2004 MINI Hardtop 2 Door Owner's Manual

31
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
SAFE SEATING POSITIONThe ideal seating position can make a vital
contribution to relaxed, relatively fatigue-
free driving. Together with the safety belts
and airbags, the seating position also plays
an important role in providing occupants
with maximum levels of passive safety in
an accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimal efficiency, we
strongly urge you to observe the instruc-
tions contained in the following section.
For additional information about trans-
porting children safely, refer to page 38.Sitting safely with airbags
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and all of the
airbags. Always hold the steering wheel by
the rim with the hands at the 9 and
3 o'clock positions to keep any chance of
injury to hands or arms to an absolute min-
imum, should the airbag be deployed.
No one and nothing is to come between
the airbags and the seat occupant. Do not
use the front passenger airbag cover as a
storage surface for objects of any kind.
Ensure that the front passenger is correctly
seated, i.e. that no feet or legs are propped
against the dashboad. Otherwise, leg injury
could result if the front passenger airbag
suddenly deployed. Never let an occupant's
head rest near or on a side airbag because
the inflating airbag could cause a serious or
fatal injury.<
Even if all these instructions are followed, it
cannot entirely be ruled out that in some
circumstances injury may result from con-
tact with the airbags. In sensitive individu-
als, the ignition and inflation noise may
induce a mild hearing loss that is usually
temporary.
For airbag locations and additional infor-
mation on airbags, refer to page 65.Safe seating position with safety belt Fasten your safety belt before each drive.
Airbags are an additional safety device and
work in conjunction with the safety belts,
but do not replace them.
Your vehicle is equipped with four seats,
each of which is provided with a safety belt.
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained –
infants and small children in appropriate
child-restraint systems; larger children and
adults using the safety belts.
Expectant mothers should always wear
their safety belts, taking care to position
the lap belt against the lower hips, where it
will not exert pressure against the abdomi-
nal area.
Never allow more than one person to wear
a single safety belt. Never allow infants or
small children to ride in a passenger's lap.
Do not route the belt across your neck, or
run it across sharp edges. Be sure that the
belt does not become caught or jammed.
Avoid twisting the belt while routing it
firmly across the hips and shoulder; wear it
as snugly against your body as possible and
do not allow it to rest against sharp or frag-
ile objects. Otherwise, the belt could slide
over your hips in the event of a frontal
impact and cause abdominal injury. Avoid
wearing bulky clothing and pull on the lap
belt periodically to retension it over your
shoulder. Otherwise, the safety belt's
restraint effectiveness could be reduced.<
For information on using the safety belts,
refer to page 35.

32
SEAT ADJUSTMENTImportant adjustment information
Never try to adjust your seat while
operating the vehicle. The seat could
respond with an unexpected movement,
and the ensuing loss of vehicle control
could lead to an accident.
While driving, do not recline the backrest
too far toward the rear. This especially
applies to the front passenger side. If you
do so, there is a risk that you will slide
under the safety belt in an accident, thus
reducing the protection provided by the
safety belt.<
Longitudinal adjustment1. Lift the handle
2. Push the seat into the desired position
3. After releasing the handle, apply pres-
sure to the seat to ensure that the latch
engages securely.
Height adjustment 1. To raise:
Pull the handle up repeatedly, continu-
ing until the seat reaches the desired
height
2. To lower:
Push the handle repeatedly, continuing
until the seat reaches the desired height.

33
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
SEAT ADJUSTMENT HEAD RESTRAINTS Lumbar support*You can adjust the contour of the backrest
for additional support in the curvature of
your spine's lumbar region. The upper hips
and spinal column receive supplementary
support to help you maintain a relaxed,
upright posture.
Turn the wheel. The contour is strengthened or weakened.
Backrest tilt 1. Pull up the lever at the inside of the seat
2. Apply weight to or remove weight from
the backrest as required
3. Release the lever so that the backrest
locks into place.
AdjustingTo raise: pull the head restraint upward.
To lower: press the button and push the
head restraint downward.
You can reduce the risk of spinal
injury and whiplash by adjusting the
head restraint to a height at which it is cen-
tered roughly at ear level.<

34
HEAD RESTRAINTS ENTRY TO THE REARRemoval1. Pull up the head restraint, continuing
until it is at maximum extension
2. Press the button and remove the head
restraint at the same time.Installation1. Press the button and at the same time
insert the head restraint in the reception
points
2. Adjust the head restraint.
To avoid possible violation of traffic
laws, never retract the head
restraints unless the rear seats are empty.
Always ensure that the head restraints are
raised before transporting passengers in
the rear seat.<
Easy entryThe Easy entry function includes a memory
for the longitudinal seat and the backrest
positions.
1. Push down the lever at the outside of
the seat, arrow 1.
The backrest folds forward automati-
cally
2. Push the seat forward, arrow 2.
Original position
Slide the seat back to its home posi-
tion before folding back the backrest,
otherwise the seat is latched in at its cur-
rent position. In this case, adjust the longi-
tudinal position manually, refer to
page 32.<
1. Push the seat back into its home posi-
tion
2. Fold the backrest back to the home posi-
tion to lock the seat.
When returning the seat to the rear
position, ensure that no one is
injured and that no objects are damaged.
Engage and lock both seats and backrests
into position prior to driving; otherwise
unexpected movement could increase the
risk of accident.<

