Just got my new '05 MCS. electric blue with LSD, sport package and some other stuff. I do LOVE it, what a terrfific little package!

I do have three minor gripes: The cupholder that ate Chicago (gotta go), the oval shaped rear and side view mirrors (design took preference over function- you need the most surface area on the outside of the mirrors) and the shift ****. No, the size does not bother me, as it seems to bother most car test reviewers,I have a medium sized hand. It's the stupid ridge around the circumference which is, literally, irritating.

Didn't realize that it would come with a jack and lug wrench, since it has runflats (soon to be replaced with Rota Slipstreams and Goodyear F1s) so I ordered both from Classic. I'll have to return them, unless someone is interested.

A very well thought out car with useful gadgets. I do wish it had an in-dash CD changer. I got the aux input jack but hate to mess with up and down loading songs to an I-pod or whatever.

 

Yeah, I had the cupholder removed before I left the showroom. Its in a bag somewhere.

The side view mirrors, particularly the driver's side, leave a fairly large blind spot. The rear view is larger this year, which I thought would be an improvement. But it doesn't seem to give me a better rear view than the smaller version in my '03, and it sometimes blocks my forward vision more.

I hadn't noticed the ridge on the gear shift?

But, of course, these are nits. The car is awesome!

 

Congratulations.

Too bad about the visionless side mirrors--same complaint that BME M3 drivers have made (one thing in common with that much admired car?). I thought the Chicago-eating cupholder was supposed to be an extra-cost option. Interesting about the jack and wrench. Have you looked underneath to see if you also have a spare?

Post a photo (especially with all the snow we got this year).

 

I trust we all know how to adjust our sideviews don't we? I shudder when I see a car coming down the on-ramp with the driver craning forward, face practically pressed to the glass in order to merge because they have their mirror set to see what's BEHIND them, not beside.

 

Ive almost run over a few cars on the drivers side a few times
merging.


Got use to it though...just need to work on positioning the mirror
just right and you'll get use to it.

 

Electric Blue - good choice. I asked the salesman about the jack and lugwrench. He told me it's a Federal regulation that all cars sold here in the US have one.

 

I was surprised to see the jack in my new MINI too, but I'm not complaining :smile:

The giant cupholder is apparently standard in the '05's but the dealer was telling me about the other one that sits lower, but isn't it like $200? Everytime I look at that cupholder I want to take it off, but then the only usable cup holder is the back one

 

Another cup holder-hater here . It just screams "I can't drive without a 500 empty calorie drink riding shot gun".

And I've managed to dislodge the base rubber part a few times just by brushing it with my hand. Where is the German-engineering love

 

"the oval shaped rear and side view mirrors (design took preference over function- you need the most surface area on the outside of the mirrors)"
Although the Side Mirrors don't bother me at all, I have found that I need on occasion to peer around my center mirror to be able to see object out of the center of my windshield. I did however order auto dim and auto wipers which all seem to be contained in the body of the mirror, so the mirror w/o such features might be smaller. A smaller center mirror would be nice!

 

[QUOTE=LeftyS7]Just got my new '05 MCS. electric blue with LSD, sport package and some other stuff. I do LOVE it, what a terrfific little package!

I do have three minor gripes: The cupholder that ate Chicago (gotta go), the oval shaped rear and side view mirrors (design took preference over function- you need the most surface area on the outside of the mirrors) and the shift ****. No, the size does not bother me, as it seems to bother most car test reviewers,I have a medium sized hand. It's the stupid ridge around the circumference which is, literally, irritating.
QUOTE]

Thanks for your comments.
Cupholder?- Just leave it off. Maybe a better one will arrive next year.
Oval mirrors? I added a flat wide broadview rearview mirror. Works fine.
Shift ****? Get a Whalen shift **** and do a custom engraving. It's excellent.

Jack and tools? Keep them, just not in your MINI. I use mine for changing and rotating wheels but my racing jack is easier. Your MINI will not always have runflats forever so the jack will become useful later.

 

Here is your answer to the side mirror blind spots. It really works once you get used to the idea of not seeing the car directly behind you from your side mirrors.

-Dan
http://www.cartalk.com/content/featu...ors/step1.html

 

Why is that interesting? All MINIs come with a jack and wheel wrench. Unless your dealer stole yours!

 

I kinda remember some of the '02 mcs models didn't have a jack but I could be wrong.

