What, the hill assist works great. You should take it to the dealer if it's not working correctly.

 

I don't get the controversy here at all. I just act like it isn't there. Just seems like it gives you a slight margin of error. I've been driving manuals all my life too. This seems like all upside. Don't understand what the problem is.

 

It sounds like yours is broken!

 

Hill Assist is essentially transparent to me. I'm used to driving on hills using a manual transmission without something like Hill Assist (but I have resorted to using the hand brake, if the incline was steep enough to warrant), so it's largely a "safety net" for me in case I'm a little sluggish engaging the clutch/gas.

I agree with others: if yours isn't holding for a couple seconds, there's a problem with it somewhere.

 

I'd love to disable mine, too if it is possible. At first it really freaked me out everytime it would hold for me. While I've gotten used to it, I would still rather not have it. I also don't like the idea that I'll get too accustomed to it and will lose the skill for myself . Kind of how I've forgotten all the phone numbers I used to have memorized because I let my phone do the dialing now.
Annette

 

Hill-assist has saved my butt a couple of times when tailgaters were just inches away on steep grades. And I wonder if it isn't saving wear on my clutch every day by eliminating that moment of slippage.

 

When I see people creeping up behind me on an incline, I just let it roll back towards them. 99% of the time I'll see their car's nose dive from hitting the brakes.

 

I do that as well, works great! If you can't see my tires touching the ground, you're too close!

 

I've driven maunal cars for 25 years. My CM with HA has got me pulling away on hills like I'm a student driver. I have stalled the engine 5 or 6 times in the first 3 months of ownership. I have also burnt the clutch 5 or 6 times....since I'm so paranoid now of having another stall on steep hills. I'm really stressing out.

While coming out of an underground parking garage with wet ramp and trying the pull away from a stop on the steep slope, the CM stalled...with a line of cars behind me and no room for slip back. Restarted with handbrake on, gunned the engine popped the clutch while simultaneously releasing handbrake and I felt what seemed like all four wheels screeching on the wet ramp...back end started drifting the left as car slowly started forward.
While it's fine to say just turn off DSC or wait 2 seconds to disable HA...in reality you don't have time to mess around when at a hill with cars right on your rear bumper and the lights changing. You've got to know how the car will respond to throttle & clutch release without the randomness that HA introduces. Gotta find a way to kill it...

 

Moi aussi.

 

Have you taken your MINI to the dealership to see if the hill-assist is broken?

 

As the OP of this thread, i have sense taken it back to the dealer and they consistently tested it with me in the car. The SA was having issues too just to rule me out of the picture. For S&Giggles we took out a new one and we both had issues. The SA was stumped and has said he has never felt it act this way before. Granted we had to run around and find a hill that we could try it on.

He did say there is no way to disengage it. He said that he would place a call into corporate and would let me know if he heard anything back. Well its now the end of September and nothing......

It seems to be progressively getting worse. if your on a steep hill and the roads are damp forget about getting anywhere. I often find my self waiting for two seconds and once it releases catch the car with the ebrake. Something is seriously wrong but it seems that all 2011's have this issue.

I dont get it , theese cars are so sophisticated there has to be a way to disengage it like a chec box in the dealer diagnostic software. it has no longer become an annoyance rather then a safety issue. I HATE IT. Audi's have a way to dis engage it. There service advisers have the option in there diagnostics software

 

Agreed, I'd be willing to bet that yours is faulty. The fact that it's causing braked wheels to drag is a dead giveaway. I'm also fully adept at driving a manual and starting uphill, and I never really notice the feature. Well, I DO notice it... but only when (for example) I'm trying to coast back a little further into a parking place or something, and I have to wait a couple of seconds for the brake to release. But other than that, I find it completely unobtrusive and there are times when I appreciate it.

Spridget

 

So weird....I love the hill assist. Not having it was one of the most annoying things on my old car.

 

Its not meant to act as a brake to hold you in place. Its for temporary assistance on a hill. If you shift properly then you shouldn't have a problem.

 

I do proper hill starts (with the hand brake) and I hardly ever notice that it exists. I certainly don't have dragging wheels, or stalling issues.

 

In my research, looks like it maybe possible to permanently disable it. If anyone has NCS Expert and knows how to modify the VO, and a manual tranny you can try adding the following to both copies of the VO string in CAS and FRM:

DSC7

Then "default" the vehicle. This retrofit is described as "HA deaktiviert" I am not sure if this is correct, but you can easily reverse this if not.

 

I agree it sounds faulty. This is the first manual I have owned that had HA, but I almost never notice it. I just shift on a hill the same way I did without HA and have no problems (and I frequently drive in San Francisco on some of the hilliest strets you are likely to find). The dealer needs to fix this!

 

Same here. First car I have driven with it and it was just a pinch disconcerting at first but now that I am used to it it's great and works well. Lets me relax more when going up a hill. We have a lot of em here in the Great Pacific Northwest.

 

I really don't notice it either, just seems to keep the car from rolling back a bit, other than that it doesn't get in my way at all.

 

One thing I notice on my 11 that I did not on my 08 is that it releases the brake as soon as you apply throttle.

 

I might have found a suitable work around for those that hate HA. Today I was stopped on another steep incline waiting for the light. I went straight to the handbrake to apply it fully, then took my foot of the brake pedal while still holdinjg the clutch in fully...so that only the handbrake was holding car. The delay after taking my foot off the brake until the light turned green was well over 2 sec...so I knew the HA would not be engaged....and I was able to pull away nicely while feathering clutch/throttle and dropping the handbrake when feeling the clutch bite...Exactly as it's supposed to be done!

I'll need to try this a few more times to test what happens if I release handbrake prior to 2 sec delay after foot brake off...does handbrake by pass HA right away? Even if not, I suspect just having the extra insurance of not slipping backwards if HA were to release before clutch bite or a stall...might be worth it to always use handbrake on hills like I have always done.

 

I know a suitable workaround.... Learn how to use your brake/clutch on a hill... You'll never know the hill assist is there.

Don't blame the tool.....

 

With the proper skill level it is not necessary to use the e brake on any hill with or without the hill holder assist and without any damage to the clutch. It just takes practice. I live in the Seattle area and we have REAL steep hills in the city, (I mean real steep, like SF steep) and I never have a problem starting the vehicle. In my Mini or my GTO. The GTO has no assist at all.

But I'm an older guy and have been driving for 40 years mostly in manual transmission cars.

I don't mean to be saying this in a bragging way just that with the proper practice and as you gain skill the E Brake will not be necessary. (Neither is the HA but I still use it when driving the Mini. It's a convenience that I love to use since it is there and works well.)

 

As I have stated in my previous posts...I am not a rookie manual driver...30+ years driving only manual cars in all conditions. It has only been with the newly purchased Mini Countryman S All4 that I have ever had problems on hill pull aways with the HA active.
Please stop telling me (and others here) to learn how to drive manual cars. It is insulting.

Perhaps this is a CMS thing...being a heavier car with similar power...it needs more torque to pull away cleanly than a MC or MCS. If I rely fully on HA...the car regularly stalls or I over compensate and cook the clutch. HA makes me rush the process because I don't know if it's going to reach the 2 sec timed release before the clutch bites. Using the handbrake gives me back full control of the process and everything is just fine.

Not using a brake on the steep hill pull-away is not only a bad habit but also against most driving regs in most places (try passing a driver's test with that technique).