I have a 2014 F56 and the check engine light is on. I'm out of warranty and an hour away from the dealer. I'm considering purchasing my own OBD reader. I don't know anything about them.

Does anyone have one they recommend?

I have an HTC android phone is that is an option.

Is there anything special about a MINI reader?

I know I can go to an auto parts store and borrow one from them.

 

I'd call ECS Tuning....they have a lot of specialty tools & most likely diagnostic code readers as well!

 

Thanks, this has a selection for the F56. Ours has the regular OBD2 reader and then MINI specific code reader ( as well as BMW and Rolls Royce )

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d-q-and-a.html

 

pick up an elm327 and torque pro app, it'll read/reset codes, hope it's just a gascap !

 

i first went with a knock-off elm327 reader off amazon. while the truth is that it worked (and still does work) 100% perfect, the issue i had was that it was bulky. that caused issues in that i would kick it off often and when i was racing @ the track, my instructor got really annoyed when it was knocked off mid-turn.

i ended up going with the OBDLINK LX for a few reasons
- every app/product that requires bluetooth reading always recommends using the OBDLINK LX
- size: it's freaking small and fit a lot more snug. the above issues went away with that.

for $50, you get the unit and 2 apps. i use the first one (OBDLINK) a lot. i use it to read diagnostics, reset codes, treat is as a dashboard (oil/water temp, boost, STFT, LTFT, etc...). and the most important reason for me having it. it will tell me when my car is "ready" for emissions testing (aka if you test now, you'll pass). i have a downpipe so for me, knowing that my car is reading as all healthy is a huge plus for me. truth is, the readiness kicks in after 100 miles of driving w/out doing an ecu-reset. but it's good to know that i can click it and it will say ready or not ready, then i go do inspection.

or if you don't want to spend a freaking dime, go to autozone and they'll do a free reading.

 

what does "knock-off elm327" mean? Do you think the chips are fake?

I have an odblink LX too, and I have found it unreliable but the good thing is you can hard-reset it with the green button

bad news is I've never had to do that with my other odb readers, go with amazon reviews, veepeek has a highly reviewed very low profile one

 

unreliable, or claim to be the latest chipset but are a VERY old version.

if it has great reviews, then by all means go for it. i'm surprised you've had issues with your obdlink lx...i've never had a problem with mine. luck of the draw i guess. i use it to track my data when i track the car and have not had a hiccup yet. maybe sometimes it won't see it, and i'll either reboot my phone or unplug/replug the obd unit...but otherwise that's it.

 

mine locked up at the autocross 2 weeks ago I had to google how to hard-reset it

 

Thanks for the feedback. I ordered an OBDlink LX via Amazon for $50 plus tax. I'm looking forward to playing with it.

Oh, I remembered the dealer told me after an oil change a month ago my spark plugs would need replacing soon. That is probably what the code is. They want $191 to replace 3 spark plugs! Yikes! I thought about doing it myself, but the plugs are $24 each and you need a $50 tool to get at them. I'll find someone local to do it and let them learn about my MINI.

 

replacing spark plugs so soon? is this a trustworthy dealer? i have 23k miles and no reference to changing spark plugs and historically, most modern cars either change plugs @ 50-100k.

 

I'm at 80K miles in just over 2 years. I drive a lot. But it does seem a little soon if bad plugs is what is causing the cel.

 

Been a while and I was wondering how this device has been working out so far?

Also, has anyone been able to use a OBD II scanner to find out more specifics on "Drivetrain Malfunction" error message?

My F56S (60K miles) has been intermittently showing this error message lately, both time just coming out of a parking lot at about 10-20 mph with moderate to slow acceleration. But the car drove fine.

I got home and turned off the engine and hooked up a generic hand-held OBD II code reader. And turned on the engine again but the error message was gone on the dash. And there code reader says there is no stored code. ???

 

1) my obdlink lx has been perfect since day 1...it's actually gone through some firmware upgrades, something the knock-offs don't do

2) are you running a jb4 or nm? IMO, a drivetrain malfunction is the car not happy with a reading it saw. in other words, something did not fall within the expected range (making numbers up, it expects a value between 0-10 and it receives 12.5...car says wtf that's impossible).

3) i had numerous drivetrain malfunctions that were resolved with a software upgrade from mini. note: my car is a february 2014 build, so it's probably part of the first batch that left the factory. my software was updated last year.

hope some of this helps you.

 

Thanks for the quick response!


> Was your OBDLINK LX able to give you any specifics about the Drivetrain Malfunction error message? Like too lean, misfiring, etc?


> My F56S is 100% bone stock other than tinted windows. Never raced and religiously maintained. It's just a everyday commute car about 60 miles a day.


> I bought my Mini in 2014 July and never had the software update done. Does dealer charge for the software update after warranty period is over?

 

i don't recall it saying anything to be honest. i was able to get a reading off my JB4's code reader and IT said that it was a network/software issue. again, that was for me...unfortunately drivetrain malfunction can be a NUMBER of things.

i beleive warranty is 3yr/36k for maintenance and 4yr/60k for engine...i would assume this falls under the 4yr, so you should still be covered. i would simply bring it in as taht, a drivetrain malfunction and ask if a software upgrade could resolve it. i know someone else on another thread mentioned of another way to get the dealer to upgrade, i just don't know which thread. NOTE: my dealer would not upgrade the software for no reason...there needs to be a valid reason that would authorize a software upgrade. all dealers are different though. perhaps yours knows what to write down in the system to authorize it.

good luck.

 

I just googled and found out that Mini warranty period is 4yr/50K miles for both Basic and Powertrain. And I bet whichever comes first so I'm well over it.

Other brand cars have a "Check Engine Light" when an engine parameter is amiss. But Mini has both "Drivetrain Malfunction" light and Check Engine Light (the latter I haven't seen on my Mini yet). I'm guessing that Drivetrain Malfunction light includes engine, transmission error & software error, and Check Engine Light deals with more serious engine related issues only.

Can someone explain more in detail the difference between the two?

Also, when the Drivetrain Malfunction light is on, would it be able to pass the required state smog check?
Mine is not due yet but just wondering.

 

Apologies for the outdated posting,
but exactly the same happened to me (check engine light) and I am having an F56 JCW January 2024 model.
I've tried two obd readers that I had (konwey and ELM ) but they do not work,and I am somehow lost between the options versus what will work. I do not know what to buy.
if possible, some help please?

 

Cheap and dirty approach:

(1) Bimmerlink app (runs on your phone)
(2) Wireless OBD-II adapter that will talk to Bimmerlink. There is a list of compatibles. Cheapest I've seen, and it does the job (I bought one) is the Veepeak OBDCheck BLE (communicates with your phone via Bluetooth).

Bimmerlink is not a full-fledged professional do-all-the-things scanner. But it will absolutely let you read BMW/MINI-specific codes.

 

I will do as you advise, thank you so much

 

I have a VeePeak OBD scanner & Bimmerlink on my phone. seems OK to me.

 

I agree with Stu-mon, I also have the VeePeak and it works just fine.