The weekend after I saw the PDX group over in Winchester Bay in June, the Roseburg area group took a day trip over there. There was a couple from Drain who had picked up their R56 just a few weeks before.

I asked them about the secret compartment and they didn't know anything about it. When I reached into their car and opened it, they were amazed. I got a thrill that rightfully belonged to their Rasmussen MA, but the look on their faces made for a great moment.

 

OK...here's my take on this feature. It sounds like MINI has made it so you can't open the door, by pulling the inside handle, unless the door is unlocked. Some manufacturers have it, that when the door is locked, you can pull the inside door handle, and the door will open. Ford does this, but, our Toyota does not. My WRX was the same way. Only way to get out was to unlock the doors. Weird, I know. This is all so because the inside door handle is mechanical. It might also be a safetly feature. They don't want you pulling the door handle and opening the door while the car is in motion.

I like the doors to be locked while I'm driving. I'm used to unlocking the doors to get out anyway. If MINI can somehow make it so the doors automatically unlock when you shut the car off, that would be great. Otherwise, from everything that I've read, we are stuck with the double door handle pull or unlocking the doors first, with the toggle switch, then pulling the door handle to get out.

I hope I'm wrong, but someone please let us know. Thanks.

 

Or, you leave the doors unlocked and pull once.

 

Oops...and that too

 

Post of the day!

 

Well, after a week and a half, I'm already getting used to the double pull. No big deal I guess. My Xterra wouldn't open the door at all if it was locked (unless the unlock button was pressed of course), so this is better than that I guess.

 

It's not me I'm worried about. It's the passengers that try to tear the inside door handle off because the door won't open.

Before you ride with me, I need you to sign this contract. You acknowledge that you understand it takes two pulls to open the door and that you'll refrain from any yanks that could damage said door. Sheesh.

 

Like most of you I got sick of this especially with the dealers not knowing how to do something supposedly possible and simple.

I called Mini direct and after two calls to them and they finally talking to two different people at the dealership (Southbay) the service manager called me back and said he spoke to the field rep who told them how to do it.

They have to program the fobs to have the car automatically unlock the doors once the engine is turned off as the other posted explained.

So it is possible. Call MiniUsa if you have to and have them call their dealers.

Also I was told my gas tank is NOT 13.1 gallons but 15.1 gallons and all the manuals are incorrect. Anyone else heard of this?

 

Are you sure that's for an R56? There has been no credible information before now saying that there are any dealer-activated settings. That has been for the previous generation only.

Please find out a number from a service bulletin to verify that information.

I would question that, as well.

The MC for the US market was originally listed at 10.6 gallons (40 liters), the same as the UK model. It turned out the USA MCs were fitted with the same 13.2-gallon (50-liter) tank.

I have not read any information saying the US tanks are larger than that.

 

Sowellman. Yes I'm positive its the R56. You can call MiniUsa to verify about the fob/programing

I started another thread about the gas tank. People are already saying its larger than 13.2

The dealer got a bulletin.

 

That's good news, then. Thanks for the information.

That would be interesting, too. The only talk I had seen about that was people commenting that you could get more than the stated capacity because it didn't include the filler neck.

 

Where's the problem?

 

Thread hijack...

Why is it called a secret compartment? It's in the car's brochure you get at the dealer...not much of a secret.

 

Because it blends in to the dash so no one outside the Mini community knows it's there. For the dozens of people who have ridden in my car over the past four months, no one guessed there was an extra storage compartment.

It's basically the same as the key holder above the back driver's-side wheel well. Oh, maybe you knew about that, too, already.

 

SWEEEEET!. That's exactly what I want. Turn the car off, pull out the key fob, and BAM!, the doors unlock automatically. I will definitely find out about it from my dealer. Thanks Nui!

 

So have you had this done?

It wil be on my list when I pick up my car.

 

We take it in next Monday. I'll update everyone. They're sure it will work after talking to the Mini factory rep.

 

NO! My MA could not figure it out. Yeah Nui, let everyone know. I told my MA to find out how. I'm callin him next week anyway so I'll see if he's figured it out yet.

 

Bad sad news. Our Mini dealer is a disaster. We took it in for a 2nd time with assurance that they can do it.

Nope.

The main service man wasn't there and the person handling the department who clearly was in over her head hadn't a clue. Even though we set this up weeks ago. First it was "the service guy is off today" then I suggested they call him it was "Oh ok they have to reprogram the car. It'll take an hour" Then the call came in "Bad news we don't know how to do it. The instructions were for the older cars". Even though Mini USA claims its very possible.

What a wasted day.

Short answer: No one knows how to do this.

 

I think this is a case of people at corporate confusing the R56 for the R50/52/53.

 

I can't believe this is so much of an issue. This shouldn't be that hard. BMWs have been doing the auto unlock for quite awhile.

If you've got a neophyte in the car who's unfamiliar w/ the double pull the best thing to do is just hit the door unlock toggle. It'll save you both some frustration.

 

Been doing that. Its a pain. I don't understand how dealers can constantly say, "Its a new car. We don't know much about it". Well what have they been doing for the past 9 months...?

 

I ordered an R56. I got a "Mind meld with your MINI" email a couple of weeks ago that let me choose some preferences that my dealer could program. One preference was for the fob unlock button: one press to unlock both doors and hatch, OR first press unlocks the drivers door, second press unlocks the other door and hatch.

If this is the dealer-adjustable option that MINI USA is referring to, it doesn't sound like it has anything to do with "auto-unlock on stop" - it's just for unlocking the doors from outside using the fob.

gl

 

Hopefully by the time I pick my options and place my order my dealer will have a clue. Or they'll get smart and change the default behavior for this. I can't think of any rational reason to think we'd not want our doors unlocked when we turned the car off. Unless they think all of America is a high crime zone and they think everyone's afraid of getting carjacked.

 

I was painfully clear with miniusa. This is too bizarre no one can get a straight answer. Do the MA's even bother to learn about these cars?

How can a service person with a straight face tell me these cars are so new that they don't know much about them when they've known about them since last year and they've been on sale since Feb....