As a new Mini owner I have 2 questions for the old timers:

1. If I fail to charge my spare key fob, will it still start the car if the fob battery is dead. I understand the remote functions won't work but will it start the car?

2. Is there a source for buying a spare integrated key (the metallic key that's used for vehicle access when the fob remote buttons don't work)?

 

yes it should start if you plug it in...if by fail you mean it wont start without it plugged in then just plug it in.. mine never needs to be charged.. only when i want to start the car and not take it out of my pocket...

and if by integrated key you mean like on a regular car/metal key. does your cooper have a place for this? mine does not, just the fob slot.. to get an extra key you would have to get a fob/key and its my understanding only the dealer can supply/program those for you because they are all linked to the mini's specs or VIN related.. costly too from what i hear..

 

The integrated key (Mini's nomenclature) is stored inside the fob and can be removed to manually unlock the drivers door. It's just a metal key but with the notches cut into the side of the key and not the edges (no electronics involved). I'd like to get a spare integrated key to hide somewhere on the outside of the car and then hide my spare fob inside the car to prevent a lockout.

 

i wonder if we are talking about the same 'key'... mine looks more like a round fob more then anything... never took it apart to see what was inside... i love it, dont have to ever take it out of my pocket, as long as i'm near my mini i can do anything i want to it including drive it, drop the windows, sunroof, trunk...is yours like that? or is it my convienence package perhaps...

 

you don't have to take it apart...just pull out the key.

 

i'll have to look at it again... i honestly almost never take it out my pocket or even put it in the key slot... i mostly just push the button and it starts just being around it...

 

If you look on the bottom of your key fob there's a silver button. Push it and pull out on the bottom of the fob (where your keychain hangs) and your actual key that goes in the door is there.

 

well i'll be dam ..sure enough, there it is... i never knew that until today

 

 

If you have Comfort Access (part of the Convenience Package and have lock/unlock button on door handles and can start car without inserting key) then you don't have a rechargeable battery. It has a user replaceable lithium ion battery. There are no contact points on the fob to charge (as on the standard MINI key fob) so it doesn't do any good to place it in the dash. Your key fob has a door on the back to access the battery. Be careful not to lose or break the door. I was told MINI doesn't offer a replacement part and you have to buy a new fob.

 

 

+1

Why is it that people do not read the manual before asking questions here or other sites.

 

I started this thread and neither one of my questions are covered in the owner's manual (I looked there first). I still would like to know if there is a way to get a spare integrated key (the metal key inside the fob).

 

 

Well to answer that question. You have to buy the whole fog and it has to come from the dealer and they cost about $285.00

 

If you have Comfort Access you will not be able to lock the car with a FOB inside it. The car will not let that happen.

Of course if some thing is not working correctly then you may be able to lock the car with a CA fob inside but it is not supposed to be that way.

 

Actually I have locked our MINI with a CA fob in the car. My wife left her purse in the boot when we went to see a movie, and I could lock the door with my fob. Although you could not open the door using the comfort access button in the handle until my fob was near the car. Yeah for MINI

I didn't think about it until we were walking back to the car. It honestly kinda scared me to think that it might open because her fob was in the car. Thank goodness the kind engineers at BMW are on the ball.

 

I've done this as well, only Hubby did not have his spare key and we had to walk 3 miles home in 100deg. Heat. The Dealer and MINI Roadside Assistance were of absolutely NO help.

 

If you toss the CA fob onto the seat and quickly use the door button to lock you can lock it inside the car (do it with the window open lol). I think it takes a few seconds for the car to sense that the fob is inside the car. Once is senses it then the doors should not lock unless you use the inside door lock toggle.

 

I don't have CA or an alarm so the car will allow me to lock the spare fob in the car as long as it's not in the fob slot in the dash.

 

My dealer told me that I can buy just the metal key as a spare for about $80.

BTW I was told that the FOB recharges automatically when used. So if you have your spare one around and it never gets used it will never recharge.

 

The only thing the battery does is let you unlock/lock the doors remotely. If you don't have Comfort Access the battery has nothing to do with starting the car in the slot. Try it: take the battery out, put fob in slot, car starts.

 

Only if you DO NOT have Comfort Access.

Comfort Access keys use a replaceable battery, Lithium ion button battery style.

 

"Why is it that people do not read the manual before asking questions here or other sites."

Didn't get a manual. Mine's an automatic.