Add me to the list!

 

Actually, I can't sorry. Just sharing the info that the tech told me. I'm sure there is someone on here who knows where the sensor is?

Btw, got my CM back, new thermostat installed, seems to have fixed the problem...

 

Had my first mechanical issue with my CM since I got it in June. It would not start yesterday morning. Maybe slightly related is the fact that yesterday was the coldest morning we've had since I got the car. Around 20 F.

Battery is good, and the starter sounds good. It cranks and cranks and cranks, but never fully turns over.

Towed to the dealer yesterday afternoon. Waiting to hear what they have to say.

 

Yup, sounds like the same deal as most of us. Good luck.

The part number they changed was:
11-53-7-588-876 Thermostat Housing

If anyone can find the way to disconnect the Temperature Sensor, that would be awesome! It would be a life saver.

 

We have a winner. Temperature sensor and thermostat related. All relevant parts were replaced today.

Kind of sucks to have to deal with this on a new car, but the dealership has been great and managed to get me back on the road the next day. Can't complain about that part of it.

 

My 2007 cooper won't start today. It is now charging on a battery charger. I just bought my Mini this past summer so I have no idea how old the battery is. So when the charge is complete I will bring it to our local mechanic here in town because the Mini dealership is three hours away. Is there a specific battery Mini's use? Just asking so I have some insight before I take it to the garage if its not that then the thermostst right?

 

Does the car not turn over at all? The no start condition I had was that it would turn over and sputter, but not start. Eventually the battery did give out from all the cranking but it could be charged back up. I can pretty much guarantee they put new batteries in when they are built so why go out and buy a new battery when the car is still under warranty? Keep it on the charger until right before you decide to drive it into the dealership. What I have seen from different postings is that the faulty thermostat sensor can cause the fan to run excessively when the car is off thus draining the battery. Or you could have an electrical short to ground somewhere in the car.

 

Timster,
Can you find out from your dealer whether they replaced it with the same part number it was built with or a revised part number? This is important to know since it may happen again if they replaced it with the same part number. There have been instances of having to replace the part multiple times. Bostonterrier suggested in a previous post that they revised the part in the fall. It could take some time for it to get out into the supply chain though.

When mine was replaced in December they told me they replaced it with the same part number. If a revised one is now out then I am going to demand they switch mine out once its available at the dealer. I have no confidence in the old one, especially since they have found it necessary to update it. You just do not expect a new car to leave you stranded these days!

 

Charged the battery, the mechanic said everything passed. I have 83% good battery life left so I really don't know what caused it to act like a little pooper! It would just click and not turn over. She started well today at -30c. Will keep you posted though, and Thanks for the info!

 

The temp sensor was replaced on Friday, and now the Mini starts with no problem! Thank God it was an easy fix!

 

Kunzman -- had my sensor replaced in December after experiencing the same starting and overheating issues you and everyone else has referenced. This evening, I started up my car, and it burbled every time I depressed the ignition. Finally got it started after a few minutes and limped to my girlfriend's. Had overheating alerts almost the entire way. I guarantee it won't start in the morning. Already have a call into Mini Roadside Assistance to get it towed in the morning. I just turned 4k miles and have only owned since October. This is my first Mini, and, needless to say, my confidence in the car is pretty shaken. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

 

They probably replaced it with the old part number then. Supposedly there was a new part number issued in the fall. I guess rather than a recall they are just trying to burn through all the old inventory? We can only guess as they have not answered my email to them on it!

 

Enzie,
This thread is regarding the new CMs.
Hope you solved your issue though.

 

I can check the part numbers later tonight. SA didn't mention that the part had changed, so I'm not too hopeful.

 

HELP! GF said car started today with check engine but drove fine. When she got home and turned off the car the fan stayed running. The fan is very very loud. Its 48F out right now and the last mile is a slow trek on a dirt road. The car cannot be overheating!

If it doesn't turn off I assume it will kill the battery. Is this a symptom of the temperature sensor again? Its only been 11 days since the thermostat housing was replaced! Ugh.

 

Yes, it is a symptom. The sensor is sensing wrong, making the car think it is hotter than it is so the fan stays on. Get it into the dealer while you can drive it in before it gives you trouble starting. See if you can make them put on the revised/new part number that supposedly came out in the fall. So far though nobody has been able to confirm this.

 

I just got added to the list. Picked up 2012 CMS on Jan. 13. With 6 miles now at 1800 miles today car wouldn't start after dinner. I couldn't get it home so it's sitting in a parking lot and going to get it towed Tom. Morn. Dealer closed on Sunday so will update on monday as to what is going on. I am in San antonio Tx and we are at only 57F not cold....this sucks and hope the reliability doesn't stay like this as I drive almost 40k a year and will keep car till200k miles...

 

Towed it in this morning to mini of San Antonio. SA says he hasn't had this happen on any countryman which is a lie because we have Worrynot on this thread who towed his on 12/29... He didn't call me all day and gave me a clubman to drive around. I call him at 5 and he said was just about to call you we didn't figure out the problem yet we only have 3 mechanics on sat and Monday so couldn't get to it will get to it Tom. Morn. .... I told him this is not right it is a new car he said they wilk get it fixed up Tom. Will update again Tom.

 

Slik,
Ask them if they are putting the same part number back on or an updated one? Supposedly there is an updated part number. I'd love to know what that one is so I can go back and demand they change mine out. When I had the problem they replaced it with the same part number that it came with. In my opinion this does not solve the problem, its just MINI crossing their fingers.

