2023 Mini Cooper SE Live Journal & Review

Dumb question... I do not have my SE yet so I have no idea what it looks like first hand in the charger port area so I might be talking out of my ***. Could you use a very small magnetic reed switch to trigger a small adjustable timer relay? When the door opens, it triggers the relay for a time that you set to stay on and then automatically shut off. Pull the power from the trunk light? When I get my car (or if I ever get it), I will have a better idea of what you see. I am wondering if I can draw something up in Solidworks and 3D print it to house the light and the switch and place the relay close to the power source.
 
MarkSasaki said:
Dumb question... I do not have my SE yet so I have no idea what it looks like first hand in the charger port area so I might be talking out of my ***. Could you use a very small magnetic reed switch to trigger a small adjustable timer relay? When the door opens, it triggers the relay for a time that you set to stay on and then automatically shut off. Pull the power from the trunk light? When I get my car (or if I ever get it), I will have a better idea of what you see. I am wondering if I can draw something up in Solidworks and 3D print it to house the light and the switch and place the relay close to the power source.
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Check out the photos in this Light inside the charge port? thread.
 
Wreckless117 said:
A small bone to pick:

Mini... Really? (Also looking at some of you other manufacturers) Spend all this time and money designing a new high end LED tail light assembly, with great output, with a freaking functional union jack pattern....

....and you cheap out and use an incandescent bulb on the reverse light!?!? LEDs everywhere, shoot I can have a freaking disco party with the cycling ambient lighting, but I can't have a decent back up light that, you know, let's me see behind me better than my brake lights?


Fine, I'll do it myself.


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Old incandescent in my driveway:

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New LED in driveway:

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Went and found a super dark nook behind some buildings nearby. Hahahahaha. The dark picture is just tail lights for reference.

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Ok I feel better now.
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What year is your mini? Waiting on mine to arrive in a month. I wonder if I should be proactive and get these now.
 
Love reading through the updates and reviews here. Will be ordering my LED reverse lights soon, and really like what you did with the rear hatch light too!

Just to chime in on as I didn't see it mentioned, but the rear fogs are in fact incandescent as well. In the US they don't function (without coding) so not sure if it's worth it or not...
 
CoachCookie said:
Love reading through the updates and reviews here. Will be ordering my LED reverse lights soon, and really like what you did with the rear hatch light too!

Just to chime in on as I didn't see it mentioned, but the rear fogs are in fact incandescent as well. In the US they don't function (without coding) so not sure if it's worth it or not...
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I already have the light switch module and the OBD dongle with BimmerCode, I’ve ordered the LED replacements for the rear fog lights, along with those for the reverse lights and interior wedge bulbs.
 
Just a heads-up for those that are ordering the reverse lights I posted, I have noticed a random flash in one bulb when the car is NOT in reverse (bulbs off). I've only seen it twice as it's very quick, and only one side, so not sure if it's a defective bulb or just not playing nice with the car. Going to return and get another set sent out to see if it resolves. :-(
 
Wreckless117 said:
Just a heads-up for those that are ordering the reverse lights I posted, I have noticed a random flash in one bulb when the car is NOT in reverse (bulbs off). I've only seen it twice as it's very quick, and only one side, so not sure if it's a defective bulb or just not playing nice with the car. Going to return and get another set sent out to see if it resolves. :-(
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Interesting. Let us know if it resolves after replacement!

SameGuy said:
I’ve had zero issues with Philips LED auto “bulbs” over the last eight years, so I ordered these:

Reverse P21W
Fog W16W (red)
Interior W5W
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Appreciate the part numbers!

SameGuy said:
Now I’m curious if the side markers are LED…
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Side markers in the fenders are not LED. Unfortunately no one makes them for the 2022+. Hence why most of us end up tinting them rather then buying the off the shelf smoked LED replacements...
 
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I noticed that the reverse and fogs weren't LEDs when I replaced mine with aftermarket smoked. I made a mental note to do replacements at some point, but haven't jumped on it yet.

Will be monitoring to find a reverse LED that doesn't seem to have issues.
 
