Being brand new to the Mini world and just having picked up my new Mini last week, I was looking under the car and noticed an electric fan just behind the oil drain plug. What is it's purpose and when does it turn on? I let the car run at idle for about ten minutes and wasn't able to see it turn on even after running the AC and other accessories for a while. Why do I need it and do deep puddles of water prevent operation or cause a short somewhere?

 

Power Steering Pump Fan.

 

It's the cooling fan for the power steering's electrically driven hydraulic pump. It has a known tendency to ingest plastic bags and the like. You can buy a bolt-on shield for it, or do as I did and fit a Cobalt - the brandname, not the metal it's made out of! - skid plate that protects both the fan and the under-engine area in general.

Neil
05 MCS
96 M3