carjoy => The middle switch on the panel will also unlock all the doors from the inside.
burley => Double pull of the handle will let you out.

NOT once you lock the doors with the remote - you can lock someone in the car

Locking the doors with the remote disables the door handle and switch functions - really - get up and go try it

 

Maybe it's a programmable option? My car's lock switch is disabled when the remote is used to lock the car, but the two-pull routine on the interior door handle still works. I just tested it with my son in the car.

C ya,
Dutch

 

Just went back out to remind myself - nope, still didn't work - got in, sat down, closed door, hit remote, couldn't open - until I unlocked using remote, or put key ignition (doors auto-unlocked as soon as I slid it in)...

Did you have your key in the ignition, or lock using console button?

(7/02 MCS)

 

Came in handy a couple of times: "Your round, or you're staying in the car" "Yeah - right"

 

Son in car, all doors/windows closed. Hit remote button to lock the car from about 10 feet away from the driver's side of the car. Result: interior lock switch disabled, doors still openable via the two-pull method.

I need to find someone locally to reprogram the car to the option that unlocks the doors automagically when the key is removed from the ignition, so that I don't have to remember to quickly unlock the car with the toggle switch before a passenger rips my door latch handle off trying to get out on one pull....

HTH!

C ya,
Dutch

 

My dealer programed my car to open with one pull. I like it a lot better like that

 

The likely reason that BMW designed the lock system this way is to make it much harder to break into the car. Think about the ways you have broken into a car when the keys got locked inside. A jimmy won't work on these cars. Manipulation of the door handles with a wire hanger won't work (or won't seem to because of the double pull necessary.) You could bust out a window completely but that still doesn't open the doors.
The manual does stress that passengers won't be able to open the doors if locked from the outside (unless they know the about the central lock switch.)

 

You're right. I just tried it again. Locked inside...

 

I locked my wife in today, and she was able to hit the unlock button and get out.

 

Opportunities like that don't come around too often. Sorry you couldn't take better advantage of the situation, assuming your wife didn't know about the unlock button.

 

nice list!

 

What/where is the "secret" compartment?
Is there a place to hide an extra key in the wheel well or something like that? I remember hearing about it but not sure.

Also, is the glovebox A/C cooled? If so, how do you get that to work?

Thanks.

 

I thought the secret compartment in front of the rear wheel was just a joke. I don't have one on my 05 cabrio.

The glove box is A/C cooled. Down in the botton left/back corner of your glove box should be a black dial that lets you adjust how much cool air gets sent to the gove box. Great for keeping things from getting warm.

There are also 2 storage compartments under the bonnet, near the wind shield. I use one to keep seasonal things (ice scrapers) and use the other to keep things warm when on trips. It's great when you don't finish a meal. I just put the doggie bag under the bonnet & it is still nice & warm at the next rest area.

I don't do that too often, but it comes in handy when you need it.

 

Waaah? I dont know if I'd eat anything that was left under the hood with all the oil fumes and toxic residues that live in your engine.

 

I've been meaning to ask this for a long time.
I have an 06 R53. Why is the tachometer apparently equipped with LED redline markings all the way down to about 5500?
I just assumed BMW incorporated one of their features whereas the lines would light up red during winter while the motor was cold. No such functionality though.
Furthermore, I've looked in the manual but this isn't mentioned anywhere, what ARE the RT and the phone handset buttons for on the steering wheel?

 

^^^RT and phone buttons are for blue tooth. Wish I had this feature :(

As your MINI's ECU is updated by the dealer, red line moves accordingly. So if you were to add a JCW kit, I believe red line would be moved up notch or two.

 

Tried to use said feature, nothing ever happened. I suspect I need to buy a very expensive kit from the dealer.
So the redline, as it is, is pretty much what it is at and the rest of the LEDs are useless? Does it ever get down to 5500rpm?

 

LOL, gonna be dutch treat if we ever go out for a meal

 

Man, you just stirred a memory that will be old enough to drink next year....

There was this dive bar/grill right off Route 1 in Morrisville, PA--just across the bridge from Trenton, south of the highway--which had "Dieselburgers" on the menu. It seems the truckers would get a couple, and stash one on the intake manifold to keep it warm until they were hungry later.

I'll have to remember that trick if I'm ever out in my MINI and need to keep something small-ish warm....

FWIW, the one on the passenger's side has a blue shop towel neatly folded and tucked between the brake lines, conveniently stashed for checking the oil.

C ya,
Dutch

 

I would have to guess that this tach is used in the Mini Cooper as well which would have a lower redline indicator. I have never been in one to know for sure, but that could be.

 

Sort of. The steering wheel controls worked with the expensive factory navigation + bluetooth system when new, or with a slightly cheesy looking Parrot system that clips to the dash. But there's a vendor in the UK that sells a kit designed to use the MFSW controls with a hidden control module and it looks quite slick:

http://www.newministuff.com/new/shop...uctshow&id=256

It's about $200 at today's exchange rate.
(If only the dollar hadn't crashed vs every other currency in the world over the past years! Insert standard liberal weenie rant here )

I've read somewhere on these forums that the tach is adapted from (or maybe the exact same tach as) one of BMW's M cars which does have a variable redline. Using this tach enables them to adjust the redline for the JCW kit and Cooper (as mentioned previously) and may save them some inventory management.

 

Well, I'm sure it would have been a good inventory management idea if we got more parts off the M, such as somehow stuffing the SMG tranny behind the I6 motor

 

27+ months of ownership, and just discovered another thing: picking up a buddy the other night, waiting for him to come out of his house and was moving some stuff off the front seat, had turned on the dome/interior light - when he got in the car and shut the door, the lights faded off - had to try it again just to make sure it had really happened like that - cool ...

 

Really?! You're just now figuring that out? Haven't you ever looked back at your car to make sure it's locked?

 

All the time (unless I hear the locks 'click') - I'm not talking about the interior lights coming on when the door opens; I was in the car waiting and had turned them on w/ the button on the light...

IIRC every time I've turned them on I was still in the car and manually turned them off...