CONTENTS
The fastest way to find information on a particu-
lar topic or item is by using the index, refer to
page180.
NOTES
4 Notes
6 Reporting safety defects
AT A GLANCE
10Cockpit
16 Radio MINI Boost CD
CONTROLS
20Opening and closing
32 Adjustments
38 Transporting children safely
41 Driving
51 Controls overview
60 Technology for drivin g comfort and safety
72 Lamps
78 Climate
83 Practical interior accessories
DRIVING TIPS
90Things to remember when driving
ENTERTAINMENT
100Radio MINI Boost CD
COMMUNICATIONS
112Telephone
MOBILITY
126Refueling
128 Wheels and tires
136 Under the hood
140 Maintenance
142 Care
146 Replacing components
157 Giving and receiving assistance
161 Indicator and warning lamps
REFERENCE
176Technical data
180 Everything from A to Z
NotesNOTES
5
For your safety
Maintenance and repair
Advanced technology, e.g. the use of
modern materials and high-performance
electronics, requires specially adapted mainte-
nance and repair methods. Therefore, have the
necessary work on your MI NI only carried out by
a MINI dealer or a work shop that has specially
trained personnel workin g in accordance with
the specifications of the MINI manufacturer. If
this work is not carried out properly, there is a
danger of subsequent damage and related
safety hazards. <
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 result ing 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
if it can be used on a MINI safely and without risk
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 accessories that
have not been approved by the manufacturer of your MINI, such as alarms, radios, amplifiers,
radar detectors, wheels, suspension compo-
nents, brake dust shield
s, telephones, 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 radios or similar acces-
sories, may cause extensiv e damage to the vehi-
cle, compromise its safety, interfere with the
vehicle's electrical s y s t e m o r a f f e c t t h e v a l i d i t y o f
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 individu al 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 foun d 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 co ntained 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.<
AT A GLANCECockpit
10
Cockpit
Around the steering wheel: controls and displays
1Adjusting the exterior mirrors, folding them
in and out
*36
2
Parking lamps 72
Low beams 72
Automatic headlamp control
*72
Adaptive Light Control
*74
Turn signals 46
High beams 75
Headlamp flasher 46
Roadside parking lamps
*75
Computer
*52
CockpitAT A GLANCE
11
6Ignition lock 41
7 Buttons
* on steering wheel
8 Horn: the entire surface
9 Adjusting the steering wheel 37
10 Releasing the hood 136
3
Tachometer 12
Instrument lighting 76
Resetting the trip odometer 51
4 Wiper system 47
5 Switching the ignition on/off and
starting/stopping the engine
41
Continuing cruise control
*49
Right:
Storing speed and accelerating or
decelerating
Left:
Increase or reduce volume
Activating/deactivating cruise
control
*49
Telephone
*:
Accepting and ending a call, start-
ing dialing
* of selected phone
number and redialing if no phone
number is selected
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*
Changing the radio station
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Opening and closingCONTROLS
27
Alarm system*
The concept
The alarm system, when activated, reacts if:
>A door, the engine compartment lid or the
liftgate is opened
> There is movement inside the car
> The car's inclination changes, for instance if
an attempt is made to jack it up and steal the
wheels or to raise it prior to towing away
> There is an interruption in the power supply
from the battery
The alarm system briefly indicates unauthorized
entry or tampering by means of:
> An acoustic alarm
> Switching on the hazard warning flashers
Arming and disarming
Whenever the car is locked or unlocked, the
alarm system is armed or disarmed.
Even when the alarm syst em is armed, you can
open the liftgate by means of the button
on the remote control.
When you subsequently close the liftgate it is
again locked and monitored.
In certain market-specific versions,
unlocking via the door lock triggers the
alarm. <
Panic mode*
You can activate the alarm system if you find
yourself in a da ngerous situation.
Press the button for at least two seconds.
Switching off the alarm:
Press any button.
Switching off an alarm
> Unlock the car with the remote control.
> Insert the key fully into the ignition lock.
> In cars with Comfort Access
*, press the but-
ton on the door lock.
Display on the revolution counter
When the system is armed, all LEDs pulse. After
approx. 16 minutes one LED flashes.
> LEDs pulse or LED flashes: system is armed.
> One LED flashes at short intervals:
A door, the hood or the liftgate is not prop-
erly closed. Even if these are not closed fully,
the remaining items are deadlocked and the
LEDs pulse after approx. 10 seconds for
approx. 16 minutes. Afterwards, one LED
flashes.
