The Mrs. finally got her Mini

[gearheadgrrrl]

Probably lousy aero, the car it's trying to look like had a CD in the .40s IIRC. BMW Mini has the classic short length car= Lousy aero problem.

 

[oilhammer]

Well a Golf doesn't seem to suffer, nor do a bunch of other compact and subcompact hatchbacks. *shrug*

Not really a concern for us, though. Even if it wolfed down gas to the tune of 30, we'd still have bought it because that's what she really wanted.

 

[pedroYUL]

@oilhammer : What would you use for a scan tool on this Mini?

I'm considering a 2009 one for my daughter, but never owned a bimmer or one of these Mini.

 

[oilhammer]

No idea. Right now all we'd have here is whatever the Autel offers, and of course the [largely useless] generic OBD2 stuff.

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now my only concern would be a way to tune out the auto start-stop, instead of having to shut it off manually EVERY TIME you start the car.

 

[pedroYUL]

The amount of garbage the google spits out when searching for a bimmer scan tool is amazing!

But I'm sure with the right tool, you will be able to disable the auto-stop.

 

[oilhammer]

There is a local BMW/Mini specialist shop, I may ask them. I planned on stopping by and asking them for any preventive tips on this car. I really don't know a whole heck of a lot about them, as we just don't get that many in here.

But I felt that at least buying a decade-old platform, with an updated version of an engine at least as old, that most of the quirks would have been ironed out by now. The broad I bought my 2004 4Mo B5 wagon from nine years ago (which I still have), has a Countryman 4All (Mini's AWD moniker) that has been pretty good for her so far, it's a 2016.

Right now, I'd just love for the wife to let me drive it, LOL.... having a new Mini in the garage is like having Keira Knightly sitting on the couch in a bikini. Wife won't let me touch either.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I got a Carly tool for my BMW. Seems to work well, although I haven't used it much. Remarkably, I haven't had a need to.

 

[gmenounos]

No idea. Right now all we'd have here is whatever the Autel offers, and of course the [largely useless] generic OBD2 stuff.

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now my only concern would be a way to tune out the auto start-stop, instead of having to shut it off manually EVERY TIME you start the car.

Maybe this?
https://bimmercode.app/cars/f56/

Supports these Auto Start/Stop functions:

• Auto Start Stop function in ECO mode
  Enable/disable the automatic activation of the Auto Start Stop function in ECO PRO driving mode.
  Values:
  • Active
  • Not active
• Requirements:
  • “Body Domain Controller” BDC_BODY control unit
• Auto Start Stop function memory
  Save the last used Auto Start Stop function setting for the next start of the car. Please note that the Auto Start Stop function is automatically activated again in ECO PRO driving mode.
  Values:
  • Active
  • Not active
• Requirements:
  • “Body Domain Controller” BDC_BODY control unit
• Auto Start Stop function off by default
  Set the Auto Start Stop function to off by default when the car is started. Please note that the Auto Start Stop function is automatically activated again in ECO PRO driving mode.
  Values:
  • Active
  • Not active
• Requirements:
  • “Body Domain Controller” BDC_BODY control unit

Looks like you have to buy the app for your phone (~ $30 I think) and buy a compatible OBD adapter.

 

[pedroYUL]

I got a Carly tool for my BMW. Seems to work well, although I haven't used it much. Remarkably, I haven't had a need to.

If I cough up your asking price for that bimmer of yours, it would be game over, but:

1. My daughter has a long road ahead, for both instruction and age, to be able to drive by herself.
2. I love a cheap car, that is the truth. So while I drool looking at your FS post, I can't really indulge.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

That's fine. My asking price was designed to not make me feel badly if someone was willing to buy the car at or close to that amount. I'm content to keep it.

 

[oilhammer]

Finally got to drive 'Hermione' some last night. This car is supremely fun to drive... and I had it up over 100. Not as rock solid as a Golf at that speed, but certainly not bad. The Germans/Brits still know how to make little cars for high speed better than anyone. Doesn't have nearly the oomph of a TDI, though. But it isn't bad. You wouldn't think it was a little turbocharged 3 cyl under the hood. It isn't like an angry chainsaw or anything at all.

 

[lemoncurd]

very cool!

when that gasser engine desides to give a problem with an engine out "service" maybe you could *accidently* replace it with a glorious TDI

 

[jason_]

Bah. No worries. Something will eventually happen requiring buying another car. They make them everyday for a reason.

 

[ts888]

I don't know much about Autel for the general public, but our pro model is good for Euro cars. We have Snap-On, Matco, Autel, a Chinese clone Star Diag (MBZ) that works sometimes, and Ross VCDS. Autel is almost as good as Ross on VW products, very good on Sprinter and BMW.

 

[oilhammer]

Finally was allowed to drive 'Hermione' all by myself.... drove it to work this morning

Have to say, I'd still rather drive an A4 Golf if I'm honest. But this Mini does roll into triple digits with ease, and it is amazing how much low end this tiny engine has.

Going to poke around with our Autel and see if I cannot find a place to switch off the start-stop permanently.

1500 miles or so, wife drives it more than I thought she would... which surprises me. Maybe the newness will wear off.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I'd still rather drive an A4 Golf if I'm honest.

This is the curse I live with. Drove the MK7 to work yesterday, and got in my Wagon to do an errand in the evening and was happier driving that. Right now I have 3 MKIVs at my house as my son's Golf is visiting. I find it reassuring.

 

[TomJD]

This is the curse I live with. Drove the MK7 to work yesterday, and got in my Wagon to do an errand in the evening and was happier driving that. Right now I have 3 MKIVs at my house as my son's Golf is visiting. I find it reassuring.

