Car Wash for Mini SE

I don't remember the answer, but I know there's an entry about it in the manual. There's some system of clicks that is supposed to keep the wheels unlocked.

Getting a seatbelt chime defeat might be easier though.

 

check 2022 Mini Cooper SE - In Focus: Nits to Pick! - YouTube around the 3 minute mark. If you're new, check the whole range of videos!

 

I'm pretty sure that the radio keeps playing as long as there is someone in one of the front seats. If the second person opens the door, the radio shuts off.

 

You can tell the AC to continue to run for 30 minutes before getting out. It's not full blast, but it's something.

 

My car asks me if I want to enable comfort climate when I turn it off. This keeps the A/C (or heat) running for 30 minutes after you turn off the car. Meant for a passenger while you make a quick stop. I also use it on very hot days just to keep the car cool for me.

I forget if I had to enable a setting to have this appear automatically. Check your owner’s manual.


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Good luck finding info in the manual on using the Climate Control system after turning off the SE. The Owners Manual hints in the Climate Control section that you can "Activate now," even though "Activate comfort climate now" is the actual menu item. The Owners Manual doesn't explain that this menu item appears when you shut off the SE ( hence the "GOODBYE" below).

 

That’s the screen. Just check that box after you power the car off and the A/C or heat will keep on keepin’ on.


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I quietly wept for your MINI's clearcoat.

Hand washing the SE with 1 bucket rinseless takes about 20 minutes but not everyone has a garage. I'm just glad I don't need a stepladder to clean the roof.

 

To keep the SE "running" (no need to run per se, but to keep it powered on) see @F14Scott's post on seat belt dummies. I got them and they work great to keep my dog from triggering the seat belt warning. If you put one in the driver side then the SE stays "on" when you exit the vehicle.

 

How dirty is your car when it only takes you 20 minutes to do a wash? I got some Optimum No Rinse a while back to see if I could cut down on wash time, but I was scared of scratching the paint so I made sure it got really wet, but then I had to spend much longer than 20 minutes (can't remember how long) doing that and drying it. Maybe if the car had just a light dusting after driving for a few days in no rain? My problem is I always wait too long or after it's rained, and by then the car is too dirty and it scares me to only wash with the No Rinse.

 

It's MUCH easier after you get a ceramic coating (mostly for surface marring prevention) for the paint and wheels.

For me the most efficient way is to use a laser cut sponge + microfiber towel and dry off with The Rag Company gauntlet v2 towel. Dunk the sponge and towel in the rinseless bucket 256:1 (1oz. rinseless per 2 gal for ONR) use both sides of the sponge (weight of sponge only..no downward pressure), then follow up with the microfiber towel for extra coverage and all the tricky areas (mirrors, door handles, door jambs). Toss the sponge & microfiber towel in the bucket and then dry the section off. The more times you have to go back to the rinseless bucket, the longer the wash will take. The SE is such a breeze because it's so small!

Alternatively you can do the traditional soap method and dry off with an electric leaf blower but that's too loud for my liking (in a garage).

 

I keep meaning to visit our local Stihl dealer to see how quiet the supposedly "quietest" leaf-blower, their $200 BGA 57, really is.

 

True. I already have a DeWalt with a stubby nozzle and blower band simply because it's the most compact for one handed use.

 

I think going for a drive is the best way to dry off the SE.

 

I timed my maintenance wash on the SE today at 17min 53 seconds. Of that time 3 minutes was mostly setup for the rinseless solution (waiting for the bucket to fill up and mixing) so I guess you can do a basic rinseless wash in 15 minutes or so.

If you want to be a little quicker I suppose you could do the Garry Dean 10+ towel (panel) method and then you can just put a lid on the clean rinseless solution for next time.

 

Wow, that's fast. I'll have to try it soon! Do you also do a rinseless wash when the car is very dirty, like after a lot of rain?

 

Yes you can but you have to pre-treat with a rinseless spray first. Most people recommend making a larger batch in the bucket and dunking the spray bottle to fill it up like the IK MULTI Pro 2 sprayer. Generally it should be fine if you are in a shaded area (or garage).

I don't use ONR, but I believe that the cap should be 1/2 oz so it's easy to get the 1:256 dilution ratio (1 oz per 2 gal water).