This seems to go along with what I've read too. I had the autolocks set in my R53 because when the key is taken out, the doors unlock. I heard a statistic somewhere that said doors are much more likely to stay closed if they are locked in an accident so thats reason enough for me to keep them locked. Although it is annoying if they won't unlock when the key is taken out.

 

I'm not sure. I know that the "Idiosyncrasies Of Your New MINI" document talks about the locking system, referring to unlocking the doors. The last part states "Note: If you don't like this idosyncrasy, talk to your dealer. They can reprogram the automatic locking system."

The reference to 'locking system' seems to suggest that this would be the auto-lock, as opposed to methods for unlocking & opening the door, but I may be wrong.

 

As noted, the doors are unlocked AFTER the impact, not during. Do me a BIG favor, LOCK your doors. The insurance institute has been doing a VERY poor job of educating drives in this respect lately. They focus too much on seatbelts now. In the 70's and 80's, they were pushing very strongly to "lock the doors while moving" cause back then, nobody locked the doors and they released a statistic somethin like 1 out of 2 HWY deaths were caused by people being ejected from the vehicle with the doors un-locked. Yes, you read the statistic correctly.

LOCK your doors when driving.

 

not to stir the pot or anything, but wearing your seatbelt dramatically decreases your chance of being ejected. i work on an ambulance and see it all the time; the car will be absolutly totaled, and the driver walks away.

 

But how many people back in the 70's and 80's WORE the seat belt??? That statistic is flawed.

 

in our R56, when I use my FOB I do not need to pull the door handle 2X to get out. When I use my wife's FOB I do. I believe it is setup through the turn signal staulk on the column. Thru the set/info options. The salesperson set it up while showing us how to use the car.

 

My november 2006 build r56 s unlocks when you eject the key from the ignition 'slot'. but sometimes (2 of 10 tries) when i eject it, it doesn't unlock.

 

Ever see the internet video floating around the last year or so, of the Taxi driver falling asleep at the wheel, WITH his seat belt on? The mini camera was mounted on top of the rear view mirror looking back into the car, so you could see driver and passengers in back seat (although there were no passengers at the time of clip), it was there for security and taxi co. to monitor drivers... anyway, the car goes off veers of the road, and rolls over. He slips right out of his seatbelt (properly worn), and bounces around in the back seats area hitting against the doors of the car like a ragdoll. The doors were locked, and stayed shut. He survived.... Had the door he opened, he was a goner.

 

Yes, you should lock your doors AND wear seatbelts. Yes, there is that occasion every now and then when a seatbelt didn't help. Just like, occasionally brakes don't stop you in time. The fact is seatbelts DO save lives and reduce injuries. Almost daily I read in the paper about the deceased child/mother/spouse/carjacker ejected from a vehicle "was not wearing a seat belt." My first wife was a paramedic and often said, "I haven't get pulled a corpse out from his seatbelt."

 

Not sure why people hate the double pull, I think it's pretty sweet. Nothing like the confusion on a passengers face when they pull the door handle, it doesn't open, they try to pull the lock stalk thinking it's still locked, but can't, and then stare at me with that ??? look. At that point I say, just pull the handle, they do, it works and then they walk away muttering something about how they thought they already tried that.

 

well the car i'm driving now if the door is lock i have to hit the switch to unlock it. so i'm not worried that i have to do that in my mini, i don't even have the option to pull the door handle to unlock it. i will set up my MINI to lock at 10 mph.