Hi Everyone...

This weekend my husband and I will be ordering my Ice Blue Mini, I'm hoping you can help me with a couple of questions

1. Heated Seats...How warm do these get?? I practically live on a heating pad for some lower back issues. The heated seats would be used everytime I'm in the car..if they actually produce lots of heat. I live in California, so a cold weather package per se isn't a necessity.

2. I'm thinking of an Ice Blue top, if you check out the official Ice Blue Forum there is a picture there...BUT I would like the side mirrors to be black.
How much do those cost to change?

3. We are really focused on a base model and then adding in automatic and cold weather package. Money is an issue and I'm not really as much a car enthusiast as most of you. With that said is there anything that I should consider ordering that I might regret later cheaping out on.

4. The dealer mentioned something about a sealant of some sort that if I spilled something inside or theres problems with the paint outside Mini will fix it for no charge
I can't remember the details (Im sure all of you experts know what Im talking about) is this worth it??

I think that's it...

Any advice would be most appreciated!

Karen

 

Hi Karen,

As a new owner (picked up [FONT='Trebuchet MS','sans-serif']Valerie [/FONT]17 days ago... ) and living in New England, I only use the lowest setting on the seats. With that said, I think you’ll be happy with the medium and high settings!

Don On Cape Cod


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1. Heated Seats...How warm do these get??
They get pretty warm. There are 3 settings - 'Burn your bum', 'warm', and 'is this thing on?'

2. I'm thinking of an Ice Blue top, if you check out the official Ice Blue Forum there is a picture there...BUT I would like the side mirrors to be black.
How much do those cost to change?
New caps are $100-200ish. Might be able to find some used.

3. We are really focused on a base model and then adding in automatic and cold weather package. Money is an issue and I'm not really as much a car enthusiast as most of you. With that said is there anything that I should consider ordering that I might regret later cheaping out on.
White turn signal package, the orange lenses are ugly! And it will cost you $$ to change them later.
I also think the Harmon/Kardon sound is VERY worth it, especially if you care at all about how your music sounds.

 

The heated seats - to me - are almost too hot, I'm looking for ways to cut mine down just a bit. That said, they're really comfortable, and go quite a ways up the backrest so they really help your lower back as well. I think you'll find them more than adequate as a hot pad!

Don't bother with dealer sealants - it's just a good way for them to make some extra dough - the seats will clean up fine just as they come from the dealer. You may be able to get the dealer to swap those mirror covers, but I think they'd look good in body color myself! If you had to buy new ones, they just pop off and on....you could just paint yours too, since you want them black.

Congrats on your new MINI, as to other options my suggestions are to be sure to opt for the Zenon headlights and the center armrest. The Zenons are a must have for night driving, and I drove a dealer loaner the other day without a center armrest and I was surprised to find how much I missed mine!

Other than that, I think you're good to go!

 

If you want xenon headlights... now is the time to get them. You can do aftermarket upgrades, but these are illegal in most states and my local state patrol has started pulling people over for having improperly aimed aftermarket HIDs. No one has the equipment to aim these things right in their own garage and having a professional do it, is more expensive than just buying it from the factory and having them do it for you. It's one of those worth it to get the job done right the first time things.

You will not regret the cold weather package, I love my heated seats and will never be without these again and I love that my heated seats work better than hubby's heated seats in his Honda.

I would also consider the premium package, but I love the sound system and my sunroof as well as the automatic AC. These are features I will never live without on a car again, but I know it does add some $$ to the car. They are also luxury add ons though, and if you are trying to keep the price down, they are something you can live without.

I think that the body colored roof is an option that most MINI drivers do not exercise... and I think more people should. It's a good look on the MINI and I think it would make yours stand out.

Happy configurating!

 

The heated seats get VERY hot- I can only tolerate the 2nd or 3rd settings for a short while. I guess it also depends on how much "padding" one has in the rear.

As far as accessories go- everyone will give you a different answer as to which ones are must haves. Two of the less expensive add ons that I am very glad I got were 1. Interior chrome package. Its amazing how much better the interior looks, in my opinion, with more chrome instead of the matt silver plastic. 2. The rear fog lights. For $100 you get a better look in the back of the car, and you dont have an empty spot in your toggle switch bank. This may not bother you, but to me it did. The back fog lights are also handy for better visibility in bad weather.

