As has been discussed in various threads, some of us would like to have the option to program our Mini so that the power mirrors can be set to fold when the car is locked with the door handle button and/or with the fob. Some in the USA would also like to be able to activate global closing (windows, sunroof, mirrors) with the fob.

We know from those brave techno-motorers who have ventured into their car's software that there are ways to do coding to enable the folding and global closing features -- it's in the software. I'm lobbying for a check box in Settings so users can enable/disable based on our individual preferences. Or, if that's not possible, at least for dealers to be able to program these features as a user preference, hopefully without charge for new cars.

I have contacted Mini USA Motoring Relations and they have responded to me with an email confirming they are "researching" the mirror folding option activation for me.

Here's what they've said so far:

"Thanks for writing MINI regarding your 2017 MINI Cooper S ALL4. Congratulations on your new MINI purchase!

I am researching your inquiry regarding the ability to program the power fold/unfold exterior mirrors on your MINI. I appreciate your patience in this matter, and look forward to contacting you soon with more information.

For your convenience, MINI Motoring Relations is available Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. You can reach us at 1.866.ASK.MINI (275-6464).

Thanks again for taking the time to write to us.

LET’S MOTOR®."

It has been suggested that we start a wagering pool regarding what the ultimate resolution will be, but I'm advised that NAM is not a gambling site

I'll keep my fellow Clubmen and Clubwomen posted.

 

You must have the touch. They shoot me down on anything I have asked of them.

 

They ain't givin' me nothin' yet other than a polite reply.

 

If you don't get anywhere with MINIUSA (surprise) and as an alternative to coding yourself, there are also local coders sometimes that can perform these changes (for a fee, of course), the iCarly app, remote coding (via TeamSpeak or other desktop mirroring), or even coding from a USB stick (https://www.bimmer-tech.net/bmw-idrive-coding/)

 

this thread seems to be strictly about getting mini usa to add it to the settings. do you want us to tell you how to do it or are you just vouching for the settings portion.

 

Thanks MarcoPolo. If it turns out I need to do the coding myself or have someone who has the experience and the equipment do it for me, I'll be sure to let you know. Obviously there are several on the forums who know a lot about how to code Minis.

This thread is to keep everyone updated on my quest to get Mini USA to support our having all the functionality that is embedded in the software. After all, some of the price we pay for these cars includes the software that's in the cars from the factory. Why shouldn't we be allowed to access what's in there without having to crack the codes or pay someone to do it??

Just tryin' to get Mini USA to do the right thing. Do we have an emoji for tilting at windmills??

 

Wow, your mirrors fold against the side automatically. Where is the control to do that in the car? Is that for going through car washes or something? I think my mirrors can be folded by hand but I've never done it (never used a car wash either).

 

The power exterior mirror option on the F54 S is option code 313 on the build sheet, added as part of the Cold Weather Package (option code ZCW) which includes heated front seats and auto-dimming interior mirror and auto-dimming, power-folding exterior mirrors.

I learned to appreciate the folding mirror feature on previous vehicles, all of which had an option to have the exterior mirrors fold/unfold as part of the central locking/unlocking sequence. Not only is it entertaining to watch the car secure itself by tucking it's exterior mirrors, it does prevent mirror jostling in parking lots and it does give the car a sort of "I'm all secure here" look and feel. And when you unlock a car that has the mirrors unfold upon unlocking, it's fun to watch the car come to life as the mirrors unfold. (Yes, I know, I'm easily entertained, but, there you are)

Sadly, on the Clubman, there is currently no configurable option in the vehicle settings menu for the folding mirrors to fold upon locking and unfold upon unlocking. There is a button on the driver's door armrest between the window switches and the exterior mirror 4-way adjustment button. It resides on the outboard side, next to the left/right slider switch you use to select which mirror to adjust. The left/right slider is also used to activate the passenger exterior mirror dipping feature. When the slider is in "left" (outboard) position, the passenger exterior mirror dips when the car is in reverse so you can see how close to the curb you are.

There is an embedded feature in the Mini software that allows for global closing, and mirror fold/unfold upon lock/unlock, activated by the exterior door lock button and/or the fob. Many have coded this feature through the OBD II. My goal is to get the good people at Mini USA to allow dealers to code this feature at no charge to purchasers of new Minis -- my argument is that since the feature is in the software, and since we paid for that software as part of the purchase price of the car, we should have access to the feature.

 

I heard back from Bimmer-tech. Yes, they will send the coding for activating the mirror fold/unfold with fob or door button lock/unlock and they will add global closing with the Fob, all for $150. Their system has you download onto a memory stick the coding they email to you -- then you put the stick in the car's USB port and watch the magic happen. And you can keep the code in case the coding is ever erased by a dealer software update or re-flash.

Carly has the fold/unfold and the global closing with the fob as a programmable option. You need the OBD II wi-fi interface and a $45 app for Iphone or android. And Carly gives you unlimited access to onboard diagnostics and coding for the one-time hardware and app purchase, plus free updates as they add more features and some purchasable add-ons for battery registration and idrive tweaks and some other stuff.

Sooo, if I get no love from Mini USA, I'll go with one of the other options -- or just find a good coder, of which there are many here in SoCal

 

Sadly, like pretty much any piece of software these days, despite purchasing the hardware, the software isn't owned by you, but rather it is licensed by BMWAG and as such, they are under no obligation to do anything. You are also technically not allowed to reverse engineer it. That's why programs like ESYS and coding in general remains in a kind of a legal grey area along with cell phone rooting/jailbreaking.

However, on the other hand, dealers do have the ability to code a small number of things for the customer (usually for a fee), such as turning off Comfort Access, or changing the sensitivity of the rain/light sensor. Most dealers won't do it even then though because the system they use requires the whole car be coded instead of individual ECUs like ESYS can do, meaning a change to even ONE feature means 3-4 hours of coding. That's time taking up a programming bay and time a technician has to spend overseeing it.


