1st post here guys. Have a 2008 Cooper S that is no longer under warranty. Was gone for the long weekend, got to the car this AM and the problems started. Could not use remote or button to gain access to car. Finally got in by using manual key which put driver window down and allowed me in. Car initially would not start, but eventually did. Car seems to run normally but many things not working electrically. No fan (AC), no wipers, no cruise, no speedo and nothing registering on the small dash behind steering wheel. ABS light, brake light, car on lift (service) light, airbag light and exclamation point light are all on. WTF happened here? Car was fine the last time I drove it.

Any ideas? This is my commute car that I really depend on. I am deathly afraid of the dealer as they are ridiculously expensive. PLEASE HELP.

Edit: If I had to go to a dealer, it would be Calabasas (Bob Smith Mini). Anybody have any idea about them?

 

It sounds like it might be low battery voltage. You could have something staying on that is draining the battery, a bad battery, or a charging problem.

Dave

 

If that were the case Dave, wouldn't a 2 hour drive have solved that problem this morning? If not, could it just be a weak battery after just 2 years old?

 

You can check if the alternator is charging the battery by putting a voltmeter across the battery poles while the engine is running, you should get about 14.5 volts. Batteries can also fail prematurely, you should have at least 12 volts across the poles of the battery with the engine off.

Dave

 

A drive will not fix a battery with a bad cell. You need a voltmeter. About 13.6V to 12.8 no load, can drop a tad with anything on. Many newer cars charge higher than 14.6, but not by much. ANY service station should be able to do a load test on your battery, any auto parts store, tire store......

Yes, after 2 years. To reduce weight, new batteries have plates very close. It does not take much to kill one. Run it low just once, get unlucky, phase of the moon. 36 to 48 months is more typical. 24 not unheard of.

 

Seems to be a very common problem with MINI batteries anyway that they go bad.

The mini is designed to shut down items in the car the lower the battery voltage goes. And even if the alternator is putting out the right voltage the car keeps things shut down until the current charging the battery reduces to a certain level. So everything you have stated leads to a bad or dead battery.

 

That was my first thought too. I know that there's recently been some information posted on C5 Corvette discussion forums related to strange behaviors (primarily the steering column lock) and low battery voltage. One of the acknowledged experts on the C5 contends that many late-model vehicles, due to their electrical system requirements and OBC's, are becoming increasingly dependent on their batteries delivering the proper voltage, and that the tolerance band for when low-voltage problems arise is not very wide (i.e., the battery doesn't have to lose much voltage, even when sitting idle, before problems can surface). Not saying that this is definitely your problem, but it wouldn't surprise me if the MINI is among these "voltage-finicky" vehicles...

Theoretically, yes; a two-hour drive should sufficiently re-charge your battery -- assuming (as others have already pointed out) that there's no problems with either the battery itself or the vehicle's charging system (alternator). Even a two-year-old battery can start to go south, depending on how many times it may have become discharged, environmental conditions (harsh temperature swings, etc.) -- or it just may have had a slight manufacturing defect that is only now surfacing.

First place to start would be to follow "DneprDave's" suggestion and check the battery yourself using a voltmeter. If you're uncomfortable doing that, get someone knowledgeable about the MINI's electrical/charging system to check it for proper operation. If the battery turns out to be the problem, it will easily be solved with simply installing a new battery. Again, make sure it's the correct replacement battery, or you're likely to have continued voltage issues. If checks reveal that the battery/charging system is/are not the problem, then you can at least eliminate one possibility...

 

Auto Zone will test your battery for free.

...Les

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. Got home a bit ago and checked the battery with my voltmeter. With engine running I'm at 14.5 volts DC, engine off 12.95 (which is a little high but just got home from my commute). I know it should be more like 12.7.

For fun, I held down both buttons on the small readout behind the steering wheel and got the computer to go thru its testing of all of the dummy lights and speedometer and all passed the test and worked properly. It seems as though whatever "tells the computer" to get these working (some module?), has gone bad. I took it to somebody to diagnose it today and was told that the scan tool could not "communicate" with the computer also.

Keep the replies coming. Thanks again.

 

No other ideas guys?

 

I left the thumb drive in the USB port while I was away for a 5 day motorcycle ride and noticed the battery was a bit low when we got back. The drive has a light on all the time, but I wouldn't think a LED would draw that much current. Next time, I put a battery tender on while I'm away for a few days or unplug the thumb drive.

 

It may not be just the LED on the thumb drive, as LED's consume relatively little power. I suspect that the connected thumb drive keeps something inside the vehicle (and connected to electrical power) active. In turn, the battery supplies power to that component, but nothing is re-charging the battery when the engine isn't running. I've got a 1997 GMC Jimmy that has a dealer-installed security system; the security system has an LED indicator that continuously blinks when the ignition is off, and I've let the truck sit for as long as a couple weeks without it draining the battery. Of course, we are talking about a truck battery compared to the battery in a MINI, so it's possible I'm comparing apples and oranges here...

In contrast, however, that same truck has (more recently) has developed a flaky clock display (which is itself part of the radio head display); it stays on all the time, even after the ignition is shut off (originally, the clock display would go out after the ignition was shut off). I would never have guessed that the electrical draw of that display alone would be enough to drain the battery, but within 2-3 days of sitting (without running the engine), it will...

I've begun using a similar product (Battery MINDer Plus) for my vehicles when they sit idle for more than a couple of days. The Battery MINDer Plus is nice in that it [purportedly] reconditions the battery while keeping it on a trickle charge. It also comes with a handy "quick disconnect" cable that you can semi-permanently install on the battery terminals, and it makes using the Battery MINDer a snap.

 

Same problem here. What was the fix to your problem??


I have a 07 MC, 74K miles. Insert key into ignition slot today (cold start, last driven yesterday afternoon). Front wipers immediately go on and won't turn off while key is in ignition slot, no engine response when pressing start button with foot on brake, same lights as you indicate are all on.

Battery's original and is indicating 12-13 volts DC on the my meter with no load (engine won't start and key is out of ignition slot).

Any ideas appreciated.

Also, car's in garage, can't shift automatic trans to Neutral (locked in Park) to roll out of garage to get it towed. Pg 39 in the owners manual has a section on "Overriding the selector lever lock". Guess I'll have to do that to get it towed??