If music is important to you, the base stereo is really quite poor. Just a thought.

 

Get the sport package. I've got the auto with sport.
Makes a big difference. Get the paddle shifters too even if you
are not an overly-enthusiast.

Make sure you get the rear fog lights. It's cheap when you buy it.

Get the cold weather package you get the folding mirrors too.

I'm not a huge fan of the xenon lights so you could save money there.
The sunroofs are reported with lots of troubles. I'd avoid the premium
package as well.

I realize this is all personal opinion lol

 

As another SoCal MINI driver, I can tell you that the heated seats are great. The high setting feels good for a few minutes and then starts to feel too hot, so I step it down to medium. After a while, I often step it down again to low. You can also order the heated seats separately from the cold weather package. You'll save $250 in exchange for giving up the heated and power-folding mirrors, which I personally haven't found all that useful.

As others have already said, swapping mirror caps is easy and not terribly expensive. MINI offers a range of accessory caps with Union Jacks, checkers, and so forth. You may even be able to get a set of black mirror caps from someone who has swapped theirs out for something else; your dealer may even have a set of black ones left over from a car they swapped.

I would pass on dealer-added "sealants".

I am also not a fan of the armrest, but then I don't use it and so it's just in the way.

I do really like the H-K speaker system, but it is pretty spendy. If you mainly listen to talk radio and the traffic reports, then don't worry about it.

Enjoy your new MINI!

 

Hi OurPassportStamps, Congrats on the Mini - It really is a phenomenal little car. Great fun to drive. The seats will be more than adequate - no matter how cold your backside is. Warm enough to run without the cabin heater running even. Please do yourself a favor though, and stop and speak to Mini owners if you're comfortable doing so, to ask them how their "After-Sale" service experience has been. Hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones, and have a dealership in your area that believes Mini drivers are actual people.

 

I never realized how great my Xenon headlights were until I now - my car has been in the body shop and I've had a cheap rental. I would say the Xenons are a must for enhanced visibility at night.

 

The cold weather pkg is great. I'd also go with the auto dim mirror, rear fog lights and the rainsense wipers. I went with the cloth seats. Later on you can always add a armrest the euro style one opens. No matter how you order your new car you will love it.

 

Its funny...as you expected, others will recommend additional options from the rear fog light to Navigation

One item you can scratch off your list is the seat protectant.

The heated seats will roast you on high. You'll get your money's worth with that option.

I would suggest you list your options in "your priority order" and then stop when the price is at your limit. An item important to someone else, may not be as important to you. Figure out what you must have first. Then with what left you can spend, pick the options you most want until price makes you stop. Doing that you will have your Mini just as you wanted. And you will drive it with a smile.

 

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for taking time to give your input on my new MINI!!!

I'm soooo jazzed about the heated seats actually working GREAT!!!

sounds like the black side mirrors will be minimal in cost and pretty much a non issue.

the arm rest might be cool to hold "small stuff" in it" like change, pens. ponytail holder, lipstick, phone charger. I'm going to look into that and when I'm at the dealer this Saturday I will ask to sit in a MINI with one and without to see how it feels.
Regarding the bells and whistles like the various lights I'm going to defer to my DH on that. He is more of a car guy and will know based on how and where I drive if I will need that. We live in the Southern region of the SFO Bay Area
so my weather/fog issues are rare compared to what the rest of USA/Canada deals with. I can guarantee you, my MINI will never know what snow is and more than likely I would never be out at night in an area that isnt well lighted.
However, I'm going to reprice my configuration with them in it, since a couple of you have mentioned the rear fog lights.

Also, I appreciate the NO vote about the sealant, but my concern was that I have a history of spilling coffee drinks. I don't mean to, but no matter how careful I am, at some point there's a spill..with that said does that reverse your
NO VOTE?

Oh... I have 4 MINI dealerships to choose from in my area ...if I purchase at one of them and I'm not happy with the service, can I take my MINI to be serviced to the other 3???

Finner that is good advice ...but the problem I was having is the multitude of options!!!

Thanks again everyone...I really appreciate it!!!

K.

 

1. The heated seats are too hot at high but med and low are good.
2. The body colored roof and black mirrors are a stock option so you shouldnt be a charged for 'em.
3. Everything else is just bells and whistles
Enjoy your new MINI.

