Notes
6
Service and warranty
We recommend that you read this publication
thoroughly.
Your MINI is covered by the following
warranties:
> New Vehicle Limited Warranty
> Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
> Federal Emissions Syst em 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.
Your vehicle has been specifically adapted and
designed to meet the pa rticular operating con-
ditions and registration requirements in your
country and continental region in order to
deliver the full driving pleasure while the vehicle
is operated under those conditions. If you wish
to operate your vehicle in another country or
region, you may be requ ired to adapt your
vehicle to meet different prevailing operating
conditions and registration requirements. You
should also be aware of any applicable warranty
limitations or exclusions for such country or
region. In such a case, please contact Customer
Relations for further information.
Maintenance
Maintain the vehicle regularly to sustain road
safety, operational reliability and the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Specifications for required maintenance
measures:
> MINI Maintenance System
> Service and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models
> Warranty and Service Guide Booklet for
Canadian models If the vehicle is not ma
intained according to
these specifications, this could result in serious
damage to the vehicle. Such damage is not cov-
ered by the MINI New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
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 that
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 ca mpaign. 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.safer-
car.gov; or write to: Ad ministrator, NHTSA, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. You
can also obtain other information about motor
vehicle safety from http://www.safercar.gov
For Canadian customers
Canadian customers who wish to report a
safety-related defect to Transport Canada,
Defect Investigations and Recalls, may tele-
phone the toll-free hotline 1-800-333-0510.
You can also obtain ot her information about
motor vehicle safety from http://www.tc.gc.ca/
roadsafety
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CONTROLSAdjustments
50
Adjustments
Vehicle equipment
In this chapter, all production, country, and
optional equipment that is offered in the model
range is described. Equipment is also described
that is not available because of, for example,
selected options or coun try version. This also
applies to safety relate d functions and systems.
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 information on transporting
children safely, refer to page 56.
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 deployed.
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 passeng ers keep their heads
away from the side/head airbag; otherwise inju-
ries can occur when airbags are deployed.
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 as well as additional infor-
mation, refer to page
93.
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.
Otherwise, there is an increased risk of injury in
the event of an accident. <
Head restraints, refer to page 52.
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
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CONTROLSTransporting children safely
56
Transporting children safely
Vehicle equipment
In this chapter, all production, country, and
optional equipment that is offered in the model
range is described. Equipment is also described
that is not available because of, for example,
selected options or coun try version. This also
applies to safety relate d functions and systems.
The right place for
children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger
themselves and/or other persons by opening the
doors, for example. <
MINI Convertible: children should
always sit in the rear
Accident research has shown that the safest
place for children is on the rear seat.
Only transport children under the age of
13 or smaller than 5 ft/150 cm in the rear
in a child restraint system suitable for their age,
weight and size. Otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury in the event of an
accident. <
Children 13 years of age or older must be
buckled in with a safety belt as soon as there
no longer is any child restraint system that is
appropriate for their age, size and weight.
Only install child seats in the rear when the
rear seat backrest is folded all the way
back and engaged. Otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury in the event of an
accident. <
Exception for front passenger seat
Front passenger airbags
Should it be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags must be deacti-
vated. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of
injury to the child if th e airbags deploy, even if
the child is seated in a child restraint system. <
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to page 93.
Child restraint systems,
installation
Observe the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions when selecting,
installing and using child restraint systems.
Otherwise, the protective effect may be
diminished. <
On the front passenger seat
After installing a chil d restraint system on
the front passenger se at, make sure that
the front and side airbags for the front passen-
ger are deactivated; otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury if the airbags deploy. <
Seat position
Before installing a child restraint system, move
the front passenger seat as far back and up as
possible to obtain the be st possible position for
the belt. Do not change the seat position after
this.
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CONTROLSDriving
64
Sport program and manual mode M/S
Move the selector lever from position D to the
left into the M/S shifting slot:
The Sport program is activated and DS is dis-
played. This position is recommended for a
performance-oriented driving style.
To deactivate the Sport program or manual
mode M/S, move the selector lever to the right
into position D.
Shifting with the selector lever
Push the selector lever forward or pull it back to
activate manual operation. Steptronic shifts the
gear.
> Pull the selector lever in the + direction.
Transmission shifts up.
> Push the selector leve r in the – direction.
Transmission shifts down.
The selected gear is displayed in the
tachometer, e.g. M1.
To use the automatic mode again, move the
selector lever to the right into position D.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only when
they will result in a plausible combination of
engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, a
downshift that would cause the engine to over-
rev will not be executed by the system. The
selected gear is displayed briefly, followed by
the current gear.
Shifting on the steering wheel
With the selector lever in position D, automatic
drive, you can shift gears using the shift paddles
on the steering wheel. The transmission auto-
matically switches to manual mode.
If you do not shift gears with the shift paddles or
accelerate for a certai n amount of time, the
transmission automatically returns to D,
automatic drive.
