What is this grille (front headliner)?

[tsipple]

Anybody know what that grille in the front headliner, above the rear view mirror, is for? Is that a prewired handsfree wireless (cellular) telephone microphone/speaker? This is a Cooper without the sunroof.

[dietcokeplease]

It's the temperature sensor and not anything hands free!

When you dial-up up a set temperature either on your rotary dials or climate control, the sensor checks the cabin temp and opens/closes the valves on the heater matrix/aircon. If you have climate control it works in conjunction with the domed thingy (sunlight sensor) in the top centre of the dash.

If it was a hands-free mike it'd be on the wrong side of the car for left-hand drive and therefore not much use.

[lightbody]

British cars don't have that - at least mine doesn't or any that I've seen...?

[noahe]

Your car would only have that if you purchased Auto A/C.

[dietcokeplease]

noahe,

make that plain vanilla A/C too - I've got the sensor on my sunroof and a/c equipped Cooper.

DC

[tsipple]

I don't have the automatic air conditioning either, but I still have that grille depicted in the top right corner of the photo. (Obviously -- that's the photo of my U.S. MINI Cooper. No sunroof, no auto air conditioning.)

The dealer thought it was prewiring for a handsfree mobile phone, but anyone know for sure? If it is prewiring for a mobile phone, how does one go about tapping into it?

[snoopy]

I would go with the dealer on this one.

The oz based cars only have this when you have a sunroof. Does not matter if the car is fitted with auto air on not. (this is from the ones I have seen)

Also the Cooper manual shows the temp sensor at the bottom of the auto air control panel (while telling you not to touch or block them). So does this mean that car has 2 sets of temp sensors?


I would go and ask you dealer for a copy of the instruction to fit the BMW handsfree car kit to the MINI. These instruction will answer your question.

[macmini]

hi!

if you want the alarmsystem to be fitted into your mini this is the place where the "movementsensor" belongs!. i think every mini (with or without alarm) has this thing !

macmini

[AidenL]

I have it, and a sunroof........isnt the alarm motion sensor at the rear of the headlining, behind the sunroof??

[spanky2k]

Hmmm... reading through these posts, it seems as if none of us have got a clue as to what that thing actually is. Anyone willing to get out their screwdriver?!? I've got it and I've got a sunroof and Auto Air Con. I'd like to know because *everyone* that gets in my car asks what it is. I thought it was just a cover, which for US/European cars is on the other side so that the sunroof controls are on the correct side.

[monsta]

I don't have it and I have manual AC and no sunroof

[rich]

It's an air freshener... No, it's a coin-holder ( )... No, no, it's a smoke-detector!

Oh, I give up - Tell me!

[Dom]

I've got Auto A/C with no sunroof. I don't have that... Do people with that still have the box on the rear of the headlining???

Or perhaps it's a device to make the car pull to the left... or part of the fix

Dom

[ScottyHP]

Auto a/c but no vent

[Martin L]

Auto air, no vent, just box.
Does anyone have this in a beemer?
I've noticed they have the same boxes as my Cooper.