 

I didn't hear from them all day today. I called them at 2:30 to inquire and didnt get hold of the service advisor and left a message to either email me or call me with an update. He emailed me at 4:05 with the following...

Sunny, Your car is ready to go. There is a valvetronic system in your car that assists in starting your car. It must have not been plugged in all the way. When your technician ran tests on the car he showed a fault with the valvetronic. He found it unplugged … He plugged it back in and cleared the codes. Test drove your car and rescanned. Everything is working great. I will have it waiting for you. I will be here until 6:00pm.

Thank You Sunny.
Sincerely

John C Barecky

Motoring Days Ahead,

John Barecky

What do you guys think, BS or this is what happend?

 

So I didn't hear back from them all day. I called them at 2:30 and didnt get hold of the SA to left a message saying to give me update and either call me or email me. I got an email at 4:05 pm with the following

Sunny, Your car is ready to go. There is a valvetronic system in your car that assists in starting your car. It must have not been plugged in all the way. When your technician ran tests on the car he showed a fault with the valvetronic. He found it unplugged … He plugged it back in and cleared the codes. Test drove your car and rescanned. Everything is working great. I will have it waiting for you. I will be here until 6:00pm.

Thank You Sunny.
Sincerely

John C Barecky

Motoring Days Ahead,

John Barecky

What do you guys think? BS or is this what must've happend? will pick up the car tom. morning now.

 

I hate to add to the bad news but thought it was important to share with you that I just had to have my 2012 replaced because of this issue. I bought the car in November and had my first problem 3 weeks later. My thermostat warning light came on orange then turned immediately to red. I had the car towed to the dealer. They replaced the thermostat sensor which they admitted was a known problem.

About a month later my engine malfuction warning came on orange. I was able to drive to the dealer where they replaced a different sensor (something that tells the turbo how much gas to push through the line).

I took the car home and 2 days later it wouldn't start. We got it started the same as the rest of you by mashing the gas. From that point on, when I turned the car off the fan ran EXTREMELY loud. Two days later it wouldn't start again (started and stalled). After my hour drive to work, I could actually hear the fan running over my radio while I was driving. When I called the dealer they said they knew what the problem was - it was a sensor that was bad and it was giving the car wrong signals so it was sending too much gas through the line which was flooding the car and draining the battery. When they pulled it into the service center to work on it, the car was malfunctioning. After that instance, they couldn't get it to malfunction again. They kept it for over a week and worked with mini technical, but because they need it to malfunction while it's hooked up to the diagnostic machine, they couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Eventually, they called and said that they were going to give me a new car because they didn't know what was wrong with mine. They said they planned to send mine somewhere? to use it as a lab rat to diagnose the problem. Under Maryland's lemon law, if the car has to go to the shop 4 times or a total of 30 days in the first year, it falls under lemon law. I think they realized they were about out of time on my car.

So, yesterday I picked up the new one and after reading this thread, I am still SOOOOO nervous! I do know that it just came off the boat last week and they "promised" it would be fine but I don't think I'll hold my breath.

Here is the thread from my club site with more details if you're interested... http://www.carlislemini.org/index.ph...tid=27&id=4315

 

I hate to add to the bad news but thought it was important to share with you that I just had to have my 2012 replaced because of this issue. I bought the car in November and had my first problem 3 weeks later. My thermostat warning light came on orange then turned immediately to red. I had the car towed to the dealer. They replaced the thermostat sensor which they admitted was a known problem.

About a month later my engine malfuction warning came on orange. I was able to drive to the dealer where they replaced a different sensor (something that tells the turbo how much gas to push through the line).

I took the car home and 2 days later it wouldn't start. We got it started the same as the rest of you by mashing the gas. From that point on, when I turned the car off the fan ran EXTREMELY loud. Two days later it wouldn't start again (started and stalled). After my hour drive to work, I could actually hear the fan running over my radio while I was driving. When I called the dealer they said they knew what the problem was - it was a sensor that was bad and it was giving the car wrong signals so it was sending too much gas through the line which was flooding the car and draining the battery. When they pulled it into the service center to work on it, the car was malfunctioning. After that instance, they couldn't get it to malfunction again. They kept it for over a week and worked with mini technical, but because they need it to malfunction while it's hooked up to the diagnostic machine, they couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Eventually, they called and said that they were going to give me a new car because they didn't know what was wrong with mine. They said they planned to send mine somewhere? to use it as a lab rat to diagnose the problem. Under Maryland's lemon law, if the car has to go to the shop 4 times or a total of 30 days in the first year, it falls under lemon law. I think they realized they were about out of time on my car.

So, yesterday I picked up the new one and after reading this thread, I am still SOOOOO nervous! I do know that it just came off the boat last week and they "promised" it would be fine but I don't think I'll hold my breath.

Here is the thread from my club site with more details if you're interested... http://www.carlislemini.org/index.ph...tid=27&id=4315

 

Hi everyone! This forum has been great. Just an update. MINI does not want to repurchase my car for reasons unknown. I guess they think the problem will eventually go away since it's been a few thousand miles since the last failure. I'm going to miss this car. However, I don't want to wait until the warranty expires, so I'm going to eat the cost and trade her in. I hope they find a fix soon. It's been an adventure.

 

Wow. I love my '10 MCS, but had seriously considering looking at a CM now that we need a little more space in the back seat for a kid. After reading through this forum, I can safely say that I will not be "upgrading" to a CM. Sure the MCS has its problems as well, but at least I know it'll start (and after yesterday's trip to the dealership, won't catch on fire either!)

Good luck, folks!