Wow. What a thread about opening doors. I dunno about you guys, but I don't swing my door out hoping for it to stay open. I hold the door open gently and hold it until it rests, then I let go of it and get out and close it. Simple. By swinging it out, that's how door dents/dings happen when you're next to someone. You can't stop the door because it's already on it's swing outwards and you've let go!

 

There is a thread on here about "door checks" or door hinge springs breaking on 1st gens. See "similar threads" below.

 

"By swinging it out, that's how door dents/dings happen when you're next to someone."

Not to mention broken and bent internal parts from years of slinging the door against the stop.

 

lol benefits of corner diagonal parking at work. lol i tuck my mini in deep where no one can reach it. i will post a pic up when i get out for a laugh.

 

+1!

I've been roundly criticized for saying much the same thing, folks have called me dealer shill and factory apologist and so on.....

 

One thought about the doors on a mini. The doors tend to open "upwards" at an angle if you look at it.

It's minor but if you're car is stock (the car already has a slight rake to it from the factory) and the fact that the doors don't open up parallel to the ground... (the more they open, the higher they go)

Granted, the inclination is small but unlike normal cars, they don't open level and I think that with the weight of the doors (they're heavy doors for a little car) they are a little more difficult to keep open.

Having said that, I'm with the rest of these guys. If you learn to open the door to the second or third detent, the door will usually stay open.

God knows, I've been nailed trying to get out of the damn car only to have the stupid door slam up...lol.


Mark

 

This is actually your MINI's way of saying that it's not ready to quit driving yet.

 

I was curious enough to examine the door's behavior. If you open it and stop at one of the detents it will remain there. If you open it halfway between the first and second detents and stop, the spring pressure will cause it to move to the second detent and stop or move back to the first detent and stop. If you open it halfway between the second and third detent it will either move to the third detent and stop or it will move back to the second detent or even the first detent before it stops.

Mini needs a video on how to open the door along with the current ones on how to adjust the seats, turn on the radio sans the navigator option, and unlock the doors from the inside.

 

I have that problem also. If you only do the first intent it is fine - if you open between the first and the second but don't get it all the way past the 2nd it closes all the way. I hate it.
Was the same way in my BMW - just bad design and someday someone is going to get hurt with this issue.

 

I don't have anything wrong with my doors thanks and I know this is gen 2, I was just chiming in

 

corner parking is safe . Not to hijack.

 

I would rather get out and open the door for my girlfriends mother then have her hanging on my window trying to get her fat butt out of the car. She ain't the only one either. It seems like just about everybody likes to close (Slam) the door by pushing on the window glass. They don't know how to close a car door any other way unless it is their own car. Slam their doors and they will freak out on you.

I don't see anything wrong with the Mini doors. It is the people that I have problems with.

 

I hear that, i cringe when i have greasy fingers touching my glass lol... as i see their hand come up im like

 

I never "swing" the doors open on any car because it is hard on the hinges/welds, I may ding the car next to me, or it might hit one of those steel posts at the gas pump. I push the door open as far as I want it to go and it stays. But, I can say the doors on the MINI are EASIER TO CLOSE than any other car I've owned.

My Jeep Wrangler door just has a nylon strap that keeps it from bashing itself on the front fender (180 degree swing without the strap). I have to hold onto the door during entry and exit if I'm parked close to another car. Even so, I think it is a great design!

 

Never had a problem with either of my Mini's doors staying open but we usually open them gently.

You can always tell the door slingers by the edge of their car door being all chipped up. I don't park next to those people. If I have a passenger who I know is likely to do that I will ask them to get out before I park the car. That gives them plenty of room to do their things and to smear the door and window.