2005 MINI COOPER Owners Manual

87
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
LOADING CARGO
Avoid overloading the vehicle so that the permitted load on the tires is not
exceeded. Overloading can lead to over
-
heating and damage inside the tires.
Depending on the circumstances, this can
result in sudden air loss.<
Determining cargo limit1. Locate the following statement on your
vehicle's placard:
The combined weight of occu
-
pants and cargo should never
exceed XXX
kg or YYY
lbs, as this could
otherwise result in damage to the vehi
-
cle and unstable driving conditions.<
2. Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle3. Substract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kilo
-
grams or YYY
pounds
4. The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity.

For example, if the XXX amount equals
1,400 lbs. and there will be four 150
lbs.
passengers in your vehicle, the amount
of available cargo and luggage load
capacity is 800
lbs.:

1,400
lbs. minus 600
lbs. = 800
lbs.
5. Determine the combined weight of lug
-
gage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step
4
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult the manual for
transporting a trailer to determine how
this may reduce the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your vehicle.
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88
LOADING CARGOStowing cargo >Place heavy cargo as far forward as possi
-
ble, directly behind the backrests, and as
low as possible>Cover sharp edges and corners>Do not pile objects higher than the top
edges of the backrests.
For very heavy cargo when the rear seat is unoccupied, fasten each safety belt in the
opposite buckle. This provides additional
stabilization for the rear backrests.
Securing the load The illustration shows by way of example
the luggage compartment of the MINI.>Secure smaller and lighter items using
the luggage compartment net
* or elastic
straps
>Secure larger and heavier items with
load-securing devices
*. Lashing eyelets
are provided at the inner corners of the
luggage compartment for attaching
these load-securing devices.

Comply with the information enclosed
with the load-securing devices.
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89
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
ROOF-MOUNTED LUGGAGE RACK
*
Always position and secure the load as described above. If you do not, it
can pose a danger to the passengers during
braking and evasive maneuvers, for exam
-
ple.

Do not exceed the permissible gross weight
and axle load, refer to page
143
ff; other
-
wise the vehicle's operating safety is no
longer assured and it will not be in compli
-
ance with the certification regulations.

Do not stow heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment without first
securing them. Otherwise they would be
thrown around during braking and evasive
maneuvers and endanger the occupants.<
When loading a roof-mounted lug
-
gage rack on the MINI, make sure
that there is sufficient space for the move
-
ment of the glass sunroof and that no
objects protrude into the swiveling area of
the tailgate, as otherwise damage can
occur. Do not secure the roof-mounted lug
-
gage rack to the MINI's trim strips or to the
MINI Convertible top. Otherwise, the lack
of a secure hold could lead to damage or
accidents.<
Special roof-mounted luggage racks for your MINI are available as acces
-
sories from your MINI Dealer.<
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OVERVIEW
CONTROLS
OPERATION, CARE, MAINTENANCE
OWNER SERVICE PROCEDURES
INDEX TECHNICAL DATA
91
OVERVIEW REPAIRSOPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
Operation
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92
BREAK-IN PROCEDURES To ensure that your vehicle provides maxi
-
mum economy throughout a long service
life, we request that you comply with the
following information: EngineUp to 1,250
miles
/ 2,000
km:
Drive at varying engine and road speeds,
but do not exceed the following engine or
road speeds:4,500
rpm or

