Help! I have a 2012 Cooper Countryman S that has been idling very roughly for the first few minutes after starting. Once the engine warms up, the rough, loud idling goes away, though sometimes when accelerating, there seems to be a mis. This has been going on since early summer. On one or two occasions, I have also noticed a smell in the cabin-not sure how to describe it-burning, maybe? I took it to a Mini dealer near Lawrenceville, GA and they told me this was 'normal'.I was also noticing oily spots in the driveway after being parked overnight, which they assured me had to be condensation from the ac because they could find no signs of a leak. Any insight is appreciated!

 

Sounds like injectors starting to go out/ get clogged or you have carbon build-up on the valves along with poor spray pattern from the injectors as well, but having actual Misfire codes stored would tell more. If you haven't gotten to a Check Engine light stage yet, try different gas in your tank for a single FULL tankful and see if that makes a difference[ Doubting it, but easy and worth a try]
How old are the Spark Plugs in your car.... S models are due at 60K, I changed my wife's car and mine at 50K just to be ahead of the curve back when we owned two 2012 models [Countryman and Clubman]
Ignition Coils are also possible, but generally more unhappy when they're HOT from a fully warmed up engine and under a load while driving,
I'm betting carbon build-up on the valves...

 

How many miles do you have on your car?

Sounds more like it could be the HPFP. It's a known part to prematurely fail on the CMs. MINI even has an extended warranty to cover it, if the codes read out in the perfect order. I ended up taking mine to my local shop and paying out of pocket, I was tired of dealing with the dealer.

 

I have a feeling my HPFP is going... I have rough starts and I am afraid to hit high boost (20psi) What will happen when it breaks? Could it make the engine explode? any other issues that could happen? This all started when I blew my thermostat and ignition coil after doing a very hard pull.

 

Nothing bad will happen when the HPFP fails other than your car will either not start up, or it will go into limp mode. Our engine ECUs are pretty smart, I would just lay off gunning it around town until you can get it diagnosed or replaced. There is a an extended MINI warranty that will cover it. According to my local dealer (So Cal) it has to basically completely fail. I've heard otherwise in other areas where they are willing to fix it sooner.

What area are you located in?

 

Ok cool thanks. I brought my mini to the dealership and they said nothing was wrong but there clearly is something wrong and I just need a code to point me into a direction. I just went stage 2 in august and replaced spark plugs with colder ones.

 

If it starts rough and then levels out after 30sec to 1 min, it's most likely the HPFP. I can't say for sure, but mine did that for 4 months and dealer kept saying "we don't know". I took it into the local shop I trust, they replaced it and the car runs perfect. That was back in January, just a couple months ago.