Hello, guys I got a pretty weird issue going on. My 2004 R53 won't start. I will link a youtube short that I made since I can't explain how weird the situation is. Maybe is a faulty battery? I don't have the battery light on in my dash. It started doing that today; the mileage of the car is 128,397. It's a 2004 Mini Cooper S r53. (EDIT). I was at a gas station at 10 of the night I was able to turn on the car after I stopped the video.

 

Check the ground strap in the engine compartment to be sure it's tightly fastened and no corrosion, same with the negative cable in the battery box. Get your battery tested as well.

 

Everything is tight, and there is no Corrosion. I went to a place specializing in batteries to get my battery tested, and they told me the battery was good and has no problems. I had to drop the battery there in the morning since it was a bit low, 12.3V instead of 12.6V. They let me borrow a battery in the meantime. With the borrowed battery, the car turned on the first try, and once I got my original battery back (fully charged), it also turned on the first time. They also tested my alternator and underload the alternator still pumps 14 Amps. The worker who attended me told me it might be a starter issue.

 

I think you solved your problem -- battery -- regardless of whether or not it tested correctly. The Gen1 Mini is especially sensitive to battery voltage and can cause all kinds of issue if it's not at the top of its range. How old is the battery?

 

The battery is form November 2019, so not that old, but not old enough that needs to be replaced.

 

How cold has it been where you live?

 

The lowest it gets at night is 25 degrees Fahrenheit and the highest it gets during the day is 35 degrees Fahrenheit. In the week of Christmas, it was in the low ones (Single digits), and I had no problems since my Mini is the only car I own.

 

Also, your battery is at least four years old. The fact that you recharged it and it started your car tells you it needs to be replaced, especially if a loaner battery also started it.

 

I'm just going to let it be in the meantime; the battery store told me it's in good condition. In coupe months I'm going to do a big service to the Mini. Supercharger Service, Leaking coolant near the water Pump area, and coolant flush. If I keep getting problems, I'll buy a new battery.

 

Yeeeahh buddy! Welcome to the Daily Doomers Chapter of the BMW Stepchild Nation! Living life on the knife's edge.

How many tools and parts do you carry? Only correct answer: all of them!

Mine as well. Died in the first 20*F snap this winter, but recharged and have had no issues since including the single digit cold snap. These things rarely have a warranty over 3 years now though, only a matter of time I'm thinking...

 

Yes sir - sadly I average about 20mpg in my Mini.
Besides having the heaviest wheels (S-Lites) on the car I am also weighted down with 60lbs of tools and parts. Pretty much prepared for most unfortunate of circumstances.

It is a habit I learned from owning and driving aircooled for almost 40years.
​​​​​Some may say I'm paranoid. I prefer the term - "overly prepared" ​​​​​

 

Imo , 2x check the grond wire under the hood on the passenger side rail by the supercharger snout. I had the same issue awhile ago and found the wire was corroded internally and the wire stands were separating in the sheathing.

 

Had a very similar situation last weekend. Hopped in the car for a test drive. Turned the key - gauges came on and FP energized. One more click to start and ……. Nothing. No more lights. No more gauges. Nothing.

crawled through the back to check battery voltage. Good there. Grabbed the wires to make sure they were tight and to my surprise the ground was loose enough to turn. New battery in July was all good with nice tight clamps. Here in January, I’m thinking the metals contracted just enough to cause poor contact (single digit nights).

cleaned everything and re tightened. Car fired right up. Check and clean both sides of the battery. Like Adam said, check the ground strap. Make sure you have the same voltage at the pos battery terminal in the engine bay as you have in the boot. Then check fuses in the engine bay for continuity

After all of that I would start thinking about the ignition switch​​​​​

 

+1 sounds like loose connection / ground

 

This will be my 3rd-year ownership of an R53. I love the car a lot, but I'm planning on selling it and getting an Audi A5 B8 Quattro (an all-season car and I'm a Euro car fan.). I live in Washington, so the snow here is no question. I'm going to move to Seattle to study, and I would like to visit family during Christmas. I will need to cross the mountain, and I don't think the mini will be capable of doing that in the middle of winter. Before selling it, I want to change the supercharger oil and fix my coolant leak, but besides that, not major stuff has happened besides changing some leaky power steering likes, which were a pain in the but to change