tow MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE 2008 Owners Manual

CONTENTS
4
In the engine compartment:
Bonnet 118
Engine compartment:
MINI COOPER and
MINI COOPER Convertible119
MINI COOPER S and
MINI COOPER S Convertible120
Engine oil 121
Coolant 122
Brake system 124
Maintenance and care:
MINI Maintenance System 125
Socket for Onboard Diagnostics
OBD 126
Caring for your vehicle 126
Vehicle storage 129
OWNER SERVICE PROCEDURESReplacement procedures:
Onboard tool kit 132
Wiper blades 132
Lamps and bulbs 133
Repairing a flat tire 137
Space-saver spare tire137
Changing tires 139
MINI Mobility System141
Vehicle battery144
Fuses 145
Giving and receiving assistance:
Jump-starting146
Towing and tow-starting 147
TECHNICAL DATAEngine data 152
Dimensions:
MINI153
MINI Convertible154
Weights:
MINI155
MINI Convertible156
Capacities 157

9OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATION CONTROLS DATA INDEX
Reporting safety defectsFor US customers:
The following only applies 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 noti-
fying the MINI Division of BMW of North
America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, Westwood,
New Jersey 07675-1227, telephone toll-
free 1-866-275-6464.
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 BMW 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 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 call
1-800-333-0510 toll-free from anywhere in
Canada or 1-613-993-9851 from the
Ottawa region and from other countries, or
contact Transport Canada by mail at:
Transport Canada, ASFAD, Place de Ville,
Tower C, 330 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON,
K1A 0N5.
You can also obtain other information
about motor vehicle safety from
http://www.tc.gc.caNOTES

34
GLASS SUNROOF, ELECTRIC
*
ROLLER SUN BLIND
*
Pinch protection system
If, while closing, the glass sunroof encoun-
ters resistance within roughly the last 8 in/
20 cm, the closing procedure is interrupted
and the roof reopens.
Despite the pinch protection system,
make sure that the travel path of the
sunroof is not obstructed whenever it is
closed. Otherwise, it is not guaranteed that
the closing procedure will be interrupted,
for instance if the obstructions are thin.<
Closing without the pinch protection sys-
tem:
You can disable the pinch protection sys-
tem by pressing the switch past the pres-
sure point and holding it. When closing the
sunroof from the raised position, ensure
that its travel path is not obstructed, since
the pinch protection system is not active in
this position.Convenience operationFor convenience operation using the
remote control refer to page26, for opera-
tion via the door lock refer to page27.
Manual opening and closing In the event of an electrical malfunction,
you can also open and close the glass sun-
roof manually:
1. Slide the cover panel towards the inte-
rior and remove it
2. Move the glass sunroof in the desired
direction using the hexagon wrench
from the onboard tool kit, refer to
page132.
To open1. Press the button in the handle, see
arrow 1;
the cap is unlocked
2. Guide the roller sun blind towards the
back.To close1. Use the handle to pull the roller sun
blind forwards
2. Engage the handle in the device, see
arrow 2.

43
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
SEAT ADJUSTMENTImportant adjustment information
Never try to adjust your seat while
operating the vehicle. The seat could
respond with an unexpected movement,
and the ensuing loss of vehicle control
could lead to an accident.
While driving, do not recline the backrest
too far toward the rear; this especially
applies to the front passenger seat. Other-
wise there is a risk that you will slide under
the safety belt in an accident, thus reducing
the protection provided by the safety
belt.<
Comply with the instructions on head
restraint height adjustment on page44
and on damaged safety belts on page47.
Longitudinal adjustment1. Lift the handle
2. Push the seat into the desired position
3. After releasing the handle, apply pres-
sure to the seat to ensure that the latch
engages securely.
Height adjustment 1. Upward:
pull the handle repeatedly, continuing
until the seat reaches the desired height
2. Downward:
push the handle repeatedly, continuing
until the seat reaches the desired height.

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.

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
page146 ff.

