r53 won't start, window going down when key is turned
 

04 r53 with 60k, when I turn the key even just into the on position the dash clicks and the displays blink on and off while the driver side window slowly clicks its way down. No response from anything, though I can still lock and unlock the doors with the key fob.

Any ideas?

Really strange things happen to MINI's when the battery is low. I would try that first.

Tom

Happend to me 2 weeks ago, your battery is drained. It happend while I was at the carwash so the guys pushed the car down a road, and I jumpstarted it never gave me a problem after that

I should add that mine is also an 04 R53, and I'm still running the original battery which came from the factory.

Also,When mine was drained the indicators flashed and the wipers made a noise, can't remember if there was any activitiy with windows, but that click is "normal" I think . I remember the same click noise in my dads old bmw e46 when his battery was drained.

Battery. Same thing happened with my 2003 R53

Thanks for the quick response everyone, will attempt a jump soon.

Any battery suggestions? The battery for my dads justa was some weird size that was hard to find.

Optima Redtop

Mine behaved strangely with a dying batter as well, very similar. It lowered the windows (in the pouring rain!) and then didn't have enough juice to get them back up. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I went with an OEM battery... after all, the first one worked great for six years.

I installed an HID kit with ballasts into the stock wiring and the pulsing from the computer (the cold bulb check) made it do all sorts of weird stuff, namely not activating the alternator. After the battery got low, my traction control wouldn't turn back on, the window moved by itself, the ABS didn't work, and it was acting like the fan wouldn't run either. After a capacitor was installed inline before the ballast (absorbing the pulses) the problem fixed itself.

Thanks guys, it was the battery. Was an Exide that failed after 6 years. I picked up an Autocraft from advance auto and its all good now.