What -23 Degrees Fahrenheit Does to a MINI JCW Countryman
It turns out not a lot. Our JCW Countryman has soldiered through a lot this winter already. But operating at -23F (-31C) is a new trick it. We’ve all seen the spy-shots of MINIs and BMWs testing in the Arctic Circle under extreme conditions. This week in Chicago, that’s basically what has been happening. And from that experience I have a few observations.
1. Even new cars start a bit slow. Yup the Countryman starts just fine. But at -23F with a -50F windchill it’s not happy nor quick to spring into action.
2. Creaks are everywhere. It feels as if the most of the car has just woke from hibernation when you first start it at these temps.
3. Heated seats don’t even register at -23F. You’re convinced the only heat you feel for the first five minutes was brought with you from inside.
4. MINI’s interface wasn’t designed for giant gloves. Unlike American trucks, MINI designers didn’t give much consideration to huge fingered gloves pushing buttons. But you make it work because you do not want to take off a glove to change the radio.
5. The washer jets front and back have been frozen solid since the temps hit 0F earlier this week. We’ve notice they freeze at higher temps (5F) while driving at highway speeds.
6. Even lubrication doesn’t like cold. The transmission needs to be warmed up by gently moving through the gears and the clutch (which doesn’t get springy for awhile in these temps) needs to be depressed a few times to get the lubrication flowing.
All told our Countryman has performed adirmaby given the extreme conditions. However there is one option that we would highly recommend for this type of climate – a remote start.
<p>If you use full strength washer fluid, you shouldn’t have an issue with the washer jets freezing, even at -25. For a while MINI dealers were using some sort of solution that was mixed with water when they did service, with the long service intervals, this wouldn’t always get used up before cold weather came… lost a headlight washer from freeze damage caused by this on my old R56.</p>
<p>Both my R58 and previous R56 don’t like consecutive days below zero with the dreaded ice formation in the throttle body which causes fits as the POST for the throttle can’t properly complete, so you are left with CEL until it thaws out, some time after a short drive and restart with the R58, sometimes after several restarts with the R56.</p>
<p>I’d be happy with a heated steering wheel and a heated shift knob. Other than that, all three of my Minis worked well in cold temps.</p>
<p>Totally agree with the heated steering wheel!</p>
<p>My F54 is fine starting from the garage in the morning (detached not heated). But coming home from work after sitting out all day it was mighty grumpy. The exhaust was somehow louder and grumblier but not in a good way. I would second the washer fluid from MINI not being up to the task and the reservoir is so large that it holds that mixture well into winter.</p>
<p>A heated steering wheel would be terrific. But I actually find the buttons easy enough to use in gloves ( two pair this morning to fend off the cold in Michigan which was not as cold as Chicago but -15 is plenty cold enough). Other cars have heated wheels and having experienced them ruins you for other cars.</p>
<p>I have the cloth JCW seats. I think my seat heaters are broken, they are too hot. Nobody can take them on level 3 for very long. However this week I’m fine with that problem.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I think your seat heaters are working as MINI intended … level 1 is too much heat for me after a couple minutes; level 3 would be a good way to torture your enemies.</p>
<p>Glad to hear it isn’t just mine. I don’t mind getting warm enough quickly and shutting them down. I thought it was because I had cloth and they were calibrated for leather which might hold the heat back better.</p>
<p>Big gloves. Overflowlowing with Gortex. And big hands. It all makes for giant fingers with very little dexterity. So it’s definitely not a normal use case. But (fwiw) that combo does work in big dumb American trucks.</p>
<p>Yeah the big dumb American trucks are made with that in mind. Which means I kind of hate them when you aren’t wearing gloves (which is most of the time).</p>
<p>The cold creaks are pretty bad in the F56 as well… when going over speed bumps, mine reminds me of an old man trying to get up out of a recliner.</p>
<p>My washer jets are fine in the cold, but my passenger-side wiper just won’t lay flat on the windshield to wipe the fluid away. It’s the OEM wiper, too, not aftermarket. After the glass warms up a bit the wiping will slowly improve, but usually I’ve made it all the way to where I’m going by then. Not sure if it’s a wiper rubber issue or a wiper arm issue… I’m tempted to say it happened on my last set of wipers, too, but I don’t know for sure.</p>
<p>That wiper situation happens on my 2017 F56 JCW as well. Passenger wiper was basically useless in the single digits we saw in NJ last week.</p>
<p>That Thursday morning, I ended up turning around & coming back home instead of heading into work in the city in my Mini. Trying to shift gears–the trans felt like it was encased in thick maple syrup. Even after letting the Mini warm up for almost 10 minutes…seeing a few accidents & my car dying at a stoplight was enough for me to turn around and come back home to work from there. Started smelling the clutch too–not good.</p>
<p>I do my own version of the heated steering wheel: I am the 2 nearest vents right at 10 & 2 or 9 & 3. In about 5-6 minutes once the heat starts producing, the steering wheel warms up.</p>