Now I'm confused. maxmini, are YOU the owner of this vehicle?
Your first-person description of the light makes it sound like it, but I don't remember hearing that you owned this vehicle. Maybe you were the one that took it to the tech for the owner?

And since we don't know where the test light was connected, it's going to be rough to think about what could cause that description. And since the PB was not attached, it could not have caused it, but how about if the damage was already done to the equipment? Then removing the PB would not remove the damage would it?

And now we have additional data. That battery kept running down, and eventually needed to be replaced. It's good to learn things like this even at the last minute.

I don't think the PB caused your leather problem unless you dropped it on the seat in that particular location.

I think the Plasma-Booster caused the ECU to fail in this instance by overloading the ECUs output transistors, but that's just my theory. I think it fits the evidence well.

Thanks for the additional information.

 

I'd like to know what the bunny thinks ...

Trippy,
Some of your summary points are from very early in the original thread. Later messages clearly indicate that they were wrong due to misunderstandings of the customer, misleading claims of the dealership or whatever.
By listing them as you did you have tried to suggest that they are all "facts"; this is misleading.

For a long time I was with you on the theory. 25 years of electronics makes me think like you - up to a point.
But now I have to "switch sides" to the other posters.
I cannot believe that a MINI owner would be crazy enough to re-install any electronics which was shown to destroy some expensive electronics and dump him with a big bill. It therefore seems obvious that he was NOT told that the PB was the cause.
Of course, I suppose this does not mean the PB was actually not the cause - perhaps the eventual diagnosis was wrong. If so, the PB will cause another similar failure and maybe you will hear of it.
But it is more likely that in fact something else was the cause, and that something else was fixed.
If a remote starter is wrongly installed, connected to the wrong wires, just about any screwy failure could occur. The customer clearly proposes that as the cause and that is the end of it - unless the same failure occurs again on a MINI with PB.


It is entertaining to read some of these posts, but the bunny definitely gets my vote!

 

>>Now I'm confused. maxmini, are YOU the owner of this vehicle?
>>Your first-person description of the light makes it sound like it, but I don't remember hearing that you owned this vehicle. Maybe you were the one that took it to the tech for the owner?
>>
>>And since we don't know where the test light was connected, it's going to be rough to think about what could cause that description. And since the PB was not attached, it could not have caused it, but how about if the damage was already done to the equipment? Then removing the PB would not remove the damage would it?
>>
>>And now we have additional data. That battery kept running down, and eventually needed to be replaced. It's good to learn things like this even at the last minute.
>>
>>I don't think the PB caused your leather problem unless you dropped it on the seat in that particular location.
>>
>>I think the Plasma-Booster caused the ECU to fail in this instance by overloading the ECUs output transistors, but that's just my theory. I think it fits the evidence well.
>>
>>Thanks for the additional information.
>>

The car was brought to the shop where I have alot of my work done.I didn't know it was the car in question until someone said " there is the $12,000 repair job " I am usually there hanging around when I am not working and happened to be there when the diagnosis was being performed. The Tech asked me to turn the key on for him, it was the first time i was ever in the car. It is a cooper btw and I have a S
I am still confused about the PG/ecu issue when the dead short was found under the dash on the othe side of the bulkhead in a wiring assembly for the remote starter?
To spice things up a bit the Plasma Booster that has been reinstalled on the car is the same one that he had originally.He also had the Venom/M7 nitrous system installed and that is working perfectly as well. Well I hope this all has given you some more food for thought. I am off to the very same shop to mess about with my car some more. I'll tell them you said hello :smile:
Randy
Team M7

 

A slight tanget on the remote starter.
So this guy is on the West coast, right? Near L.A. presumably. Why would one want a remote starter in their car in this area? I can understand in COLD areas, where you need to warm up the car just to defrost/drive it, but not on the lower left coast.
Enlighten me.
TIA

 

I can't speak for this guy's motivation but I've seen cars with pretty sophisticated alarm systems with remote starters connected and the weather rarely goes below 30 degrees in the winter. It's their preference so to question that based on the weather here reeks of bashing or flaming. Sorry, it's just appears that way.

 

Oh what fun! And I wasnt even involved... LOL Hey Peter are you going to update your website anytime soon? Your latest news is sort of old news..

 

Not bashing or flaming, just trying to understand, as I said originally.

If it's for the 'cool factor', all well and good.
Just wondering if there's some use for a remote starter other than warming up the car.
One I can think of is after an oil change, that way you don't have to slide your greasy butt on the seat to let it run and confirm the correct oil level.

In the MINI you'd need to have the microchip in proximity to the ignition, yes?

 

you actually answered your own question... those of us in the southern "hemisphere" use the remote-start for the opposite..... Air conditioning! When its VERY hot outside, it is nice to arrive in a car that has already had the A/C going for some time.

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But on to my view - as a 3rd person watching this whole thing, and the last thread as well.... originally i was with Trippy on the escapade....

but now i have to see Maxmini's logic the best: why would the owner re-install the defective device if it caused him all that headache? and if he didn't re-install it, and we are all just speculating, why didn't he come out and tell everyone the PB did it? I know if my car caused me all that grief and money for a repair because an aftermarket product jacked my shiz up, i would tell the whole world about that damn product.... not defend it.

add to that this is an isolated incident - of all the PB's ever sold, this is the first time anyone's ever heard of this... however i have heard similar stories related to aftermarket car alarms screwing up something with the ECU before.... so that adds to superiorsound's story's credibility.

At any rate i think we should let this rest. It's over. drop it.

 

I have a weird story which has little or nothing to do with this thread. The part about checking the engine power with the key removed reminded me of it. we were on a trip to the Improv in L.A. and we stopped to get gas my friend pulled his car over pulled out the key and the car kept running. Now we were in a dilemma we couldn't go to the club and leave the car running on the street for a couple hours. So we headed home. We left the keys in the back seat. We got back to his place pulled the car infront of the garage and started pulling fuses till the car stopped. He did not have a MINI or a plasma booster. The moral of the story? Sometimes weird stuff happens.