Only thing that drives me nuts is that I can't seem to get enough time driving it.

Check these guys out: http://lightinsight.com/
Got one and instantly cured the stop-light taco-neck.

 

Tell me again what you don't like about the door locks? That's exactly the way they DO work on my car. Are you using the center toggle switch in the row behind the gear shift?

As for your other comments, DID you drive the car, or at least sit in it before you bought it? These are the sorts of things that make you either love the car as-is, or decide to buy a Toyota instead. They are just part of the quirky, historic nature of the car. MINIs appeal to the kind of person who owns a classic car (as I do), but wants something for everyday driving. And I think jbewley pretty much has it right.

As an aside--NOT a complaint--did you know that the gap between the hood and body is in the same location as the pinch-welded seams in the old Mini? That's the sort of thing MINI does--celebrate the history of the marque.

I DO agree with those who want more gauges, especially a temp gauge. As hot as that turbo runs, I'd like to know as much as possible about what's happening under the hood. And those who complain about rattles are also right, although I have to say that after a trip to the dealer a few months ago, I have no more rattles--they replaced the dash after I told them I'd isolated a particularly vicious, long-standing buzz/rattle. Still, my 50 year old Porsche doesn't have any, and I doubt my MINI will be able to say the same thing at the same age.

After nearly 50,000 miles, I have to say that there is only ONE (1) thing that I would change if I lost Zippeee! and had to reorder. I didn't get the rear fogs because we don't get fog here, but never thought about heavy rain, which we DO get. By that time my car was down the production line, and it was too late, and it's really not cost-effective to install them now. That's pretty good--can't say that about most of the cars I've owned over the past 40 years!

I hope you make peace with your MINI.

 

He's right. Go try yours again. Like the other toggle switches, the door lock switch merely toggles the door lock mechanism... up or down, same result, it will operate the locks in whatever direction they aren't currently set in. Press up or down, and the locks will unlock if currently locked, and vice-versa. The light toggles operate the same way. Which way you move them makes no difference. Not particularly intuitive.

I went back and read all his comments, and agree with all of them. Doesn't mean he shouldn't have bought the car (or me either - I knew of all these things before committing) or wasn't aware going in. Let's face it, it's a quirky car in a lot of ways, and virtually all of us are going to dislike some aspects of it for that reason.

 

So, let's get this straight. I'm sitting in my car in a parking lot, and I want to make sure the Boogie man doesn't jump into my car. So, I push the toggle down to lock them. Are you saying that on YOUR car they don't lock this way? Mine do.

Conversely, I'm sitting in the same parking lot and a Greek-god stud wants to get in. I push the toggle switch up, and he sits down. They don't work this way for yours? Unlock, that is--don't get ahead of me here.

Or Hubby wants to put something in the trunk. I'm sitting in a seat--either one. I push the switch up and the trunk unlocks. That's the way it's supposed to be. And it is--has been from day one, and trust me, I use the switch constantly. I don't understand why it doesn't work this way on your car...

 

OK, try this in your car, maybe mine is just different: Let's say your car is locked, and you walk up to it and push the unlock button on the key fob to unlock the driver side door. Now, after you get in, let's say you have to unlock the passenger side door to let someone in you are picking up. You reach over, push the door lock toggle switch "up", and (at least in my car) the driver side door relocks. Now I have to push the door lock switch "up" again to get both doors to unlock. Or I can push it "down" with the same result. Why? Is this something in the programming? Can I change this? As far as Jim's reply, I'm guessing he is referring to the original MINI, and BMW's heritage styling cues. That's all well and good, but I would like the benefit of 40 years of ergonomic improvement please. Even the original MINI's switches were mounted higher on the dash, almost even with the steering wheel. That would be better, maybe they could downsize that awful speedo and put the switches there, a little closer to reach. I DID drive the car by the way, and noticed the funky interior layout, but decided that it was a tradeoff because the car was(is) such a joy to drive. It seems that if people don't like EVERY SINGLE thing about the car, the same question gets asked "did you drive the car before you bought it?" Yes, I did, and it's a great car, but it could be better...

