personal bump: great thread, thank you everyone!

 

I just filled both up. Was rear washer an option? Mine doesn't squirt.

 

You have to have your high beams on

 

I was told the headlight washers activate on every 4th pull of the lever when the lights are on.

Paul

 

When you park and leave your MINI in public parking it quietly invites larger vehicles to share the unused portion of it's parking space. What a polite car.

BTW: Just because I don't take up the whole parking space doesn't mean you can have what I haven't used. F'n @$$holes. People need to learn how to park

 

I'm in the habit of not pulling all the way into a parking spot because I hate "stealth compacts" when looking for a spot. I'm pretty good at leaving the back of the car even with the big vehicles that may be parked around me.

One day I come out to the car after grocery shopiing and there is a standard sized four-door sedan parked in front of me. (I had pulled into a spot with a different car in front of me on the way in.) The car was pulled all the way up to me, so about three feet over the line in the parking stall. How in the world did they not notice that they pulled three feet past the car they were next to?!?!?!

Another time I found a parking spot with a shopping cart in it, but at the front. I pulled in and fit behind the shopping cart. As I was leaving a minivan pulled up and was waiting for the parking spot. I had to laugh as I was pulling away because they would not fit with that cart in there. I wonder if they sent someone out to fix it, or if they blamed me (I never touched the cart!)?

 

It happens to me all the time and I hate it. I mean, How do people not know that they are in MY parking space? There have been a couple times I've been so angry I had to leave notes just to get my feeling off my chest.

And don't even get me started on parallel meter parking.

There was actually a time (6 months after I got my MCS) I was directing a lady into a parallel parking space behind my car. I was helping her because I knew she was having problems getting, and with a new car I was nervous she would hit it. So I help this lady along. And she starts to get into the space comortably so I wave and leave to go the the restaurant down the street from mthe parking space. After an hour I come back to my car and what do I see. Her car tire smashed up aginst the sidewalk, Her car (Lexus GS something50) half in her parking space and half in mine. With her hexagonal license plate screw heads tatooed into my once prestine bumper

That is only one incedent. I hate people who don't know how to park their vehicles. I mean really, I try very hard not to hit your car so please try not to hit mine. And if you don't know how to park, Take public transportation.

And, who the hell are these people who park Diagonally in straight parking spaces?

Sorry I'm having a rough day. I just found out I have to back out of the Dragon this year

 

after 04 the screws holding on the IC cover went from black to silver and from 25 torx to 30 torx.

 

I had this problem all the time with my motorcycle. Some folks would park so close, they were almost touching my bike. Too bad I'm clumsy; more than one fender met my boot while I was mounting the bike. Oopsie!

 

Nope, you don't even have to have the headlights on. The washer will squirt every 3rd or 4th time, even if only the parking lights are on.

Steve

 

i think lights has to be on, car has to moving and 3rd or 4th time the headlight washer comes on. but i'm not entirely sure on that one too.. never seen it in action.

 

Unless they changed for 05+

Try it, sit in the driveway, parking lights on, no headlights, and squirt the windows (enough to activate wipers) do it 3 or 4 times. The headlight washers will fire away.

Steve

 

Hmm... Well just to add to the headlight washer confusion:

I had assumed that my '06 actually had "gunk" detectors built into the headlight housings or were tied into the detector for the windshield. I have only had the headlight washers kick in twice so far and both times I had my low beams on and there was whole lot of salt/dirt collecting on the windshield. I use the windshield washers a good deal and haven't noticed the headlight washers coming on every 3rd or 4th pull of the stalk.

Are mine broken? Not sure if I'd want to get them fixed if they were given the amount of incidental spray they wind up throwing all over the rest of the car (and the cars in the adjacent lanes). The windshield washer are bad enough in this respect.

 

My '06 headlight washers seem to work exactly as they are supposed to. They go the first time I spray the windows in a given trip (assuming I do more than a quick burst) and then every few times after. Often I don't notice them go - but I have noteiced them enough to know it works as it's supposed to.