 

Re: fog lights. While you may use them more often in the Bay area than we do here in the great flyover you still won't use them that often. The Zenons you'll use every time you turn on your lights - they're worth every penny at $500. Get them.

I don't use my armrest for storage, I rest my arm on it....

 

That's because you're tall enough that you can sit back far enough for your arm to actually sit on your armrest.

The front lip of mine, when down and when my seat is adjusted so that I can push the pedals to the floor, brushes my elbow when I go to shift.

 

Ah HA!

I'm 5 ft 2inches....so I will definately make sure I sit in a MINI at the dealer with
one it....could be an issue for me.

I've never had an arm rest, so really its just fluff for me!

 

Yeah, that will be a problem for you then. I'm 5'3".

The cool part about being short, is that people can actually sit behind the driver in a MINI. :D

 

People can sit behind me.................in my Clubman!

I'm 5'10", but it's interesting - my wife is 5'3", for the seven inches difference in height between us it seems she has to move the seat forward about 3 feet!

Actually, on the Clubby she doesn't move the seat forward at all, but she raises it up all the way. Don't know how that impacts where the armrest is for her, but I'd guess you're right, that it would not be handy to use....

 

The only option I would really HAVE to have is the Xenon lights. They make night driving 100000x easier. The basic halogens really don't light up the road that much.

 

Funny, you're the same height as my hubby and he drops my seat all the way to the floor, knocks it as far back as it will go AND uses the arm rest. I have to correct all of this every time I get into my car after he drives.

For me, the armrest is in the way more than anything else, that's why I have an intense dislike for the thing. I should just track down a delete kit and sell mine and call it a day.

 

Well you've heard a lot of opinions so why not one more? I did get the arm rest and I'm glad I did. I'm 5'4 but even though I'm little, I do need the arm rest. I also got traction control. I live on a high hill with steep windy roads. Considering the winter we're having this year, it was certainly the best decision I made on this car. The difference between having it on and off is like night and day. But this is not something you need. I also got the cold weather package. The heated seats, like everyone else has said, are phenomenal. The heated mirrors and the fact that they fold are awesome and the heated washer jets also rock. Of course, you may not need those parts of the package so you can get the heated seats without the rest. I also got the bluetooth/iPod adapter. I would not be able to function without this. I need music and I have an iPod touch which is a huge PITA/really dangerous to play with while driving.
I am lucky enough to have a POS so I'm trading my car. I will be going from automatic to manual. I have driven manual forever and hated to go to auto. But at least with the auto, you can pretend you're driving stick when you put it in manual mode. Again, this may not matter to you. My biggest regret was not getting the HK radio. I think the stock radio is just utter crap. I am lucky enough that when I get the replacement, it will have the HK.
There are about a million ways to configure your MINI. Whatever you decide, you will love it.

 

Hey Passport,

Of course the list of options make it tough. But if budget causes constraints, you have to pick and choose. Even with coffee, slurpee's or whatever spilling, you don't want the sealant. Use that money for an option you want. Go to any auto parts store and get the seat "scotchguard" or similiar type product if you want. The leatherette seats clean up real nice. And assuming your getting floor mats, the carpet is protected.

Have fun deciding on those options Its tough to pick..or should I say not pick.

 

This. You can do that "sealant" so much cheaper yourself because they pretty much just use the scotch guard in a can stuff anyway.

 

A little late here, but skip the paint sealant, just wax it a lot. You can buy scotch guard or the like for the interior. It'll be far cheaper than from the dealer.

Heated seats are great. I also have back issues and love them for that reason. I tried to get my doctor to prescribe a MINI with heated seats, but he declined. Don't think I could handle the co pay anyway!

I like the Xenon's in both of my MINI's. Also have the rear fog lamp, just to fill out the empty place on the console. Both of mine have sunroofs and both have had issues. My next MINI won't have one.

Biggest thing I can suggest: change your oil a LOT more often than the car tells you to. I change the oil in the kids 07 MCS and thanks to carbon build up and stretched timing chain, just replaced the motor in it at 80K miles. And that's WITH changing the oil every 4-5K miles. Also buying a BSH oil catch can. Though the 2011's have some improvements in that area.