Hi there! We have a 2007 Mini-S ragtop (Cool Blue with the blue top and the paddle shift) and it's been a blast so far, but we do have a few questions. Pardon me if these have been addressed; I took a quick look with the Search tool, but didn't see the info I needed.

1. Our gas mileage is really not what we were hoping for - like 19-20 mpg. Most driving is done by mom, who leaves it in full auto mode. She has fun with it, but I wouldn't call her a lead foot by any stretch. For a supercharged car and city driving I'm not expecting 40 mpg... but 19? Even when I drove a mainly-highway itinerary in manual mode, accelerated gently, short-shifted, and came as close to lugging the motor as I dared, I only got about 28.

2. The seatbelts don't retract properly, and sometimes have to be moved out of the door's path before closing it. The belt also sometimes twists inside the little plastic guide and has to be un-twisted.

3. The bottom plastic piece came off the upper cupholder, causing the rest of it to be unusable. I lifted it out of its housing (it comes straight out) but the mount is still affixed to the dash. Is this a warranty repair? Alternately, if we decide that two cupholders are enough for our little two-seater (I used the upper one more for my iPod than for drinks) then is there a way to remove the mount from the dash?

4. Whenever it rains, a few drops of water run off the roof and onto the seat when you open the door. Mom's taken to keeping a towel in the car to wipe off the leather seats when this happens. Is this standard Mini behavior or is there a fix for it?

Thanks in advance!

 

1) That does seem low. I average 26-28 MPG in mixed city/rural highway driving, and on long interstate cruises, I can get close to the advertised 32 MPG if I keep it under 70 MPH. Granted, that's with the six-speed manual transmission, but even in around-town driving, I don't think I've averaged less than 24 MPG. How many miles are on the car, and what grade of gasoline do you use?

2) That's a warranty fix - there may be another twist inside the reel that you're not seeing that's causing the belts to not always retract.

3) The bottom plastic (rubber) piece should snap right back into the U-shaped wire bottom of the cupholder, provided you haven't lost the piece entirely. But if you want to remove the base, open the glove box and remove the two Torx screwed from the cupholder mount. At that point, the mount will still be affixed to the downtube with double-sided tape. I just heated it with a hair dryer and pulled steadily on the mount until it popped off. You can also use some fishing line or dental floss between the mount and the downtube to "saw" through the tape.

4) I haven't noticed that on mine, but it doesn't rain much here.

 

Sounds kinda common for an S-Auto. I've got a non-S and am getting 32 combined, but mainly highway. I have heard that it gets better with time, but...

I've never had the twisting, but they do retract kind of weak. If you've still got warranty, do get it checked. Most likely they'll replace them with out question. Heck, I took mine back for a buzz in the speaker, it was easier for the tech to just replace it rather than try to find the problem (I think it was just a loose connection).

Not sure what came off, but you can remove the cup holder completely, just open the glove box and there are a few screws. The backing will have some adhesion to the pillar, but will come off.

I've learned to move fast. Mine does the same thing. I just deal with it (all over my leg usually)

 

1. The supercharged S doesn't get good mileage. There is in-town driving and there is true CITY driving. My MA says he gets 18 in San Francisco with his S. Even with a non-S cabrio I barely get 20 in city street driving here.

4. Water dripping from the roof is common with convertibles (MINI or not), because of the lack of rain gutter.

 

Welcome!

1. I have a 2008 S manual and get 26 (90%) city and 31 (90%) highway.

2. My seatbelt retracters are a bit weak, but don't let the belt flop or twist.

3. Thanks for asking this question. Now I know how to remove the bracket.

$. The drip is common for most convertibles.

 

I think the steptronic transmission GUZZLES gas.

With mine, I commonly get 20-22 in mixed driving, and mid to upper 20's on long interstate hauls. Granted, I'm a leadfoot, which doesn't help.

Yep, the drip is a "feature"... especially wonderful when you roll down the window at the drive-through in the rain and the drip is a stream.

That cupholder is a crime-against-nature. It was the first thing that I removed from my car - the same day I got it. If you decide that you need more than one, the MiniFini is a far superior solution...

 

Be careful removing it though.. They're like gold on eBay!!! I saw one the other day selling for over $40.00

 

I have a 2008 S cabrio and also the steptronic. Delivered a few weeks ago but first 3 tanks (Shell 93 octane) city driving I am averaging 23.3195 mpg (sorry I have an iPhone app that calculates this). I think your mileage is very low and my S is far from broken in.

Regarding the roof leaking water when opening windows, all convertible that I have owned have done this; Saab, Audi, BMW. Most of us keep a towel nearby.

Steve

 

I have an 05 convertible that drips. Had a 08 convertible loaner that didn't drip. Noticed that Mini redesigned the rubber strip that goes across the top and down the A pillars by adding a cup at the corners to catch the drip. Anyone with the new design noticing a drip? I'm thinking of replacing mine with the new design. Hoping to hear positive feedback before deciding to switch. New design is a retro fit to the earlier models because Mini hasn't changed the part #.

 

Hi,
1) I have a 07 non s MCc and get much better gas milage, most people that I talk to in the Mini group I am a member of all say the say thing low milage with thier MCS's.

2) Haven't had that many problems with the seat belts, do get twisting once in a while, and the slow return of the belt, pecareful of this I chipped the side of the car once when the belt didn't retract.

3) That would be a warrenty repair, but as stated befor the pieces snap back into place. As for removing the cup holder, the one's under the switches are to small for anything, I use one with the ashtray as a coin holder and the other for the cell phone. I use the hanging holder all the time.

4) You are lucky that only a few drops of water, when I open the door on a rainy day it seems that I get river, just keep a towel in the boot and use it on the rainy days.

Mike

 

My 08 drips. I hadn't noticed a "cup." I'll go look in a bit.

 

Thanks for the replies! Our Mini will be at the shop for state inspection soon, so we'll bring up the seatbelt issue and the cupholder at that point. I still may end up removing it, but I'd like to at least have a working one.

Yes, our MCSc is still under warranty. It's an '07. I'll bring up the fuel mileage while I'm at the dealership, but it sounds like the main issue is a combination of the convertible top, the supercharger, the Steptronic, and the city driving.

Is it possible to program the automatic transmission so that D has more conservative shift points and SD is more like D is now? We don't use SD, because we're either puttering around in D or driving enthusiastically in manual mode - so it would be nice for mom to have a mode that can save some gas.

 

my R56 s Drops water every time I open the door, Your clothes mop it up just fine,
I haven noticed it with my 08 R52 S however

 

I have a 74 Triumph TR-6 and it doesn't drip on me when I open the door. However, it sometimes can be a rainstorm inside! Really,it's pretty dry considering.

Perry

 

thanks for raising these issues. those seatbelts are about the only thing i DON'T like about my 05 mini convertible (bought used with low mileage in april). i've got another month on the warranty, so will definitely check that out. i figured it was just an annoying standard problem.

i, too, have the dripping when raining problem, but figured it was just due to the design. still do. nowhere, really, for the water to channel but down on the driver when the door's opening. really not a big deal.