To anyone that has the comfort access:
Do it work on both doors and also the boot?
You can still use the buttons on the fob to unlock/arm/unarm doors and also open the boot correct?
How long is the battery life on the fob? and if the battery does die can you still manually put the key in the ignition to start the car?
Any other gotchas I should know?

Thanks in advance!

Danny

 

There is a key that is in the fob, you just pull it out of the fob if you want to use an actual key to unlock a door. My system pops the boot but you still have to lift it, it doesn't have a motor that lifts the boot for you. Also with comfort access you don't have to take the fob out of your pocket or purse. The car senses the fob and you hit a little button on the handle of the car and it unlocks the car. The start button also works with the key in your pocket/purse. You don't have to insert the fob to start the car.

 

Hi Danny,

It works well, on all doors/trunk. Very convenient to leave the key in your pocket. You also can start without inserting the key.


-Steven

 

Good question on the battery. I should know this, but I don't. The MINI Owners Manual isn't very clear on this. On page 30 it talks about fobs having a rechargeable battery but then separately goes on to talk about the Comfort Access fobs containing a replaceable battery. Whether or not the replaceable battery is actually charging when the fob is in the ignition lock is not evident.

Page 39 says that the Comfort Access battery needs to be replaced "...from time to time." Not very helpful.

 

My SA told me to periodically insert the key into the dash so that it can do it's inductive charging thing.

Also have a 135 with comfort access and neither of it's keys have needed their batteries replaced in 2 years.

IMHO, it's a fantastic option!

 

I think your SA is out of touch with reality. Reading an Owner's manual, I find the following paragraph:

"Each remote control contains a rechargeable
battery that is recharged when it is in the ignition
lock while the car is being driven. You
should therefore use each remote control at
least twice a year to maintain the charge status.
In vehicles equipped with Comfort Access, the
remote control contains a replaceable battery."

You have to read all the way to the end of the paragraph to see that Comfort Access and rechargeable battery are mutually exclusive.

Several pages further on, I find this paragraph:
"The remote control for Comfort Access contains
a battery that will need to be replaced from time
to time."

This subject comes up from time to time, with the wrong advice frequently being given by SA's.

 

It would appear so.

I tried the key without the battery and it was dead.

 

Danny,

I have comfort access .... It opens my door , boot , but it didn't open the passenger door tonight ... Might need to be adjusted in settings ..
I just got the car... Haven't had time to figure it out.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

Paul and everyone ,

If you have comfort access, periodically insert fob and drive with it in to charge..
I had a 135i for 5 years... Had comfort access... Never inserted fob... It went dead... BMW told me to drive with in in periodically to charge...

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

As said above, the MINI comfort access keys do not have a rechargeable battery... Having said that, I had my last MINI for almost three years and never changed it.

 

thanks Jonack, did you get the passenger door figured out? also do you have the alarm system and does it arm/disarm it when you lock it with the button on the handle bar and vice versa?

 

Hi Danny,

According to my MA, Spiney is right ... The Mini fob is not rechargeable ... Will last about three years.. Supposedly easy to change battery.

I do have the alarm system and it sets when I lock the door...

When I open my door , passenger door lock doesn't open ... So I open it from the inside ... Haven't explored SETTINGS yet... Must be able to change and have both locks open... It did on my BMW..

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

Thanks Jonack,
This is good information. I really like your color combo by the way. I think I'm getting ready to custom order mine as well. Did you note how long it took from the time you order to the time you went to the dealership to pick her up? Any gotchas for us newbies?
Thanks for your time
Danny

 

You can change that. I have mine set to open both doors. The settings are a little confusing, but it's possible. It's explained in the manual.

 

Thanks Danny and Spiney...
I ordered the roadster 2/6, I picked her up 4/5.... So your talking 8 weeks ... Again, I'm in the Boston area...
Best ,
John

 

I love my CA but I have recently developed a weird problem. I posted this in the problems forum but received zero replies/ideas. Here is the situation. My fob no longer works for locking/unlocking the doors with just the black door **** button. It works for everything else - can start the car without key in, can open boot with key in my pocket. The buttons on the fob work to lock/unlock the car but I can't use the black buttons on the door anymore. The weird thing is that my wife's fob still works fine - so it isn't a problem with the door buttons. I tried changing the battery too - just thought maybe it was a weak battery - no change.

Any ideas?

 

I have had the same situation approximately four times (total). For me, it is random and not readily repeatable. Just a minor inconvenience but I would prefer that it never happened. May eventually need to get my key replaced.

 

I have found that if I have anything in my pockets or bag that has CA FOB it will act spuratically. I believe things like cell phones and such jam the radio signal.

Also it is more of a problems with the door locks than the ignition.

just my 2 cents.

 

I had CA on my third MINI (Louie will be my sixth!) and loved it. In fact, the CA and MINI Connected are the primary reasons I custom-ordered this car and am enduring the agonizing wait rather than just buying one of the roadsters off the lot. I wanted both of those things, but they never seem to have a stock model with both options.

 

Comfort Access can be confidured to open either both doors or only the driver's door. It is in you settings menu.

 

CA Battery - When the battery is low, your dash will tell you to replace it.

You can pry off the back cover, and inside is a CR2032 battery. They cost about $8 at your local Walmart-type store.

They should last at least 2 years with heavy use. Your dash will let you know the battery is low well in advance of it dying, but replace within a month or two of the initial indication lest you be stuck with a dead battery somewhere.

Once you replace the battery, stick it into the dash, start and stop your mini once, and your remote is re-initialized.