I have an 06 MCSc and the arm-rest is a joke. When I look at it's made so cheaply but try to buy one..big $$$... It looks like it will break if I put any weight on it... the seat crank handle is so big how can your pants leg get caught in that thing,plus it doesn't have any sharp angles .... all I can say about that is cut it off( your leg not the hand crank). ....

 

I hate to point out the obvious:

1. Clo: of course your pants don't get snagged. You wear skirts.
2. LAGuy: you are in LA. Wear shirts. Problem fixed.
3. If you really "love" your Mini, you can drive naked. Pant legs don't snag, but you better not have leatherette.

 

You know, now that you mention it, I do think my pant cuff did get caught once or twice, but for some off reason that hasn't happened for years. Did I change my pant style? Did I change how I got out of the car? Not sure, but study the situation and see if you can figure it out.

 

I drove my MINI for a while without an armrest. I missed not having one and bought a $50 "elbo landing device". It's great, use it often and can even shift gears while my elbo is resting.

The factory one looked kind of flimsy to me, but some of the aftermarket ones appear much stronger.

 

yeah my seat height adjuster hasnt been a prblem, and i dont have an armrest :(

sorry to do a quick hijacking but as to the height, i like it low from a performance perspective because it lowers your center of gravity, but i like it high because it makes the car feel narrower (which i like a lot) i usually keep it mid way for the perfect in between feeling.

anyone else though find when the seats higher the car feeels smaller and narrower

 

I have the OEM armrest...I would have to apply a significant amount of elbow pressure to open it accidentally. The armrest could be defective if it slides open too easily. Mine snaps in place, and pretty much stays in place. If mine were to easily open (like if I would lift up the armrest and it just slides open, that would be a problem), I'd have the service guys check it out the next time I have my MINI serviced.

 

I have a problem with the height adjuster snagging on straps. When I get in the car, I might put a computer bag, tote bag, or knapsack in the passenger footwell area (often more convenient than using the boot, and putting the bag on the seat itself may trigger seatbelt warning from the weight sensor). When pulling the bag out, a stray strap frequently catches on the height adjuster. When my wife gets in the passenger seat, she puts her purse or briefcase at her feet and again the height adjuster frequently catches on a strap. Its shape and position make it prone to happen. Looking from above, lever protrudes outward and has an open L shape that makes it act like hook. A strap can easily get behind the leg of the L and catch when the bag is pulled. They should have shaped the plastic to make the lever U shaped instead of L shaped (viewed from above) which would have eliminated the problem.

 

LA guy...
Here's what I did to the left side awhile back....If you cut it, place a protective cover between the lever and seat...Dress and radius the lever and with a dab of adhesive cement, force a 7/8 inch rubbber chair cover over the end.....There still is lots of leverage to move the seat up-down.....And as an added bonus, you can bring the left leg back against the seat...

As for the armrest..don't have one..don't need one..

 

Now THIS has happened to me quite often as well... I use a backpack for my work laptop and it hooks up like this abot once a week. Never really bothered me enough to consider it a design flaw or anything, though...

 

Hehehe... That's how I roll in my F150, but the F150 pedals move closer her as well... And she can't drive stick, so I rarely adjust my seat hieght. Never had a snag when I do rarely adjust it though.

 

Wow, so many replies.

It's a 2006 MCS.

Getting used to the height and the door itself and getting out has taken some work. The Mini is lower on the ground than my Jetta, and I don't know how to put this, but I feel like the seats are closer to the "hinge" of the door, positioned more towards the front of the car, if that makes sense. The end result is, I feel like I am "farther" from the door when I am getting out, and that I need to open the door wider to exit. It's been a problem so far once or twice in packed parking garages.

I am shocked this crank isn't a problem for more people. No I don't wear baggy pants! We're talking very normal jeans here. It seems like I have to turn around so much to get out the door, it almost takes effort to avoid brushing my pant leg against it as I get it. I'm average height (five ten) so I don't think I have the seat in some weird extreme position that exacerbates the problem.

If it keeps happening, I will follow the advice of snapping it off and adding the rubber safety thing.

Don't knock the armrest! I drive automatic and live in LA - LA traffic, long LA commutes. That is the place I put my elbow so I can rest my head on my hand and chill out. Two big reasons I got the Mini - I wanted something fun for when I take my tensions out on the road in spirited fashion, but also have a nice comfortable attractive car to relax in when stuck in traffic.

 

Man, I am loving this post. Lot's of great stuff but this one is tops! I can picture it now...

 

I had the same problem with the arm rest but like Paul! the problem cured itself. I have no explanation why it now stays closed. In fact it used to open under acceleration!

 

I may snap a pic of my leg snagged on the crank and post it, just cause...

 

Now I am understanding better your complaint. You come from a 4 door sedan (Jetta) and you are just getting used to going in and out of a 2 door car.

