2007 MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE Owners Manual

55
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
PARKING BRAKE MANUAL TRANSMISSIONforce. Keep your thumb pressed against the
release button while pulling the lever up
carefully.
Otherwise, excessive force could lead to
overbraking and loss of traction, i.e. fish-
tailing, at the rear axle.<
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. The brake
lamps do not come on when the parking
brake is engaged.<
6-speed transmission*
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear,
press the gearshift lever to the right.
Otherwise, the engine could be damaged
by accidentally engaging 3rd or 4th gear.<
Reverse gearBefore selecting reverse gear, ensure the
vehicle is stationary; then, fully depress the
clutch and pause briefly before moving 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.

56
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH STEPTRONIC
*
In addition to the fully automatic mode,
you can shift gears manually using Step-
tronic, refer to page57.Selector lever positionsP R N D M/S + –
Range selection>The selector lever can be moved out of
position P when the ignition is switched
on or the engine is running: interlock.
>While the vehicle is stationary and
before shifting out of P or N, depress the
footbrake in order to disengage the
selector lever's lock mechanism: shift-
lock.
Keep your foot on the brake until start-
ing off, otherwise the vehicle will start
to move when a drive position is
engaged.
A lock prevents the selector lever from acci-
dentally being moved to the R or P posi-
tions. To override the lock, press the button
on the front of the selector lever knob, see
arrow.
If the engine speed is too high when
the vehicle is at a standstill, the selec-
tor lever is also blocked to protect the
transmission.
If the selector lever is not placed in
position P when the vehicle is parked, the
position display of the selector lever stays
on. This can lead to battery discharge.<
PParkSelect only when the vehicle is completely
stopped. The transmission locks to prevent
the drive wheels from turning.RReverse Select only when the vehicle is completely
stopped.N Neutral: idleSelect this when you are in a car wash, for
example. The vehicle can roll.D Drive: automatic driving positionThis position is designed for driving under
all normal operating conditions.
Under normal operation conditions, fuel
consumption is lowest when you drive in
position D.

57
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH STEPTRONIC
*
Kickdown
Kickdown can be used to achieve maxi-
mum vehicle performance.
Press the accelerator pedal past the
increased resistance point at the full-throt-
tle position.
Available displaysP R N D SD M1 to M6 EP
M/S + – Manual mode and Sport
programSwitch from D to M/S + –:
Sport program is activated and SD appears
in the gear indicator in the speedometer.
Press selector lever once:
This switches from the Sport program to
the manual mode.
In order to accelerate rapidly in the
M/S + – Manual mode and in the
Sport program, e.g. when passing, shift
downwards manually or by kickdown.<
Whenever you want to return to automatic
shifting, just move the selector lever
toward the left to position D.

58
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH STEPTRONIC
*
Switching from M/S + – Manual mode into
the selector lever positions P, R and N is
only possible via D.Shifting with the selector lever>Briefly press the selector lever in the +
direction:
Transmission shifts up
>Briefly press the selector lever in the –
direction:
Transmission shifts down.
M1 to M6 appear in the gear indicator.
Shifting on the steering wheel*The shift paddles allow the gears to be
changed rapidly and, above all, safely, since
both hands can remain on the steering
wheel.
To shift up or down with one of the two
shift paddles:
>Pull the shift paddle:
Transmission shifts up
>Press the shift paddle:
Transmission shifts down.
M1 to M6 appear in the gear indicator.
The transmission will execute only gear
changes that result in a plausible combina-
tion of vehicle speed and engine rpm, e.g. it
will not shift down if that would result in
excessive engine speed.
In the MINI COOPER S, with the selec-
tor lever in position D, automatic
mode, you can shift gears using the shift
paddles on the steering wheel. The trans-
mission automatically switches to manual
mode. If you do not shift gears with the
shift paddles or accelerate for a certain
amount of time, the transmission auto-
matically returns to automatic mode.<
MalfunctionEP appears on the display. The transmission
system is malfunctioning. Avoid high loads.
All selector lever positions can still be
engaged; in the forward driving positions,
however, the vehicle can only be driven
with a limited gear selection.
Have the system checked immediately.
Jump-starting and towing, refer to
page142 ff.

