Anyone else use Heet??? I may give that a try. But proven results or not, I'm way too chicken to put regular gas in my MINI.

See, that just does not seem normal to me! Granted the MINI's engine has much more technology that can possibly be a bit finicky, but my friends 7 year old VW Jetta starts up every time without a problem.

 

My old Cooper (2003) wasn't a fan of winter. I'm in Vermont, so we don't start talking about "cold" until it gets below 0°F. Anything above zero isn't worth mentioning.

But, when it was cold, the Cooper wouldn't idle with a cold engine. I had to give it some gas while idling to keep it from stalling. The old Coopers were worse in this regard than any of the other MINIs.

My new 2007 MCS hasn't had any idling problems in the cold yet, but it hasn't gotten below zero yet either.

 

it could be a number of things, although the tolerances are very tight in an aluminum engine like this, and it effected by really cold weather. The Pistons and rings have a small amount of constriction due to the cold, which could have made the parts inside the engine too tight, scoring the cylinder walls:impatient
But it might have to be at a temperature far below -10C in order for this to happen. but this would be a worst case scenario

 

Has anyone in northern climes had to resort to this?

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...FQINPAodMkRcWw

 

I did when i lived in Colorado. But i also had a 1968 mustang i had to start every morning snow or shine.

 

Soooo cold this morning. Was praying as I hit that button.



...then praying as I got out of Penn station to walk to work.

 

It was 0F here this morning. At start-up, the cruise control light came on. Then off. Then, the partially shaded yellow engine light came on. Engine stumbled and oscillated up and down in RPMs. Tried a slow drive around the block to warm it up, but that didn't help. Shut down and let it sit a few minutes. Restarted. Shaded yellow engine light changed to yellow engine outline. I drove the 7 miles to work at 45 mph in 6th gear without incident. The warning light never went out. This afternoon it's 27F, and the car starts normally, no warning lights.

 

Phantasms... NY Penn? Too damn cold to watch the bull riding this morning huh?

Snoze stumbled for a second this morning. We'll see how well she starts tonight after work.

 

I just got off the phone with my service advisor about my stalling issue. He suggested that I use "top tier" gas in my Mini versus the BP gasoline that I had been using. It has something to do with the alcohol content in the gas that BMW's and Mini's are sensitive to. He said to let him know if my problem persists or starts to occur in warmer weather because this could be a sign of a troubled high pressure fuel pump.

 

The alchohol was why I was suggesting regular gas.........alchohol and cold weather don't play well together..........

I was very reluctant to try this (reg gas) with my MINI but my car had the classic start then stall then restart stumble and run syndrome when it was under about 50*. Reg gas cured it completely, but I only run regular when it's cold like this, when it warms up I'll go back to premium.........

 

They need to get over this excuse, more and more states are mandating up to 15% ethanol in the gas as a standard. Missouri being the latest.

 

...over on the Porsche forum, everybody has a heated garage...

 

QT, Chevron, Shell --- I try to use them when I can.

 

I've actually been considering a heater for the garage. Hmmmm.

 

worked fine this morning, the engine warning light has gone. I took it to the dealer and they ran the diag. turns to be the throtlle valve.It has moisture in it and its freezing up. the seal needs replacing. Parts on backorder for ten days. Its going to be milder here in Toronto over the next few days so I should be ok

 

I wish I could feel your pain but I can't. Cold in Tucson AZ is 30 degrees at night.

 

I've been driving cars for 30 years now and never had a problem like the one with my '07 MCS which stalls during idle in moderately cold temps (10 - 20 F) after a cold start (even after running for a mile or so up to the next traffic light). I sent it back to the dealer through road side assistance and will see what happens. Since I live in upstate NY, I will not be driving a car that behaves like that during the long winter up here. Honestly, posts which blame anything else than improper electronic engine management or a defect imo are testimonies to loving Minis beyond reason. Sorry, had to say it...

 

I agree with you completely. I wasn't defending the statement made by the SA.

Everycar that I have owned as had no problems with the cold weather, and that included my modified Evo 8.

To me, this is more of an ECU tunning issue than a fuel "quality" issue. I've used BP gas in all my cars for quite some time with NO problems.

It's kind of embarrsing whem your brand new car cant start in cold weather when the jaloppy down the street starts up and speeds off down the road while you're running late for work.

 

Embarrassing and frustrating.

 

But what if you are suffering from something similar to what the OP is. Moisture acculumating due to the mild weather or via gas which freezes in a cold snap isn't really MINI's fault is it.
My MINI is starting perfectly in the 10-20° days we are having in NJ with either Shell or BP gas.

 

Come on, -10C isn't all that cold. It's about 14F. Now if it was -10F I think it would be another story. Maybe your ecu doesn't like cold weather.

 

-10°C is still 14°C colder than is required to begin to freeze water.

 

Check your math. Water freezes at 0 Celsius and 32 Fahrenheit. So -10C is 10 degrees colder than is required to freeze water. 14F is 18 degrees colder than is required to freeze water.

 

Though, single degrees in the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales have different magnitudes (i.e., one degree Celsius is "bigger" than one degree Fahrenheit)...

...but we catch your drift.

 

Honestly, if it is only affecting MINIs (my experience only) I have a hard time to see the fault anywhere else. Even if I accept (for the fun of it only) that today's gas is more critical than it was and my old more positive experience with other cars just does not apply any more today, why isn't my Toyota stalling just like the MCS?