Hello all,
I have been troubleshooting a couple of electrical issues in my 2008 Mini Cooper Base Hatch. I have lost my hazard lights and the lower lights in my tail lights. It turns out, thanks to advice from some of you (thanks!) that it is the connections to my FRM. The leads are very corroded and two of them actually disintegrated. I have the new matching FRM and have new connectors that I will be soldering on. It is a very strange issue for a car with 58000 miles on it. Anyway, I read on here that I will have to read the code from the FRM and load it back on in order for the new module to work with my keyfob. I have the latest generation of CARLY and have used it to make adjustments in many features on my car. Do any of you know if I copy the program from the FRM with CARLY and load it back to the new one? Will it work the same as using the dealer to do it?

I have also made several modifications to my car as I did not know how different the option packages are when I bought the vehicle. I added the switches to my steering wheel for the cruise control and have switched the switch cluster under my heater controls to one that has the front and rear fog light controls. I have not had the steering wheel programmed yet and I purchased CARLY thinking it would do that but, I was wrong. I am planning on adding front fog lights, driving lights, rear fog lights, and an aftermarket horn. I have everything I need to make all of that happen but, I noticed that when I flip on the front or rear fog light switch, the light for each illuminates on the dash. Does that mean that my car is already programmed for those? I am thinking that I can use the output wire for each of those functions and connect them to a relay to control their respective circuits. I found a great source on eBay that I can get a fuse box and relay enclosure that is waterproof for this project.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts on this!

 

if the issue with your FRM was corroded wires, then just repair the wires and see if that fixes the issue. If not, you need another programming SW, WinfKp, NCS expert, and INPA. You'll also need the K+Dcan usb cable.

To answer the question regarding the keyfob, the FRM is not responsible for checking the validity of the key, it is the CAS. So no need to worry about it in that sense. However, the FRM works as a backup to the CAS storing the VIN and vehicle order number (the various options the car is equipped with).

For the wiring, use newtis.info to retrofit your mods. some wires might be existing but the function isnt activated in the module hence using NCS expert to enable these options.

 

Mini,
Sorry, I should have said the contacts in the FRM have disintegrated. Are you 100% sure CARLY will not work to restore the FRM? I am able to modify, save, and load the module via their interface. The only module I am not able to access is the one that controls the cruise control.

My question on the modifications was if the indicator light illuminates showing the fog lights to be on, does it mean that the function in the FRM is already activated and the output would be high. I am thinking like an industrial controls tech and if the indicator is high then the output is generally high.

 

I never worked on Carly so i wouldnt know. Generally, WinfKp is used to change/program the VIN and NCS expert is used to code it.

as for the fog light goes, the indication doesnt necessarily mean it is active. For example, when i retrofitted my heated seats, I had to replace the controller (original one did not have the option). after installation, the indication lights worked momentarily. then, I had to code the controller AND the fuse box to enable the heated seats option. So, in your case, i might be active in the controller, but the FRM needs to be coded for that option. Similarly, you need to see if there are other modules need to be coded for the function to work.

newtis.info can be used to at least confirm the wires are there or not or help running new wires without the need to buy external relays and such.

 

 

I think I am doing the same thing you did, but don't have any experience with NCS Expert.

I have 2 R56 mini's... My Red Mini is a base model that I bought just as a commuter vehicle, fell in love with, and then found a 2009 R56 JCW w/41k miles on it a couple months ago and bought it as an upgrade.

The red one had heated leather seats, heated windshield washer fluid ports, but no foglights.
The yellow JCW has foglights (front only), but no heated seats, and the seats were beat up.

I swapped the seats, took apart both dash's and swapped the heated seat buttons in the dash module, and the circuit board behind it. The AC control boards are almost identical (1 has auto-recirculation as an option, the other does not). The circuit board behind the window/lock/seat heat switch cluster is different between the two cars though.

I put everything back together on my yellow JCW mini so I would have heated seats, and retain the fog-light functions (with the switch circuit board from the red mini, the ac circuit board from the yellow mini (includes heated seat buttons and added the fog light switch in the blank position).

Looking at the circuit boards and wiring, everything should function normally, I just need to code the car to power the circuit for the heated seats, and fog-lights. I have 0 familiarity with NCS expert, but wanted to know if you think I'm on the right track or missing something, and if you could point me in the direction of the best NCSExpert tutorials you know of.

Thanks in advance...

 

Did you pull wires from the fusebox to the seats for the heating module? if not, it will not work even if you code it.
It is better to match the ac/window controller of your JCW with one that also has heated seats to avoid any AC mis-operation.

 

The AC in the JCW is working full up with the new board, but I might swap back to the original (only difference was auto-recirc).

I did not pull wires to the seats, I think they're already there. The harness from both seats (heated and not) in both cars is identical, with the same number of pins, so I made an assumption it was pre wired. I can do a continuity check to the fuse box to make sure I guess. Do you know which pins are for the heating module?

 

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...-side/EDX15X8g

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...-side/EDVCIW6J