How about the lip that pulls everything out of the glovebox when you open it?? And then things just start falling everywhere. HaHa

Also noticed the headlights dim a little when you turn the steering wheel. (This is with low beams and none Xenon)

 

no no no that is the square thing with the vents on it. I am talking about the mound....or buldge.....look further to the back of the headliner...neer the hinge for the boot........

 

wow...really great tips. Esp the fog light aiming...

here are my meager additions...

Slightly more Exhaust noise.
If you look in the hatch (stand at the back of he car, open the hatch, stick you head in & basicly look at your "knees" you will see an oval shaped vent on each side. It has a "lattice" Pattern in each. Anyway, there is some foam in there. Stick your fingers in there, pull that foam out. Instant cockpit noise addition!

Three other things that help are:
(1) Removing the sound deadening from the back of the two side panels in the hatch
(2) taking out the parcel shelf cover thingie.
(3) running with the seats down

Royal Grey Colored Dash Option
While it looks NOTHING like it on the miniusa site, the Parklane Dash Option uses the Royal Grey color as the key color. The center piece has a little Faux Carbon fiber, but it's not bad. I thought I would not like the CF, but i got very used to it. After having the Chili Red Dash in my wife's 05 CR...i had to go with the color matched...

If one MCS is good....
...two is that much better! This way you get to pick your own options, colors & aftermarket stuff. And, most importantly, youdon't have to fight over the MINI! Marital Bliss! (In no way does fishbulb think that a pair of MINIs is the one & only key to marital bliss. It just helps some. YMMV)

-jac

 

40 Lbs of laptop???? You need to get a Mac iBook!

 

In my '05, you can choose 12hr vs. 24hr clock (possibly your '03 is configured as 24hr, where midnight really is 00:00.

 

Another thing you might not know about your MINI - it speeds up in the corners!
I've done scientific studies - take a freeway on ramp marked at 35MPH and as you exit the turn check your speedo ... and your already crusing at 65.

Also, another tidbit, if the driver of the car ahead of you thinks that they are a "race car" driver and 'cuts' each corner ... just stay in your lane and keep up with him! It will drive them wild. They hate it when you disappear from their rear-view mirrors, through the turns, just to reappear right behind them.

 

That is a great feature for most new rental cars too!

 

I know some of these are in the manual but...
If equipped w/ Conv. package or in separates:
Rain Sensing Wipers work not only in delay intervals, but also Low and High.

Auto Garage door opener only works with the IGN on, prevents someone from breaking a glass in your car (parked in the driveway) to gain access to your garage/home. I know of another brands that are always hot. The garage door opener option can be added on by other nifty stuff at homelink.com

Auto headlights have settings that can be changed, but how i don't know. All I do know is if headlights are manually turned on, and car is shut off, and the switch is moved back to Automatic, the lights will stay on for about a minute or so.

It took me awhile to find it but, the cabin air filter is located horizontally directlly underneath the passenger glove compartment.

To make sure you propely secure the bonnet, pull down the hood about two feet above its closed position, and put your palm in the center of the hood on the MINI logo and shut it. This applies equal pressure to both hood latches, closes it equally to prevent the paint from cracking.

I know it is mentioned allready in above posts, but as I park the car prior to exit, I hit the unlock switch on the dash to unlock the doors. It will keep a non-MINI person from pulling on the doorhandle, and it will make the boot hatch able to open/close until you lock the car.

 

The back seat and roll bar of the cabrio look like roller coaster seats. At least that's what my kids say.

 

Gosh that's funny!!! You had me scratching my bald head wondering wtf??? Now that would've been a great post for April 1st.

Back on topic......keep these little known nuggets of MINI knowledge coming. Very informative.

Chuck

 

Don’t push on your license plate to shut the rear hatch! Use the provided pulls. You won’t leave any finger prints on your paint and you won’t bend your license plate. See pics and video....

VIDEO: http://media.putfile.com/Proper-MINI-hatch-closing





What happens over time if you push on your license plate.....

 

You can have the chime set to go off when you have about 1/8 of a tank of gas. This way when your MINI suddenly dings you scramble to find out why (below 37 degrees, low tire pressure, and now low fuel). And if you are real lucky you will hear all three on a single drive home.

 

My 04 MCS shows AM/PM and still shows 00:00 for midnight, strange...

 

It was aked previosuly in this thread, but was not answered. Someone mentioned (can't find the post and I'm at work at the moment ) that there is a way to get range to show on the tach even if you do not have the OBC. How?

Anyway, minor detail that I've noticed that some people didn't know about, but the majority most likely does know, is the fact that there is a first-aid kit in the left hand side of the boot (or room for a "MINI first aid-kit.")

 

Here in the USA, this isn't included with the car. In the UK, as I understand it, the car is equipped with a first-aid kit, fire extinguisher, traffic triangles wheel chocks, and a green reflective vest...anyone care to confirm all of this?

 

I bought my MINI logo'd 1st aid kit from overseas online for my MINI here in the USA and let me tell you it barley fits in the left rear compartment. Mine pops open all the time from the pressure of the kit.

 

According to my 11 yo daughter, all Mini's are magnetic. And regardless of gender, name, color, etc, they all have the same polarity. That is why you see more Mini's when you are driving the "other" car or riding the motorcycle than you do when you are motoring. I think she's right.

 

That's my kinda girl, and from my experience her theory is sound. I would add this corollary though: Should you actually spot a MINI when motoring in the other car, your spouse (if he/she's like mine) will heave a great big "oh geez" *SIGH when you and your offspring all shout "MINI!" in unison .

Tatt

 

Fingertips on the license plate frame has worked for me (well that and I do use those pulls too on occasion) without the warpage in your (great) pics.

Some have said (round here someplace) that they somehow managed to bend the actual hatch metal, closing it with pressure on the license plate itself... I have no idea.

Tatt

 

Oh no you're not one of those picky people that assigns AM or PM to noon or midnight are you? I'm just grateful that I understand 12:01AM (or even 12:00:01AM for that matter) - midnight can be whatever it wants. I have eaten lunch in the middle of the night before, that much is certain.

Might be "just one of those things". Every day starts at "zero", right?
Tatt

 

I had two dealers say that this was impossible, do you have nav, chrono or standard?

 

I also agree with this 'polarity' theory ... have you ever noticed that the majority of MINI's you see, when you're in your MINI, are going the other way?

 

That's just because all of the MINIs going the same way, are either WAY ahead of me or haven't caught up to me yet!

If I'm behind another MINI at a traffic light, I wonder if the rest of the folks at the intersection are thinking about the MINI Magnetism Conspiracy .

OK back on topic from now on, i promise,
Tatt

 

Is this the first-aid kit you have? Ill try and get a picture of mine. Mine seems to fit perfectly fine

 

Duh.

Lets see how many we can catch ahead of us