this thread will be the place to discuss the latest software v.42 in the cooper s automatic. i'm primarily looking for stories from those who've upgraded and are experiencing normal driving now, even if the car was fine prior to the software upgrade.

my car has been running perfectly on the stock software from the factory (feb. 05 build) but today when brought in for service of another issue i was informed that the software update was mandatory or further warranty work could become complicated down the line. so my "it ain't broke don't fix it" stance has now officially gone out the window and i will await the return of my car tomorrow.

in the meantime - please post with your experiences here.

thanks - drew

fyi...


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=47355

i'm aware of that thread and the conversation has been dilluted into other areas.

i want to talk about success stories here please.

thanks.

demanding member are we.

ok i will shut up now.

sorry man..lol.. just frustrated that i now have been forced into this update and was looking for some encouragement as all the posts on that previous thread are horror stories! ; )

onwards and upwards!

- drew

I had the update about six weeks ago. (MINI limped off the freeway and was towed to the dealer.) Has worked perfectly since. My MCSCa is an April 2005 build.

I got the update to 42.1 in early July. Got rid of the problem where the SES light came on. No problems. I've never had the car go into limp mode before or after the upgrade.

Car was built in March 2005. MCS automatic.

thanks for the replies thus far - makes me feel good to hear something positive! ; )

anyone else?

Still curious if it changes the shifting and drive by wire throttle reaction at all, please let us know. I drive in manual mode almost all of the time and currently, with the software the car came with (Jan build) the shifting/repsonsiveness to throttle is great. I really really do not want to use that.

i only use the paddles as well. i would suspect the update wont affect them, but i'll post as soonas i get my car back.

So, so far the update sounds positive? Good to hear. I haven't had a SES or EML light trip for about 2 weeks now and I don't know if I want to let my SA have his hands on my car for the update just yet.

Maybe its just my aftermarket mods that worry me some. That and my dealer has like a 2-3week waiting time for an appoitment. Its such BS.

But thats another topic altogether...man I have trouble staying on topic today

well my car has been updated - and also had the engine harnass recall done as well (it keeps certain wiring from getting rubbed over time) - now i just have to go pick it up!

probably tomorrow...

cheers - drew

engine harness recall? i haven't heard of that, was it something they mailed to you as an official recall to bring the car in for it, or was it an internal thing where they just do it if your car happens to come in for something else?

when something becomes a recall they are mandated to notify customers and instruct them to bring the car into service (at least that has been what has happened to me with other cars incl. BMWs), and for the Mini I have yet to receive any notices. I also don't see it listed as a recall on Alldata, but maybe they are not up to date..

I just want to be sure to have anythign done that is truly necessary, but do not want to bring the car in otherwise.

it was mentioned to me when i brought in the car - i was sort of surprised myself. i was like, huh? ; )

it shows up on my order ticket as s1 m120705 lbl #21 cooper s eng hrns.

go figure - drew

I wonder what the deal is and if its a safety issue

the way it was explained to me was that it has to do with the way some wiring is layed in and that it could potentially shift over time, so they are replacing the wiring harnass to prevent the problem before it even happens.

hope this helps - drew

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I am a bit concerned only because it does sound like they are effectively trying to do a recall again without going through the real recall process or the NHTSA to save money (if car is not brought in for something else they never do the fix and the problem becomes apparent past the warrenty period when TSBs are not covered.

just got home with my car - all is well.

i drove it for a couple of hours and it feels exactly like it did before. no better. no worse.

even though it was only about 5 or 6 miles (this is nyc at rush hour after all!) i feel like the hot weather and stop and go was enough of a test.

never had a problem before and don't anticipate one now. ; )

onwards! - drew

(ps - my car did have the engine wiring harnass service done as well. the ticket reads like this: inspect & reroute engine harness - wp1. checked wiring harnass. found chafing on wire cover. opended up cover and checked wires. found wires. ok.)

I had mine flashed with v42.1 over the weekend as well; it's strange how "mellow" the car seems vs. previously with just MTH, and some of the power seems to be off as well. But after 200+ miles, I haven't noticed any SES lights.

By the way, I have a Feb/05 build, and the SES light only came on 3 times: once due to a loose gas cap (duhh, new owner mistake), and the other 2 times were due the long downhills. What's more interesting was that after I had the MTH flash, the SES light never came on again, even over the same hills where it triggered the light previously.

My car was in the dealership due to steering wheel play, and the SA just did the mandatory v42.1 flash recall without getting my approval. Oh well, I'll see if anything else comes up, and then I'll probably do the MTH flash again.

I just had my Feb. build MCSa upgraded today, and everything seemed just fine on the 90 mile ride home. Throttle/gear change response seemed normal. I suppose the trasmission needs to 'relearn' my driving habits, but since I'm in manual mode 99% of the time I haven't really noticed it.

Well, thanks, the good feedback is somewhat comforting. Please report back in after a week if you feel the cars have not relearned your driving habits or somehow still feel "mellow"...

Of course let us know if something wacky happens ie the stalling/limp mode thing

Just got the renewal notices for our 04 MCS Coupes from California DMV, and one of the requirements before they will renew the registration for the coming year is to provide a Proof of Correction Certificate for "Manufacturer Recall #04EA01" which is the emmissions recall for MINIs.

I've been stalling on getting this done since learning of the recall from MINI because of all the comments on NAM about problems after the upgrade to a later DME software version.

According to David, the Service Advisor at Concord (CA) MINI, the 42.2 upgrade is a winner; so I'm glad to see the positive coments about the latest V 42 software.

Of course, this version is also the fix for the SES light issue our 05 MCSa Cabrio is experiencing.

Charlie