Nice looking car! I like the white top and mirrors. And we share the leather and wood steering wheel.

Judging from my own MINI, packages are not stated on VID decoder sites. Instead, the individual components that any packages included are listed seperately.

Climate control in the R56 is not "dual" (as in seperate settings for driver's and passenger's sides). Automatic vs. manual climate control can be recognised by being able to set a target temperature shown in a display. Yours should be automatic.

If I disconnect the battery in my Mini, then the light and rain sensors need an initialisation period afterwards. During this time, automatic wiper functionality defaults to intermittent and automatic lights defaults to lights on. This is also the case when the sensor harness at the front windscreen is disconnected. The sensitivity for the rain sensor can be set in the menu (though depending on dirt and conditions overall it does indeed not always work to perfect satisfaction). Check your owner's manual on how to set it.

 

Scudder44 -

THANK YOU. You saved me from a hellish scenario due to your advice to get the timing chain slack measurement done right away.

Got the measurement taken today. 1st measurement was .9mm out of spec, 2nd measurement was .3 out. Was told to change out the chain, tensioner & (possibly) guides within 2000 miles MAX to avoid failure/problems. NOT happy about it - but VERY happy that I avoided catastrophe, thanks to your advice.

You are an asset to this community, and you have been a GREAT help to me. I owe you one. If you ever want a guided tour of Redwood country, it's on the house. :-)

 

As per the armrest advice by Capt_bj and giorgos posted above - I appreciate your well-informed replies, and I thought I'd post a followup, both for your benefit and for anyone else looking for a "firsthand armrest upgrade opinion" based on advice received here.

First off - I did order, receive & install the non-OEM armrest that Capt_bj shows in the reply above (the 2nd one as mentioned previously). This is "supposedly" the armrest that many dealerships installed as a retrofit (afterthought, not factory installed). Whether this is actually true, I cannot say - but I CAN say that after some research I decided I did NOT want to spend the big $ on the OEM factory armrest conversion, especially after reading all the complaints about the sliding top cushion.

I have no regrets AT ALL, I got a great deal on a VERY lightly used armrest and I LOVE it. Super easy install, took less than 10 mins. Maybe not as strong/stable as the factory armrest, but plenty sturdy enough for me. In my opinion, it is *perfectly* placed for comfortable driving. The cushion material's texture exactly matches the armrest material on the doors, but the door armrests in my car are gray and the center armrest is black - which, in my case, looks better, as my seats are black. Got lucky, I guess.

No sliding pad to become annoying, small but functional console storage space (no USB), unobtrusive support frame, easy to avoid when pulling or releasing parking brake, positive-lock on lid to avoid spilling contents when lifting to vertical position, never gets in the way of the rear cup holder. Apparently, I'm in the "non-OEM armrest" camp, 100%.

Anyway, thought I'd share this info & opinion, just in case anyone could benefit from it - and to take the opportunity to thank those who have offered their advice here. I really do appreciate your taking the time to reply, and I really am listening!

THANK YOU

 

when I bought my 2025 Mini a few months ago, The original detailed window sticker was in the glove box. I was shocked to learn that the armrest was optional equipment, and priced at $250.00,😳 what!?

Kat

 

Yeah, factory options can be shockingly expensive - and shockingly poor quality, sometimes. The 2007 model year OEM armrest has a TON of complaints out there for the sliding cushion which seems to have a life of its own (it moves around at will, apparently). But if you had to retrofit that OEM armrest after the fact, I promise you, it would cost A LOT more than $250.

But I love my new, non-OEM armrest - which cost me a small fraction of the OEM price, and took less than 15 minutes to self-install.

I drive like your grandma (but a little faster & safer ;-) ), and without the center armrest I felt like I was always in a rush - but now that I can rest both elbows and relax, I love the car even more. Add the value for price & ease of installation, and it was a "no brainer" for me.

BTW Katgirl, I see you're from NorCal - are you a member of the NorCal Mini Club? If so, did you do the Avenue of The Giants event? If you did, you passed right thru my home turf.

If not, I also invite you for a guided tour of the Redwoods.