Dang that’s no fun. Yeah maybe

 

Have had my 2020 S since March... love driving the car but:

The info center some what sucks... it is just not elegant in the way it works when playing music or selecting options

I also hate that I have this button on the steering wheel for handsfree but it does not work... why put it on there if it does not work? The car came with a Work steering wheel, I guess the button only works if you have NAV or something along those line. That is my biggest grip. if I knew it did not work I would have opted for the package that had it... thought with the upgraded stereo that it was functional...

The HK stereo also is not what I would consider premium as it was sold to me... its sort of flat.

outside of that love the car...

 

I agree with the button also. I’ve had cars with that button and I nav, I was able to push the button and say Bluetooth audio at least.

 

It’s too quiet - I can’t hear the engine rev - I shift based on sound not visual queues - now I have to watch the tach more - eyes off the road never a better solution

just nitpicking

 

Wish I could lower the seat in my JCW more. All I see is the rearview mirror. Anyone ever find a solution for this? It's so bad that when the MK8 Golf R is here in the states I'm trading in.

 

I put the seat all the way down too, but I’m happy with the driving height it leaves me.

I know this is a “what I hate” thread, but after having mine a few months now, have to say I love it. Manual w/ sport pkg is the key.

 

There is always a thing that could be changed but yes I love my Cooper makes me wonder why I trader my last one.

 

Try removing the engine cover, it's there for that, to make it a bit quieter and it's better with it off since the heat doesn't get trapped.

 

Good idea - thx

another strange thing I noticed - I can’t touch the windshield - it’s like a mile away - never experienced that before - the top of the dash is extra long for some reason

also for such a small car it’s incredibly stable on the highway, and I’m always going faster than I realize - my sense of “speed” is different driving it, not sure why

 

Headroom with the sunroof is surprisingly bad.

Between the sunroof and the side visor eating into my headroom, my head ends up constantly pressed up against the visor when its in it's normal flipped-up position.

In my old R56 (no sunroof), I could wear a helmet inside, by comparison.

Overall, we love it, though!

 

I would like to find a way to mount rear view mirror to dash, it blocks traffic.

Joe

 

Because your speedometer is telling you that you're going 3-4 mph faster than you're actually going. If you've been driving your local roads for a long time you know what say 40mph feels like. So you hit that speed by your own internal clock but the dash is saying you are doing 44mph. It throws everything off. I tried to code it off on my F60, but I can't find the menu tree in Expert mode in Bimmercode.

 

So I live in New England, and near the Atlantic. In the winter the temperature varies from 0 to mid-thirties, and a couple of times a month the overnight drop leaves Gollum (my F56) armored with ice.

Needless to say (or needless to you who live north of the Mason Dixon line) that means the driver's door will not open. The window cannot drop to release the door so impasse!

My first solution was my SCCA membership card -- made of good materials - which when delicately inserted into the joint at the trailing edge of the molding atop the driver's door could be wiggled and worked to the leading edge to permit entry.

But that was not always easy, depending on how much ice was present. I also worried about eventual damage to the molding. Finally this winter, light dawned on my Marblehead and I simply went upstairs to the flat and secured a coffee cup of hot tap water.

One cup, gently poured at the bottom of the driver's window, and directed at the molding worked wonders, and that is how I shall do it going forwards.

Adaptations, n'est-ce pas?

Cheers,

Charlie

 

The R5x had a speedometer that read 3mph over actual speed. I find my '17 F56 Cooper speedometer is exactly correct. "Your mileage may vary" <-- see what I did there lol?

 

Charlie,
Had the same problem-I used rubber conditioner on the seals and wiped some silicon on the glass edges. Don't forgrt the lower rubber where the glass meets door. Did the whole seal around the door as well. Helped a lot.

 

No Andriod auto (not a fan of the Apple collective) ... other than that, no rocket launcher.

 

My biggest gripes are:
Handling, while nimble, is not as sharp as in my old R56.
Rear hatch sometimes unlatches all on its own.
Interior choices are too limited
The stock (non HK) stereo is really poor.

 

I hate the way the stereo volume clips down (often but not always) when the "engine auto stop/start" feature does it's "start" part. Annoying little software bug...

 

No remote start
Active Sound
No way to leave auto high beam enabled
Have to disable auto shutoff each time I start the car
Annoying Mini sound for warnings

 

Well, I can't complain too much when I have a 50-year old Triumph Spitfire. There's modern perspective and then there's half a century perspective! Nonetheless, the Mini Cooper is pushing all the right buttons for now. As long as it doesn't present too many problems, we should be good. I wouldn't mind a "beep" when locking the car and the deceleration burble on the wife's Clubman S would be nice to hear on the Cooper, but it's not a biggie.

 

I changed the Mini sound for warnings using Bimmercode. Definitely was worth the trouble. I had no idea how much the original sound irritated me, or how much I would "like" the sound I chose in its place (default for not-Mini BMWs, if my memory serves). If you head down that route, it will also get you ways to deal with your Active Sound and auto shutoff disable (again, if my memory serves).

 

@cjv2 Thanks for the suggestions.

I know Bimmercode is an option, but I'm a bit apprehensive to do too much, could/would the dealer use that as an excuse not to cover something warranty related?

 

Totally understand your apprehension and the net is "yes the dealer could pull a 'hey you did blah blah.'" And that's very real.

I'm out of warranty so not particularly concerned (for my F56S). But if I were in-warranty, given that I am technically-inclined and keep track of my changes, I would probably undo all my changes before going back to the dealer for anything... hehehe

 

Have you tried holding down the auto start stop button for a few seconds? I've read that you can permanently turn it off if you hold it down awhile.

You can also disable active sound with Bimmercode.

 

Not sure if it was 'updated' with newer models but my 2017 MCS autostart stays off.

But it'd just be one more switch that I'd have to toggle every time I start my car: sport mode and JCW exhaust open are like second nature now.