I'm a little disappointed in how my MINI is performing in the snow/cold weather. here are a few problems i've encountered.

1) The door getting frozen shut. I'm in Illinois and we've had a lot of snow and ice lately and what happens is the ice prevents the window from rolling down and thus the door will not open. My friend has a BMW and he also has experienced this problem.

2) The front defroster doesn't blow air on the window where the wiper blades are. Snow and Ice keep building up on the bottom of the front window because it stays cold even if the defroster is on. and then if the wipers are on low ice will start to form/stick to them.

3) I've noticed that the breaking distance can be really really bad. I've driven a lot of other cars in the snow before and none of them have slid as much as the MINI does. I've noticed that I have to start breaking a lot sooner then i would in other cars. I figure this is because the MINI is so light.

4) Washer fluid freezes. I can not really blame MINI for this one because they sell heated washer fluid jets, but i've never had this problem in any other car. When i bought my car last year i never though the fluid would freeze but this year it's happened.

Anyone else have these kinds of problems?

 

Braking distance is a function of the tires. You need proper tires for your environment and situation.

Washer fluid needs to be rated to whatever temperatures you experience.

I really don't think the problems are exclusive to MINI. My windows wouldn't operate properly yesterday...they had ice buildup on them. Just needed to chip it off a little more.

Don't lose heart...when you get it set up they are a BLAST in the snow!

 

Winter driving, with the right tires, is almost more fun than summer driving. At least around here, since we have no twisties.

 

I'm calling "shenanigans" on the OP's topic.

I'm currently driving my MINI through it's 5th central New York winter. Massive snowfall amounts, cold temperatures, and damaging road salt are all par for the course.

The car is an absolute tank in the snow, slush and ice*, (*Provided you use this brand-new invention that just came to market, called SNOW TIRES).

Sorry about the heavy dose of sarcasm there, but seriously, there really is no such thing as an all-season tire; I don't care what kind of car you drive...

I also agree about which windshield washer fluid you choose; you gotta actually look at the temperature range of the one you're buying. You can't just use plain tap water like they do down in Florida. Get the good stuff, like this: which won't freeze!


As for ice and snow incapacitating the wipers, I've never had any problems. The stock blades may pack with snow, so if that happens to you a lot, get some Trico WinterBlades. They're covered in a rubber boot, which keeps snow and ice from jamming them up.

 

They might be getting more ice than you.
We almost always get an ice/sleet type thing here.
I've been frozen out of every car I own.
The windows, the doors, the doorlocks.

You could try one of those de ice squirt scrapers.
It might be you live in an area that you can expect
to scrape that seal open X days per year. (dunno)
I think it is just isopropanol in an expensive can.
Do not pour boiling water on it though.

I know this sounds obvious - make sure you are
not using the 3 arrow setting on the air selector.
Make sure your AC button is on.

Or move from brrrland

 

Living in South Eastern WI here-so our winters have been pretty much similar. Stock 15 inch all season with Clubman 09 manual. No issues with frozen doors or windshield wipers. I did notice more rattling when it hits certain temperatures-although it goes away pretty quickly for some reason.

 

This is my first winter in a non 4wd vehicle. My Mini does pretty good, even with the crappy Continental all season run flats. I plan on putting new wheels and summer tires on in the spring, and then next fall putting Haakapaliitas on the stock crown spoke rims for the winter. You didn't say whether you have an S or the standard Mini. The stock brakes on my S are awesome

 

I'm in IL as well and the recent rain/temp-drop/snow/freezing rain combo had left my car a block of ice. Fortunately I leave the wipers in the up position (away from the glass) overnight so them sticking isn't a problem. The ice on the side windows was a problem since my scraper was in the back-seat, the solution is to make sure it's in the boot instead so I can scrape the ice from the side windows before opening the door.
While driving I don't experience any problems with the wipers refreezing to the windshield but I'm pretty thorough at scraping the windshield so maybe the lack of melting ice on the windshield helps.
The stock all-seasons aren't the best tires on ice I've found, but the stability and traction control work well enough and I've driven on snow and ice enough to know you just have to feel out the cars limits and stay within them, snow tires would be better but really the roads were a sheet of ice so nothing short of studding was going to provide much traction.
The washer fluid hasn't frozen up yet and this is the first time my car's seen prolonged cold so I don't think I'd have fluid with a particularly low freezing point in there, maybe I have the heated windshield washers, I don't know.
The only problem I had was I got locked in the car somehow the other day. Ice on the outside door handle had caused the latch to stick in the "open" position, so when I shut and latched the door that somehow kept the inside door handle from working. I don't really know how all this works, and the solution was to climb out the passenger side. Be sure to de-ice the door handles pretty thoroughly.
Overall I'm pleased with the way the MINI performs in snow and ice, it's low so obviously it's not good in the deep stuff, but the onboard electronics add a good safety net when encountering changing road conditions and it's low mass makes it manageable if you do start to slide.

 

I'm way further down south, but I've also experience the same stuff in extreme situations (for KY).

I don't know if you have the cold weather package or not, but I always start the car turn on the seats and mirrors and such, and then go inside and grab a glass of hot water. I just pour the hot water over the door handles and the windshield wipers and I'm good to go. No issues.

One thing I've noticed, similar to Deviant's experience, is that if you try to open the doors in icy weather without defrosting them somehow, the door latch will stick. Often times I'd manage to get the door open from the outside, but then the latch would freeze and I couldn't get the door shut...

 

Ummm...take your MINI back to the Dealer and tell them you've changed your mind!!

Then go buy an Audi or a Volvo...maybe then you'll be happy!!??

