I've noticed when I activate the windshield washer, it looks like there's mist coming from the front of the car. Do MINI's have headlight washers??

 

Some do.

Dave

 

have you already checked your headlights?? pic below snagged from the net for reference:

 

Fed law requires all factory installed H.I.D. headlights to have auto-leveling and headlight washers or wipers.

 

Looking at your gallery you have headlight washers.

 

Do you people EVER read the hand book?

 

Federal nannies keep adding more required stuff in order to save us from ourselves, at what point does it become impossible to find room for PEOPLE? The more things you add, the more things there are to go wrong, where will it end?

 

Seriously?!

I did not know that. Are those requirements really important/necessary?

 

We will all be riding in automatic cars piloted by Google satellites with our feet up long before they run out of interior room, don't worry!

 

If that's the case, I am violating this so-called Fed law by having not chosen the washer option.

 

HID headlight washers are required by law in Europe, but not required by US regulations.

We get them anyway because MINI doesn't make a separate version of xenons without washers.

 

It sure does look like you have washers from your gallery photo.

 

Yup, those look like washers to me!

 

Too bad nothing is connected behind them. I didn't want to spend the extra $100 (I think it was). I have the lighting for rear fogs too but... do not have rear fogs because I didn't want to spend the money to have them enabled. Rkw is correct. MINI makes only one version of many parts for the sake of simplicity. When you "order" that function, it is just enabled. At MotD in May, Way will enable the rear fogs (I changed my mind) with only a toggle and some minor programing.

By the by, whoever complained about the evil gubment forcing rules and regulations upon auto manufacturers obviously would not mind his kids in a car with no seat belts, safety glass, functional firewall, airbags, rearview mirrors, safe fuel tanks, impact standards, etc, etc. I'm thinking Pinto-like... maybe Corvair. These items were all mandated in the name of safety and have kept many many peeps from being killed or maimed. Kinda like the whole clean food and water thing or, in the case of my job... Airplanes not smacking into each other on a daily basis. Anti-anti government rant off...

 

It is NOT an option. If you have factory installed HID/Xenon lights you will have the washers. They do not come with the standard halogen lights.

 

Seriously, you are going to tell me what is on MY car that I ordered from the factory??? On the 2011's it was an option. The light housing is the same for all Xenons but without paying for it, there is no plumbing there. What part of that escaped you? Gonna tell me that I don't have rear fog lights/bulbs even though I never paid for the option?While you were looking at pictures of MY MINI, did you happen to notice that I have actually changed the headlight bezels including the covers for the washers? I know what parts and pieces are on MY car.

You have officially bored me.

 

The washers are to reduce glare caused by dirt on the headlights that would diffuse the light and make it appear as more glare to on-coming cars.

The auto-leveling is to assure that the HID lights will always be properly leveled regardless of the load in the car. Upon start-up the cars automatically senses the compression of the suspension and adjusts the vertical axis of the lights.

Both of the features were required the reduce the perceived glare of the brighter and whiter HID lights. The bluer the light color, the worse the perceived glare to the human eye. This is a great web site about headlights, glare, and headlight alignment.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/

 

I didn't notice this before, but headlight washers are now a $100 option (see the MINIUSA configurator). This seems to be a change that started with the 2011 refresh. In previous years, xenons automatically included washers. I guess MINI decided to cut the cost for countries (e.g. the US) where it wasn't legally required.

 

That's actually not correct and hasn't been for several years... You can get MINIs today with the Xenons but not get the washers.

But the law was changed a long time ago - I have Xenons on my 2009 GTi not only do I not have washers, I couldn't have gotten them if I had wanted them...

 

Learn something new! I didn't realize that they are now an option in the USA. Perhaps they should let the dealers know that there is no law. A buddy of mine traded in his truck with hids he upgraded himself and the dealer called a few weeks later wanting the old ones because they couldn't sell it with the after market upgrades.

 

There has never been a law in the US requiring washers. MINI has been using European spec xenons (with washers) on US cars.

 

That may be true... I've also been told that there was a law - but when I got my GTi back in 2009 without the washers I just assumed that the law changed... Either way I know that currently there is no such law...

 

I didn't notice that you are from a warmer climate and would not have the "cold weather " package. With the CWP the headlight washer is a no charge option.

As for changes in the law concerning washers ....... Oh well. That might explain why so many of the cars on the roads today have so much glare. Our friendly govt looking out for us, yet again. Next thing you know they will be coming after our guns ................. Wait a minute, they already are.

 

Even that's not correct at least with the Countryman - I just ordered one with CWP and the washers were still an extra charge...