. Although it's a vastly different vehicle, it felt like I was back in my old '90 300E again. I guess the best word to describe it is "solid." I did, however, discover a couple of problems during the trip. One, the blinker doesn't turn off automatically when I turn right, and two, the AudioPilot function on the Bose system seems to adjust the volume level at random on occasion (rather than in response to some change in ambient sound in/around the vehicle). I'll get these checked out ASAP. Overall, I'm extremely happy and excited about the new ML. It's going to be a lot of fun.