Today as I drove away from work, my 2004 MINI MCS turned on as usual but the interior display lights (when the car headlights come on), heat/AC refused to come on. However, my radio and headlights still worked, it's just I couldn't see the tachometer/speedometer b/c it was night. When I got out of the car temporarily without turning off the engine and returned to the car, the interior lights and heat were working as usual. I don't know if a fuse was loosened or what. Another note is that I just used the Autolock, which may have banged near the brake pedal a bit. Any ideas?

thanks for your response: cilla_x@ucllink.berkeley.edu

 

This has happened to me twice in the last two weeks. I can't figure out how to duplicate this for a dealer otherwise I'd bring it in... I've also restarted the car for the A/C to start up.

Do you have the auto-A/C?

 

>>Today as I drove away from work, my 2004 MINI MCS turned on as usual but the interior display lights (when the car headlights come on), heat/AC refused to come on. However, my radio and headlights still worked, it's just I couldn't see the tachometer/speedometer b/c it was night. When I got out of the car temporarily without turning off the engine and returned to the car, the interior lights and heat were working as usual. I don't know if a fuse was loosened or what. Another note is that I just used the Autolock, which may have banged near the brake pedal a bit. Any ideas?
>>
>>thanks for your response: cilla_x@ucllink.berkeley.edu

My car is equipped with the automatic climate control system. I had a similar event occur once- here is an excerpt from my maintenance/service journal describing the event:

9/14/2003: stopped to fill the fuel tank after a drive of about 30 minutes. After filling the tank, I restarted the car and got ready to drive off. When I tried to turn on the climate control system, it failed to respond to any control input, and the display was blank, as if the car was not running. The car was otherwise idling normally. I switched the ignition off, and then restarted the car. The climate control system began functioning normally again. I joked with the passenger that this was a bit like a PC- “shut up and reboot!” No further abnormal behavior related to the climate control system was observed this day.

A simple "me too" description isn't much diagnostic help, but at least you can take comfort in knowing you're not the only one. :smile: The problem has not recurred since, and I have no idea what triggered it. Good luck hunting down the cause of your car's symptom...

 

My MC is going into the shop for the same problem on Friday. I have also had sporadic cases of the window not dropping when I open the door. I think it must be a body computer problem as it has always resolved itself if I turn the car completely off, and then back on. I will let you know the results. If it is a computer problem this will be the second time since August that I will have had to have the computer reflashed.

 

I looked at this thread earlier and thought, man am I glad I don't have that problem because it is going to be hard to track down. Then I pick up my youngest daughter from Brownies and I look down on the way home and my HVAC system is dark. At first i thought I had turned it off before I turned the car off. then I hit the Auto button and nothing.
I never should have read this thread... :???:

_________________
Got Faith?

 

Just got back from the shop. The were not able to dupllicate the problem (of course). The service adviser thanked me for bringing it in, and said if any service bulletins came out dealing with this she would call me.

I told her I knew of at least a couple more people that had had this problem, and she said to tell you guys to take you car in so that the problem can be documented. The more people that complain about this the more likely it will get fixed.

 

Mine has done this twice. First time when it was three days old and the shut off restart fixed it and I had no clear indication as to why the controls quit. Last week it did it again and I noticed that the boot unlatched light was on. Shut the hatch and all returned to normal. Guess I should check if I could duplicate it this way but hadn't though about it again 'till I read your note and it's dark and snowy out now.

 

Had a similar problem with a 97 BMW 3 series. At odd times everything electrical behind the rear doors would stop working. The engine would run, but sounded like it was only on 3 out of 6 cylinders. Because nothing was working in the rear, the OBC would light up like a Christmas tree telling me that the taillights wouldn't work, brake lights were out, etc, etc ... oh, and the radio would work but not the CD changer in the trunk. Left me stranded twice, good thing the car was under warranty so they got to foot the towing bill.

Turns out that a grounding strap under the back seat had not been tightened at the factory. Evidently when they tighten them, they paint a line across the nut (blue in this case). The service rep said strangest thing he had ever seen. The line painted by the factory was there but the nut was only finger tight. Once it was tightened had no more problems (sold the car about 50K miles later).

Might give you a place to start checking.

