I own a 06 cooper s and im a bit confused on why i dont have the auto light feature on my left stalk. I bought the car used without ever speaking to the original owner. I have the xenon factory kit.


My left stick looks exactly like this but i dont have the last option. The auto option. Can someone explain why i dont have this? or is it becasue i have the xenon kit. If i buy this stalk will I get that function? Also what does the red light do. Is it just for the alarm?
Thanks

 

It was an option. The original purchaser did not buy it. Even if you bought the stalk, you'd need to get it programmed.
As a curmudgeon, I say "if it's dark, turn on the lights"

Red light is for the alarm.

 

Thank you for the reply. So the fact that i have the xenon kit doesnt matter correct? Also what will happen if i purchase that stalk? Will programming be needed to run the auto feature?

 

Correct. Auto lights is run through the BCM. The stalk tells the BCM what to do, but if it isn't programmed to recognize the signal, you get nothing (AFAIK.) I bought my car without the alarm. After I put it in the light would flash (!) but the alarm was not fully activated.
You could always get the stalk and see if it works, but I wouldn't bet on it.
There are more folks these days who have access to programs that will modify the BCM, but it's still relatively rare.

 

Cool Thank you for clearing it up.

 

It won't work. Besides the stalk and programming, you'd also need the light sensor that attaches to the windshield by the rear view mirror. This sensor is also used for auto wipers. However, you would also need a new windshield that is compatible with the sensor. If you do decide to go forward with it, you'll gain both auto headlights and auto wipers.

 

but i already have the auto wipers

 

In 2006, auto wipers + auto headlights was a combined option (they were not available separately). Is there a small black box attached to the windshield in front of the rear view mirror? The windshield would also have a black mask that drops down from the top to where the sensor is (like this). The box has the sensors for both rain and headlights. If you have it, it's possible that your car was installed with the wrong control stalk.

 

i am 100% sure i have auto wipers. They work like crap for the first 5-10 min when it starts raining. then they auto sense correctly. The first click on the right stalk is the auto then low speed then highest speed. I do have the box right behind my mirror almost like a camera looking device from the outside.

 

Huh. Curiouser and curioser.

 

Check your vin number to see if the car came with the feature. Maybe the stalk broke and was replaced with the wrong part at some point.

 

Or very likely an owner retrofit...
And both itemscmay not have been added...

 

My theory: Car alarm in 2006 was not a factory option but was an aftersales item installed by the dealer. Your stalk with alarm light could not have been factory installed. The dealer (or previous owner) who installed the alarm must have used the wrong stalk.

 

is the dealer the only person that can tell me my installed features according to the vin?
And i do have an alarm im 100% sure on that. This is weird. I always wondering why my cooper never had an auto light feature. Then i stumbled upon that picture and got curious. What do you guys recommend i do next to assure this dilemma.

 

wait a minute i might be onto something here. i said that the first 10 min or so my auto wipers work like crap. But that is maybe because my lights arent on. once i turn my lights on (manually) my auto wipers work great. could this be a conflict with the left stalk stick and auto light feature. Im gonna confirm this once i get to my car. if not then ignore this post.

 

....most states I know of REQUIRE your lights be on if the wipers are in use....
Many/most MINI cars were custom ordered...no all inclusive option packages...
I for one have xenon lights, no auto wipers or auto headlights...was not with the extra $$$ to me when I ordered it.

 

I am now fairly convinced about what I said earlier. Somebody (dealer, shop, or previous owner) had to install the alarm system. They didn't use the correct left stalk for your car.

 

No, put your vin in here http://www.bmwarchiv.de/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html

 

I have a 2006 with both auto wipers and headlights, but the decoder only lists the wipers. I think the reason is that it was a single factory option that includes both functions.

 

here is my pdf of my vehicle nothing about auto headlights but i do have auto wipers
http://www.bmwarchiv.de/vin/tn27184.pdf

 

My opinion is that you have the auto headlights, but the wrong left stalk was installed during alarm installation. It should work if you replace it with the correct stalk.

However, the option doesn't work that well. The concept is reasonable, that you can just leave the headlight control on auto and never have to touch it. In practice, the system is very aggressive about turning on the headlights, and lights would often be turned on when it was clear and bright outside (sometimes even while sunny). I stopped using the auto feature years ago.

 

Im not to worried about the fact that i dont have the feature but more im more clear on whats going on. I really want to thank you for all the help clearing this up for me. Maybe one day if I stumble on the left stalk for cheap ill try it but now im just gonna leave it alone cause its not broken.

 

Yes ... Option 521 (Rain Sensor and Auto Headlights)

 

Just to summarize, your car doesnt have option 302 (Remote Alarm) but does have option 521 (Rain Sensor and Auto Headlights), but is now fitted with an Alarm left stalk with no Auto headlight setting. Just out of interest can you turn the end to point where the Auto on Headlights setting would be?

 

You are saying i dont have remote alarm? how can that be. i have the sonic sensor in the rear headliner area. Plus i heard the siren its pretty hurtful to my ears. the picture above is what i exactly have but without the first option the A. I dont have the A lol