Bought an 04 plate Copen a week or so ago for my Mrs 30th Birthday (Member Love_My_Minion_Mobile). Full story here Bought one!!! Generally the car was in great condition for its age & with only just under 50k on the clock. Only saw one other Copen while shopping for one & the 1st one I saw was a bit battered with 90k on the clock. I was a bit disappointed with the first viewing I had & I was worried about finding a Copen in good condition. Minion Dave was the 2nd car I viewed & I was delighted with its condition & I could see the last owner had taken care of him. I'd taken along a friend with me as he is in the car buying business & he gave it the once over & gave it the thumbs up. My friend is also now my own personal pimping mechanic as I know next to nothing about cars. Despite the Copens' good condition the car is nearly 10 years old so there were a few age related cosmetic issues as expected so being a bit of a tinkerer I set about buying a few bits & pieces. I've never done up cars before and have never been that interested before in cars but Minion Dave is quite a character so I thought he deserved a bit of a face lift! Here's Minion Dave on purchase: Rear number plate was a bit battered so ordered a new one. And in place There was nothing much wrong with the front number plate but it was a single line one. The Mrs was at first keen to keep it but after I showed her this forum with the majority of Copens sporting double line import style plates she came round to the idea. And in situ
Next up was the sorting out the parcel shelf rattle. Came across a thread on here & set about reducing the noise. A bit of sticky foam tape did a great job & the rattle was pretty much gone. Ordered a bit of chrome next just to improve the look of the exhaust tail pipes. Before: And after:
My word you've been busy! Dave is looking brilliant, you should be proud of your handiwork. I think the little off centre two-tiered number plate is part of the cars charm.
Had a go at sorting out some of the paint chips, paint bubbling & rust next GULP! The last owner had given me a part used touch up pen so got busy covering up the stone chips. Wasn't keen on poor Minion Dave's rust spots being exposed all winter long & spreading so ordered some spray paint off Amazon and got sanding. Before: Applied some Kurust: Couple of coats applied: Its not a perfect finish but hey I'm no expert so might have another go of sanding it down & using a bit of filler. May not get round to it till spring time now that the weather has changed for the worst. Still the main thing is that the rust is covered up and its reassuring to know the last owner had the underside wax oiled recently. Coincidently the last Owners name was Dave too!!!
Thank you You're definitely correct about the character the import plate adds. I don't feel like I've accomplished much yet but what I've done fells like has taken forever to do!!! Oh have also changed the CD/Radio head unit as my pimping mechanic donated a nice little Pioneer unit. Hoping to get a double din unit sorted some time soon though.
Yes got them off an ebay seller. Search for 60-65mm chrome exhaust trim. They were only about £18 delivered. Don't know how long they'll stay looking good though!
whats the next job to be done beside paint orientated. Did you check the parcel shelf videos out! Just a week a go I got round to putting some 6 mm closed cell foam on my parcel shelf. Not so much to reduce noise but as a heat insulator. I've also put it in the plastic trim around the rear window, the plastic trim above the doors and a piece to cover the roof liner. Again mostly to retain heat especially with winter coming. With the large glass area it might not make any difference at all but as the whole of the roof is done so that might. the foam has a nice warm feel about it but it sticks well so get it where you don't want or need to remove some then its a right bugger. I found I had covered too much and needed to remove some as it didn't fit flat enough and so the clips wouldn't pop in.
There's far too much on my job list or wish list. I hadn't spotted your videos before but have found them & given them a watch now. I wanted to insulate the whole of the parcel shelf but I seem to be burning through a lot of cash lately! Have you got a link to the cell foam you bought? Interested to see some photos of the trim you've put up and your thoughts on their effect they have over the next few months.
Here are some photos I took 2 weeks ago just before re-fitting the parts, just never bothered to post here. I was unsure if the mod is much use to share it. They show 3 of the 4 trim pieces for rear window and the 3 for the roof. The roof side pieces were intricate so I decided to cut smaller pieces and make a patch work. its not like its visible. I didn't got for a 100% coverage as I doubt it would make any different at all if it was 100% covered. I didn't take photo of the parcel shelf. edit: just look at the foam edge looks like I've cut it with a toothbrush
Link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290884278070 I actually have enough left over for a parcel shelf but not sure where else I may put it. door trims? trim around windscreen. My original plan was for 3 mm but want to boast it and go greedy so went for 6 mm. This may be slightly thick in places, hence why I removed some after installing as they didn't install too well. Which made me think I had f##ked up so why did I bother!! Mostly because of how difficult it is to remove. yeah the foam scraps off for the sticky backing sticks too well. I think in a few places you could go thicker but don't think 9 mm in a few places will add much difference. I also have some velcro sheet left over that I used on my parcel shelf if anyone is keen.
So what prompted you to insulate these panels? Is the Copen a lot colder than other cars when you get in them in the morning over the winter? Or are you just looking for things to improve & tinker with all the time?
Both. Last winter, my first with the Copen, the heater seemed to put out as much heat as one match. I used to swelter in my Ford before. yes its a bigger engine but 4 seats so larger passenger compartment. I thought the small compartment would warm up more quickly. Maybe its got a heat exchange matrix the size of a matchbox, hence only pumping in the heat of a match. I can't say mine appear to be malfunctioning. The radiator/res are full so I should have coolant in the system unless got a major air lock. I've got a fur lined leather flying hat now to keep warm and if I drop the top when its cold but sunny and dry. Do that at night when the stars are out its really romantic and goose-bumping! EDIT it was also done to see if it help with noise reduction. but foam doesn't do that very well. Any noises between the panels and metal body work may be suppressed.
I was driving with the roof down today and the heater on max and I could feel the warmth - I dare say if the roof was up with the windows closed it would have been super toasty.
You might have an airlock in the heater pipe work or some other problem with the heater. My heater pushes out a hell of a lot of heat, usually within 2-3 miles of starting a journey. I always have mine on recirculate air and the aircon on. Without the aircon on I find the side windows mist up badly. The car not having side window demisters doesn't help.
My name`s Dave too. some nice touches there but keep an eye on the rust. When you do get it repaired make sure you get it done properly!!!!!
Not much pimping been going on recently. Weather's been pretty poor so haven't had a chance to have another go at paint spraying. I was recommended a compound rub to blend in the old paint & new & to be fair the 5 minutes of dry weather I had to use today did improve the paint finish I did last week. Bought a few bits recently including a bee sting aerial & red tyre air valve caps. Just after a wash today Mrs on a 12 hour shift today so just me & the dog on a road trip And some Minions 90 minutes later Think I'm lost...
