Hubby and I both have one of the CM keys on our keyrings. Last week I drove to the city and I had to meet my girls inside a store, hubby was walking to meet us from his office downtown. I parked the car in a dubious spot as I was in a crazy rush, but left my 16 year old in it as I knew I would be 5 minutes.

As I entered the store to get my girls I met hubby, so I handed him my keys and told him where the kid and car was, so he could at least run interference if a parking cop showed up.

I dealt with the kid in store issue and we were back out in five minutes. Went to the car, hubby got out, I got in with the three kids, kissed him goodbye and drove off to meet my son in another part of town.

Parked up and tried to lock the car using the little button, no go. Weird . So I dug in my purse for the keys, then the lightbulb went on!!!! Hubby had both sets of keys!!!! CRAP.

So I called hubby, he had to get a $20 taxi ride over to bring the keys so I could lock the car.

This never happened with the miniivan, LOL. The learning curve is VERY STEEP.

I never for one moment contemplated that I could drive until the car ran out of gas without even having the keys with me. Set me thinking about the road trips I take. Maybe keyless entry/start is not such a great thing!

 

Thank you for helping me feel good for having gone old school - key required in car to do anything.

 

Are you saying the car was running when your husband got out and you got in? Thus you didn't need to start the car to drive away?

Technically, if the car was unable to sense the key in the car, then having it shut off the engine seems a bit drastic and potentially dangerous...what if the key was in the car but became undetectable by the car for some reason (electrical interfence etc) and you happened to be driving along when the engine shut down?


I guess your initial error was giving your key to him when he already had his own with him. No obvious reason for that.

 

Hubby got in the car, it wasn't running. He started it ('cos he's a man and clearly if you are sitting in a car it must be running!). When I got to the car he stepped out and I got in and drove off. BOth sets of keys were in his pocket. ( SO I could blame him???)

Oh the error was totally all mine, but I have visions of a five hour road trip ending when I need gas and cannot move from the pump!!!

As to the keyless entry, we ended up with it by mistake, along with Sherlock engraving. But as the dealer screwed up and then said we could have them for free, we took them. Now I am wondering if it was a bonus at all!

I think I will train myself to put the key in the slot and be done with it!

 

We went to pickup our RV where we keep it stored. We took our Mini. I drove the RV, my wife followed. She's not too familiar with driving the mini. Suddenly I get a frantic phone call. She stalled the car while making a left in a VERY busy intersection while following me. Guess who had the key (I had just jumped out of the car to get in the RV, never turning off the mini)? I had it in my pocket. And she could not start the car to get out of this dangerous intersection.

So now I had to find a place to park this BEAST RV, run to where she was stalled (which was almost 1/4 mile back), dart around traffic, jump in and start the stalled car.

Needless to say, the rest of the day was not so pleasant. Don't get out of your car while it is running! It would be cool if the car sensed when you got out of range with the key while it was on and gave a couple of alarm-style beeps of the horn to alert you. Or something like that. The sound it makes inside the car itself doesn't help if you are not in it.

 

Oh my goodness, now that must have been an awful experience. I agree some kind of "out of zone" alarm would be good, from either the key or the car.

 

I guess they should rename it sometimes-not-so-comfort access.

 

LMAO

"keyless discomfort access" now available!

 

Safetyless access! This is a feature I kind of wanted and didn't end up with. You guys are making me feel a lot better about that.

 

My wife has a Nissan Altima and it beeps and displays a message when the key leaves the car while it's running, I'm surprised MINI didn't think to add this simple feature.

I personally love the comfort access, and this doesn't happen to me since I never let anyone else drive my car.

 

Just wondering if they have blondes in Canada.


Sealy - Who know's he's gonna catch it for that one.

 

These have been interesting posts. I always put my Mini "fob" in the slot before starting the car, and guess I will continue that practice!

 

Me as well. The times I do find the fob useful is when it's 5:30 in the morning and 10 degrees out and you stop to pick up a quick coffee…nice to keep it running and locked for those few minutes!

Nice one Sealy!

 

When u put your car in drive or R you should have heard the "dong" then the key with arrow on your tech.



http://s157.photobucket.com/albums/t...nt=keyless.mp4

 

But if her husband (with both keys in his pocket) was standing close enough to the car when she drove away, would it have "donged?" (yes, I just made "dong" a verb).

 

I've know my wife's Clubman will chime if there are no keys in the car, but it's easy to miss.

Supposedly there's a short time window after you shut off the car where you can restart it without the key, but I don't know how long that is. 30 seconds?

 

No window as far as I know...if it's shutoff and and does not sense the signal...just gives you the no key symbol.

 

I just tried this. I got in the car with the key, started it, then gave the key to my wife who then walked far away. No dong, no key with slash through it, nothing. Then I shut the car off, and only then do I get the dong with the no key symbol. And now I cannot restart the car. That is a bit too late to let you know don't you think?

It should let you know the key is outside the car right away. After the car is shut off is unacceptable. This is an error on Mini's part. Sounds like we should start sending letters to the company and maybe they will update their software/firmware in a subsequent recall. I'm drafting mine tonight.

 

I have done this many times in our Lexus. My wife is the only one of us who carries a key in her purse. I drop her off at the mall and start to drive off and the car gives me a warning (dong dong dong) to let me know there is no key present. I then honk at her to give me the key so I can turn the car off and re-crank it.

I didn't order the keyless thing on my Countryman. I wouldn't have gotten it on the Lexus if it wasn't already inc. when we bought the car. Honestly I wish cars of today took a regular key with a fob to lock and unlock the doors. The fob for my van is much smaller than the huge keyless thing for the Lexus and if I remember correctly the Countryman wasn't much better.

 

Contact info of where to send my letter. I found this site:
http://www.autonews.com/section/exec...e?template=a-d

It lists the following for VP Engineering-US:

Tom Baloga
VP Engineering-US
BMW of North America
(201) 307-4000

300 Chestnut Ridge Rd.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677

If he's not the right contact, I assume it would be forwarded to the proper division. I consider this to be a safety related issue. They shouldn't ignore this.

 

Once the vehicle is engaged... It will give the signal. Obviously there's a range required for remote access. Pretty much the responsibility of the driver to know where the fob is.

 

Not sure what you guys are saying unless the 2012 have updated code ..... My countryman sounds off and shows a big yellow key sign with a circle slash through it .... Very noticable and it warns you as soon as the key is out the window.... I have the mini connect with nav if that has anything to do with it .... But otherwise it does warn you...at least mine does ... It shows up on the tack screen.


Also if its ideling and I walk out and shut the door its chimes and showed the warning so I know theirs a warning ... Maybe just overlooked it...

 

I do not get that unless I turn the car off. Flyer not sure what you mean by engaged, but I had the car in gear, and nothing, nada.

 

The car is running, ill see if I can post a pick .... If its in park and ideling and I hang my keys out the window ill get the no key sign and it starts chiming and the no key logo shows up on the upper window on the tack...

 

My husband was standing right next to the car when I drove off. But I get nothing, no bong, ding or indicator on the screen. Do not have mini connected so perhaps that is part of the difference.

As to the blonde thing, yes it's true I am blond as is hubby, so clearly that must be the problem, Mini would never f'up eh?

If you design an entry system that doesn't require a key to be inserted, I know there is a joke there somewhere, then make it just a bit safer. RV guys tale upthread was quite unnerving.