I don't if this has already been mentioned but the On/Off button becomes illuminated when one locks the car. In fact, the only thing lit when I lock the car is the on/off button.

I think I know why it was designed this way.

A potential car thief looks into the car to assess whether or not it can be boosted. When he/she sees the on/off button, it is immediatly clear that they will not be able to start the engine by breaking the ignition or hot-wiring it. At night, it is not easy to see the button unless it illuminates to make it visible.

 

Not sure I've ever seen one on a first gen

 

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

I posted this to the wrong sub-forum.

I was describing my 2010 R56.

I should have posted in the "Things you don't know about My <2nd gen.> Mini" thread.

 

Haven't seen this posted yet...

When you hit the lock button on your fob (when the car's already locked) your dome light comes on for 10 seconds or so... turns off automatically.

 

In other countries, like England, the diesel version is sometimes refered to as the "Dooper". The first time I noticed this was around New Years, and I thought it was a cheap shot at Dicck Clark.

 

Someone said "The UNLOCK button when held in will roll down all the windows and open the sunroof unless it has been de-activated"

Now my Mini doesn't do this.

I just brought a used 2006 Mini Cooper and non of the convenience things as describe in Manual work. How do I reset or set these setting in my MC 2006.

TIA

 

That has to be activated by the dealer.

 

Well Dealer is asking for $180 + Tax to activate it.

 

That's BS. It should be only $50 to program a feature.

 

So is the deal that Gen 1 does not have the secret glove box compartment?

 

Correct - but the Gen1s do have the secret "rattle".

 

And some are lucky enough to have rattleS.

 

what do you mean by the secret "rattle"? Can't think of anything that would make such a noise.

 

I have but one...the right up post that used to hold the cup holder...i removed the cup holder, and most of the rattle went away...now just need to loosen it up and slip some rubber in there or something...

 

I have the back hatch rattle....

C ya,
Dutch

 

I have the boot, sunroof, and moving dash rattles. Depends on how much the sun can warm up the interior. Just turn the radio up a little higher.

 

behind the dash and by the sunroof control is where mine rattles. But I can only hear them while stationary.

 

My dash makes a noise, but it's more of a creak than a rattle. I can make it stop by applying some pressure on the airbag panel over the glove box with my hand. I like your solution. Works for me, too.... :D

 

Just to throw in my two cents, I have the 'B-Pillar seat belt anchor rattle' on both the driver and passenger side.

 

You can shim the bottom of the "down tubes" with a little black or silver felt, took care of mine...

As for things OTHERS don't know about your Mini (which may be the title of another interesting thread), it was great when, after church, I jump-started a friend's car from the BACK of my Mini! Many questionning looks...

 

Good tip on the down tubes--thanks!

They gave you the hairy eyeball, eh?

I love that the battery's in the back, easily accessible without having to dink around under the bonnet with the hot engine. In AZ in the summertime, avoiding heat is a full-time job....

C ya,
Dutch

 

On the R56's the battery's in an equally unusual location, under the hood (front) but up high, passenger side, essentially under the windshield wiper. This is both odd, and puts a bunch of weight up high - but does mainly avoid the "hot engine" issue!

 

While the battery is in the back, it is really more safe to use the positive lead under the bonnet (in the little plastic box next to the air filter). I may lean that way more because my boot is filled with stuff and I have to dig down to get to the battery.

call it spade: Your rattle under the sunroof controls may actually be the deflectors above. They put some foam there to apply pressure so they don't vibrate against the sunroof. After a year or two it needs replaced and the rattle goes away again.

 

This, from “MINI: An Intimate Biography”… ten things you didn’t know about the legend behind the legend:

1) Issigonis's first design sketch for the MINI was actually drawn on a napkin in Switzerland. (Aren’t most great ideas originally sketched out on a napkin? A cocktail napkin, no doubt?)

2) In 1961, race driver Stirling Moss was banned for a year for speeding in a MINI, allegedly while testing it for a Sunday newspaper article. (He is a race driver, isn’t he? What did they expect him to do?)

3) In 1964, BMC tested a 2.3-litre MINI with engines at both ends. It was so fast development was dropped. (Both ends? Wonder how fast it went in reverse?)

4) Rumor has it Issigonis designed the door bins in the original MINI to hold a bottle of gin and several tonics. Or maybe it was just pints of milk. (You can’t keep a good Brit down, can you?)

5) How many people can you fit in a MINI? The record is 66, apparently. (Any takers?)

6) Longest Mini convoy? 269 cars. (We know, we know… you’re working on it, right?)

7) Joanne Westlake was the first person to be born in a Mini. (Guess naming the baby Issigonis wouldn’t have been prudent.)

8) Actor Kevin Spacey once paid $130,000 for the last classic MINI Cooper to be built. (Hey Kevin – they’ve improved it since then!)

9) Most famous death in a Mini? Marc Bolan of the band T Rex, who was in a crash in a 1275 GT. (Had they changed the door bins, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened!)

10) The breathtaking escape through the Turin sewers by gold bar-filled Mini Coopers in The Italian Job was actually filmed in Coventry, England. (That’s why they used Charleze Theron; to keep our eyes off the scenery!)

 

Some of you say that if I want to get the trunk shelf off it can go under the seat or something. Can you explain, maybe with a picture?