Is this normal???

I was giving my interior a good cleaning a few minutes ago, really wiping down the nooks & crannys w/303 Protectant. When I was wiping down my HK ***** really well & BAM my radio came on . No keys in the ignition .

I have never had a car that the radio would come on with out a key in the ignition. Is this normal for the Mini or do I have a ghost

 

yeh,i was surprised to see this too... but they call this a convenience
feature...


to accelerate the parasitic drain on your battery.

 

Totally normal for it to work without the key. I think it will actually go off if you leave it on for a long time (maybe it's when you open the door, close and lock it I'd have to check).

VWs and Audis do it too. I'm assuming BMWs and MB do as well.

 

& it only took me 2 years to figure it out

 

The radio will stay on w/o the key for approximately 20 minutes. "Convenient" when cleaning/detailing, and also good for annoying or confusing folks in the parking lot.

 

that's pretty good. cause it took me more than 3.

 

I swear my Mini had been off for way for than 20 minutes. I had lugged my vacuum out & vacuumed the Mini. I had 303'd the back seats & the front before I went at the radio controls. I will have to check the time out in the future. It still just freaks me out :impatient

 

My '03 HK radio can be turned on without the key. It plays for about 9 minutes then shuts off. I believe this is normal.

 

My mom had a 92 Chevy van that did the same thing, a lot of cars have this

 

Mine seems to have a 10 minute timer. Once the radio shuts off, just turn it back on and you'll have another 10 mins. Doesn't matter how long your Mini has been off.

 

Ahhh I see. I feel like I have led such a sheltered life until now car radio-wise

 

20 minutes is how long it will stay on when you push the power button on the stereo not how long long it stays on after u turn your car off

 

This freaked me out a bit the other night when I was installing my downtube covers.. I thought I pinched a wire or something resetting the tubes.. but realized I had pressed the power. I think I put the key in the car to turn it off cause I really thought I'd broken something.

After I was finished and had everything put back together I went and pushed the power switch on purpose (just for reassurance) and sure enough on it went. I think its a cool feature and I'm sure I'll use it in the future.

 

This is pretty common for German cars, I'm sure others might do it as well. Even my '69 VW Karman Ghia worked that way.