Hi-

I'm not sure what production week our 2007 Cooper is but it was delivered in late May I believe.

The check engine light came on at about 1000 miles or so and I called our dealership and they said it was a software problem which they could fix when the firmware update is released later this month. They told me that it wasn't a problem and just come in and get it fixed when I can. The problem being, I will be traveling and have 2 wedding to go to this month, along with our dealership being 50 miles away...

Today, I started our Cooper and was greeted with a blast of smoke in the face from the a/c vents. Additionally, the passenger airbag light came on (it is overhead on the left side). I turned off the car and restarted it and it seemed fine. Do you guys think this is related to computer errors or a sign of some deeper issue? I did a search but didn't find anything about smoke coming from vents...

I'm beginning to worry that this Mini will have major problems as we had a VW Beetle TDI before this that was constantly plagued by electrical problems...

 

If your getting a blast of smoke from the AC, I'd say its more serious than a software update. I'd take it in to have it looked at ASAP.

 

Yeah, thats what I thought. I wonder if it could be related to the pressure in the fuel tank? I read about the improperly installed gas cap causing the check engine light and just went out and checked and our cap doesn't click when you turn it closed.

Of course, this wouldn't explain why the passenger airbag light would have come on...

Well, I guess I'm off to our dealer this weekend to get this looked at. I'll post a follow-up when they figure it out in case anybody else has this problem...

 

You don't say where you live but was it really smoke, or could it have been as a result of your A/C coming on on a really humid day? Most A/C's will pour out fog when the evaporator coil is cold and you suddenly put extremely moist outside air across it.

As to the warning lights, I'd check in again with the dealer, and maybe make sure there's a dealer in the area you'll be traveling to.........

 

Thanks for the information. Yeah its very humid here, especially today...I live in Florida...

It could have been fog but it smelled like something burning or smokey to me and my girlfriend agrees, but it only did it once so it is hard for me to tell.

The check engine light, wierd passenger airbag light, and possibly incorrectly installed gas cap are all things I'm going to have them look at... I'm taking it in ASAP.

So far this is a great car, but I hope we don't run into more electrical or software problems with it. I guess its the risk we took for getting a gen 1 product.

 

Wow interesting. lol I know when I set my 3lb Ibm thinkpad in it's case on my passanger seat the airbag light comes on but i'm sure a purse or something else within the 3-5+lb range would do the same. Did you have anything on the passanger seat at the time?? Check with your Service or motoring advisor about the SES light b/c Mini Issued a Bulletin a couple of weeks ago with regards to an overly active O2 sensor that needs to be replaced for the SES light being on. Now as for the Smoke are you sure it wasn't vapor or fog coming from the difference between the humidity inside and outside?? Mine will do that early on a muggy morning but not all the time. Did it smell??

 

My purse sets off the "put the seatbelt on" light

Related to the check engine error, I called about that today and got an appt. for tomorrow to get the software update, but the person on the phone wasn't a service tech, just a receptionist. So no one discussed my problem, other than to make sure she had it written down. So is this normal, they just let you take the car in for service? I said "it needs a software update" and she just said "OK." We picked it up on Monday 2 July, so I know it can't have had the software update.

It is the dealer we bought it from a month ago.