The good news: I picked up my sparkling new black-body, white-roof MINI two days ago at NW MINI, and I'm smitten. I drove it around all weekend, and it was pure pleasure. My wife and I have named it "Drake," after Patrick McGoohan's MINI-driving character in the great British spy series "Danger Man."

The bad news: This morning I drove Drake to work, and I noticed the digital readout in the odometer showing "EP," rather than the normal "P," "R," "D," or whatever gear you happen to be in. Diving into the owners manual, I discover that "EP" signifies some sort of transmission error. That's all it says, aside from telling you your gear selection is now limited.

So what gives? The car seems to drive OK, but this "EP" thing has me freaked. It was bitterly cold in Seattle this morning, and the car was covered in a crystalline frost, forcing me to blast the defrost so I could see before pulling out of my driveway. Could the weather have had something to do with it? Should I not have turned on the defrost before the car was in motion?

Help!

Thanks!

-Steve

 

i wouldn't freak out, but i would take it into the dealer a.s.a.p.
just hope that your car doesn't go into "limp"mode on the way.
call up mini usa and complain as well, this isn't acceptable for a new car!

 

Don't want to sound like an alarmist, but the "EP" readout indicates a serious malfunction in the CVT transmission hardware or controlling software. Book it into the dealer ASAP and do not drive it for extended periods of time while the EP error code continuous to show.

What a bummer! Hope is nothing truly serious. Keep us posted.

 

i hope you get your problem sorted out,
and when you do
can you post a pic of your kar..i have yet to see black w/white roof MINI

 

So I took the car in to NW MINI on Monday afternoon. They gave me a loaner ('03 MC, maroon body, black roof--nice, but it's not Drake!), and said they'd need to keep the car overnight to have a chance to take a closer look. That was fine by me, since I needed to get back to work anyway. (It kinda sucks that the dealership is in Tacoma--when are they opening one in Seattle?)

Got a call back today from the service manager, and he said the "EP" light is displaying due to a broken pin in the speed sensor. They can't just replace the pin; they have to replace the whole wiring harness around it. So they have to get the part sent from Oxford, which means I don't get my car back till Friday. Argh.

By Friday I'll have owned the car for 6 days, but had it in my possession for only 2 of those days. That really sucks.

 

I’m with MINI USA. I’m sorry to read about your concern with your transmission. If you want our assistance, please phone us at (866) ASK MINI and please mention Reference # 1-116738827 so that we can help you more efficiently.

 

Unbelievable that the old engine wiring harness problem is still happening in the later builds.

 

Glad they were able to track down your problem to something specific and that they're fixing it right. If all goes well (fingers crossed) it'll be clear sailing from here on out. I know its hard to be w/o your MINI, but that EP readout would have eventually brought even more heartache. Keep us posted.

 

Got my MINI back today! According to the report, there were corroded contacts in the vehicle speed sensor. How they got corroded on a new car is a mystery to me. Anyway, they replaced the engine section of the wiring harness, and everything tested OK. No more "EP" displaying in the gear indicator.

Thanks for everyone's help and support!

-Steve

 

Glad to hear that your car is back with you and running fine. I'm even happier to see that the "MINI Division" robot popped up again! I love that robot!!! I got one of these once in one of my emails, and I was never able to get a response, or even someone who knew what to do with my reference number!

 

Hope all goes well with your Mini now, Steve? That must have been frustrating to have had to take Drake back so soon. I think it is cool that MINI.USA posted and offered to help expediate getting the repair. Let's give credit when it is due. :smile:

No, I have no affiliation with MINI.USA