Hey folks,

Gonna pick up my '08 MCc next week and I reading (ok, memorizing, lol) the official (and "unofficial") owner's manuals.

I see that the key fob can be programmed with 10-15 personal choices. Personally I think that being able to put the top down while walking to the car is going to be awesome.

It does seem, however, that the dealers are the only ones who can program/modify the settings so...

Which Fob setting could you not live without?
Which Fob setting did you wish you had?
Cabrio owners: what volume level do you have for the PDC and is it annoying?

If this is a duplicate post, please point me in the right direction..

Thanks

 

Not sure if anything is new on the 08 but if you do a search ther have been other posts about this. I had the Windows and Sunroof set to open with the Key fob. Check around with the dealerships in your area. If you find an option you want they can program it. Hendrick MINI does this for 25 dollars, I have heard others charging as much as 75.

 

$25.00???

$75.00???????

I'd have thought that this would be free.
That's crazy, better get it right the 1st time.

 

You may find more info if you check out the forum below.

Cabrio Talk

 

I have never been able to affect any programming changes to Romi so it is a good thing she came pretty much the way I would have set her up.

 

Interesting, I was able to turn change the DLRL setting to on or off, the date setting to US or EU styles, the lock setting to unlock all with a single press, only the driver with single press and lock all when driving away, the lane change blinker setting to 3 blinks instead of one, as well as the radio being based on my key fob. I beleive there were other options as well. Place the fob in the car, press the Start button without turning on the car, the use the turn signal button to go through the various settings and programs.

I know that I can press and hold the unlock button and it will open the windows and crack the sunroof, but I didn't see those in there. So I am unsure what other programming other than the top and windows, which I almost think is standard, would require going into a dealership for.

 

Unfortunately, even though I'm getting an '08, it is going to be the R52 Body style and that does not include keyless ignition, which it sounds like you have.

The turn signal 3-blink is worth looking into tho...
That's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for, Thanks!

 

It's easy to program the keys--but make sure you program them alike or you'll drive yourself nuts trying to figure out what's wrong. It's a simple step-by-step process. Just need to carefully follow the owner's manual.

Jabell2r, the '07s and later don't need to be programmed by the dealer.

 

I have a copy of the '07 R52 MCc manual and it does NOT refer to any self programing. It does, however, give a list of items that can be personalized.

Perhaps it's different for your Coupe/S-type Daffodildeb

 

On the first-gen cars like the OP's cabrio, it's the car itself that's programmed with the options, not the keyfobs.

Despite what the owner's manual has said since the car's introduction, the first-gen MINIs (at least the ones that came to the US) have never had the ability to program different features/settings for each keyfob.

As for the PDC, I have mine programmed to full-loud, and I don't think it's too loud. The one strange thing is that whenever I shift into reverse, I always get one single beep from the PDC, whether there's anything behind me or not. My wife and I both have 2006 convertible 'S' models, and hers doesn't give the single beep when you shift into reverse, so the beep on mine might be a side-effect of setting the PDC volume to max.

I would have liked to have been able to program my car so that a single press on the remote unlocks both door and the boot, but my dealer told me that option is no longer programmable. Also, the delay times for the "follow me home"/pathway lighting have been changed - I think the maximum time is now 40 seconds or something like that.

Being able to drop the top from the remote is nice in theory, but the combination of the relatively-short range on the remote and the fact that I walk fast means that I can never manage to get the top all the way down before I get to the car, so I have to stand there and wait while it finishes. I've started just lowering the top from inside the car (which is significantly faster anyway).

I *really* like the fact that the doors auto-lock when I start moving, and auto-unlock when I take the key out of the ignition. That's probably my favourite programmable feature.

Also, if you got the automatic wipers with the rain-sensing windshield, be aware that the sensitivity of the rain-sensor can be adjusted via programming. When it's set properly, the auto-wipers work *great* - they wipe often enough to keep the windshield clear, but not often enough that they're squeaking across a mostly-dry windshield.

 

For the PDC, it seems that your cars were programmed differently. On p. 78 of the 2007 Cooper Convertible manual, it says that you can program the PDC to chirp once when it becomes active the second or so after the MINI is switched into reverse. Or not... Looks like yours cars are out of sync there, lol

Have you tried double clicking the unlock on your key. According to p. 26, the 1st click unlocks the driver side door only & the second unlocks all doors, the boot, and the gas cap.

Is it true that the top takes longer to drop when activated by the key? That seems strange. I can understand the distance (Which is how much, btw???) being a factor, but those motors, i would think work at only one speed off their line voltage.
This may seem like a dumb question but if you're in the car and the car is off, can you lower the roof or does the key need to be in the 1 (accessory) or 2 (run) position. If it does lower, does it lower at the speed of a running car, or at the reduced speed of the key activation?

Thanks for you input on the pathway lights and the door auto-lock feature. Don't have the rain sensing wipers (unless their standard, lol) but I like to keep things like mirror dimming, headlamp activation, and wiper operation under my control. Give me a 5-speed and keep the computer small!!!

