Wow...in such an incredibly cool car ('08 Oxygen Blue Mini), how can the turn signals be so crappy? Switching them on is always annoying...sometimes it works, but if you don't hit it just the right way, it doesn't work. Then you try to switch it off and the opposite turn signal is switched on because you hit it wrong. My husband drove the car and was also shocked at how bad they were. My 2000 Beetle had better signals. How can THAT be?


Sharon

 

how do you have them set on the half stop position? One flash or 3? ..check your settings. If set not to use the 3 clicks, they have to be pushed harder to fully engage.

 

Will that also help turning them off ... because 7 out of 10 times, when I try to click off the signal, it jumps over and turns on the opposite one.

 

It does take getting used to like other things with the mini. To turn it on you have to pull the stalk past a tactile click otherwise it will just flash the signal once, or three times if you have it set to. The 3x signal option is very useful especially when just changing lanes.

To turn off a fully activated turn signal, you have to gentle and not full extend it past that tactile click otherwise it will activate the opposite turn signal. Even more confusing, you can also deactivate the signal by just nudging it in the same direction again.

Every other car I've driven keeps the stalk in the up or down position so there is no confusion when it's on and how to turn it off back to neutral. The tactile click option is just as annoying with the windshield wipers IMHO until you get used to it.

 

I agree 100%. Not to mention, I have accidentally used windshield wiper fluid on my rear window so many times that I've probably run out of it already after having the car for about 3 weeks.

 

I had difficulty with it at first, but now find that I like it. As said, set it to three flashes. Then for a lane change just give it a nudge. It will flash three times and turn off.

For a turn, push it all the way. In most cases it will turn off at the end of the turn, as do most turn signals. If you need to turn it off manually, give it a nudge in either direction.

I'm told that all BMWs are like this.

 

Hmmm. I'll agree the BMW/MINI interfacing isn't always the most "normal", however once you purge yourself of past habits and learn how the new system works, it's very easy. I recommend an intimate read of the owners manual; I'm sure there are a few things you'll learn that are unique and fascinating.

 

After all the effort you put into the car purging old habits, your mind convinces you even more that the mini is the love of your life (not unlike marriage).

 

I hate it.
I find myself wishing there was a retrofit kit to make them operate "normally"...

I guess that's pretty minor considering that's the ONLY thing I don't like about the car!

 

I'm almost completely baffled as to how people are having a problem with these turn signal stalks. And this is coming from someone who owns an R50 and has only driven the R56 a couple times during test drives. I feel that it's quite an intuitive design and it only took me a few minutes in the car to become completely comfortable with them. One light push in either direction flashes the signal once or three times depending on the setting and then a slightly stronger push past the detent and the signal is fully "on." It only took a couple seconds of trial-and-error before I realized that pushing the same direction on the stalk would cancel the turn signal flash. Brilliant, that.

This week, I had a 328 loaner while my car was in for service and I almost wanted to keep the car, if only for the turn signals. In fact, I like them so much, it almost made up for the fact that the BMW had an automatic. Almost...

 

I love it and now think "normal" cars are strange...

 

I like them too. They seemed weird at first, when I test drove my friend's Mini. But only a few times and they seemed just fine.

If you are having trouble canceling and turning on the opposite signal, press the lever the same direction to cancel instead of the opposite direction. You're turning left, left signal blinking...you can press the lever for a left signal again and it cancels.

 

dont worry, hang in there for the first few weeks of solid driving. You will come to love it and think other cars are plain dumb.

 

How is it intuitive to push the signal in the same direction to cancel it??

The R56 turn signal stalk is bat sh%# crazy. It's over-engineered. Turn signals have always flashed before the detent, and with "normal" signals you control the number of flashes as the situation warrants, without having to program yet another computer setting.

 

My R53 was in for some service and they gave me an R56 as a loaner. The turn signals were extremely annoying! They never worked the same way twice. This is a great example of BMW's mindset -- take something simple which is basically perfected and then redesign it adding needless (and poorly implemented) automation.

 

+1 on the wiper comment. They're a piece of cake.

 

I have an 07 R56 and I like the way the signals work. I have them set for 3 blinks on a lane change and really don't have any problems. It seems like the siganals on my other vehicles are weird now. Try being a little more gentle rather than just whacking it to signal a turn.

 

The familiar style turn signal is just a habit -- like slowing down for curves. You'll get over it

 

Because if you have your left turn signal on, for instance, then you push the turn signal to the "left" and it will cancel, and you don't have to push the stalk to the "right" and run the risk of turning on the right turn signal. With the traditional, mechanical style turn signal, I frequently see people over-correct when trying to cancel their signaling and they wind up either turning on the opposite side signal, or flashing the opposite side once or twice.

I don't see a problem with having to change a setting to have it either flash as long as you are holding down on the stalk, or having it flash three times. While I was on a test drive with an R56, I found the three flashes to be ideal, especially since that is what I've been doing on my R50 for quite some time when changing lanes, albeit manually.

I hardly see the traditional style turn signal to be "perfected." I really like the new system as it is more refined and I don't have to listen to the plastic-like click of the stalk as it fully actuates. And after a few minutes of getting used to the design, I found I was able to get the signals to do exactly what I wanted each time.

 

Hitting the stalk in the same direction to shut it off as you did to turn it on is what's annoying to me, as it's just not logical to me (or something I've ever done to use signals before). I"m also used to a less temperamental stalk that will go on as soon as you hit it....which this one sometimes does not. But I am going to switch it to the three-flash mode and see how I like that. Thanks for responding....every little bit of info and opinion helps

Sharon

 

This was one of the first things I noticed on my first test drive and I actually LIKE the idea...a LOT!!

 

I think it's definitely something to get used to. I've driven other new cars (07 Passat comes to mind) where they also programmed the signal to 3-flash lane changes. I think it's great myself, but it took a little getting used to from a traditional turn signal shaft. The feel is different too- I'm sure you'll get used to it.

 

It takes some getting used to, but after a while its second nature.

 

Sharon,
Yeah they do take a day or two to get used to. I think they are perfectly fine. Push all the way down or up to fully engage the signal and when I'm on the highway and change lanes frequesntly I give it a tap and it blinks three times. Its great feature and I havent had any problems yet.

 

Canceling in the same direction is not required. You follks that prefer to cancel in the opposite direction like we've done all of our driving lives can still do that. For lane changes I usually just hold the lever until I'm in the other lane.