2005 MINI COOPER Page 68

37
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
CONVERTIBLE TOPInterruptionThe automatic movement is immediately
interrupted when the buttons for convert
-
ible top operation are released. The proce
-
dure can be continued in the desired direc
-
tion by pressing the appropriate buttons.Movement is also interrupted when there
is a mechanical blockage. In this case, in
order to operate the convertible top again:1. Turn off the ignition and then switch it
on again2. Press the button to continue the proce
-
dure in the desired direction.
If the convertible top can only be moved in one direction after several
consecutive attempts to operate it, the
convertible top system has overheated.
Allow the system to cool down for approx.
20
minutes while the ignition is switched
on.<
Before the closing procedure is fin
-
ished, do not close the side windows
with the power window buttons. Other
-
wise it is not ensured that the side win
-
dows will close properly against the rubber
seals of the convertible top.<
If the opening or closing procedure is inter
-
rupted by releasing the buttons, the con
-
vertible top stays in its current position for
several seconds before it slowly moves into
a more stable position. The procedure can
be continued by pressing the buttons.
Do not interrupt and restart the clos
-
ing procedure several times one after
another, or the fully automatic convertible
top mechanism could be damaged.<
Convenience operationFor convenience operation using the
remote control refer to page
26, for opera
-
tion via the door lock refer to page
27.
Manual closing in the event of an
electrical malfunction
Only close the convertible top manu
-
ally if it is absolutely necessary. Never
open it manually. Improper handling of the
convertible top can result in damage. Before closing 1. Open the tailgate2. Release the loading aid, refer to page
86
3. Remove the cover from the side panel on
the left-hand side4. Using the screwdriver from the onboard
tool kit, refer to page
120
, unscrew the
corresponding screw, arrow, in the direc
-
tion of the arrow by rotating it one and a
half turns.
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41
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
48.
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. 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
72.
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. refer to page
45.
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44
HEAD RESTRAINTS
ENTRY TO THE REAR
Removal1. Pull up the head restraint, continuing
until it is at maximum extension2. 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
points2. Adjust the head restraint.
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
42.<
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.<
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45
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
SAFETY BELTS To closeMake sure you hear the lock engage in the
belt buckle.Indicator lamp
Lights up for several seconds or until the driver has fastened his or
her safety belt.

A signal
* also sounds depending on the
version.
To release1. Press the red button in the belt buckle2. Hold the belt3. Guide the belt back into its reel.
Safety belt height adjustment in the MINI Use 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
41.
Safety belt height in the MINI
Convertible The seat belt height is adapted to your
body size if you are sitting correctly.
Damaged safety belts
If the safety belts are damaged or stretched in an accident: have the
safety belts including the seat-belt tension
-
ers and any child-restraint systems
replaced, and have the belt anchorages
checked. Have the necessary work carried
out only by a MINI Dealer or a workshop
that has specially trained personnel work
-
ing in accordance with the specifications of
the MINI manufacturer.<
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47
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
MIRRORS
VEHICLE MEMORY
Interior rearview mirror To reduce glare from vehicles behind you
when you are driving at night:Turn the knob.Illuminated vanity mirror From ignition key position
1:
1. Fold down the sun visor2. Fold the cover panel upwards.Sun visorsCan be swung sideways.An additional sun visor is provided on the
driver's side to better protect the driver
from being blinded.
Interior mirror, automatic dimming* While the vehicle is being driven forward,
these mirrors dim light through an infi
-
nitely variable range depending on the
light's incidence. Two photocells in the
interior rearview mirror serve this purpose.
One is positioned on the underside of the
mirror frame, while the other is slightly off
-
set on the back of the mirror.In order for the photocells to work opti
-
mally, keep them clean and do not cover
the area between the interior rearview mir
-
ror and the windshield. Do not place stick
-
ers 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 which can be programmed
specifically for your vehicle. 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
26
>Automatic locking after starting to drive,
refer to page
28
>Selective central locking system, refer to
pages
26, 27
>Convenience operation, refer to
pages
26, 27
>'Follow-me-home' lamps, refer to
page
57
>Daytime driving lamps, refer to page
58
>Speed-dependent windshield wipers,
refer to page
60
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48
VEHICLE MEMORY
TRANSPORTING CHILDREN SAFELY
>Setting units for outside temperature
and fuel consumption display, refer to
page
66
>Setting units for display of temperatures
specified for automatic climate control
system, refer to page
80
>Volume control PDC, refer to page
74
>Acoustic alarm for starting PDC activa
-
tion, refer to page
74.
This symbol alerts you to Vehicle Memory functions in the Owner's
Manual. -
ate slightly differently from the descrip
-
tions used in this Owner's Manual. If you
decide to sell your vehicle one day, please
remember to have the memory functions
reset to their default configuration.<
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 in – may fall asleep with his
or her head against the side airbag. It may
be difficult for a driver to ensure that chil
-
dren in the rear seat will remain properly
positioned 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. 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. 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
Should it one day be necessary to use a child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat, the airbags on the front
passenger side must be deactivated. Other
-
wise, there is a significant risk of injury to
children if the airbags deploy, even if they
are seated in a child-restraint system. Have
the front passenger airbags permanently
deactivated only by your MINI Dealer or a
workshop that has specially trained per
-
sonnel working in accordance with the
specifications of the MINI manufacturer.<
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53
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
PARKING BRAKE
MANUAL TRANSMISSION
The parking brake is designed primarily to prevent the vehicle from rolling when it is
parked. It operates against the rear wheels.To engageLever automatically locks in position.