 

I missed the bit about the PDC single-beep in the owner's manual. Either it wasn't in the 2006 manual or I glossed right over it.

Pressing my keyfob button twice *will* unlock both doors and the boot as you described, but at one time, there was a programmable option that would unlock both doors and the boot with a *single* press. That was the option I wanted and was told by the dealer was no longer available.

As for dropping the top, the reason it's faster from inside the car is that there's a difference in the order in which the various parts move, depending on how you lower the roof. Also, when using the keyfob from outside, there's a delay of a couple of seconds between when you press the remote and when the top actually starts moving (probably to keep the top from moving if you briefly press a button while the key is in your pocket or purse). Also, once the top is opened to the "sunroof" position, you have to release the keyfob and press it again, which starts another two-second delay before the top starts to actually lower.

The best times I've been able to manage so far, going from completely closed to completely open:

From outside the car with the keyfob (engine off, battery fully charged) - 25 seconds.

From inside the car, engine running, using only the "top-down" button -
20 seconds. (although this leaves your front windows 3/4 of the way up, so you still have to lower them afterward using the window toggles.)

From inside the car, engine running, using the "windows down/top down" buttons trick - 13 seconds, and it lowers the front windows *all* the way, not just 1/4 of the way. This is how I lower the top every time now.

 

Tell me more about this trick that halves the opening time...

Tembock, his arms wide

If you get that reference, we've got a lot more in common than the car we drive, lol

 

Sad to say, I actually got the reference, although I think it was "Temba".

Here's the trick for opening the top quickly from the inside. First, the slow way:

Press and hold the "top down" button. This will retract the top to the "sunroof" position, but nothing else will move/open. Then, release the button, and press and hold it again. This will lower the front windows 1/4 of the way down, lower the rear windows all the way, and retract the top. Notice that with the "slow way", none of the windows start moving until the "sunroof" is fully open and you've pressed the button the second time.

Now, the "fast way":

Tap the "windows down" button on the overhead console. This will immediately lower all four windows, all the way down.

Immediately after tapping the "windows down" button, press and hold the "top down" button. This will get the sunroof opening, *while* the windows are still going down - no waiting.

As soon as the "sunroof" is fully open, release and immediately re-press the "top down" button. This will retract the top the rest of the way.

This is so fast because it gets the top and windows moving at the same time. Also, if you're coming up to a stoplight and want to lower the top as quickly as possible at the light, tapping the "rear window down" button and opening the sunroof while you're still moving will allow you to retract the top in only 9 seconds once you've actually come to a stop. You'll need this, because it's an unwritten law that as soon as you decide to put the top down at the next light, every light you come to will either be green, or it will turn green as soon as you've come to a stop.

 

too funny, thanks for the tip

 

Careful with the "keyfob opens the windows/sunroof (or roof on the cabrio)" option. While it's cool, many folks, self included, have found that our pockets, the change that's in them, or Mini Gremlins tend to press this button as we're walking away from the car, and the resultant slightly open windows/roof/sunroof can let some water in if it rains later.

 

I was under the impression that the cabrio for 08 was going R56. was it delayed another year? Or was I just under the wrong impression. But yeah if your still R53 then me experience will deffinately be different.

 

The '08 cabrio is in it's last year as R52, I believe.

 

OK folks, just got a call from my MA and my '08 Cooper Cabrio will be ready for pickup Monday evening and these are my (hopefully) finalized settings,

Comments?


VEHICLE MEMORY OPTIONS

Unlocking:
1st press on key unlocks Driver side door only
2nd press on key unlocks entire vehicle
1st turn of key in door lock unlocks Driver side door only
2nd turn of key in door lock unlocks entire vehicle.
Central locking/unlocking at speed/key-pull – ACTIVE

Convenience mode:
Top lowering via key – Active
Top lowering/raising via door lock – Active

Windshield wipers:
When vehicle is stationary switch from Normal to Intermittent – ACTIVE
When vehicle is stationary switch from Fast to Normal – ACTIVE

Parking distance control:
Beep when activated – ACTIVE
Volume level 6 (loud)

Automatic Headlamp control
ACTIVE at most sensitive setting (comes on earliest)

Pathway Lighting
ACTIVE with shortest duration

Daytime Running Lights
INACTIVE

 

Looks good overall - a couple of comments, though:

I think having the doors lock when you start moving, and having them unlock when you pull the key are two separate options, so make sure they program them both.

I don't think it's possible to *lower* the top by putting the key in the door and turning it, regardless of your programmed settings. They may have added this since 2006, though, so don't take my word for it.

 

daffodildeb you say follow the step-by-step process in the manual. I have an 07 Sidewalk. My manual says "these adjustments can be preformed by your MINI Dealer". Can you provide the step-by-step process?
Thanks

 

I think the difference is that you have the convertible, which wasn't "remodeled" like the coupes. Ours don't need the dealer for programming.