Hi everyone!

I just received my very first Mini, a 2022 convertible.

I was messing around with all its functions just as anyone with a new toy does, and I'm a bit concerned I may have done something to the convertible top. I read that you can open the top from the key fob, so I gave it a try. I stood maybe 10-15 feet from the Mini, unlocked the doors with the fob, then held down the unlock button. The sunroof portion opened up without much of an issue. I held down the button again to get the whole thing to open up, but nothing happened. I stepped a bit closer to the Mini, and the top started to go fully down, but then got stuck halfway. Nothing from the fob seemed to help it at this point, so I got into the car to just use the switch. Nothing. Figured I should turn the engine on, but the first time I tried to start the engine I got some sort of engine malfunction error on the media screen. Now, very concerned, I tried one more time and thankfully the engine kicked on and I was able to toggle the roof down the rest of the way. I've since closed the top without issue and fully started and stopped the engine without issue.

I went back to the manual thinking I was crazy, and it does say to stand "close" to the Mini if you want to use the fob to make it go all the way down. It also says to have the engine running when using the top, so I don't know. Just hoping I didn't do any damage to anything so soon. I'm being the typical paranoid first-time owner, hopefully.

 

Welcome to the superior world of topless motoring, motoring at its best. Two points, the reason they suggest running to top up or down with the engine running is that it uses a lot of battery. Another little known and mostly forgotten distance technique with the fob is to hold it up against your chin with your mouth slightly open. Sounds silly but it works. Try it out when nobody's around first time, you don't want you neighbors to think less of you. I've had fun being 30 or 40 or more yards away with people looking at my li'l guy and magically making the top go down, love the reaction.
Also, I'll share with you my only reasons to run up the top.
1. It is raining.
2. It is snowing.
3. My co-pilot/navigator is whining about being too hot or cold and I can't hear the supercharger. (you don't have one of those so ignore this one.)
4. Some guys are throwing empty beer cans in the back seat and didn't invite me.

Hard core drophead, drove to morning coffee today top down, 18°.
One last thing, THE best care for the canvass is RaggTopp.

 

I love your reasons! I'm pretty much the same. Rain and my wife are really the only barriers to 100% top down time haha

So I suppose I shouldn't be too concerned about that engine message? I'll stay on the lookout for it to happen again, but I'm figuring it has something to do with me initially being out of range when I tried to drop the whole thing with the fob, and then it got stuck halfway and it probably wasn't happy about that without the engine running. I don't know. Hoping it was just a once-and-done learning experience.

 

Congrats on your new Mini. Let's see some pix. No need to be concerned about that engine message, I have seen it before. You were simply out of range when you tried to lower the top down all the way. It should be fine going forward.

 

I have a 2016 Convertible. The car will lock/unlock from a considerable distance, and open the top to the sunroof as you described. I then have to be about 3-4 feet away from the door to get the roof to fully open. You may have let up on the key, which caused your top to stop. I've found you then have to hit the button twice to get it moving again.

I found out the distance the top activated unexpectedly. Walking toward the car from the front, I hit the open button on the fob once and opened to the sunroom. I then hit the button again and held it while I was still walking, and the top opened the rest of the way when I got close to door.