The indicator lamp in the instrument clus
-
ter lights up from ignition key position
2,
refer to page
17.
To release1. Pull up slightly2. Press the button3. Push the lever downwards.
If, in exceptional circumstances, it should be necessary to engage the
parking brake while the vehicle is in
motion, do not pull the lever with excessive
pressure. Keep your thumb pressed against
the release button while carefully pulling
the lever up to apply moderate pressure.

Excessive pressure can lead to overbraking
and loss of traction, i.e. fishtailing, at the
rear axle. The brake lamps do not come on
when the parking brake is engaged.<
To avoid corrosion and one-sided braking, apply the parking brake
lightly from time to time when coasting to
a standstill, for instance at a traffic light,
provided that it is safe to do so.<
6-speed transmission*
When changing gear in the 5th/6th gear plane, press the gearshift lever
to the right to prevent inadvertently shift
-
ing to a gear of the
3rd/4th gear plane.<
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54
MANUAL TRANSMISSION
CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (CVT)
*
Reverse gearBefore selecting reverse gear, ensure the
vehicle is stationary; then, fully depress the
clutch pedal and pause briefly before mov
-
ing the gearshift lever into position.5-speed transmission: Press the gearshift lever to the right and to
the back.6-speed transmission: Press the gearshift lever towards the left.
Thereby overcome the slight resistance and
press forward.As you do this, the backup lamps will come
on automatically when the ignition key is
in position
2.
Do not hold the vehicle in place on slopes by slipping or 'riding' the
clutch. Use the parking brake instead. Oth
-
erwise, a high degree of clutch wear could
result.<
In addition to the fully automatic mode,
you can shift gears manually using Step
-
tronic, refer to page
55.
Selector lever positionsP R N D M/S
+ –
Range selection Inadvertent engaging of certain selector
lever positions is prevented by a lock.Press the button on the front side of the
selector lever knob. The lock is released.
While the vehicle is stationary, and before shifting out of P or N, press the
brake pedal in order to disengage the selec
-
tor lever lock mechanism, shiftlock.

If the engine speed is too high when the
vehicle is at a standstill, the selector lever is
also blocked to protect the transmission.

Hold the brake pedal down until starting
off. Otherwise the vehicle will 'creep' when
a drive position is engaged.<
To prevent the vehicle from starting off on its own, always move the
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