Hi,

Hope you folks are doing great! I'm finding it difficult decide whether or not to take my mini to a mechanic. I have a 2008mini cooper with 52K miles on it.

last week my check engine light (solid yellow) came on and stayed for two days before turning off on its own. (The repair shop near me did not have open slots to inspect my car). The code Autozone guys retrieved from OBD was P0012 (sounded very serious). I did not take action on it because the light went off and there was no apparent problem.

[IMG]C:\Users\skakad0\Downloads\IMG_2079.jpg[/IMG]

Anyway, this morning when I started my car it took a couple of jerks and "Full engine power no longer available" light came on, I waited for a minute and then turned the ignition off and turned it back. And this time there was no light and vehicle started normally.

wondering if it is all related or just random incidents.

Few facts :
- I live in Chicago and it's been very cold for last couple of weeks below -10 to +10F.

- My battery is pretty old.

 

All of the error codes that have occurred are stored in memory. It's important that you get the car looked at by a qualified MINI mechanic. There are a few good shops in Chicagoland. Whether it's just a bad sensor or something like a bad fuel pump, get it looked at: your generation of MINIs can get expensive if you ignore check engine lights.

Eric

 

I'm in schaumburg. Any recommendations ?

 

Here some info on the P0012 code people have reported.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-actuator.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ing-issue.html

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rror-code.html

Check your oil level, check the battery voltage , low voltage can cause all kinds of issues.


Please try to get it to a mechanic in your area that know and works on MINIs or BMW if you can. Otherwise you will have to have it checked out by a MINI Dealership in you area. You can sometimes find good independents from you local MINI clubs.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...oring-club-44/

http://chicagominiclub.com/

 

We have done business with Perfect Power in Buffalo Grove not too far from you. They have a good reputation in the Porsche Community. Give them a call and see if they respond knowledgeably.

 

As It turns out - Vanos movement was not free. Could have been due to oil being very thick due to cold at the starting time.

Mechanic said, he wouldn't be too concerned in winter and asked me to come back if the light comes on again for replacement.