 

Ay ay ay! Do they have these same kind of discussions in the Kia forums? How about just about ANY other car forum out there? I know we probably have one of the most customizable vehicles from the get go, but do we really need to whine about everything? I don't think we can really expect MINI to give us options on every single thing in the car. Okay, the speedo is larger than average; do we really need them to offer smaller ones because some people don't like big speedos? Maybe some of us need big speedos. Oh wait, I was thinking of Speedo.

I am not uncomfortable in my MINI, so I'm not sure moving a switch from point A to point B would benefit from any ergonomic improvements. It might be more convenient, but its certainly not going to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or anything.


As the saying goes, you can't please everyone. And what floats one driver's boat doesn't float someone else's.

 

I wouldn't say that answering the OP's original question is "whining". They wanted to know what we didn't like about the car. I happen to think that mounting switches low and behind cup holders is somewhat illogical. Either mount the switches higher, or move the cup holders. Why put things so close together so as you can't use both easily? Not a well thought out interior, IMHO. I think BMW went too much "heritage", and not enough "common sense". What some call "quirky" or "funky", or "retro", I call "not well thought out". Still love driving the car though, as long as I don't have to roll the windows up or down, lock the doors, rest my arm on the armrest(cause it sits too low), adjust the speed of the intermittent wiper(cause I can't), or carry a drink in the cupholder(cause then I can't reach the door lock or window switches)...

 

I guess I should say that I am happy that my car doors lock themselves once I hit 5 mph and that I got the rain-sensing auto-wiper thingy, so I never have to worry about the intermittent speed of it. My arm hits the armrest perfectly (and I'm 6'-1") and one thing that makes my speedometer much more enjoyable is the factory NAV screen in the middle of it!

And I'm not really defending MINI's design team or anything; it just turns out that I'm not unhappy with where things are or how they work in my particular MINI. I can see how some of those items could potentially "drive you nuts."

Oh, btw, the OP is the scam artist who started the now infamous "Free Classic Mini" thread when she supposedly had a classic she wanted to give away to the first person who asked for it.

 

You realize, of course, that you made me go out on a cold and rainy night to try it. I think I have the answer to your "problem," though. BMWs, and by derivation MINIs, have a double lock system--from the inside, you pull on the door handle once to unlock, and a second time to actually open the door. This is because they automatically lock as you start driving (and yes, you can change this). Now, in your example, when you walk up and unlock it with the key, you've done the first part. The passenger's door doesn't unlock at this point, though--which is fine with me because the Boogie man is far more likely to want to carjack me or steal my purse than Greek god stud. Once I'm inside, though, and stud wants to get in, I simply flip the toggle up two times. And it opens for him.

Having opened it for him, let's say that I'm still sitting in the driver's seat when I realize that it really is Boogie man, though--a simple flip down on the switch locks him out (on both doors).

Does that settle it?

Oh, go to your owners manual and read the part about changing it to one pull to open the door and/or one flip to unlock both doors. I'm 99% sure you can program it this way (make sure you do both keys because they program separately). I don't feel like experimenting with this part, though, because I like it the way it is. It's considered a safety feature, and I appreciate the protection it offers.

I dunno--maybe it's because I've owned BMWs for years, and I'm just used to their ways. It's a habit that simply transfered over to the MINI.

 

OK, one thing I dislike is that when I'm driving at night or when my headlights are on, and I have to clean my windshield with the windshield washers (lots of snow here in CO and road dirt which makes a mess) the headlight washers come on too. You have no choice and you don't know when they are going to activate since it's timed, meaning everytime you squirt the windshield the headlight washers don't always activate, but will on a timed basis.

I just find it very wasteful because of the amount of windshield washer fluid the headlight washers consume. It would have been nice if MINI just made a separate button for the headlamp washers instead of making it part of the windshield washer feature.

 

Nope, not what I said, I guess I wasn't very clear. To simplify a bit, in the situation you just described, what I'm saying is that it doesn't matter if you push the toggle one way or the other - the result will be exactly the same, which is to "toggle" the locks to the opposite state from what they were in. If you do it when the car is unlocked, it will lock the doors.. and vice versa. No matter whether you push up or down, same result.