-Dan

 

I sight my side mirrors down the side of the car, so that I don't see the side or back-end of my own car in the mirror. This sights it almost straight down the traffic lane on either side. That leaves a blind spot about 4-5 feet off of each rear wheel (about enought space to hide a car in the adjacent lane). If I crank the mirrors further out, away from the side of my car to try and cover more of that area, I lose sight down the adjacent lane. Of course my center rear view fans out to catch the adjacent lanes far behind the car, but I now have blind spots that start on either side, just behind the rear of my car, and continue back about 20 feet.

There's not good solution except to adjust them as I first described, and then do an over-the-shoulder check *every* time.

 

The large MINI mirror might be okay for competetive commuting, but it's way too big in the twisties! I don't like having to duck my head to see around the mirror in climbing right turns.

Sure would like to see an aftermarket small oval inside mirror.

 

Nick: Too late for me...I checked on my drive home today and have whatever electronics are required for auto dim & auto wipe packed into the body of my mirror. If you don't have these options, should be easy enough aftermarket item to pick up.

(from what I remember, old beetle mirrors were great!)

Back to original point on side-mirrors and blind spots....I personally never noticed before (mainly because not a lot of traffic in a North Dakota commute ) but now I'm obsessive about the blind spots!

 

I read this trick in a Popular Mechanics about 20 years ago. I have used it on every vehicle I have owned, and works wonderully.

Steve

 

If you adjust your mirrors properly, you should have amazing visibility! I have no complaints with Wanda's mirrors. Also, for those of you who feel that the rearview blocks your vision, have you tried cranking down your seat? I keep mine at the lowest possible level, and I have no problems with the mirror. :smile:

Hope that helps.


Clover

 

That would be my girlfriend

 

Cupholder?- Just leave it off. Maybe a better one will arrive next year.

It's gone

Shift ****? Get a Whalen shift **** and do a custom engraving. It's excellent.

I've had an aluminum ball shift **** on my Miata, worst mistake I ever made. Freezing cold in the Winter (with gloves on, anyway, not too much of a problem). Burning hot in Summer, especially with the top down. How about a nice **** made from a Pool ball in the same color as the car?

Jack and tools? Keep them, just not in your MINI. I use mine for changing and rotating wheels but my racing jack is easier. Your MINI will not always have runflats forever so the jack will become useful later.[/QUOTE]

I've got all the jacks I need. I'm not complaining about having the jack come with the car. I just assumed from other posts that the Runflat cars did not come with it so bought my own from Classic as I am replacing my runflat wheels and tires immediately. So now I have two sets.

 

I have an O5 also with the stock radio. It plays MP3's straight from a data disk. I dumped 150 of them on one CD last weekend. Thats something like 9 hours of music w/no repeats. The only drawback is it doesn't show the titles as they play but I wouldn't put them on the CD if I didn't like them! Just about as good as a changer in my book.

 

An iPod is far easier than loading CDs in a CD changer. Trust me. My Passat's CD changer always held the same 6 CDs until I got my iPod. Too much hassle to swap CDs all the time. Plus, what's better than carrying 500 CDs around with you in your shirt pocket? Now all my CDs are packed up in boxes where I never have to mess with them again.

 

Why would you want to see what is directly behind you with your side mirrors?
If you see you car in your side mirrors,your not seeing what is at your side.

 

Simple fact is too many people only use there mirrors only, to change lanes you need to look before you change lanes.Oh and that thing sticking out the left side of the steering column is a blinker switch down to go left up to go right, you still need to look.And one more thing If your not passing keep to the right. Sorry for the sarcasm I log 100+ miles a day and see it all.I am an defensively,aggessive driver.The mirrors are a tool to help, not depend on.

 

I've been driving for 43 years, I know how to adjust my side mirrors. I know to turn my head. Have you noticed how blocked your view is when you turn to the left? The BMW M Roadster went to oval mirrors for "style" and to differentiate it from lesser Z3s, they were terrible, so are the MINIs: look at the shape of 95% of all side mirrors, they are roughly rectangular. For a reason. The more that you can see in your mirrors the safer you are.

I've been driving since passenger side mirrors were not available from the car manufacturers, and in most states, now, only a driver's side mirror is required.

I also use my blinkers. I realize that they are not an optional extra. I'd like to see the cops ticket people who don't or who believe that it counts if they have their blinkers on by the time they FINISH their turn.

It's a poor design by MINI and all the justifications and explanations of how to live with it don't change that.