Hi folks. I posted an intro in the 1st Gear section, but I thought I should come in here and say hello as well. New-to-me 2014 Coupe S in High Class Grey with black roof. I will be picking some brains, as questions arise. Looking forward to my second MINI experience. Cheers!

 

Ok, so first question: How the heck do you unlock the hatch? It is always locked, even when the rest of the car isn't. Must be a setting somewhere....

 

Hello and welcome. Hit the unlock button on the key fob or just go around back if you have CA ( comfort access) and unlock it by grabbing the pressing the button on the trunk lid grip

 

So without CA, you need to use the fob? The door unlock doesn't do it, just the hatch button on the fob. Bizarre.
Begs the next question then - Can I remove the fob while the engine is running?

 

yep, if you remove the fob while running i think it shuts off unless you have comfort access. I have CA and i dont have a MINI that does not have CA to test.

 

I didn't have CA on my 2014 JCW Coupe. You have to have the fob in the dash slot to start it so you can't take it out unless you stop the car. Once the hatch is unlocked you open it with the trunk lid button. If you lock the car with the fob all 3 doors lock but if you open it the trunk doesn't always open. I THINK that you can program the fob to open all 3 upon unlocking.

 

I actually checked with the closest dealer. The service advisor couldn't find anything, so he asked the shop foreman. Apparently, it's just a quirk of the car. Oh well. German engineering ftw.

 

I see there are threads from a few years ago about speedometer inaccuracy. I notice mine is reading ~4km/h over my actual speed. Has a fix for this ever been discovered, or is it something you simply have to learn to live with?

 

It is normal to have your speedometer read higher than actual speed. There is an industry standard which calls out zero negative tolerance on speed readout at the speedometer. That means ALL vehicles speedometers read high by a slight amount.

 

My Lexus was within 1km/h. I've not had another car that is off my this much. My normal cruising speed here is 98km/h in an 80 zone on county highways. I've always been in the top 5 percentile of traffic. Now, at that cruise setting, I'm getting passed regularly and have 3 or 4 cars piled up behind me. The 4km/h I mentioned was in-town speed. I am imagining that the discrepancy only grows with higher speeds.

 

Reference reading:
http://www.fleetco.co.za/index.php/i...peedo-accuracy

The European standard actually says indicated speed can never be less than actual, and cannot be more than 110% + 4km/hr.
So, if your car is reading 4km/hr high, then its within spec.