ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
3
Contents
The fastest way to find information on a particu-
lar topic or item is by using the index, refer to
page134.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
6Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
Controls
18Opening and closing
28Adjustments
33Transporting children safely
35Driving
44Everything under control
53Technology for driving comfort and safety
59Lamps
64Climate
69Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
76Things to remember when driving
Mobility
84Refueling
86Wheels and tires
94Under the bonnet
98Maintenance
100Care
102Replacing components
112Giving and receiving assistance
116Indicator and warning lamps
Reference
130Technical data
134From A to Z
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ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
5
The individual vehicle
The manufacturer of your MINI is the Bayerische
Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, BMW AG.
When you ordered your MINI, you chose various
items of equipment. This Owner's Manual
describes the entire array of options and equip-
ment that the manufacturer of your MINI makes
available with a specific model range.
Bear in mind that the manual may contain infor-
mation on accessories and equipment that you
have not specified for your own vehicle. Sections
describing options and special equipment are
marked by asterisks
* to assist you in identifying
possible differences between the descriptions in
this manual and your own vehicle's equipment.
If your MINI features equipment not described in
this Owner's Manual, observe the enclosed Sup-
plementary Owner's Manuals.
Editorial notice
The manufacturer pursues a policy of continu-
ous, ongoing development that is conceived to
ensure that MINI vehicles continue to embody
the highest quality and safety standards com-
bined with advanced, state-of-the-art technol-
ogy. For this reason, it is possible in exceptional
cases that features described in this Owner's
Manual could differ from those on your vehicle.
For your safety
Maintenance and repair
Advanced technology, e.g. the use of
modern materials and powerful electron-
ics, requires specially adapted maintenance and
repair methods. Therefore, have the necessary
work on your MINI only carried out by a MINI
Dealer or a workshop that has specially trained
personnel working in accordance with the spec-
ifications of the MINI manufacturer. If this work
is not carried out properly, there is a danger of
subsequent damage and related safety haz-
ards.<
Parts and accessories
For your own safety, use genuine parts
and accessories approved by the manu-
facturer of the MINI.
When you purchase accessories tested
and approved by the manufacturer of the MINI
and Original MINI Parts, you simultaneously
acquire the assurance that they have been thor-
oughly tested by the manufacturer of the MINI
to ensure optimum performance when installed
on your vehicle.
The manufacturer of the MINI warrants these
parts to be free from defects in material and
workmanship.
The manufacturer of the MINI will not accept any
liability for damage resulting from installation of
parts and accessories not approved by the man-
ufacturer of the MINI.
The manufacturer of the MINI cannot test every
product made by other manufacturers to verify
i f i t c a n b e u s e d o n a M I N I s a f e l y a n d w i t h o u t r i s k
to either the vehicle, its operation, or its occu-
pants.
Original MINI Parts, MINI Accessories and other
products approved by the manufacturer of the
MINI, together with professional advice on using
these items, are available from all MINI Dealers.
Installation and operation of non-MINI
approved accessories such as alarms, radios,
amplifiers, radar detectors, wheels, suspension
components, brake dust shields, telephones,
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Notes
6
including operation of any mobile phone from
within the vehicle without using an externally
mounted antenna, or transceiver equipment, for
instance, CBs, walkie-talkies, ham radio or simi-
lar accessories, may cause extensive damage to
the vehicle, compromise its safety, interfere with
the vehicle's electrical system or affect the valid-
ity of the MINI Limited Warranty. See your MINI
Dealer for additional information.<
Maintenance, replacement, or repair of
the emission control devices and systems
may be performed by any automotive repair
establishment or individual using any certified
automotive part.<
California Proposition 65 warning
California law requires us to issue the following
warning:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of
automobile components and parts,
including components found in the interior fur-
nishings in a vehicle, contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to cause cancer
and birth defects and reproductive harm. In
addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other repro-
ductive harm.
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories
contain lead and lead compounds. Wash your
hands after handling.
Used engine oil contains chemicals that have
caused cancer in laboratory animals. Always
protect your skin by washing thoroughly with
soap and water.<
Service and warranty
We recommend that you read this publication
thoroughly.
Your MINI is covered by the following warran-
ties:
>New Vehicle Limited Warranty
>Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
>Federal Emissions System Defect Warranty
>Federal Emissions Performance Warranty
>California Emission Control System Limited
Warranty
Detailed information about these warranties is
listed in the Service and Warranty Information
Booklet for US models or in the Warranty and
Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Reporting safety defects
For US customers
The following applies only to vehicles owned
and operated in the US.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury
or death, you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
NHTSA, in addition to notifying MINI of North
America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, Westwood, New
Jersey 07675-1227, Telephone 1-800-831-
1117.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety
defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order
a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA
cannot become involved in individual problems
between you, your dealer, or MINI of North
America, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153);
go to http://www.safercar.gov; or write to:
Administrator, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20590. You can also obtain
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ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
49
Service requirements
The remaining driving distance and the date of
the next scheduled service are briefly displayed
immediately after you start the engine or switch
on the ignition.
The extent of service work required can be
read out from the remote control by your
MINI Dealer.<
Displaying vehicle check
For certain maintenance operations, you can
view the respective distance remaining or due
date individually in the tachometer.
1.Switch on the ignition, refer to page35.
2.Briefly press the button in the turn indicator
lever repeatedly until "SET/INFO" is dis-
played.