 

My BMW is the same way (not suprisingly). I think it's every 4th or 5th activation of the windshield washers, that triggers the headlight washers IF the headlights are on. I've learned to not use the washers unless I've got the lights off. Or if the car is dirty, then I don't care either way. The other problem is the headlight washers suck a LOT of fluid.

On the Z4, a relay can be pulled that disables the headlight washers, and a lot of owners yank it. I haven't looked into doing this on the Mini.

 

Well, I have had mine for a month and a half and 2600 miles. I have only very MINOR annoyances, which is rare for me. Every other car I have ever owned has irritated me in some way or another. The MINI has been the least frustrating so far. Here is what I bugs me (and like I said, these are really minor issues).

Guages - I really want oil pressure, boost, and water temp.
Brake dust - I have never seen a car throw up this much dust
Having to hit the sport button at every startup (I drive it in sport mode at all times).
Run flat tires - I am just going to beat the tar out of these and replace them soon.

Otherwise, I am pretty good to go. I have not had any issues with squeaks or rattles or any other quality control issues (knock on wood).

 

Oh, and for those of you who feel that the MINI is an inferior product, talk to me about my experiences with my last GM vehicle... You will realize how good we have it with the MINIs.

 

True, but some things in the car feel like they're that way simply for the sake of being retro. By far, the MINI is a better execution of retro styling versus say the New Beetle, but BMW has definitely made some sacrifices in terms of functionality for the sake of design. I wouldn't mind the window switches on the doors too--and the lock switch, for that matter. Makes sense to me. Plus, when something's in the cupholder, access to these switches is impeded. I guess a few other Euro cars have the central-mounted controls, but door-mounted seems like a more logical place to me.

Another ergonomic failure is the climate controls.

All in all though, minor niggles, I think. It's just the car could have been better if BMW put a little more into the interior layout...

 

CravenSpeed.com has a good system for mounting gauges.

Do what I did. Have the pads replaced with Carbotech 1521 Bobcat brake pads. Almost no dust, and better pedal feel. They don't grab the way the OEM pads do. This will void the warranty on your brake pads and rotors, but to me it was worth it. If you are hard on brakes and expect to wear them out during the 3 year/30,000 mile maintenance period, you could wait until MINI replaces disks and rotors before doing the replacement. After that, the Bobcats should last longer and be easier on your rotors than OEM pads.

There is a circuit you can add to fix this. See this thread.

Got rid of mine pretty fast. Also replaced the very heavy OEM Crown Spoke wheels with lighter third-party wheels.

On another common complaint--having the seat belt alarm go off when you put a bag of groceries, etc. on the passenger seat--Craven speed has a simple solution. This device slips into the seat belt latch and makes the OBC think the seat belt is fastened.



http://www.cravenspeed.com/index.php?productID=234

 

Lack of one-touch sun roof... windows themselves sometimes are one touch, and other times, not... and God forbid, after ya set yer drinks down in the cup holder from the drive thru, ya can't roll yer windows back up! lol What's up with the backwards evolution of the not-so-functional hood scoop? Lack of guages like even coolant temp!

 

wow i was gonna say the same thing! it's so annoying. godammit!
but still i love my mini.

 

There is also a module for 1 touch sunroof. I'm not debating that it should have been included in the first place; that's for another thread.

Keep the complaints coming - I like to know I'm not the only **** one here. I just had my entire roof lining and sunroof PUMA'd (replaced w/ a case # from MINIUSA) and I don't have 1 squeak anymore. Although strangely sometimes when I am in gear and stopped at a light I hear the exhaust "popping" on random intervals.

 

+6 billion! I ripped a great pair of slacks with this exact problem!

 

Hmm, I've never come close to catching pants leg on the seat height adjuster. How tall are you guys, and where is the seat positioned (front-to-back and up-and-down)?

 

I'm 6'2", never had this problem. *shrugs*

 

Jarid=5'4"

 

LoL... maybe that's why.

 

Reason why the MINI is such a "hit" is because of the retro styling not just on the exterior, but the interior as well. The dash layout, especially in the pre-face lift models is reminicent of the Classic Mini's and these switches were DeSiGnEd that way for a reason.

I for one, never want to get into any MINI of ANY model year, and find GM or Ford switches EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR !