My '04 MC has a temperature gauge, but I believe the 2007,2008 does not....do people miss having a gauge? I know I could get used to the car warmimg up without me being able to follow its progress but I do glance at the temp gauge from time to time on long highway trips to make sure there is no overheating issues (never any problems with overheating so far but had a Neon with a lousy radiator that would overheat....I remember one long uncomfortable trip where on a 95 degree day I had to drive with the heat on full blast to vent heat from the engine to prevent oveeheating). Do you feel comfortable having just a light to let you know that the car is now, or almost, in an overheating situation?

 

Yes you are right my 07 does not have one. Yes it would be nice.

 

If you think about it, most people only look at there speedo and gas guage.
Personally, the more guages the better! I regularly check all my guages when I drive. and add those which the manufacturer was not inclined to offer me.

 

are there any stock-looking aftermarket temp gauges for the R56 MINI??

 

I miss the temp gauge in our 08 for sure....an idiot light just cant be enough can it? My wife drives the 08 for a daily driver and I am not worried as it will never affect her at all....but for me I agree more gauges

 

Does it?? Actually I believe it does not...not a true gauge...and some folks found this out the hard way. It is (sadly) little more than a dummy light w/ a needle, so don't treat it otherwise. That said, R56 has a duel stage light (yellow and red) and knowing what those stages inticate would be important as it is relaying some information. That said...yes, I really would like a real temp display (maybe even not a gauge), and I would want them to place it with the brilliant OBC readouts which are now available in the R56 speedo display. There's all kinds of info there...I'd love to see a temp readout (and maybe a few other things) there as well. That would keep the interior tidy w/o the need to hang gauges or other devices all over the place...I hate clutter. With the current setup you can see a variety of parameters at once, or select one to monitor....and since the buttons are at a higher location (up in the speedo) you can flip between readings very easily. I love that feature and use ot all the time. Perfect spot for a temp readout.

I freaked when I was flipping through that section on an '08 MINI and found items renamed and additional information available...it really illustrated that that section can and is being modified and updated!!!

 

That said...yes, I really would like a real temp display (maybe even not a gauge), and I would want them to place it with the brilliant OBC readouts which are now available in the R56 speedo display. There's all kinds of info there...I'd love to see a temp readout (and maybe a few other things) there as well. That would keep the interior tidy w/o the need to hang gauges or other devices all over the place...I hate clutter. With the current setup you can see a variety of parameters at once, or select one to monitor....


And that's the perfect reson to add Scan Gauge http://www.scangauge.com/

or Brockway Engineering
http://www.brockwayengineering.com/

less popular but perhaps a bit more advanced... both work with the older MC, new generation, not sure, But HIGHLY recommended and install is a breeze

 

My 2006 R53 had a fully functional gauge...

And having a turbo charged automobile without a temperature gauge is actually quite pathetic when you think about it... what was BMW thinking?

 

Yeah i plan on getting a scan gauge soon...i think it will look kinda stock in a way since it has an orange backlight so it can match to stock orange gauges

 

It sounds like that "gauge" worked out really well for more than a few people; here's but one example:

 

yes i miss having one....i was surprised at first when i realized there wasn't one. i can always go the aftermarket gauge route but i don't think i should have to in the first place....

 

I miss the gauge as well. There are some options out there for aftermarket, but none that really match the stock gauges.

The idea of adding it to the OBC display is great. The car already has the sensor since water temp is visible through the OBDII connection.

 

I have a 'real' temperature gauge, it's called the chrono package and includes a real oil pressure and oil temperature gauge too. I was hoping that BMW would offer something like this for the Clubman.

 

I have the ScanGaugeII and like it. Coolant temp is typically 220 to 222 F.

 

I have Alta boost and temperture gauges on order, can't wait to get them in.

 

That is the state-of-the art solution, imo, in that it is so flexible and you don't need half a dozen gauges hanging *****-nilly all over the place. Now, wouldn't it be cool (I think so) if that functionality was integrated into the R56 speedo readout? Just a dream...

 

I think it is needed in this car.( especially w/ turbo)..wake up MINI

 

actaully I think all guages should be in all cars. if we can only get more "auto enthusiasts to own and demand " it.

 

The MINI is my first car, so I'm not used to having one per say, but I do miss a temperature gauge nonetheless... Especially now that I've gotten into mods and am learning the technicals aspects of our wonderful motor. Also there's been at least one instance in which I'm pretty sure my temperature was a bit high, but the 'idiot light' wasn't on... Would have spared me a ton of stress having a simple read out of some sort.

I'll likely add the ALTA coolant and boost gauges eventually. Would just prefer something closer to the OEM style.

 

i believe it does. my 04 S has risen to 3/4 a few times and both times there was an actual issue i discovered before it was too late. the first time i needed a thermostat and the second time the dealership did my flush and forgot to add enough radiator fluid. therefore i believe it does.

BriGuy

 

Don't miss it, don't need it.

 

sounds like greengobln would disagree with Mrvvrooomm

 

Temp Guage = good info to know. IMHO
I want an A/F guage as well.

 

The lack of temp gauge is the only reason I'm considering adding gauges. I like the stock look without the gauges but feel temp is too important. You need to know when temperature is increasing, not once it's gotten too high. Does the Mini's idiot light warn you early when the temp is increasing or just when the car is too hot?

 

+1 why would you not want to know whats going on in something that you rely on as much as a vehicle
oh well guess youll see things differently while on the side of the road with steam blasting out from under the hood. meanwhile you could have been parked at a nice convienient location waiting for a "slightly" hot motor to cool for you to limp it to its needed destination.