> Pull one of the shift paddles.
Transmission shifts up.
> Push one of the shift paddles.
Transmission shifts down.
M1 through M6 are displayed in the tachometer.
Manually releasing the selector
lever lock
Should the selector lever refuse to move out of
position P even though the ignition is switched
on, the brake is depressed and the button on the
selector lever is pressed, the selector lever lock
can be overridden:
1. Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2. Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is insi de out. Disconnect the
cable connector if necessary.
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Technology for driving comfort and safetyCONTROLS
85
Deactivating both DTC and DSC
Press the button for at least 3 seconds; the indi-
cator lamp DSC OFF on the speedometer comes
on and DSC OFF is displayed on the tachometer.
The Dynamic Traction Control DTC and Dynamic
Stability Control DSC are both deactivated. There
will be no more stab ilizing interventions.
Interventions (differentia l lock) in braking occur
to improve propulsion when drive wheels are
rotating unevenly, even when DSC is deacti-
vated.
Activating DSC
Press the button again: the indicator lamps go
out.
Hill Assist
Hill Assist aids you in co mfortably driving off on
inclines. It is not necessary to use the parking
brake for this.
1. Hold the MINI with the brake.
2. Release the brake and immediately drive
off.
Hill Assist holds the car in place for approx.
2 seconds after the brake is released. Depending on the load and gradient, the
vehicle can roll backwa rd slightly during
this period. After you release the brake, immedi-
ately start driving since the Hill Assist only holds
the vehicle for about 2 seconds, and it will start
to roll backward. <
Sport button
Pressing the button causes your MINI to respond
even more sportily.
>Engine responds more spontaneously to
movements of the accelerator.
> Steering response is more direct.
> Cooper S, John Cooper Works: the engine
sounds more sporty in coasting mode.
With automatic transmission:
> More rapid gear shifting in Sport program.
Activating the system
Press the button.
The LED lights up.
SPORT is briefly displayed in the tachometer.
Deactivating the system
>Press the button again.
> Switch off the engine.
MINI Coupe, MINI Roadster:
Automatic rear spoiler
General information
The automatic rear spoile r increases the driving
stability of your MINI Coupe or MINI Roadster.
Make sure that the range of motion for the
rear spoiler is clear; otherwise, damage
may occur. <
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268
REFERENCEEverything from A to Z
Everything from A to Z
Index
A
ABS Antilock Brake System83
Accessories, see Vehicle equipment 4
Acknowledgment signals for
locking/unlocking vehicle 30
Activated-charcoa l filter for
automatic climate
control 105
Adaptive Light Control 97
Adding engine oil 223
Additives
– coolant 224
– engine oil 223
Address, entering 132
Address for navigation
– entering 126,132
Adjusting temperature inside the car, refer to Air
conditioner 102
Adjusting temperature inside the car, refer to Automatic
climate control 103
Adjusting the tone during audio operation, refer to
Tone control 147
Airbags 93
– sitting safely 50
– warning lamp 94
Air conditioner 101
Air conditioning mode
– air conditioner 102
– automatic climate control 103
– ventilation 106
Air distribution
– automatic 104
– individual 103
– manual 103 Air flow rate
102,104
– air conditioning system 102
– automatic climate
control 104
– heating, ventilation 102
Airing, refer to Ventilation106
Air outlets, refer to Air vents 101
Air pressure, checking, refer to
Tire inflation pressure 209
Air recirculation, refer to Recirculated-air
mode 102,104
Air supply
– air conditioner 102
– automatic climate control 103
– ventilation 106
Air vents 101
AKI, refer to Fuel grade 207
Alarm system 34
All-season tires, refer to Winter
tire
s220
Always Open Timer 72
AM, wa
veband 149
Ambient air, refer to
Recirculated-air
mode 102,104
Ambient lighting 100
Antenna, care 227
Antifreeze
– coolant 224
– washer fluid 67
Antilock Brake System ABS 83
Anti-theft alarm system, refer
to Alarm system 34
Anti-theft system 29
Approved axle loads, refer to
Weights 257 Approved engine oils
223
Approved gross vehicle weight, refer to Weights257
Armrest, refer to Center armrest 108
Arrival time
– computer 73
– route guidance 135
Ashtray 109
Assistant systems, refer to
– Dynamic Stability Control DSC 83
Audio 146
– controls 146
– switching on/off 146
– tone control 147
– volume 147
Audio device, external 108
Automatic
– air distribution 104
– air flow rate 104
– cruise control 68
– headlamp control 96
Automatic climate control 101
– automatic air distribution 104
Automatic rear spoiler 85
Automatic transmission with Steptronic 62
– Interlock 63
– overriding selector lever lock 64
– Shiftlock 63
– sport program 64
AUTO program for automatic
climate control 104
Auxiliary phone 182
AUX-In, refer to External audio
device 108
AUX-In connection 159
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