I couldn’t agree more. My 2015 has a layer of dust on it from sitting while the 2000 regularly sees 600+ miles/week if not twice that. I’m actually contemplating getting another A4 to share the workload but I also know Oilhammer will want to retire at some point LOL! So, I can only have so much reliance on him. Maybe I should be the one considering a Mini.

I am curious about the Mini’s build quality. We rented a Clubman on a trip and the interior seemed to have been cheapened. It’s possible that’s attributed to the Clubman specifically or Mini’s attempt at a higher trim level just failed to meet the mark. Maybe the lower trim levels have less “stuff” making them nicer albeit simpler.

 

[oilhammer]

It seems to me to be well screwed together. There are some hard plastics, but it doesn't feel bad. This is BMW's "cheap" car, so I wouldn't necessarily expect it to feel like a 5-series. It feels more quality than a Kia Rio or even a Forte. But... it also cost more. How it ages is of more importance to me.

It doesn't feel as cheapened inside as the newer Corollas and Civics do. It is also a lot quieter on the highway. Definitely can feel its German roots. It likes to go fast.

 

[pkhoury]

Someone asked about a picture of the engine bay:

View attachment 131836

And without the cover:

View attachment 131837

That's a tiny motor. Looks like the footprint of the 3 cylinder Kubota I have in a military generator.

Glad your wife got a 2024 and not something with the cursed Prince engine. I hear mechanics love and hate those. Love them, because they make $$$, and hate them, because they're a PITA to work on.

 

[oilhammer]

It is roughly the same dimensions as VAG uses. So, yes, somewhat small. VAG uses 88mm bore spacing, I suspect this is pretty close to that. So much "bigger" than most any other 3 cyl. 500cc per cylinder, so more than an ALH, same as a BHW or CJAA, etc. Most other 3 cyl are more in the 1.0L range, and a 1.5L would be a small 4 cyl instead.

This engine is on a shared architecture with other BMW engines of 4 and 6 cyl configurations. The 6 cyl version, which is essentially two of these stuck together, won Ward's 10 Best Engines list four times.

 

[oilhammer]

Hermione got her first bath today.... first time it has been wet, LOL... pollen and bugs finally necessitated a hand wash. 6772 miles. Hasn't been driven much lately as wife had knee surgery. Stupid garbage Korean tires already flat spotting from sitting. I may have to swap these tires before too long.

And good news, our new Autel scan tool was able to let me go in and PERMANENTLY turn off that idiotic start/stop BS.

 

[ezshift5]

One of the - IMHO - best bumper stickers I've ever seen was...............

why do the English drink warm beer?



BECAUSE THEY HAVE LUCAS REFRIGERATORS

 

[oilhammer]

Yep... fortunately, much of this Mini is German. Despite being assembled in the U.K.

But, like modern Volkswagens, it has bits from all over the place. Spain, Italy, Czech Rep., Romania, etc. 0% US-Canadian content, though, LOL.

 

[P2B]

0% US-Canadian content, though, LOL.

Where was the owner's manual printed?

 

[oilhammer]

Rolled past 10k miles on our vacation to Glacier National Park in Montana....

Passed a classic Mini on a trailer along the way:

So as far as road trips, for a week with two people... it was a bit cramped. The front seat room is perfectly fine, even for a big guy like me (in fact, I cannot even move the seat ALL the way back or I can't press the clutch down). But the "cargo" space is somewhat limited. The trunk is tiny, maybe only a quarter the size of a 4th gen Golf. And like a Golf, you cannot fold the rear seat down without having to place the front seats further forward than is comfortable. Which meant much of our stuff had to simply be piled on the back seat, and that's a pain because there isn't a lot of room to get things in and out of the back even when the front seats are flipped forward and slid up. So we had to use lots of smaller bags.

The firm suspension does feel every poor road surface, but probably not any different than a GTI. The car did get 41 MPGs on the trip, A/C on the whole time, and Interstate speeds were around 85-90 much of the time (I love 80 MPH speed limits!!).

Having gotten used to Volkswagens, mostly diesels, I have gotten spoiled by the thrust available and ease of passing at highway speeds without downshift or drama. The Mini doesn't provide that. Downshifts to 5th, and sometimes 4th, were necessary during many passing instances, although the car didn't struggle as much with altitude as I thought it would. I was caravaning with other family members, in my sister's older Honda Pilot and my cousin's newer Toyota Highlander. And Jesus, did those things guzzle gas... holy crap. Even the Mini's tiny 11 gal fuel tank was still enough for us to only need to fill up every other time they stopped. Not sure what the Highlander got, but the Pilot managed an abysmal 17.8 MPGs.

Satellite radio is nice. But it drops out a lot in the mountains.

The Mini has excellent brakes, but it has very poor engine braking, so I had to call on those brakes a LOT in the the hills. But the twisty turns are an absolute blast in this car, it really handles excellent, even with the crappy (and skinny) Korean junk tires it came with.

Also stopped in the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore along the way. Wanted to see Devil's Tower but just didn't have time.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Whenever I see a classic Mini I'm amazed at how tiny they are.

 

[jmodge]

I've seen those classic Mini's race at Grattan, I'm was amazed at how they handled cornering. They got passed regularily on the straightaways, but nothing hung with them in the corners. Dinky car with dinky tires moving like a dart passing people.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

There was a big classic Mini meet in the Black Hills, the trailered one was probably headed there or back home.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I test drove one in the UK that I was considering buying, probably 20 years ago. It was a '67 Cooper S. The car went like stink in the back roads of northern England, even in the cold that day. The seller wanted $10K for it, which at the time was more than I wanted to spend. I regret not buying it, given what they're worth today and how hard it is to find an actual original Mini.