Got 11k miles on my car, and on the way home tonight I got a warning beep, and a symbol that I later determined to be my brake warning light (!) lit up first in yellow, then red. Then it went off.

I took the car around the block, and the dummy light didn't come back on.

When I start the car now, the word "brake" pops up in red for just a second then goes out. But I can't recall whether it's always done that, or it's new.

I scrolled through the service menu on my computer, and it said "10000" next to the symbol for my front brakes. Does that mean that they should've been replaced 1k ago? Do Mini brakes only last 10k miles?

Thanks for any input...

 

Check your brake fluid level. Mine did the same thing at 9K miles and that's all it was. The dealer told me the fluid level drops as the brake pads wear down and causes the light to come on. They topped it up and no lights have come on since.

 

Oh, also, the mileage in the display is a countdown. It means you have about 10K left before the brakes need to be replaced.

 

Oh, the countdown makes much more sense. I woulda hoped that my brakes weren't shot after only 9 months of driving!

Now to check the brake fluid level...

 

On my 2003 MC (replaced with 2007 MCS), the brake light came on about 15k miles. Dealer replaced rear pads under warranty.

 

The brake light coming on momentarily at startup is standard for all US-spec cars with ABS. No worries there.

 

Thanks Porky, i just couldn't recall whether it had always come on or not. That, and the tire indicator light comes on, just for a moment at startup...