Good luck and keeping my fingers crossed I don't experience it as well.

Geoff

 

No boot unlatched light here.

>>Mine has done this twice. First time when it was three days old and the shut off restart fixed it and I had no clear indication as to why the controls quit. Last week it did it again and I noticed that the boot unlatched light was on. Shut the hatch and all returned to normal. Guess I should check if I could duplicate it this way but hadn't though about it again 'till I read your note and it's dark and snowy out now.

 

I had my S in at MAG (Columbus). I mentioned the problem to them. They said have replaced about 10 of them for this problem.

_________________
Got Faith?

 

I did a search on "tachometer not working" and came up with this thread. Did any of you (or anyone else reading) have a problem with the tach & corresponding lights not functioning? Everything else seems to be ok A/C wise, just the tach.


David
-v--v-

 

Our 12/03 build MCS had its auto climete control go out once as well. Turning the car off and on fixed the problem.

This thread is a few months old, have there been any recent updates to the auto/ac going blank problem? Anyone find a cause or a fix?

 

My auto AC was dark the other night when I needed it. Didn't think of restarting it. Next day it was fine. I asked my service advisor. He told me they have seen this before but they haven't been able to find the issue. And for the most part restartin the car fixes it.

Who knows? Another MINI quirk?

 

my '04 MC has had this issue twice as well... restarting the car was the only thing that would remedy this. Ahhh, the life of computers....

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04 MC, CR-W, Prem/Sport/Cold , anthracite interior trim, rear fogs <IMG SRG http://us.f2.yahoofs.com/users/40677...vT4ZABx9RDfTd_ >

 

It's the MS-windows syndrome!

The solution (as many have posted): reboot, aka turn car off and re-start, and wall works well.
I do believe it is likely to be a hickup in the BS1 computer, and re-starting the car does indeed reboot the BC1.

Happened to me twice in my first month of ownership, and not at all since then.

 

>>I did a search on "tachometer not working" and came up with this thread. Did any of you (or anyone else reading) have a problem with the tach & corresponding lights not functioning? Everything else seems to be ok A/C wise, just the tach.
>>
>>
>>David
>>-v--v-
>>
>>
david,

This just happened to me yesterday ('02 MC). Just the tack cluster went dark with the tach needle stuck at 3000 rpm (not the car, just the needle). All blinkers and such work just fine on the car so it seems like a fuse thing. Did you ever get this solved?

Thanks

 

Our 11/03 build 2004 MCS demonstrated the same auto a/c problem yesterday. Started car and no response from any controls for heat or a/c. All was fine after the car was restarted. Wish I had read these posts before doing a complete fuse check.

 

my january 04 build mcs had the climate control problem twice yesterday... both times i went out everything came on but the cc... first time i turned the car on and off and that did it... second time it happened i restarted the car three times and still no good... i banged on the auto button and all the rest, but then it did come on when i clicked the middle round temperature adjustor to the right (as if to make the temp higher)... perhaps just a coincidence, i don't know, but if it happens again i'll try it and see what happens... (this, after trading in my '96 a4 for it's horrendous electrical system!) sheesh.

anyone else take their car in recently for this problem?

christina.

 

I have had the entire unit replaced and it still does it. Last time I brought it in they said they cleaned the contacts. I still have the problem...

 

I have an August '03 build MC with Auto AC and have had this happen to me once in the 11 months since then....how about that for an intermittent problem? As others reported above, a restart to "reboot" solved it.

 

I read on MINI2 that it might be a ground thats bad and they also repalced the computer that controls the Auto AC and that seemed to fix it.

 

I'm with MINI USA. I'm sorry to read about your problem with your climate control. If you want our assistance, please phone us at 866 ASK.MINI and mention Reference # 200422300201 so we can help you more efficiently.

 

I called the number to document my issues. Anyone had any success addressing this issue? Please post if you are experiencing issues with the HVAC not turning on and requiring a restart to get it to work. This has happened to me a couple of times. Really frustrating when you don't realize it isn't working, it's cold out and you are on the highway. I had to suck it up until I could pull off to restart my car.

 

My problem exactly. Happens once or twice a month.

This is the only thread I could find mentioning this anomaly. Is there something more recent that might describe a fix?

Thanks,
Tim