2 door cars have inherently long and big doors and the MINI is no exception. When you park in a tight space you have to leave enough room between you and the next car (Or wall or obstacle), otherwise it is nearly impossible to open the door much less have enough clearance to exit the car.

Also the sport seats in the MCS have humps at the bottom and back of the seat that you have to go "Over" them, not "slide in and out" as you probably were used to in the Jetta, because those cars have flatter seat cushions (I know because at times I used to drive a 2002 VW Golf GL 5 door).

So you have 2 new things to contend with until you adjust. The "humps" in the sport seat and the long doors of the MINI.

I don't know how tall you are, but 2 things help:

1) Try to adjust the seat height to the highest position possible. The lower you have the seat, the harder it is to get out, IMHO, but you could be different.

2) Try to find a comfortable driving position. Don't drive either too close or too far from the steering wheel and pedals. The MINI is a car that was designed for an upright seating position, not a NASCAR or Formula 1 seating posture. Try to keep a distance of at least 10-12 inches from the steering wheel's airbag to your chest and your arms should have a slight bend at the elbow when the tips of your hands' fingers touch the top of the steering wheel.

3) Also, make sure you have a slight bent at the knees when depressing the pedals all the way down to the floor.


The MINI, with both doors open a full 90 degrees, is longer (In width) than it is in body length from front to back.

That should give you an indea that the MINI has HUGE front doors, bigger and heavier than most midsize sedans.

TIP: When trying to squeeze in and out of your MINI in a tight parking space, lower the window(s) all the way down. It makes it a lot easier to either enter or exit the car. You can do this on a space as small as 12 inches between you and the next car. Try it!

 

Ignore the armrest 'playa haters'! The ones that say that the armrest has no place in a MINI are typically the very same who say that an automatic MINI isn't a 'real' MINI. (And I can now officially say from experience from driving the lowly auto CVT to the very spirited JCW, they're *all* MINIs!!)

I recently upgraded from a Cooper w/ an automatic CVT transmission to a 'S' JCW with a manual transmission. I too have to deal with miles upon miles of (DC beltway) bumper-to-bumper traffic almost daily, so I kept the armrest as an option. I absolutely don't regret doing so. It's great for resting my, err, arm () while sitting in traffic, and when I'm on the twisties or other spirited driving, I can swing it up and back out of the way.

Anyway, hope you figure out the pants issue, and enjoy motoring!


-Paul!

 

I had the armrest problem when I first got my car and it was a bit of a pain. Now, not so much. I guess I just have adapted to the car. I a tall so the seats are all the way back and all the way down, the armrest is a lifesaver. Most of my miles are highway miles and I love the function and the form of the armrest.

As for my pants...not at all.

 

Hmm I don't have a problem with either of those. My armrest stays closed when I want it to and I've never snagged on the height adjuster.

 

To complaint A: Had the same problem with my OEM armrest. Niello replaced it under warranty, and the new one hasn't slipped open in the past three months.

To complaint B: First time I've ever heard that one. The seat adjustment handle is completely out of the way for my wife and I.

 

My arm rest gave me fits the first month but now I don't even notice it and it doesn't slide open. I don't know if it's because I learned how to use it without making it slide open or it got used to me.... I think it often was because I was pushing it with my elbow when I put my arm down on it without knowing it. I don't know, but it doesn't happen now and I'm happy with it.
The only issue I have with this one is the handles on my purse or umbrella which I might stick down there getting caught on it. Never a problem with the pants, but then we wear shorts here 10 months out of the year so it isn't much of an issue for us.[/quote]

 

I have heard of the pant-snagging issue. Someone was going to try and see if there was a way to flip the little handle on the lever around, but I never heard the outcome of that.

As far as the armrest goes...I know SOMEONE had a fix for this. It involved velcro or something.

Hopefully both of these people have solutions for you and can post them.

 

I did have my pants snag when I first bought the car. It was so long ago, I don't remember if it was all pants, or just slacks with cuffs. anyway, like any new item, it took me a while to develope the proper techniques and now it's a non-issue.

Maybe just time will solve it all! Like 7 series owners learning iDrive!

Matt

 

I have had the pants snag many times, not really a snag but the lever goes up the pants leg.

I tried an experiment today to see if I could determine when it does it.
In my case it only happens when I can't open the door all the way and have to snake my leg out real close to the seat. Then the pants hang up.
That is why it only happens every once in a while to me.

Bill

 

I totally agree with you on both accounts.

I have a '05 S. The armrest comes open all the time. I have gotten better at how I rest my arm (when I do rest it) and kinda pull it forward when I take my arm off to close the rest if it opened any.

On the pants issue YES!!! absolutely. I have this issue EVERY time I get out of the car. It is so frustrating! I wear normal, straight leg jeans. It's like they purposely designed the handle to catch my pants. I keep trying to figure out a way to remove or change that handle. It is so annoying - I feel your pain.

 

set your seat hight how you like it, then hack-saw off the lever! No snags at all!

Kind of irreversable, but it would get the job done!

Matt