59
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH STEPTRONIC
*
Overriding the selector lever lock
Should the selector lever remain stuck in
position P even when you press the button
on the selector lever, the selector lever lock
can be overridden:
1. Pull the ring with the sleeve upward, see
arrows 1
2. Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
so that the sleeve is inside out
3. Press release lever 2 forward in the
direction of travel while engaging the
desired position, such as N.

60
PARKING LAMPS/LOW BEAMS1Parking lamps
2Low beams
3 Automatic headlamp control
*
Parking lamps
Turn the light switch to position 1.
The front, rear and side vehicle
lighting is switched on.
For the additional option of activating the
lights on one side of the vehicle for parking,
refer to Switching on the standing lamps,
page60.
The parking lamps discharge the bat-
tery.
Avoid using them for longer periods of
time; otherwise, you may not be able to
start the engine.<


Low beams
Turn the light switch to position 2.
With the low beams on and with
the ignition switched off, only the
parking lamps will remain on.
Automatic headlamp control*
In switch position 3, the system
automatically activates and can-
cels the low beams in response to
changes in ambient light, for example in
tunnels, at dusk, and when there is precipi-
tation.
When driving into a tunnel with bright
overhead lights, there may be a delay
before the low beams come on.
The low beams may also come on when the
sun is sitting low on a blue sky.
When you switch on the fog lamps,
the low-beam headlamps remain on
regardless of the ambient light. When the
daytime running lamps are activated, refer
to page61, the low beams come on and
remain lit when the switch is in position 1
and the ignition is switched on.<
Automatic headlamp control cannot
serve as a substitute for the driver's
judgement in determining when the vehi-
cle lights should be switched on. For exam-
ple, the sensors are not able to detect fog or
hazy weather. To avoid safety risks, you
should respond to these kinds of low-visi-
bility situations by switching the head-
lamps on manually.<
You can have the sensitivity of your
vehicle's automatic headlamp con-
trol adjusted. having switched off the engine and the
lights, the low beams will stay lit for a pre-
set period of time.
You can have this function pro-
grammed. side of the vehicle. Observe local laws.
In ignition key position 0:
Move the lever to the adequate turn signal
indicator position.
The standing lamps discharge the
battery. Avoid using them for longer

61
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
PARKING LAMPS/LOW BEAMS TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR/HEADLAMP FLASHERperiods of time; otherwise, you may not be
able to start the engine.<'Lights on' warning If the lights have not been switched off and
the ignition key is in position 0, an acoustic
signal sounds for a few seconds when you
open the driver's door to remind you that
the lights have not been switched off.Daytime running lamps*If convenient, the light switch can be left in
position 2.
When the ignition is switched off, the
external lights go out.
You can have this function activated/
deactivated.<
1 Turn signal indicators
2 High beams/Headlamp flasherTo signal brieflyGently push the lever up to the point of
resistance and hold it there, if necessary.
The indicator lamp flashes and the
relay clicks faster than normal: flash-
ing bulb has failed.<

62
INSTRUMENT LIGHTING FOG LAMPS INTERIOR LAMPSTo control the instrument lighting, press
the button.Brighter displayPress the button until the desired bright-
ness is achieved.Dimmer displayPress the button briefly.
With each brief pressing of the button, the
illumination is dimmed step by step.
With the parking lamps/low beams
switched on:
Briefly press the switch upward or down-
ward.
Tap it again to switch off.Fog lamps*
The parking lamps or low beams
must be on. The green LED in the
switch lights up.
The fog lamps are on.
Rear fog lamp*
The low beams must be on. The
yellow LED in the switch lights up.
The rear fog lamp is on.
Observe all legal regulations concerning
the use of fog lamps.
Switching the interior light in the MINI
on and off manuallyPress button 1 briefly.
Permanently turn off interior light:
Press button 1 until the interior light comes
on for a short while.
Press button 1 to revert to normal opera-
tion.