I can't seem to figure how the "Convenience package" auto locks the doors?? Isn't it supposed to lock the doors after you walk away with the key fob? I tried waiting a few minutes it doesn't seem to ever lock it. So I always lock it with the fob lock button. Am I missing something?


Also, I wish the car would un-lock when you walked up to the car with the fob, we shouldn't have to hit the unlock button.

 

does yours have the button on the door handle?

my loaner had it and it was real 'convenience' push it to unlock and then jsut get in and go... when you get out push it again after closing the door and it locked...

but I am no expert...

 

That's right, you just the push button in the handle.

 

I'm pretty sure Birdman's question is if the MINI can auto lock/unlock the doors by sensing your proximity to the vehicle (assuming the key is on your person of course). Then it would be a truly automatic system. That's the way it works on my friend's S500.

The consensus, and common complaint with convenient access, seems to be that there is in fact no way to activate it other than using the buttons.

 

True, I'm not aware of any proximity detection that will automatically unlock/lock the doors.

 

IIRC, the proximity locking was something that showed up in some documentation, but didn't really exist. As far as I know, pushing the black button on the door handle is the most convenient way available of locking the MINI.

 

The only mention of auto-locking I read was if the car is locked and you walk up to the hatch, after you open and reclose it, it automatically locks again. The doors stay locked the whole time, just the hatch relocks.

 

hmmmmmm..... ok, thanks guys. Thought I was nuts.

I could have sworn I read in my manual (will go back and check) that it said the car will automatically lock once the key fob was a certain distance from the car and the ignition and "radio mode" was off.

Unlocking doesn't bother me much, but the car should auto-lock. I thought that was the whole purpose of the inconvenience package??

Bummer.

 

I thought that this was the case too, but after I bought the car I was told that I had to press the button to lock it. It makes me look a bit funny in the parking lot, holding the handle for a few seconds after I close the door.

 

i wish there was some sort of update that allowed us to choose between the auto lock/unlock.

 

It's pretty convenient enough to close the door and hit the black button and walk away. If it was just required that you walk away, I wouldn't trust it. I would be walking back to the car to check if it really locked this time. I have to hear the locks engage every time.

 

I read in the manual about the doors 'locking after some time'

In the setup screens on the tach it even has short time vs longer time.

I have set this on the screens but the car never locks.

The main reason I wanted it was if I forgot to lock the car. At least then I would have a shot of having a locked car.

I know what a few are thinking 'how could you possibly forget'. I have a fatal flaw....I am human....there I said it

 

If you have the convenience package and the alarm system, you must press the lock button on the fob to activate the alarm. njp

 

The configurator originally said the car would unlock when you came within six feet and would lock when you walked away. Production models never worked that way.

I called MINI after I got my car to ask them what the deal was and why the configurator was wrong. They didn't really explain the change but later took that description off the configurator.

 

^^That's how I expected it to work as well. Supposed to be the main feature of these "keyless" systems. Well at least it does allow the trick 'starting of the car with the key in my pocket' feature.

 

I originally thought it was "fully automated" but its not. However, I do find it helpful just to have to hit the little black button rather than reaching for the key fob when hands are full leaving or entering the vehicle. I like the system but it could be better.

 

That's kind of a bummer. Almost makes it not worth getting the convenience package if you want the alarm.

 

Yea, exactly... I assume it disarms upon pressing the button to unlock it, right? Opening the door to be greeted by that siren would get old really quick.

 

How do you do that? I assume it's only for AT cars.

 

I didn't know about the "press to lock" portion of the package. Will start using that right away. I like how the system works. I don't think I'd want my car to unlock on it's own without some kind of user intervention. Locking when it it didn't detect the key fob would be a really good features.

The most convenient thing about the package I think is the boot. To be able to just walk up to the boot and open it is really nice.

I also noticed that the system does indeed understand if the key is inside the car or outside the car. I left the key fob in my jacket one day. Entered the car from the drivers side, took jacket off and threw it over to the passenger side, I then realized I needed to get something out of the door on the passenger side so I got out of the car. When I got to the passenger side the door would not unlock with the button.

The setting for auto-lock I thought would lock the car after some period of time but that does not seem the case after reading others experience with it. Based upon the other options for this setting I think it only applies after you have unlocked the car. What I mean by this is that one of the options to lock the doors as you drive away. So I don't think this setting has anything to do with driving, parking, and walking away. I think it's the return to your car, unlock, begin to drive auto-lock.

I hope I'm wrong as having the car auto-lock when the key fob is not near the car seems like an obvious thing to do.

 

I prefer the way it is now. I'd rather control when the car is locked and unlocked. Pressing the button on the door handle is convenient for me. Never having to take the fob out of my pocket is very convenient when combined with the start/stop button and the door handle buttons. And the fact you can open the hatch without unlocking the car first is nice.

 

AT: Pressing Start/Stop with foot on break starts the car.
M: Pressing Start/Stop with the clutch on the floor starts the car.

Otherwise it's the same as turning the key to "On".

 

The auto lock is meant for times where you unlocked the car and before stepping inside forgot something and left. The car will then relock after a given time because no one entered the vehicle.

 

No, it works on manual transmissions as well. If you have the Convenience Package, you leave the fob in the coin pocket of your Levis, push the clutch in, and press the Start/Stop button. The car starts. I really like that feaure.

 

I have a Jeep and it has most of the same locking features but they work differently than the Mini. I really need to re-read the Owner's Manual. I suppose the whole idea of not using the key fob to start the engine is so you never have to take the key from your pocket or purse & leave it inside the car & then have to call Mini to unlock it. I like it, I'll get used to it sooner or later.