The interior movement detector is not acti-
vated.
> LEDs go out after the vehicle is unlocked:
No attempt was made to tamper with the
car.
> LEDs flash after unlocking until the key is
inserted in the ignition, but for no longer
than approx. 5 minutes: an attempt was
made to tamper with the car.
Tilt alarm sensor
The vehicle's inclination is monitored. The alarm
is triggered, for instance, if an attempt is made
to steal the car's wheels or tow it away.
Interior movement detector
Before the interior mo vement detector can
operate correctly, the windows and glass roof
must be closed.
Avoiding false alarms
The tilt alarm sensor an d the interior movement
detector can be switched off together.
CONTROLSAdjustments
32
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital contri-
bution to relaxed, fatigu e-free driving. In con-
junction with the safety belts, the head restraints
and the airbags, the seated position has a major
influence on your safety in the event of an acci-
dent. To ensure that th e safety systems operate
with optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to
observe the instructions contained in the follow-
ing section.
For additional informatio n on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page 38.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
grip the steering wheel on the rim, with your
hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, to
minimize the risk of inju ry to the hands or arms
in the event of the airbag being triggered off.
No one and nothing should come between the
airbags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
front passenger side as a storage area. Ensure
that the front passenger is correctly seated, e.g.
that no feet or legs are propped against the
dashboard. Otherwise, leg injury could result if
the front airbag suddenly deployed.
Make sure that occupants keep their heads
away from the side ai rbag and do not lean
against the head-level ai rbag; otherwise injuries
can occur when the airbag is triggered. <
Even if you follow all the instructions, injuries
resulting from contact with airbags cannot be
fully excluded, depending on the circumstances.
The ignition and inflation noise may provoke a
mild hearing loss in extremely sensitive individ-
uals. This effect is usually only temporary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page 69.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way
that its center is at approx. ear level. Oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident. <
Head restraints, refer to page 34.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the
safety belt as an additional safety device, but
they do not represent a substitute.
Number of safety belts
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.
Make sure that the belt in the lap area sits low
across the hips and does not press against the
abdomen. The safety belt must not rest against
the throat, run across sh arp edges, pass over
hard or fragile objects or be pinched. Fasten the
safety belt so that it is pulled taut across the lap
and shoulder, fitting the body snugly without
any twists. Otherwise, the belt could slide over
the hips in the event of a frontal collision and
injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing bulky cloth-
ing and regularly pull the belt in the upper-body
area taut; otherwise, its restraining effect could
be impaired. <
Safety belts, refer to page 35.
CONTROLSAdjustments
34
Turn the wheel to increase or decrease the cur-
vature.
Getting in back
1.Pull up the lever on the seat backrest,
arrow 1.
The backrest folds forward.
2. Move the seat forward by pushing on the
backrest, arrow 2.
Return seat to original position
The driver's seat has a mechanical memory
function for the forward/back setting and the
backrest adjustment.
1. Slide the seat to return to its starting posi-
tion.
Do not fold the backrest up until the
seat is in its previous position. Other-
wise, the seat will engage in its current posi-
tion. In this case, ad just the longitudinal
position manually, page 33.<
2. Fold the backrest back up to lock the seat.
When moving the seat backward, ensure
that you do not cause personal injury or
property damage. Before driving off, enga
ge the front seats and
seat backrests. Otherwise, there is a risk of acci-
dent due to unexpected movement. <
Head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Correctly adjust the head restraints of all
occupied seats; othe rwise, there is an
increased risk of injury in an accident. <
Height
Adjust the head restraint so that its center is
approximately at ear level.
Distance
Adjust the distance so th at the head restraint is
as close as possible to the back of the head.
Height adjustment
To raise: pull up.
To lower: press the button, arrow 1, and slide
the head restraint down.
Removing
Only remove a head rest raint if no one will be
sitting on the seat in question.
Reinstall the head restraint before trans-
porting passengers, as otherwise the head
restraint cannot provid e its protective func-
tion. <
AdjustmentsCONTROLS
37
For proper function:
>Keep the photosensors clean
> Do not cover the area between the interior
rearview mirror and the windshield
> Do not place stickers or decals on the wind-
shield in front of the mirror.
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel position
while the car is in motion; otherwise, there
is a risk of accident due to an unexpected move-
ment. <
1. Fold the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel to the preferred
distance and angle to su it your seated posi-
tion.
3. Swing the lever back up.
Do not use force to swing the lever
back up; otherwise, the mechanism
will be damaged. <