Wreckless117 said:
Just a heads-up for those that are ordering the reverse lights I posted, I have noticed a random flash in one bulb when the car is NOT in reverse (bulbs off). I've only seen it twice as it's very quick, and only one side, so not sure if it's a defective bulb or just not playing nice with the car. Going to return and get another set sent out to see if it resolves. :-(
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Did you define the light as an LED in Bimmercode? I believe it has that option. I just used it to remove startup warnings, lower the time the seat belt reminder stays on, and set the default active cruise control distance.
 
MarkSasaki said:
Did you define the light as an LED in Bimmercode? I believe it has that option. I just used it to remove startup warnings, lower the time the seat belt reminder stays on, and set the default active cruise control distance.
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No I have not, did not know that was an option. Did not have any bulb out warnings or anything so didn't even think to check it out. Thanks for the tip!
 
Milage as of 6/2/22: 1708


So found some time to make my way to the track and get some recorded 1/4 mile runs on the dragy!

Made a total of 6 runs starting with 91% battery, ended at 78%, with a 10+ minute cool down period between runs. Ambient was mid 80's, full sun, dry surface. HVAC off, windows up. Simple 2 foot launch process used for consistency, hold brakes, floor accelerator, release brake, which achieved flawless launches with no wheel spin.

Did the following mode combinations: 1. Mid/traction on, 2. Mid/traction off short press, 3. Sport/traction on, 4. Sport/traction off short press, 5. Sport/traction off long press, 6. Hidden roller mode.

So to report, driving mode does NOT matter in regards to getting maximum performance for straight line acceleration. All runs were within .10 seconds of each other. I feel like battery/motor thermal management will probably have more of an effect than anything else.

Would not recommend using roller mode unless being used for it's intended purpose and is not necessary for getting max performance. Roller mode also turns off Regen braking 100% so lifting off the accelerator only brings the car to a coasting state and requires 100% friction brakes to slow down. Just a interesting note, the car coasts very freely, a disconnected feeling, so drivetrain drag seems VERY minimal.

Because of the good consistency I'm only posting the best 0-60 and 1/4 mile times.

6 second flat 0-60 w/the 1ft rollout!! Not bad! 1ft rollout IMO is more accurate to how a vehicle's acceleration "feels" despite not being a true 0mph start, and I feel this is definitely the case when punching the SE around 10-30mph, just look how consistent the G's are through 40mph.

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And just for funsies heres the times for my golf R (these were from stage 1, I am unfortunately missing my stage 2 times which were obviously quicker by slightly more than a half second quicker in both accounts). That launch hits hard! :-D

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Wreckless117 said:
No I have not, did not know that was an option. Did not have any bulb out warnings or anything so didn't even think to check it out. Thanks for the tip!
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Remember on 90's cars when you change an incandescent bulb with an LED, a resistor should be used so the turn signal bulb doesn't flash crazy fast? LEDs do not have the same resistance as incandescent bulbs, in car like our Mini's, bulbs can be defined as an LED. Give it a look, let me know what happens.
 
Another bone to pick with Mini.

Who the heck designed the steering wheel?

The outermost buttons protrude away from the face of the wheel, are very close to the outer rim, and because of the position, my palms are constantly pressing the cruise res/cncl or volume up buttons while turning, such as in tight spaces, reversing, U-turns, etc, where quick lock to lock is required and using 9 or 3 as a swivel point. Even just holding the wheel at 9 and 3 (you know, where you should be holding it, and is even designed to be held at) is awkward because you can feel the buttons on your palms.

It is driving me absolutely bonkers. Never had this problem with any other vehicle (and I've driven close to 100 different vehicles), and will most likely require me to alter decades of driving habits. I can overlook vehicle design "quirks" but this is, IMO, a design failure. When you have a constant touch point, such as the wheel, the design should be absolutely scrutinized.

Honestly feel like Mini truly screwed this one up and they will hopefully address and change the design in the future. Move them a ½" towards the center, and recess them below the wheel rim and the problem is solved. Shoot, I might even start looking for a aftermarket wheel to replace it.
 
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I can’t visualize that. While I keep my hands close to 9-3 in sporty driving, the heel of my thumbs is never touching a surface. The rest of the time, ie in relaxed driving, I’ve got one hand or the other close to the thumb pads or 12 o’clock.
 
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