Today marked the one week anniversary with my BRG/Wht MCS. I have been driving trucks or SUV's for the last 15 years and I had almost forgotten what it was like to have fun driving.

Short term report: The Mini has performed flawlessly. I treated it with care for the first 1250 and then gave it some gas. I am able to keep up or surpass damn near anything on the road and it astounds me that even in 6th I have the enough guts left to pass with authority. The ride is good, not as stiff as I expected, the cornering is tight and controlled. My biggest surprise has been the visibility out of the vehicle. Even though I feel like I am riding a skateboard sometimes, it being so much lower than a truck, my field of vision is better most of the trucks I have had.

?'s - I don't know if I will ever figure out the automatic climate control. I have read the manual and still can't shut it off...
Sometimes the doors don't lock by themselves, has anyone else had this problem?
we have grooved highways here in california and the tires feel a little squirrely on them, anybody else

Medical problems: My right foot has gotten very heavy in the last week, so much so that I find it hard to keep the accelerator off of the floor.

Frequency of known problems:
- Took it to the dealer today to have them check the coolant. It is a nice shade of blue, none of the brown that has been reported.
- No squeaks or rattles
- No hesitation or stalls

Overall - I haven't had this much fun in years (while driving...) I am so glad that I got the S as opposed to the Cooper. I really enjoy the extra power and pull. This will be my touring car for the next several years. Comfortable, easy to drive and on Hwy 5 last weekend I got just barely under 30 MPG for the trip. All in all I am enjoying my Mini and I am so glad that I didn't go with the Bug or the PT Cruiser.

By the way, this is a great forum and I learn something everyday from the bright and informed people here!

Maybe if I hurry I can get in those last 50 miles to 2000 before midnight!.....

 

i'm really glad that you didn't get a Bug or the PT Cruiser too!

 

>>?'s - I don't know if I will ever figure out the automatic climate control. I have read the manual and still can't shut it off...
>>Sometimes the doors don't lock by themselves, has anyone else had this problem?

Welcome & congratulations - great post :smile:

I have seen a few people say their autolock doesn't always but I have it disabled.

As for auto a/c, that is why my MCS does not have it (it troubled me greatly on the MCS I had before).
What can't you shut off? If you press "OFF" it does just that - but it has a tendency to leave the heat on, which heats up blown-in air when the car is moving. You need to get the thing to be in a cooling mode (eg: ask for "LO" with the a/c off, then turn off the whole thing).

You will find hurricane force if you press the "screen" direction - it goes into major demist mode. Try pressing and holding the button for a few seconds to get gentle flow.
And of course you can take over the fan speed and directions, which often helps to tame the beast

 

Ian,

Thanks for the advice on the ACS. You are right, it tends to blow hot air even when it is 'off'. I will do as you say and see if I can get it to the lowest flow possible. I thought that the air could be completely stopped from coming into the car, but apparently that is not the case.

Also, how did you disable the auto-lock?

The car is just a new set of adventures every day, can't wait for tommorrow and some new open road to explore.

 

>>?'s - I don't know if I will ever figure out the automatic climate control. I have read the manual and still can't shut it off...


Press off.


>>Sometimes the doors don't lock by themselves, has anyone else had this problem?

They only lock the FIRST time you hit 10mph after you start the car - not everytime. So if you stop and drop someone off but leave the car running, the doors will not re-lock.

<<<All in all I am enjoying my Mini and I am so glad that I didn't go with the Bug or the PT Cruiser.
>>


No explain this one to me. Why would someone who loves the MINI even THINK about the Beetle or PT Cruiser? They have no similarities except that they look different (body shell-wise for the Bug and cruiser) than the average car. Other than that they are completely different!

Anyway, welcome aboard! I'm glad you enjoy your MINI like the rest of us. Enjoy your stay here!

 

>>Thanks for the advice on the ACS. You are right, it tends to blow hot air even when it is 'off'. I will do as you say and see if I can get it to the lowest flow possible. I thought that the air could be completely stopped from coming into the car, but apparently that is not the case. >>>>>>


If you don't want ANY air coming in, put it on recirc. mode and THEN shut it off. Otherwise, yeah sure, set it on LO or a lower temp when you want cool air coming in and a warmer temp when you want warmer air coming in - even with the fan off. Same with any other car if the outside vents are opened.

 

I've found with my auto air I get the best results when I set it to 72 for the summer and 78 for the winter and then forget it.

It blows hard to get me to the desired temp and then it settles down and keeps the temp constant.

 

I forgot to say I am so happy for you and your MCS!

It's great to hear you are out motoring and loving it!

 

Greatgro,

I was looking at the bug and the PT because at the time I strated looking the Mini did not exist! Also the bug with the 1.8t engine is very fast. However, as soon as I saw that the Mini was coming out I waited until I could see one and get a test drive. I was looking for a car with style, something different than the "design it for the lowest drag and put a tiny engine in it" school of design. And I didn't want a ricer. The Mini fits the bill handsomely.

And BTW the locking thing is not after I stop the car and open it up. It is on initial start-up and pull away. A few times it just hasn't locked that's all, no big deal. The Mini is a great car and I get lots of joy out of it both looking at it and driving it. And sometimes a few thrills.

Like tonight when I absolutely blew the doors off a Miata that thought he was very hot ****. The last thing he saw of me was tail lights...... love that supercharger