I just bought my first used 06 mini s this past month, and I am obsessed.
however, when I start my car it takes a couple seconds to fire up. The car will stutter and stutter for sometimes ten seconds before turning over.
Once the car does turn over, the service engine and stability control indicators up on the dash.
I live in PA hours away from a mini dealer. Any helpful input on what could be wrong with my mini?

ps. I'm new to this whole forum thing too, so I apologize if any of this is bad form. I just don't know where to turn

 

You need to find a qualified Indy shop to help the diagnostic. The SES and DSC light are both illuminated because the engine fault that is occurring is also causing problem with the DSC. Certain engine faults cause the DSC light to illuminate because the DSC monitors certain engine parameters to do its job.

Could be:
Misfire
Boost issue
Electrical issue
etc etc

 

First, welcome to NAM. Second, do you have the tools to do diagnostic work on your MINI yourself? You'll want to plug in and see what faults are present in the system. If not, I'd suggest checking out this site HERE to help you find a local MINI indy repair shop.

 

Checked the closest indie shop, its 70 miles away.
Luckily I found a mechanic who lives less than a mile away who has worked on a few mini's. He ran a diagnostics test on mine and believes it a misfire caused by bad wiring.
within the next week or so I will update this thread with what comes.
Thanks for the tips

 

Couple of options there; could need wires, have rust/corrosion built up on cyl 3 coil pack point, failing ignition coil, possibly spark plugs.