 

I had mine out today with quite a bit of snow and ice on the road. I ordered mine with the 16in all season tires. And on previous cars, as well as my MINI, I have had my tires sipped. Sipping Imo improves the tires performance in snow and ice and longevity. Needless to say I thought my MINI did great. I also think if people were to slow down some we'd have fewer problems out there.

 

right on+ +
plus use Rainex ,the windowshield wax stuff ( not the thin liquid)
the snow just falls off

 

andcbii... all I have to say is, I disagree completely.

 

Top drawer, my good man!!!!!

 

As posted on another thread, but to the discussion here: I'm in a serious Northern Michigan snowbelt, as I look out now, we have 18" on the ground an 6 more coming today. My MINI has Hakkapeliittas on 16 inch wheels, automatic tranny, and does great, both moving and braking. In fact, as to braking- as a former physics teacher, I'd point out that a lighter car will brake quicker, all other factors equal (namely coefficient of friction, i.e. snow tires)
Now, having a Clubman means that my barn doors are often completely white and my rear defrosters can hardly keep up with the snow. Also, my suicide door froze shut, so good thing no one needs to get back there. My window dip, likewise, is frozen mid-dip, but my doors open normally so far.
I love the way she handles in the snow. The heated seats are awesome!

 

Perfect! Think of it as Mini jousting.

Once you've scraped under the wipers they should stay reasonably clean. If you're driving in such slop that it builds up that badly, perhaps reconsider the trip or stop for coffee and a scraping.

Do not pour water, cold, hot, or otherwise, over your door handles and windshield. The quick temperature change can cause problems, and hot water cools down and forms more ice.

Two words: Winter tires. The Mini is awesome in snow, for a low ground clearance front wheel drive car. It won't climb like a 4WD, but a 4WD will coerce you into going when you really should be stopped. IN addition, the extra weight and ground clearance only means that when the 4WD loses control, they have to pay the tow truck operator for extra cable.

The Mini has just as many wheels turning and stopping as a 4WD. With reduced mass comes extra maneuverability.

Dominate winter, indeed!

 

The window not being able to go down for that special function is not enough to keep the door from opening. The door will open even if the window doesn't go down. If you can't open the door....it's frozen somewhere else along the door.

I've parked my car outside in 6 years of very icy winters and have been able to open the door even when the window was frozen in the up position. You just have to make sure it's not frozen along the actual door itself. This is obviously true of ALL cars and not just cars with the BMW window function.

 

I don't know about the R53, but the ground clearance on the R56 is pretty darn good for a (mini-(sub-))compact car, particularly compared to my mum's Civic.

And the Mini's tires (all-season or snow) are much better sized for snow and ice than my friend's Fit.

Personally, I've been quite happy with how the Mini did in the snow. This is only my second year driving winter conditions (last year in the Civic, this year in the Mini) so I'm still not that comfortable with it (as in, I avoid it unless absolutely necessary--I'd rather wait 30 minutes in the cold for the bus than take the car in the snow).

I have to say though, driving standard this year, I feel like I have more control over the car.

 

That Dominate Winter site was very nicely done.

 

AWESOME PHOTOGRAPH!

How cool is that? Winter track time! Nobody else to get in the way; a complete zen-like driving experience!

 

Spray silicone on the door seals and wipe it down, that will help with the door sticking. Buy some of that spray for the locks if they're freezing, otherwise some WD40 or equivalent in the handle pivots will keep them moving too.

If you live in an area where they get real winter for 4 or 6 months at a time, some winter tires would be a good investment. Here in KC the last 10 years or so our winter driving conditions only last a few days at a time, so I muddle thru with my all-seasons til they get the roads clear.

Those booted wipers work really well, since the ice can't get in the mechanism to keep it from followng the curve of the windshield.

We get lots of ice here in KC too and my MINI does fine, but you do have to adjust your expectations to the reality of the road conditions..........

 

Thanks! That's Graham, MA at Mini of Pittsburgh and allaround great guy, driving TrackToy, his 200+++bhp (ish) Mini. Slowly. I wish I had a sound bite - listening to that powerplant and his custom race exhaust muffled by snow as he drove around was truly zen-like. Or snow-machine-like, take your pick!

And... we're doing it AGAIN on February 22 (www.pittstopmini.org - we'll have the event posted soon!)

 

dunno, sounds like summer tires are still on for the op. +22 on the winter/snow tires.

As for sticky doors, gummifledge (available through the dealer) can help keep the door seals in good shape.

 

Got my snow tires on this year and let me tell you it's a blast to drive. I was leading some friends in a couple cars behind me today. They had to call me to tell me to slow down.

 

The only real winter complaint I have with my car - the freezing door handle (mechanism) problem. I've never had a car lock me inside before, until this one. I was not impressed with how MINI USA handled my complaint, even after showing them a TSB discussing that very issue.

Aside from that - I absolutely LOVE driving my car in the winter. Of course, I have a dedicated set of studded winter tires and wheels for my car. This car will stop when many others simply won't. Being in Alaska, we get plenty of ice - and the MINI has been one of the best vehicles I've owned to drive on winter roads.

The MINI warms up really fast, the heater puts out TONS of heat - to the point where ice/snow melts from the windshield even when it's not in the defrost setting. Perhaps you should have the thermostat looked at on your car, sounds to me that it may be stuck open - which would not allow the engine to fully warm up.

My (lifted) Jeep only seems to get used on days where the snow on the roads gets too deep for the MINI to drive through. Aside from that, I would much rather drive the MINI as it's just more secure-feeling on icy or hard pack snow.

I don't know what to tell you about the freezing door handles, as it's a problem I still deal with from time to time... But I highly suggest getting a good set of winter tires and wheels to go w/ them. Nokian makes some of the best winter tires that I can think of.