I don't know about being polarized but the electronic displays certainly wash out in the sunlight. It is impossible to read the reddish/amber displays on a sunny day with sunglasses on - guess that isn't a problem in England! Sure wish car manufacturers would ditch red lighting in car dashes.
I also find that the remote works from a longer range when you hold it in contact with your cheek.

 

Some lenses are polarized in a horizontal pattern, some are vertical, and others are radial. This can have an affect on what you see when looking at another polarized object.

 

Mishka...a lens that is polarized, meaning it has a polarizing filter either laminated or molded in, has to be oriented in an eyeglass frame in a certain direction in order to filter out glare off horizontal surfaces....wet roads, surface of a lake, hood of a car, a snowy meadow...so all sunglasses must have their lenses with the polarizing filter postioned in the frame in the same direction....we make prescription eyewear in our office and if the lens is made off axis by mistake by 5 degrees the patient would have to noticable tilt their head a little to the left or right in order to get the most glare reduction

some glasses do have their polarizing filter diagonally or opposite of normal but those glasses would be the cheap throw aways for 3-D movies

 

Did I hear someone call for a physics major? I went out and tested this with a friend, and it has nothing to do with your body. It actually just has to do with holding the key up. If you just hold the key at about eye level (or chin level) without touching it to your face, it will work from just as far away. Your body is essentially invisible to the frequencies used in this case.

 

The response from MINI today says otherwise. Are they wrong? Am I crazy?

 

Read the last line of the posted picture:



Steve

 

I agree, so which direction are sunglasses usually polarized to? I guess it's horizontal.
I tried a Native sport sunglass, and a cheap Chili one, both gave me the same results. The reason you didn't see might be that your sitting position is different from mine, try to move your head side sideway a little and you should notice a difference. I may take some photos later.
I also found the rear window looks funny through the sunglasses, it's like being covered by clouds.
Thanks god the windshield looks perfectly normal

 

I suggest you try this again because I and others have gotten the opposite
result. I can touch the key to my chin and lock the car from quite a distance.
I have to move much, much closer to get the key to work without touching it
to my chin. Sorry, it's no myth.

 

Some great tips on this link.
Now when i picked up my mini, i decided to use the other key (the one the previous driver never used) because it was nice and new looking. Does that mean im using the default 'programmable settings' from the previous owner or is all that stuff programmed into the car itself? I like my 'auto volume dim' when I stop the car.

Is there any way to program the R/T and the Phone buttons on the steering wheel???

p.s. Speaking of attention to detail...i like the pen holder in the glove box

 

I've experienced the same thing = touching to head (temple or chin usually) increases distance. Trying the same orientation & elevation but further away from the body/head doesn't work as well.

Who ya gonna call? Mythbusters!

 

Frankly, it would be cool to be able to make car computer program adjustments via laptop instead of at the dealership. It would be great to be able to make adjustments as you need them, rather than having to deal with dealership issues...

In fact, does anyone know here we can find a list of adjustments that are possible? I know day headlamps, volume adjustment, a few others so far...

 

There is no volume adjustment as part of the "Vehicle Programming"

http://www.alldata.com/tsb/BMW/11334...102/index.html

Page 4 is where the settings start, also dealers should not charge for these changes, regardless of when they are performed. According to the TSB above.

Also the third line of the first paragraph on page 4 states:

"Vehicle Memory" includes program functions activated regardless of the vehicle key being used.

The keys for the MINI have no memory function, BMW yes, MINIs no.

Steve

 

I think it was already mentioned that MINI beeps when you hold the key near the egnition. I just discovered something else related to that. If you lock the car with you key from inside and hold the key near the egnition for a couple seconds, it'll unlock. This is how MINI probably ensures that you don't lock yourself out. This wouldn't help if you'd leave the key on a seat or the floor as it would be too far from the streering wheel.

 

Can you lock yourself out with only one key, I've tried, assuring I have my valet spare in my pocket and could manage it.

 

mielnicki
After this thread I went and dug out the manual and found the (short) list of dealer-enabled tweaks to vehicle memory. Of course, this entails GOING to a dealer...ha

 

Yes, open the passenger door or boot, lock the car with the remote, toss in the key and shut the door (or boot). You just locked the key in the car!

Rawhyde

 

Right, although it's tough to do that by mistake.

 

Never underestimate the consequences of not paying attention to the little things. All it would take is a hot babe walking past you while putting something in the boot and voila! you're locked out.

 

wow this thread got way bigger than i thought it would!!! Let's keep it going!

 

Until last night, when I used it for the first time, I didn't realize how handy a cargo net, combined with the four hook loops in the boot, could be. Transported sloppy Indian food with narry a drop spilled by toppling over via my excessively sharp turns.

Cool!

 

just noticed on my '04 MC that when you turn on the overhead center dome light it also turns on the boot light and the wheel well lights, but if you turn on either of the overhead side reading lights it does not turn on those other lights

 

To shut off the automatic interior lights, press AND HOLD one of them for a few seconds. Now, they won't come on when the door is opened.

This is handy for tailgating, or for car shows where you have the car opened up, so it won't drain the battery.

Press and hold again to switch back to normal mode.

 

why dose the MCS have a jack ?

 

For instance, I run 15" holies on my car in the winter with all season or blizzak tires. So, I need the jack, also, they realize that you will not always be driving on Run Flat Tires. So, someday you may need a jack.

Or if you didn’t like that scenario, When I go to the dragon next year, I think I am going to be bringing one of my winter tires with me incase of a blow out. This gives me the advantage of simply swap and go. Sadly with 1 wheel different than the others.


~Neal

 

I didn't know the fuel door locks when you lock the car.

Didn't know that the windows go down automatically when you give the switches a quick hit.