35
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
SAFETY BELTS SEAT HEATING
*
To close
Make sure you hear the lock engage in the
belt buckle.
Fasten safety belts: the warning
lamp lights up until after the safety
belt is fastened. An acoustic signal
sounds for several seconds.To release1. Press the red button in the belt buckle
2. Hold the belt
3. Guide the belt back into its reel.
Safety belt height adjustmentUse the height adjustment mechanism to
adapt the safety belt to the ideal position
for your own body:
Press the button and at the same time push
the entire unit upwards or downwards.
Also observe the instructions on adjusting
the seats on page 31.Damaged safety belts
If the safety belts are damaged or
stretched in an accident: have the
safety belt system replaced by your MINI
Dealer and the belt anchors checked, other-
wise the safety function can no longer be
guaranteed. If a child-restraint system was
in the vehicle during an accident, consult
the manufacturer's instructions regarding
replacement.<
The seat cushion and backrest can be
heated with the ignition key in position 2.
Select the temperature setting:
Press each button briefly.
Direct deactivation from the second tem-
perature setting:
Press the button for a longer period.

36
STEERING WHEEL MIRRORS
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving; other-
wise unexpected movement could increase
the risk of accident.<
Adjusting1. Push the locking lever downward
2. Adjust the desired steering wheel posi-
tion
3. Pull the lever back in.
Outside mirror adjustment1Switch for choosing between the left and
right mirror
2Switch for 4-way adjustmentManual adjustmentThe mirrors can also be adjusted manually:
Press the edge of the lens.Electric heating*Both mirrors are heated automatically
when the ignition key is in position 2.
Interior rearview mirror To reduce glare from vehicles behind you
when you are driving at night:
Tilt the lever forward.Illuminated vanity mirrorFrom ignition key position 1:
1. Fold down the sun visor
2. Fold the cover panel upwards.Sun visorsCan be swung sideways.

37
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
MIRRORS VEHICLE MEMORY Interior mirror, automatic dimming*This mirror dims automatically as required.
The mirror becomes clear again when you
engage reverse gear or select position R on
the selector lever.
Keep the photocells free and clean to
ensure that the mirror functions perfectly.
There is one photocell in the mirror frame;
the other is on the back of the mirror.
Do not cover the area between the
inside rearview mirror and the wind-
shield, and do not place stickers or toll tags
on the windshield in front of the mirror.<
How the system functionsNo doubt you have often reflected on how
great it would be if you could configure
your vehicle's various adjustment settings
to meet your own personal requirements.
In developing this vehicle, the manufac-
turer of the MINI has incorporated a num-
ber of options that you or your MINI Dealer
can program to suit your individual prefer-
ences. What the system can doYour MINI Dealer can provide you with
details on the capabilities of the Vehicle
Memory system.
Examples for Vehicle Memory:
>Automatic locking if none of the vehicle
doors are opened, refer to page 24
>Automatic locking after starting to drive,
refer to page 26
>Selective central locking system, refer to
pages 24, 25
>Convenience operation, refer to
pages 24, 25
>'Follow-me-home' lamps, refer to
page 48
>Daytime driving lamps, refer to page 49
>Speed-dependent windshield wipers,
refer to page 51>Setting units for outside temperature
and fuel consumption display, refer to
page 57
>Setting units for display of temperatures
specified for automatic climate control
system, refer to page 71
>Volume control PDC, refer to page 64
>Acoustic alarm for starting PDC activa-
tion, refer to page 64.
This symbol alerts you to Vehicle
Memory functions in the Owner's
Manual.<
After memory functions have been
reconfigured, your vehicle may oper-
ate slightly differently from the descrip-
tions used in this Owner's Manual. If you
decide to sell your MINI one day, please
remember to have the memory functions
reset to their default configuration.<

38
TRANSPORTING CHILDREN SAFELY The proper place for childrenChildren should always sit in the rear:
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in a vehicle is in the rear
seat.
Older children should be tightly secured
with a safety belt, after they have out-
grown a booster seat that is appropriate for
their age, height and weight.
A child sitting in the rear seat and not
properly restrained may place his or
her head on or near the airbag, if so
equipped. For example, a child – even
though belted – may fall asleep with his or
her head against the side airbag. It may be
difficult for a driver to ensure that children
in the rear seat will remain properly posi-
tioned at all times and do not place their
heads on or near the side airbag. Therefore,
we recommend that the rear side airbags, if
provided, be deactivated if you plan to
transport children in the rear seat.<
Child-restraint system in the rear
Children under 13 years of age and
children less than 5 ft / 150 cm tall
should always ride in the rear and the
restraint systems should be secured with
the vehicle's safety belts.<
Younger children should be secured in an
appropriate forward-facing child-restraint
system that has first been properly
restrained. We strongly urge you to care-
fully read and comply with the instructions
for installation and use provided by the
child-restraint's manufacturer whenever
you use such a device.
All rear seating positions in your vehicle
meet the recommendations of SAE J1819,
an industry-recommended practice for
securing child-restraint systems in motor
vehicles.
Exception for the front passenger seat
Never install a rearward-facing child-
restraint system in the front passen-
ger seat of this vehicle if the passenger's
airbag is not deactivated. If you do so, the
child could be severely injured or killed
when the airbag is triggered. Your vehicle is
equipped with an airbag supplemental
restraint system for the front passenger.
Because the backrest on any rearward-fac-
ing child-restraint system – of the kind
designed for infants under 1 year and
20 Ibs / 9 kg – would be within the airbag's
deployment range, you should never
mount such a system in the front passen-
ger seat, since the impact of the airbag
against the child restraint's backrest could
lead to serious or fatal injuries.<