Cute. I'm sorry if I offended you. I made the comment I did because in your original posting it looked to me like you figured that your experience with your Veloster would lead to the same result with your MINI which obviously wasn't the case.

 

My MA showed us that the two fobs can be programmed differently for each driver, even setting the music preferences and driving modes when entering the car. He put different key ring fobs on them so we could tell which was the master and which was the slave. Apparently that matters as well. The fob also stores a lot of driving data that can be retrieved by the dealer for service and troubleshooting. Creepy, right?

Perhaps your two fobs are set up to behave differently. You can program how the lock buttons work using the set up mode on the dash. I need to set mine for proximity operation so I don't have to dig it out of my pocket all the time.

 

Is this your first MINI? Gen 2 MINIs did this, too. For example, if you prefer to have 3 flashes when you trigger the turn signal, as I do, the key fob can be programmed this way. My husband prefers 1 flash, so that's the way his is set up. My car automatically turns on the audiobook I'm listening to with my key; his key does not.

I don't consider it creepy that the key is readable by your SA. How else would he know you need new brake pads, and oil change, or other wear-based maintenance, right from the convenience of his desk?

 

The fob also stores a lot of driving data that can be retrieved by the dealer for service and troubleshooting. Creepy, right?

I don't have a problem with it at all.


If you do, wait until it is mandated that all vehicles have a readable "black box" that can be accessed for driving history et al. It's just part of where today's technology is taking us (along with self-driving cars)

 

Does having the Mini XL or whatever it is with the screen give you more control over the fob? I only have the regular radio, no touch screen, and my options seem to be pretty limited as to what I can set on my fob. Unless I have the second fob, and my husband got the main one? The dealer didn't mark them when they were picked up so we didn't think it mattered. Someone mentioned somewhere that it makes a difference?

 

I was thinking about getting the JCW key cover to identify one.
It's a bit pricey.

 

Speaking of key fobs, I think Porsche has the coolest ones. Friend of mine just bought a '14 Cayman, and the fob is in the shape of a Porsche. Probably wouldn't look as sleek if MINI did the same, though.