i did it in my r56 when i first got it now i do not. however when i drive my wifes r50 i try to put it in to 6th gear witch as you is reverse

 

I've done it a few times on my MINI, but fortunately the car always beeps once at me when I put it in reverse, so at least I have a warning.

 

i did it the first time driving stick on a public road also.
scared the beegesus out of me

now from a dead stop i always shift into second, then go straight up into first.
been doing it for a couple months now and its not a hassle anymore

 

I haven't done it at a stoplight. Only a couple of times when I first get in and start her up forgetting which gear I left her in. Sometimes 6th, sometimes R.

This is one thing my last car (SAAB) did get right; there was a locking ring under the ball of the shifter that needed to be lifted in order to get to reverse. Very nice. Simple yet effective.

 

I haven't done it yet... but I'm very paranoid about it (at least during my first 2 months of ownership)! I wish MINI had an "dummy-proof" lockout system like Mazda. On Mazda 6-speeds, you have to physically push "down" on the shifter and then slide it into reverse. I believe Subaru uses a locking ring that you have to pull in order to engage reverse.

 

The car beeps at you when you do it?? Mine doesn't...was that a dealer option?? Are you sure it's not the other cars beeping at you?

 

Lol - No, I'm sure it's my car beeping at me. Since mine is a convertible, it has the PDC (Park Distance Controller) that warns if there's anything behind you while you're backing up.

The dealer can adjust the volume of the PDC warning "beeps", and if you have the volume adjusted to maximum, the system will also give a single "beep" whenever you put the car into reverse, whether there's an object behind you or not.

I couldn't find the feature documented anywhere, but my wife and I have identical 2006 'S' convertibles with all the same options, and mine beeps upon engaging reverse, while hers doesn't. The only difference I can think of is that I asked the dealer to set the PDC volume to max, while hers is just set to the default.

 

Uh huh....riiiiiiight.....OR you're just hearing the car "talking" to you in your head.... (I'm just kidding!)

 

Did it in my test drive before I realized the Reverse was next to 1st. He pulled it around so I didn't have to find Reverse right off the bat. I found it by accident. :P

 

I hope I never do that ,

 

Its funny because this is the first car i have done it in,,, maybe not paying attention, because i always bark her in reverse in the drive way

 

I've hit reverse when going for 1st a few times, but I'm pretty good at avoiding that now. Also, I was doing a bit of canyon strafing the other day and kept mistakenly going into the reverse gate while trying to do a 3-2 downshift. VERY annoying. I agree about the need for a lockout, VW also requires you to push the stick down to get to R.

On a side note, the first time I borrowed a friend's Passat 6MT I kept trying to back of of the parking spot in 6th. It took about 4 stalls before I figured out what was wrong.

 

I too have done it a few times. That first week or so I was getting used to it... I'd end up in reverse when I didn't want to a few times and on the flip side, I'd hit the "fence" and have a hard time getting into reverse.

But, just the other day, i trying to rush to get to 1st to hurry into a parking space, right into reverse it went.

After the first time, the car never actually moved. I've figured out what 1st and reverse feels like and if it does end up there I just start over.

 

Yup, once. That one experince learned me well. It's odd becuase I've never once done it in the 530i, although you do have to go a tad futher to the left in that car.

 

I'm just getting to some old threads, but I had to laugh at your reference to your 530. We have one, too, but it's automatic (boo). On the other hand, the BMW immediately before the MINI ('94 325i) was a 5-speed and had the same reverse pattern. They got it right on that car--don't know why the transmission is so sloppy in the middle and reverse gears in comparison, but it's way too easy to get it wrong.

I'd give anything to swap out gears (and add the extra one)! It's my biggest complaint in 1 1/2 years and 28,000 miles.

 

It's even easier to do with a short-shifter mod on the MINI.

How do I know this? Don't ask...

 

No, but I've had plenty of drivers go reverse in FRONT of me.
Not cool, man.

 

Well I don't have my MINI yet but I have thought about this a bit. I am going from using a 5-spd for the last 10 years and am afraid I will mistake 1st gear for reverse.

 

I haven't done that, but going from ten years of driving with Japanese 5 spd shifting patterns to this, I have put it in 6th when looking for reverse. So did my buddy when he test drove my car around the block.

When I drove the two demo cars at the dealership, they both had a lighter resistance point keeping it from going into reverse when compared to my MINI. On mine, it's strong to the point that it's almost overkill. Not sure if this was a deliberate change in late 08's or if it's just a statistical outlier.

 

it happens

 

Yes, my R56 threw me a few times coming from an R50 since R was flipped to the opposite side. I don't think I was ever in motion, but I had to check before launching that I was in the right gear...and a few times I wasn't!!! Didn't cause a problem though.

Why, you ask?? Well, many years ago I was at the drive-through teller at a bank and in the next lane a guy in a little car (not sure what) got his money and in pulling off he somehow got into R instread of first and backed right into the car behind him!!! I saw the whole thing and never forgot that crunching, carnage, and utter embarrassment!!!

I seldom confuse first and R now (got my R56 is a May '07), but I'll keep double checking.....it certainly could happen again!!!!!

 

I will admint...happened more than once..

 

I have never done it in any other car but my Mini, I caught it in a second, but with all the people who love my @ss so much they get on it...

(Thought to self) have to get the bumper sticker "if your going to ride my @ss, atleast pull my hair"LOL

 

Reminds me of the George Carlin routine where he's talking about pulling up too far at a stop light, backing up a little bit and then forgetting to take the car out of "reverse":

"You're *literally* an 'accident waiting to happen'!"

 

I haven't heard the routine, but don't laugh--this is EXACTLY how my MINI got a new bumper several months ago! Here's what happened:

I was at a light with a notoriously short green, on a small street entering a major street in our area. The woman in front of me pulled out into the intersection, got the yellow, but decided not to continue ahead. (No, I don't know why, either.) She started to back up. I saw her, backed up behind me as far as I could, and allowed her to fit in. The light cycle continued. When it was again OUR turn, she--and I'm not making this up--forgot she was still in reverse, and...

I saw it coming, couldn't go anywhere, fully laid on the horn, but couldn't do a blessed thing about it. Except collect the money for the repair. At least she had insurance.

The surprising thing about it all is that she was driving a SAAB. Not that there's anything inherently good or evil about SAABs (I've had one), but that they are quite rare in this area. I see maybe two or three a year. Usually--usually--they're driven by people who know a little about cars. That's a judgement call on my part, granted, but I think you'll admit they're not generally driven like the neighbor's Toyota. Unless you're in Sweden...