This is not directed necessarily at you, 2017All4, but to anyone reading this thread; If you can spend the time to learn it, ESYS is free and only requires the purchase of the cable ($25) to work and can used for more things than iCarly and cheaper than 3rd party coding services. There are guides out there that break down step by step what to do. Teach a man to fish...

I understand it may still be beyond many, but it's definitely worth checking out before spending $100+

 

And thus we wade into the Great Debate that the U.S. Copyright Office weighed in on with this Final Ruling last year:

Computer programs that are contained in and control the functioning
of a motorized land vehicle such as a personal automobile,
commercial motor vehicle or mechanized agricultural vehicle, except
for computer programs primarily designed for the control of
telematics or entertainment systems for such vehicle, when
circumvention is a necessary step undertaken by the authorized
owner of the vehicle to allow the diagnosis, repair or lawful
modification of a vehicle function; and where such circumvention
does not constitute a violation of applicable law, including without
limitation regulations promulgated by the Department of
Transportation or the Environmental Protection Agency; and
provided, however, that such circumvention is initiated no earlier
than 12 months after the effective date of this regulation.

You can wade through the entire ruling, finding the part related to cars on page 40 of the Ruling. http://copyright.gov/1201/2015/fedre...spectionFR.pdf

 

True, the ruling says that end users should be allowed to modify the software surrounding ECUs for repairing, improving, or modifying for your own private use (no argument there), however you still do not "own" the software. BMWAG cannot stop you from changing things, but they are under no obligation to help you either and that's what's still being figured out since usually the only way into ECUs and the like is to either use their 1st party (expensive) proprietary tools or use software like ESYS (which was never meant to be used by end users - hence the "grey area" I was referring) to accomplish what we want.

 

Excellent analysis of where we are. Also, the "ruling" is time-limited and will, no doubt, not deter the car manufacturers from grinding away until they regain complete control.

It will be interesting to see how Mini USA responds to my request. Thus far, I received a polite email telling me they're looking into it and requesting my patience.

 

Agreed, but I'll take victories like that where we can

Better than being ignored completely!

 

My personal favorite part of the ruling is:
...lawful
modification of a vehicle function; and where such circumvention
does not constitute a violation of applicable law, including without
limitation regulations promulgated by the Department of
Transportation or the Environmental Protection Agency;

Meaning any other "applicable" law can be used to block this ruling. "Any other" is about as wide a window as there is.

 

Got an update from Mini USA, thanking me for my patience while they continue researching my request.

"I am continuing to research your inquiry regarding the ability to program the power fold/unfold exterior mirrors on your MINI. I appreciate your patience in this matter, and look forward to contacting you soon with more information."

 

This email arrived from Mini USA:

"Thanks for your patience in allowing me to further research your inquiry regarding the ability to program the power fold/unfold exterior mirrors on your MINI.

Unfortunately, there is no setting within the vehicle to have the power-folding mirrors activate when locking the vehicle. This is something that will need to be done manually. Should you forget to press the power-folding button when you turn on your vehicle, the exterior mirrors are programmed to unfold at a speed of 20 MPH. We are sorry for any disappointment this may cause."

And here is the response I sent back to Mini USA:

"Thank you for following up.

I am sorry to learn that this feature, which does, I believe, exist within the vehicle software, is not something Mini will activate for me.

I'm sure your research revealed that 3rd parties sell coding services that can activate this feature which is already embedded.

Perhaps I was unclear in my initial query. Why can't we have this option in the user configuration settings? I think it is there in the vehicle. I just want it activated.

What am I missing?"

 

And this response from Mini USA:

"Thanks for your reply.

As previously stated, MINI does not offer this feature for your vehicle. We are sorry for any disappointment this may cause."

And my follow up response to Mini USA:

"I do appreciate the time you took to look into this for me.

I also appreciate your expression of sorrow for any disappointment this may cause.

I am indeed disappointed. I was truly hoping Mini would take this opportunity to enhance customer satisfaction by finding a way to accommodate my request.

Were you offered any explanation as to why Mini does not offer this feature on my vehicle? Is there a technical, mechanical, or safety reason why this feature should not be activated on my Mini?

As you seek answers for me, which I appreciate, would it be possible for you to escalate my query to a level within the Mini organization so that the person in a position to authorize the activation of the feature can have an opportunity to decide if this might be the moment to revisit the decision not to offer activation of this feature?

Thanks so much for your continuing efforts on my behalf. I remain hopeful that Mini will be responsive."

 

Today from Mini USA:


Your information has been forwarded to a case manager. They are reviewing your concerns and will follow up with you shortly.

 

appreciate your aggressiveness. still not gonna happen though. but that's just my opinion.

 

Just tryin' to make MINI a better company

 

Okay, I'm a loser. I received a phone call from MINIUSA. I wish I had a transcript. He was so nice and politically correct in basically telling me "no fu%#*&g way in this lifetime is MINI gonna give you what you want."

I did get him to say he was "not aware of any technical or mechanical reason" why it would not be okay to activate the fold/unfold fob option, he just said MINI does not offer this feature on MINI's at this time.

MarcoPolo wins in predicting the outcome and its coding time for me and my MINI.

 

I'll be curious to how your coding experience goes as I intend on learning how to do it on Lilli. She's still a little young yet, but her time will come.....

 

Really nice Clubman, gearhead 60. Congratulations.

 

Not sure how US spec cars are programmed but depressing the comfort access lock button for a second will fold the mirrors on Euro spec cars. Haven't tried depressing the lock button on the keyfob but I assume it will do the same thing.