these questions may have been asked & answered, but I couldn't find a thread on them

I have noticed when I shut or open the door on our 05 MCS the windows automatically open and close an inch or so.

QUESTION #1: Why?
I assume it's to reduce the air pressure in the car so that the door can shut with out as much effort?

QUESTION #2: Has this been a standard feature on all MINIs since '02?
I drove an '03 one time and don't remember that feature.
part 2 to question 2: Has anyone had issues with this feature? I would think that much up and down put's a lot of wear on that window motor.

 

As I understand it most cars with a frameless window do the wind drop. It seems to allow for better sealing of the glass to the window seals.

 

The rubber seal actually forms a shallow V. If the window is not partially open, the glass will hit the outside leg of the V as the door closes and glass/seal will prevent the door from closing.

I don’t know about the window motor wearing out, but people do have problems with this feature. The common problems fall into two classes: the computer forgetting the position of the window, and the being frozen so that the motor can’t do the dip.

 

Q2...yes, it's been a feature since 2002 on US models.

 

The first is supposed to be fixable by holding the window switch in the 'up' position for a few seconds until the computer resets.

I assume 'being frozen' means in cold weather, and I don't know any fix short of moving to Florida.