When I took delivery of my Cooper I was told exactly what those were. The led is as you suspect, a pre-wired alarm indicator. Why you would need an alarm with the computer chip key is beyond me, but hey, whatever. The oval is a pre-wired microphone for a hands free cell phone. Your suspicions have been confirmed.

 

OK. I've asked the dealer, I've consulted the manual, no luck. There are gadgets in my Cooper that I have no idea of their functionality. First is the round alarm-indicator purple-led-looking located in the middle of the dashboard, right in front of the windshield. Could it be pre-wired alarm indicator? My Cooper was produced on 6/18. The other thing is almost a European style cellular car-microphone looking oval shape device located to the right of sunroof opening button. It has the same shape as the sunroof button.

If anybody could shine some light o it I would greatly appreciate it.

- Karol

 

Ok! Great news. So now, where do I find instructions on hooking up my cell-phone to the car's sound system? And, if the car is pre-wired what kind of an alarm will it accommodate?

 

Karol, I was told by the dealership that you only can get their alarm installed otherwise it voids your electrical warranty. Whether this is a scare tactic to get you to buy their alarm, I don't know.

 

>>Karol, I was told by the dealership that you only can get their alarm installed otherwise it voids your electrical warranty. Whether this is a scare tactic to get you to buy their alarm, I don't know.


Yea I heard the same thing. It's even in (one of) the manuals about voiding the warrenty.

 

>>Ok! Great news. So now, where do I find instructions on hooking up my cell-phone to the car's sound system? And, if the car is pre-wired what kind of an alarm will it accommodate?

Good question. Are you able to hook your cellphone to the hands free system? I vaguely recall someone saying that was only for a dealer supplied cellphone and hookup... or was that the Mercedes coupe I drove before the mini? Has anyone used the hands free feature? Does it work with any cellphone? Sure hope so-- I went with the standard, so won't have a free arm to use phone.

 

My Father owns a BMW X5 and the cell phone hook up was a dealer installed option and it works in with the radio. and my Dad also had to get a BMW phone (its just a little motorola) so it hooks up with the car.
My brother also works in BMW so he told me the phone hook ups are the same.
-Hope my input could help you

 

The purple bump is for the transmitter in the remote key. It could also be used for a future alarm upgrade. They cell-phone thing in the roof is a FUTURE feature. It doesn't exist functionally yet, but they put that thingy there so you can pay for the upgrade when they finally come out with it and it will be much easier to implement into any MINI. It's not available yet.

 

does anyone know if the cell phone thingy can be converted into something else? ie, taken out and a switch added for some other purpose?

 

>>The other thing is almost a European style cellular car-microphone looking oval shape device located to the right of sunroof opening button. It has the same shape as the sunroof button.

Are you speaking of the empty oval which is located symmetrically opposite the sunroof button? My dealer told me that it was for the sunroof button on right-hand drive cars (British).

 

The LED in the Dash is the pre-wire for an alarm, not yet available. Not all MINI’s were prewired! Most manufactured for delivery before June 2002 do not have the prewire. Those people if they want to have one installed are looking at an expensive installation if it wasn’t prewired. Those who received their cars in May with expected delivery in June/July are a hit and miss. Mine arrived early but it is prewired I met a Cooper owner who got hers in June and hers is not. The parts department was surprised that mine was prewired.

When I picked up my MINI the dealership said that the oval thing is a filter for the air. I didn’t challenge her about that since she was so cute. I know typical guy.


CooperS D.Silver/white, bonnet stripes, rally lights, P and S packages

 

>>When I took delivery of my Cooper I was told exactly what those were. The led is as you suspect, a pre-wired alarm indicator. Why you would need an alarm with the computer chip key is beyond me, but hey, whatever.

---

Uh, how about because the computer chip key just keeps someone from starting the car and driving it away. It doesn't do anything if someone breaks into the car or tries to tow it. The alarm will go off in those scenarios.

 

The oval thingie in the roof is the phone mic as stated. The purple nobbie on the dash is for the climate control, or so my dealer said. apparently it is a Temp sensor for the interior of the car for your auto climate control. Hate to contradict people but that is what I had heard

 

Sorry I forgot, the led for the alarm is on the windshield wipper stock.

 

>>The oval thingie in the roof is the phone mic as stated. The purple nobbie on the dash is for the climate control, or so my dealer said. apparently it is a Temp sensor for the interior of the car for your auto climate control. Hate to contradict people but that is what I had heard

Climate control right under the windscreen? That seems kinda silly if you ask me...

Rocketboy_X

 

Climate control according to the manual is located to the right and to the left of the auto climate controls, just above the windows toggle switches.

 

Yes sorry yet another correction. It is for the climate control, but it is a sun sensor. It will adjust how fast the fan is running when the ACC is on auto according if it is in direct sunlight or not! Play with it to conferm

 

I was told by the sales person that the thingy on the dash was the alarm prewire, as stated, and that the little venty thing on the ceiling opposite the sunroof switch was the temperature sensor for the automatic climate control. Interesting that the dealers all have different stories. Oh well, as long as it isn't the eject button, I should be OK.

 

This has been discussed in detail on mini2.com. The purple LED thing, as previously posted, is not an alarm prewire it's a sensor for sun intensity (actually ultraviolet I believe) that has an effect on the auto A/C fan speed, etc.

The little oval is a grill cover for the mic for the not-yet-available hands free telephone option.

 

BTW-according to the MINIUSA.COM web site, the purple button is in fact for the climate control.

It is right under the windshield in that it determines if the car is in the sun or not. When it detects strong sun, the fan on the ac will kick up slightly.

:smile:

 

Note that you can see some of these things if you don't have the feature that's tied to it.

 

oh rocket1...u r correct.... ithe purple nobbie is indeed... the climate control sensor
i confirmed it...today w/ a phone call to my techo geek....service dude...
Peace
D

 

any idea how much it will cost for the dealer installed alarm when it comes out?

 

>>Sorry I forgot, the led for the alarm is on the windshield wipper stock.
It is not the LED, but the sensor for the alarm that you are talking about...I know because I tested it. It is up on the dash, I turned on my alarm while sitting in my car. When brought my hand near it, the siren went off.

 

In the "Top 10 Idiosyncrasies of Your New MINI" folding card (that came from MINI with my Unauthorized Owners's Manual) it is Idiosyncrasy #4.


There you go folks. It doesn't mention the Mic, but there seems to be less controversy on that.

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Pure Silver w/ black MC, Premium, Sports, and Cold-weather pkgs, CVT, + NAV system - and that little shark-fin antenna! (too much fun!)