on the early cars with auto hvac
if the hvac is on and you turn it off it will go off as expected. If you press the off again it will come back on with the last settings. Very useful in winter, spring and fall if you do not want the ac on.

 

on the H/K head unit, if the bass & volume are set past the default "mid point", a volume limiter kicks in to prevent damage to the speakers (and your ears ), no matter how high you turn it up.

Also, pre '06 (I think, someone verify as I'm on an '04) no matter how hard you look , the automatic sound level adjuster doesn't exist despite what the manual says

 

Here are one or two:

WIPERS/LIGHTING:
You activate "follow-me-home" headlights by flicking the highbeam stalk after removing the ignition key.

Without using the key, you can activate street parking lights on left or right side by pressing the turn indicator stalk up or down.

Activating Intermittent rear wiper mode, it will go quickly for a few passes, then give one pass every so often.

Automatic headlamp cleaning is done only if: highbeams are on, wipers are on high, and at least 10 seconds have elapsed since the last time. If you don't want to blast the front of your newly cleaned car, just dip the headlights back to normal before spraying your windshield. This uses a lot of juice, and in 2006 models, the reservoir got a little bigger.

The interval for intermittent wipers is road speed-sensative.

RADIO:
You can adjust tone line and speed sensative volume rate by going to a secret menu in the radio (press and hold the "music note" button).

You can briefly play all of the radio stations you can receive by pressing "M" to start play, then press and hold "M".

There are two FM bands and 1 AM band.

You can get the radio to display its hardware and software version by pressing/holding ? button (I don't remember which).

Press PTY to toggle PTY on/off. Press and hold PTY to set it to Automatic mode.

Automatically store all radio buttons with the 6 strongest signals receivable by pressing "FM" then press and hold "FM". You can do this for both FM bands and substitute the "AM" button to do it for AM. (Useful when driving long distances away from your listening area).

Press and hold the "RDS" button for auto feature.

You can activate Track Repeat by pressing and holding the "RND" button.

ONBOARD COMPUTER:
When the car is shipped over from England, the computer is set for "Transit Mode" which disables features that could cause the battery to run down.

During engine cranking, certain loads are deactivated to allow max voltage to be applied to the starter motor. These loads are reintroduced over a 2 second period after the engine starts: wipers/headlights, blower motor, power windows, heated rear window, heated front window (in that order).

If you floor the accelerator for more than 3 seconds, or rev the RPM's over 6000 rpm's, the computer automatically shuts down the climate control to reduce drag on the engine.

You scroll through the OBC menu using the computer button on top of the stalk. "AVE MPG" and "AVE SPEED" can be reset by press/holding the button. I reset these two each time I fill up.

As previously mentioned, you don't need the key to display your odometer reading--just press the the button. However, you DO need the key to reset your trip meter.

The IKE has 21 test functions you can access by holding the trip button down while turning the ignition key. Press briefly to advance through menu options, press and hold to access that option. Tests 1&2 are always unlocked, Tests 3-21 are locked. Test number 19 is the "Unlock" function for getting to the rest of them.

Try subtest 2.0 (hold trip button, turn on key, press repeatedly to scroll up to 2.0, then hold). It runs a test that activates all gauges, LED's, and indicators. Very Cool!


KEYS:
Earlier keys required the internal battery to be changed. Newer keys recharge while in the ignition.

Every 6 months, rotate your master key and spare key to keep both batteries charged.

To have a key replaced or cut, you have to provide your proof of ownership and driver's license to the dealership, who faxes it off to New Jersey to have your key made (takes about a week).

A cheaper "valet" key can be made that does not have the convenience opening/locking buttons on it. It looks the same but costs about $35.

The little plastic spare key in actuality does have a transponder chip in it (look real close, and use the "wave" test--hold it close to the ignition and hear the chime).

On some year models, if you lock the car with the keyfob, even the "unlock" toggle switch inside the car is disabled (called "Double-Lock" or "Central Arrest"). Be careful not to leave anybody in the car and lock them in with the keyfob because they can't get out.

You can "Lock When Running" by locking the driver's door from the outside with your spare key as long as the auto trans. is in Park or the handbrake is applied in manual trans. cars.

If you have the MINI alarm system, you can disable the inside motion detector by pressing ARM twice in a row. (In case you want to leave someone or a dog inside the car). This happens automatically if a window is down.

The alarm has a tilt sensor if someone tries to jack up the car.

The key records vehicle and owner information and telemtry which the dealerships can access by putting your key through their key reader.

CLIMATE CONTROL:
On automatic AC, press and hold the climate button to switch between automatic and manual mode.

LIGHTING:
The overhead lights can be turned "Soft on/off" or "Permanent on/off" by either pressing them or pressing and holding them for more than 5 seconds.

