When I first started driving mine, I found the buttons for the horn to be too little. A car cut in front of me, and I was hunting for the horn buttons. So I practiced when there was no traffic, I imagined an emergency with my hands at different places on the wheel, the radio, shifting, and quickly finding and operating the horn (kinda like a gunslinger in an old western). After twenty or so trials, my hands go right to the buttons. Every once in a while, I do a quick reminder practice. I hope MINI will put the horn in the center or spokes of the steering wheel in the future. I would suggest that people picking up MINIs do some dry-runs with the horn, before you are in the real deal and maybe hunting for a button.

I also found a blind spot in my drivers side view mirror, where I went to change lanes and didn't see a car in my left lane without turning my head to look. I tried several shapes of stick-on mirrors before finding a convex mirror made by Hot Spots (#49002) for 1.99. This is a similar shape to the side view mirror on the MINI, and has a wide angle of view. I have had no problem since. I can scan the left lane without turning my head. It definately helps with quick, sure lane changes. I don't find a blind spot on the right side-- the right side-view does a good job.

Hope this helps.

I have had to use the horn in an emergency several times, and have not had a problem since.

 

You must be from the East coast with your horn blowing. Here on the Left coast I seldom hear a horn. Generally it's me trying to get my wife out of the house when we're late...or rather, when she's late.

 

I had an orange flag on a long fiberglass pole attached the bumper of my go-cart when I was a kid. Not sure it would stay attached to the MCS at 100+MPH.

 

>>You must be from the East coast with your horn blowing. Here on the Left coast I seldom hear a horn. Generally it's me trying to get my wife out of the house when we're late...or rather, when she's late.

Now is she late because she is sitting, ready, and waiting for you to beep the horn like you always did before you got the MINI, and you are, trifocals on, flashlight and magnifying glass in hand, hunting for that (mini or micro) horn button? or was she sometimes late even before you got the MINI? C'mon, the truth now...


I think there will an aftermarket horn accessory that will be a piercing pre-horn voice shouting, "Beeeeep-ware, I'm preparing to sound my horn, momentarily, just as soon as I find the damn button.."; maybe we could have a t-shirt: "even though my mini-button is an outie (audi?), and can't find it"--- it could be a 'innie' joke.

 

I like the horn buttons... I did miss them once, but they are a much better solution then most cars with airbags that i've seen... and what's that you might ask? two 'magical' sections of the steering wheel with little horn icons indented into the vinyl... not easy to find.. half the time I ended up just punching the airbag...

Rocketboy_X

 

Only try to drive it while sitting in the
left front seat......

 

Always wear your seatbelt and keep your eyes OPEN while driving.....

Just kidding...I like the horn buttons though....but I DID punch the center of the steering wheel once when I got cut off by some dips$^# in an Explorer.

 

Quote
"I also found a blind spot in my drivers side view mirror, where I went to change lanes and didn't see a car in my left lane without turning my head to look."

Turn to look! Only takes a glance. left or right. I do this automatically when changing lanes. To find out where you need to look find a parked car and drive slowly past it until it is in you blind spot, then you will see you don't have to do a 180 with your head, normaly a glance left or right is enough. (This is how I taught my daughter about blind spots!)


:smile:

 

if it is a blind spot...how do you know it is really there...???

 

my suggestion is a megaphone built into the steering wheel to replace the horn buttons...

 

>>my suggestion is a megaphone built into the steering wheel to replace the horn buttons...
>>

What? I'm in Florida and I couldn't HEAR that .

 

yeah!

I'm in Fla too, and I look both ways when the light turns green. It has really gotten bad, in Jacksonville at least...

 

>>Quote
>>"I also found a blind spot in my drivers side view mirror, where I went to change lanes and didn't see a car in my left lane without turning my head to look."
>>
>>Turn to look! Only takes a glance. left or right. I do this automatically when changing lanes. To find out where you need to look find a parked car and drive slowly past it until it is in you blind spot, then you will see you don't have to do a 180 with your head, normaly a glance left or right is enough. (This is how I taught my daughter about blind spots!)
>>
>>
>> :smile:
>>

(((I have a friend who races professionally who made a point that stuck with me: that at 70mph, in a one second glace, you have travelled about 120 feet-- alot can happen in a glance right and then a glance left-- which for me is why that mirror makes good sense. He also taught me to adjust the side view mirrors and so that each one starts where your view from the rear view mirror ends. This way you have a near 180 degree view as you scan across the 3 mirrors, with no overlap. I have tried it his way, and haven't found it to be comfortable. Instead one (or if needed two) convex mirrors on the side view mirrors work for me.)))

 

>>yeah!
>>
>>I'm in Fla too, and I look both ways when the light turns green. It has really gotten bad, in Jacksonville at least...

I live in Orlando and it's a big problem down here too, people run redlights all the time, It's usual to have a green light and traffic still in front of you. L.Mini would feel right at home (Just Kidding!). I Wish they would put red light cameras at some of the worst sections.

What really annoys me is that the person running the red is effectivly saying "I know I should stop but frankly my time is mor important than yours, or anyonelses safty, so you can wait a little longer while I go ahead, thanks.", I bet they wouldn't try that at a line at the store or the movies!

 

I like the horn buttons too. You can tap out the William Tell Overture...