3.Press and hold the button until the display
changes.4.Briefly press the button repeatedly until the
corresponding symbol and "SERVICE-INFO"
are displayed.
5.Press and hold the button until the display
changes.
6.Briefly press the button to display the indi-
vidual service items, refer to the following
information.
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Everything under control
50
Possible displays
1Button for selecting information
2Engine oil
3Front brakes
4Rear brakes
5Vehicle check6Roadworthiness test
7Brake fluid
8Exit display47
9Next setting or item of information47
More information on the MINI Maintenance Sys-
tem can be found on page98.
Clock
Setting the time
To set the 12h/24h mode, refer to Formats and
units of measure on page47.
1.Briefly press the button in the turn indicator
lever repeatedly until "SET/INFO" is dis-
played.2.Press and hold the button until the display
changes.
3.Briefly press the button repeatedly until the
symbol and "SET" are displayed.
4.Press and hold the button until the display
changes.
5.Press the button to set the hours.
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Climate
66
Windshield heating*
The windshield heating is switched
off automatically after a short time.
Defrosting windows and removing
condensation
1.Set air flow rate to the maximum level.
2.Set air distribution to position .
Condensation is removed from the windows more quickly when the cooling function
* is
also activated.
3.Set to the highest temperature, red.
4.Deactivate recirculated-air mode.
5.Turn on windshield heating if necessary.
6.Turn on rear window defroster if necessary.
Microfilter
The microfilter captures dust and pollen. The
microfilter is changed by your MINI Dealer dur-
ing routine maintenance work.
Automatic climate control*
1Air flow rate, manual
2AUTO program
3AUC Automatic recirculated-air control/
Recirculated-air mode
4Maximum cooling
5Air distribution, manual6Temperature
7Defrosting windows and removing conden-
sation
8Cooling function
9Rear window defroster
10Windshield heating
*
Comfortable interior climate
AUTO program2 offers the ideal air distribution
and air flow rate for almost all conditions, refer
to AUTO program below. All you need to do is
select an interior temperature which is comfort-
able for you.
The following sections inform you in detail about
how to adjust the settings.
Most settings are stored for the remote control
currently in use, refer also to Personal Profile set-
tings on page18.
Air flow rate, manual
Press the – button to reduce air flow. Press
the + button to increase it.
You can reactivate the automatic mode
for the air flow rate with the AUTO button.
Switching the system on/off
Reduce the air flow by pressing the – button
repeatedly until the system is switched off. All
indicators go out.
Press the AUTO button to switch the automatic
climate control back on.
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Climate
68
Windshield heating*
The windshield heating is switched
off automatically after a certain
time.
Cooling function
When the cooling function is on,
the air is cooled, dried, then
reheated according to the temper-
ature setting.
Depending on the weather, the windshield may
fog over briefly when the engine is started or the
cooling function is switched off. The recircu-
lated-air mode may is switched on automati-
cally.
The cooling function is automatically switched
on along with the AUTO program. The passenger
compartment can only be cooled while the
engine is running.
Microfilter/activated-charcoal filter
The microfilter captures dust and pollen. The
activated-charcoal filter provides additional pro-
tection by filtering gaseous pollutants from the
outside air. Your MINI Dealer replaces this com-
bined filter as a standard part of your scheduled
maintenance.
You can call up further information in the service
requirements display, page49.
Ventilation
1Knob for continuous opening and closing
2Jet for direction of air flow
Opening/closing
Turn the knob.
Direction of air flow
Swivel the entire jet.
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ReferenceAt a glance Controls Driving tips Mobility
85
MINI Cooper S
Approx. 13.2 US gallons/50 liters, including the
reserve capacity of 2.1 US gallons/8 liters.
Do not continue driving to the point where
the fuel tank is totally empty. Otherwise
engine performance is not guaranteed and
damage could occur.<
Fuel specifications
Do not fill the tank with leaded fuel, as this
would cause damage to the catalytic con-
verter.
Do not fill the tank with E85, i.e. fuel containing
85% ethanol, nor with FlexFuel. Otherwise the
engine and fuel supply system will be dam-
aged.<
Required fuel
Super Premium gasoline/AKI 91
This gasoline is highly recommended.
However, you may also use gasoline with less
AKI. The minimum AKI Rating is 87.
If you use gasoline with this minimum AKI Rat-
ing, the engine may produce knocking sounds
when starting at high outside temperatures. This
has no effect on the engine life.
Do not use any gasoline below the speci-
fied minimum fuel grade. Otherwise the
engine could be damaged.<
Use high-quality brands
Field experience has indicated significant differ-
ences in fuel quality: volatility, composition,
additives, etc., among gasolines offered for sale
in the United States and Canada. Fuels contain-
ing up to and including 10 % ethanol or other
oxygenates with up to 2.8 % oxygen by weight,
that is, 15 % MTBE or 3 % methanol plus an
equivalent amount of co-solvent, will not void
the applicable warranties with respect to defects
in materials or workmanship.
The use of poor-quality fuels may result in
drivability, starting and stalling problems
especially under certain environmental condi-tions such as high ambient temperature and
high altitude.
Should you encounter driveability problems
which you suspect could be related to the fuel
you are using, we recommend that you respond
by switching to a recognized high-quality brand
such as gasoline that is advertised as Top Tier
Detergent Gasoline.
Failure to comply with these recommendations
may also result in unscheduled maintenance.<
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