95 mph
/ 150
km/h.
Comply with the local speed limits.Absolutely avoid putting the accelerator in
full-throttle or kickdown position.After having driven 1,250
miles
/ 2,000
km,
engine and road speeds can be gradually
increased.
TiresDue to technical factors associated with
their manufacture, tires do not achieve
their full traction potential until after an
initial break-in period. Therefore drive care
-
fully during the first 200
miles
/ 300
km.
Brake systemApprox. 300
miles
/ 500
km must be driven
before the brake pads and rotors achieve
the optimum pad-surface and wear pat
-
terns required for trouble-free operation
and an extended service life.ClutchRoughly 300
miles
/ 500
km must be driven
before the clutch starts to operate at opti
-
mum efficiency. Remember to engage the
clutch carefully during this initial period.After a part replacementYou should again comply with these break-
in procedures if parts mentioned above
have to be replaced later in the vehicle's
life.
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OVERVIEW REPAIRSOPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
GENERAL DRIVING NOTESParking the vehicle Condensation forms in the air conditioner
system during operation, and then exits
under the vehicle. Traces of condensed
water on the ground are therefore normal.Safe braking Your vehicle is equipped with ABS as a stan
-
dard feature. The best way to brake the
vehicle in critical situations requiring brak
-
ing is to apply maximum pressure to the
brake pedal: panic stop. Since the vehicle
remains maneuverable, you can still go
around any obstacles with the smallest
possible steering movements. The pulsation of the brake pedal, together
with the sound of hydraulic regulation,
indicates to you that ABS is actively taking
effect. Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads, reduce road speed. If you do not, a
wedge of water can form between tires
and road surface. This phenomenon is char
-
acterized by a partial or complete loss of
contact between the tires and the road sur
-
face. The ultimate results are loss of steer
-
ing and braking control.<
Mobile communications in the vehicle
The manufacturer of your MINI

recommends that you do not use
mobile devices, e.g. cellular phones, inside
the vehicle without directly connecting
them to an outside antenna. Otherwise,
interference between the vehicle electron
-
ics and the mobile device cannot be ruled
out. In addition, it is not ensured that the
radiation emitted during mobile transmis
-
sion will be directed outside of the vehi
-
cle. Do not drive through water on the road if it is deeper than 1
ft / 30 cm,
and then only at walking speed at the
most. Otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the
electrical systems and the transmission
may be damaged.<
Clothes hooks
When suspending clothing from the hooks, ensure that they will not
obstruct the driver's vision. Do not hang
heavy objects on the hooks. If you do, they
could injure the occupants during braking
or evasive maneuvers.<
Hot exhaust system
High temperatures occur in any vehi
-
cle equipped with a catalytic con
-
verter. Do not remove the heat protection
plates fitted in the area of the exhaust sys
-
tem and do not apply body-cavity pro
-
tectant to this area. When driving, standing
at idle, and parking the vehicle, take care to
avoid contact between the hot exhaust sys
-
tem and flammable materials, e.g. hay,
grass, leaves, etc. Such contact could lead
to a fire resulting in serious personal injury
and property damage.<
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94
REFUELING
Always switch off the engine before refueling. If you do not, fuel cannot
be filled into the tank and the SERVICE
ENGINE SOON lamp may come on.<
1. Open the fuel filler door2. Turn the gas cap counterclockwise3. Put the gas cap in the bracket attached
to the fuel filler door.
Always observe all applicable precau
-
tions and regulations when handling
fuels. Never carry spare fuel containers in
your vehicle. Whether empty or full, these
containers can leak, cause an explosion,
and lead to fire in the event of a collision.<
Observe the following when refueling
Always observe all safety precautions posted at the service station when
handling fuel.<
When refueling, insert the filler nozzle
completely into the filler pipe. Pulling the
nozzle out of the pipe during refueling:>Results in premature pump shutoff>Will reduce the effect of the fuel vapor
recovery system on the pump.As long as the filler nozzle is used properly,
the fuel tank is full whenever the nozzle
shuts off the first time.Closing the gas cap1. Put on gas cap 2. Turn gas cap clockwise until it clicks3. Close fuel filler door.
Close the gas cap carefully after

refuelling until a click is heard.

While closing, be sure not to squeeze the
strap which is fastened to the cap.<
US models only:
The warning lamp
* comes on.

The gas cap is not correctly closed
or missing. Check if the gas cap is
correctly closed.
Fuel tank volumeApprox. 13.2
gallons
/ 50
liters, of which
approx. 2.1
gallons
/ 8
liters are reserve
capacity.
Do not drive until the fuel tank is totally empty. Otherwise engine
operations are not guaranteed and damage
could occur.<
Fuel specification The engine uses lead-free gasoline only.Required fuel Premium Unleaded Gasoline,

Minimum Octane Rating: 91.Minimum Octane Rating corresponds to
the Anti Knock Index (AKI) and is deter
-
mined according to the so-called (R+M)/2
method.
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