81
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
PARK DISTANCE CONTROL (PDC)
*
The concept
The PDC assists you when you back into a
parking space. A signal tone tells you the
current distance to an object behind your
vehicle. To do this, four ultrasonic sensors
in the rear bumper measure the distance to
the nearest object.
The sensors on each side have a range of
approx. 2 ft/60 cm, the middle sensors one
of approx. 5 ft/1.5 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can identify
objects if they are approached slowly,
as is generally the case when parking.
Avoid driving towards objects rapidly; due
to underlying physical principles, the sys-
tem may otherwise alert you too late for
you to take evasive steps. tem starts to operate automatically about
one second after you select reverse gear or
place the selector lever in position R.
Wait for this one second before you
drive backwards.<
The system is deactivated when you shift
away from Reverse.
You can have a signal tone set as a
confirmation that PDC has been acti-
vated.<
Acoustical signalsThe distance to an object is indicated by a
tone sounding at intervals. As the distance
between vehicle and object decreases, the
intervals between the tones become
shorter. A continuous tone indicates the
presence of an object less than 12 in/30 cm
away.
The warning signal is canceled after
approx. three seconds if the distance to the
object remains constant during this time,
for instance if you are moving parallel to a
wall.MalfunctionA continuous high-pitched tone will sound
during initial activation. The system is mal-
functioning. Have the system checked.Volume controlThe volume of the Park Distance Control
signal can be adjusted from level 1, soft, to
level 6, loud.
You can have this function set.<
System limitations
Even with PDC, final responsibility for
estimating the distance between the
vehicle and any objects always remains
with the driver.
Even when sensors are involved, there is a
blind spot in which objects cannot be
detected. Recognition of some objects can
be beyond the limits of physical ultrasonic
measurement, for example with towing
bars or hitches or with thin or wedge-
shaped objects. It is also possible that low
objects already detected, such as a curb
edge, can disappear in the blind spot of the
sensors before a continuous tone is
sounded, or that protruding objects higher
above the ground, such as ledges, are not
detected.
Loud sources of sound outside and inside
your vehicle can drown the PDC signal
tone.<
Keep the sensors clean and free of ice
or snow in order to ensure that they
will continue to operate effectively.
Do not apply high pressure spray to the
sensors for a prolonged period of time.
Always maintain a distance which is
greater than 4 in/10 cm.<

83
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMAir volume/Blower
You can select blower speeds
from 1 to 4. Position 0: blower is
switched off.
The heating, ventilation and air
conditioning operate in position 1 or
higher.
Temperature
Turn to the right, red, to increase
the temperature.
Turn to the left, blue, to decrease
the temperature.
Air distribution
Air distribution towards upper
body region , upper body
region and footwell , footwell
, footwell and windows ,
and windows .
Intermediate positions are possible, refer to
illustration and overview on page82.
Rear window defroster
The LED is lit when the rear win-
dow defroster is on.
The heater switches off auto-
matically after a short time.
Windshield heating*
The LED is lit when the wind-
shield heating is on.
The windshield heating switches
off automatically after a short time.
Cooling function
The LED is lit when the cooling
function is on.
The air is cooled and dehumidi-
fied and, depending on the temperature
setting, rewarmed.
Depending on the weather, the windshield
can fog up temporarily after the engine is
started.
When the cooling function is on, con-
densation forms which then exits
under the vehicle. Traces of condensed
water on the ground are therefore nor-
mal.<
Recirculated air mode
The LED is lit when the recircu-
lated air mode is on. Supply of
outside air into the vehicle is
blocked.
The air within the vehicle is recirculated.
If the windows fog up in the recircu-
lated air mode, turn the recirculated
air mode off and, if necessary, increase the
air supply. The recirculated air mode should
not be used constantly over a longer period
of time; otherwise the air quality in the
vehicle's interior will gradually deterio-
rate.<

87
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL
*
setting at HI, the recirculated air mode can-
not be switched on. The LED is lit when the function is
on.
Ice and condensation are rapidly removed
from the rear window, windshield and side
windows.
Condensation is removed from the win-
dows more quickly when the cooling func-
tion is also activated.
The rear window defroster/windshield
heating are switched on automatically.
They can be switched off again via the
respective button.
Individual air distribution
Combine the air distribution your-
self. Automatic adjustment of the
air distribution is deactivated.
It is not possible to distribute air
simultaneously toward the win-
dows and toward the upper body area.
You can switch the unit from 6 to
7 by pressing the buttons for the
cooling function and air distribution
toward the footwell at the same time.<
Microfilter/Activated-charcoal filterThe microfilter removes dust and pollen
from the incoming or recirculated air. The
activated-charcoal filter provides addi-
tional protection by filtering gaseous pol-
lutants from the outside air.
Your MINI Dealer replaces this combined
filter as a standard part of your scheduled
maintenance. A substantial reduction in
the air supply indicates that the filter must
be replaced before scheduled maintenance.
Draft-free ventilationButton 1: air outlets can be opened and
closed by turning.
The points indicate the position in each
case.
Nozzle 2: change the direction of the air
flow by swiveling.