Favorite and Useful Accessories

Thanks for the insight. I guess I didn't realize the sill plates in the SE were exclusive.

I knew the SE came with puddle light in the drivers mirror, so wasn't sure if it still had lights below the doors (which function much better as "real" puddle lamps IMO). Does the mirror puddle light work if the mirrors aren't folded up? They only function on my Mach-E when the mirrors are folded.

 

When they're folded in they project onto the car.

 

I've enjoyed Insightman's posts about hood scoops, and when I saw this, I just had to install it.

 

It only comes standard with one on the driver side and none on the passenger side? That's bogus!

 

I guess they expect you to jump out, avoid the puddle on your side, run around to the other side of your MINI, and spread your cloak over the puddle on the lady's side, making a puddle light on that side unneccessary.

 

Has anyone looked underneath the passenger mirror cap to see if there's a light there? Maybe all that's missing is a punch out. Keep in mind the UK has a light on the right side for their right-hand drive, whereas it's reversed for left-hand drive countries.

 

You're wondering if MINI installed an LED in the passenger-side mirror that comes on at the same time as the LED in the driver-side mirror, but they didn't make the effort to open the hole so it could shine through? I think we'd be lucky if the bean-counters decided it would save money to have a global wiring harness that includes a connection for a puddle-light LED on both sides. However, because the wiring harnesses (made in Ukraine) must be so different for the left and right driver positions, I don't hold out much hope for a puddle-light wire being part of the passenger-side mirror.

I believe the mirror-heaters are always powered up, no matter what the ambient temperature (you could be freezing in Green+ mode, but your mirrors will be warm), so there's power available in both mirrors. That suggests an expensive and complicated way to implement a passenger-side puddle light would involve a radio transmitter in the driver-side mirror that sends a signal to a receiver in the passenger-side mirror to activate the passenger-side puddle-light. A small battery or capacitor might be required to maintain power for a few seconds because the mirror-heater power probably cuts off when you turn off the car and open the door.

Of course, the day after installing all that custom, miniaturized radio equipment, a deer would come along and take off one of your mirrors.

 

North American MINIs have full working rear fog lights, they just gave us a switch that doesn't include turning them on.

 

I don't think the NHTSA has any regulations prohibiting passenger-side puddle-lights.

 

Maybe driver-only puddle light is an "S" model design decision, like the fake scoop.

 

You know, I've had my '22 SE for seven months now, and this discussion prompted me to look at the puddle lights. The driver's side is the Mini logo, but the passenger side is just a light. Never noticed that before. (I never get in the passenger side at night.)

 

Wait, there's a non-MINI-logo light shining down from the passenger-side mirror of your SE?

 

I double checked mine. Just the door handle light on the passenger side and the MINI puddle light on driver's side mirror plus the driver side door handle light.

 

Just checked again. There's a light on the passenger side, but it's from the door handle. There's a light on the driver side from the door handle, AND there's the logo light from the mirror. Both shining on the same area. I see the logo all the time, but I never use the passenger side at night.

 

I have an Iconic SE--it should cast the MINI icon on both sides.

 

are you sure? my new SE has just the drivers side puddle light

 

Mine is just the same. I meant the top-of-the-line Iconic "should" cast puddle light on both sides. Clearly, because MINI makes both right-hand and left-hand drive models, their bin has all the parts to put the puddle light on both sides. OTOH, perhaps they don't want to make a special Iconic wiring harness that has a puddle-light power wire on the passenger side.

 

In addition to these, both sides also have a light that shines from underneath the door. That light is brighter and seems like would better illuminate a puddle than the logo light.

 

Originally the MINI logo was an insert on the door puddle light, and you could replace it with other designs. Not sure why MINI decided to put the logo in the mirror.

 

I was checking out the MINI accessories on the shopMINI website. Interesting the fuel additive and engine oil are accessories available for a 2023 SE. Might be fun to add them to the cart to see the dealers reaction. I’d hope they would talk me out of buying them.