 

I need to take my laptop out to my car and play around with some of these

My headlamp washers come on every 3rd time I wash the windshield when the lights are on, regardless of the whether the highbeams are on. Does this change with model years?

 

You can counter rotate the rear view mirrors so that the mirror faces the ground....a nice feature to rid the mirror housing of water when washing to prevent it from blowing all over the side of the car after laborously drying what you thought was every last drop of water from your MINI!

 

It's possible, or it's possible I just got it wrong. Just switch off headlights instead of dipping them to avoid using the headlight wash feature.

 

I do that in front of my wife when we're walking to the car in a parking lot all the time and she says that's B.S. but I tell you, it works - on all remotes, not just MINI's!

 

absolutely, the key to chin trick works for the MINI key and also for my separate aftermarket alarm FOB

 

may be diff on the '05, but on my '04 you just have to turn them off as you say. also, I can sometimes just squirt my window w/ HLs on, if I do it quickly the headlamp washers don't come on. 'course I miss it more than I make it...LOL

On my H/K, the menu for speed sensitive volume appears as you say via the "note" key, but the option is not available....

 

As far as I can tell, speed sensitive volume doesn't work if you have H/K

 

Multifunction steering wheel:
Normal operation of the up/down buttons is to select a preset station. However, if you press and hold the up (or down) button, the radio will start to scan the radio frequency in that direction. When you release the button, it will stop at the next station it finds.

For convertible owners:
The top requires very little vertical height to open and close. My garage has a low ceiling of only 7 feet, and I can open and close the top with plenty of clearance while inside the garage (edit: I checked more closely, and the top barely goes higher than 5 feet while opening/closing). The point is that you can drive into any garage and park before closing the top (no need to worry about closing the top before entering the garage).

 

Agreed. My H/K has blasted me out of the car on a few mornings when I forgot how much I was jamming out the night before

 

I don't even want to know how you came up with this one

 

How odd that this thread should pop up when it did. I was just out running some errands and found something that I hadn't been aware of in the 14+ months that I've owned my car:

When you fold the rear seats down, there's a little warning label next to each of the seat latches, something to the effect of "Make sure the seat latch engages when returning the seat to its upright position."

Not earth-shaking, I admit. But I hadn't noticed those little stickers before.

Speaking of "things you didn't know": If you fold the rear seatbacks down, you get more exhaust sound inside the cabin.

Something else the new owner may not have noticed: there are several stickers and labels and things that say "BMW" on them. Some on the inside of the engine compartment, maybe inside the door sills? And doesn't the bag for the jack also say BMW on it? (Too busy watching the Olympics to go out to the garage and check.)

I wonder how many times does "BMW" appear on the car. I'll bet there's a MINI fanatic on this board who has actually counted all of them!

 

All interesting things ... now here are some of the more esoteric things .... think "you must be ONE with the car"

1. If you use the wrong Gender ... he or she WILL let you know you got it wrong
2. If you choose a name it doesn't like ... he/she WILL let you know its not happy (you think all that warranty work is just bad karma?)
3. If you turn of that radio, roll down the windows and listen closely ... he/she WILL sing to you (be careful here because this can become addictive and you might dump all your CDs and Ipod widgets).
4. If you dont wax it enough ... he/she will NOT be happy and let you know that. ... one way or the other.
5. New shoes are always welcome

 

With your front doors closed, if you shut the hatchback correctly, the tail lights flash at you. If it's not "catching" the tailights don't blink at you, BUT only with the front two doors closed.

 

SO that explains all the problems I had with my first MINI... and here I just thought it was cause she was automatic

 

Is that an '06 thing? This only happens on my '05 if I have locked the doors and then used the button on the key-remote to unlock the hatch. When I close the hatch again, the taillights flash. But if the car is unlocked, the taillights don't flash.

 

The rear defrost lines are all straight as normal except for one. The line that goes across the wiper "rest" position is wavy. This allows the entire area of the wiper blade to be nicely warmed without overheating. I wish there was something like this for the front!

 

Can I make it display on the tach? If so, how do I do it??????????

This is a potentially great tip!

mb

 

As far as I know.

 

I'll check...

 

You're right, only when you use the button on the remote to open the rear hatch will it blink at you. It will work also if you do that and have just the driver's door unlocked by pressing the unlock only once on the remote. I think that is how I made my mistake.

 

If you pop the rear hatch with the front doors locked the hatch will re-lock when you close it. So don't lay your key down inside the boot to get something out and then forget the key when you shut the hatch.
This happened to me but luckily I was at home so I had my spare key in the house.

 

Well, that's the case if you use the boot release button on the remote, but not if you use the regular unlock button. The doors will re-lock, however, if you don't open *anything* within two minutes.