Also, they work while staying put as I showed them off to some friends. There's even a video online somewhere (probably linked from NAM) that shows them in "action".

 

Hey, I want to see that video.

On a different note, it seems the rain sensor controlled wiper can fall into a 'sleep' mode after not being kicked in for a while. Yesterday there was an extremely light drizzle, at some point it started to block my view and the wipers stayed put. I had to turn it to 'off' then switched back to auto, all of suddenly it started to work. I don't think that's my illusion, could it be that it decides to raise the detection threshold after some idle time?

Another question is, how do you check if the auto dimming rear view mirror works as expected? On my another car I can see a dramatic change when it's hit by a bright light from behind, while in the Mini I can't tell a noticeable difference. The manual mentions another sensor located on the back side of the mirror, what does it suppose to do?

 

The wipers have to be activated (turn off and then on) after you start the car. They do not stay on after the car is shut off so they won't be damaged by accident. (car wash, ice build-up, etc.)

There are 2 sensors on the mirror. One on the back, to sense night or day, the other on the front (glass) to sense bright light from behind.

I ncan tell when my mirror dims.

Steve

 

i thought mine wasn't working as the last car i had with this option was effectively a motorized tilt with accompanying servo "whir" and only two options, on or off. the mini's seems to be a constantly variable dimming. i had an SUV tailgating me last saturday and i noticed the rearview mirror lights were tolerable, but the side view were blinding. then on sunday night i had someone with xenons behind me and the mirror went quite dark as they pulled away i watched the rear view "fade up".

 

 

The climate control system will sometimes not come on due due exces draw on the electrical system. Buttons will not work, nothing! Turn the engine off, then on, everything will is fine. Dealer says this is normal. To avoid, turn off radio and Climate Conrol System before turning off car. Pain in the neck! I wonder if this is baloney. Has anyone else experienced this and what was the outcome?

 

Thank you, I had just posted the problem when I saw this post. The dealer didn't tell/or know about the systems diag test. I'll tell him. Frank

 

I don't have automatic climate control, and I'm STILL callin' B.S. on that one . I think you may have an under-informed dealer.

edit: I remember reading that "random diagnostic check" post and having some doubts about that actually happening. I figured just because MINE didn't require multiple steps to start the engine, that didn't mean it was like that for EVERYone... Who else has a "2 step" startup procedure where you turn the ignition "on", wait, and then lastly crank the engine?? That's messed up.

YMMV, I could be wrong but wow what a nuisance. Does your manual mention ANY of this? Mine sure doesn't.

Tatt

 

My '06 does the red to orange switch even if I start the car right away: the color switch happens after the engine is running. So if orange = diagnostic done, my car can be interrupted and then complete the test.

Maybe it's a software thing? Older software revisions need to not be interrupted?

 

If you take a look at the front seat seatbelt recepticle, there's a patch of fuzzy sticker attached to it. I'm guessing it's there so it doesn't make noise any noise if it bangs on the center console.

But then why does the driver's side has it since it's secured by the seatbelt? I guess it's to make things simpler when assembling left and right hand drive cars.

 

My wife was amused by me for a few days as I was trying to figure this one out. It is a continuously dimming setup, some kind of electro-chemical thing from what I could tell. It increases or decreases a charge which does the same to the level of dimming based on what the light sensors see. I have to admit that I like the convienence pack a heck of a lot more than I thought I would. I got it mainly for the GDO - but I like the mirror and wipers the best!

 

I'm not totally positive about this but I think its to prevent damage to the finish of the center console. The seat beat latches move with the seat so continuous forward and backwards positioning (like when you're sliding the seat forward to gain access to the back) will cause it to rub against the console and potentially scuff/scratch/wear the surface. That fuzzy patch has been on every car I've ever owned including those where there was so little room between the seat and consol that the latch couldn't possibly ever make a sound.