'05 Mini. Weird problem today. My heat would not turn on (was driving all day and recently filled up). The car was running fine. I drove off and kept trying to turn on the heat to no avail. So, I pull over and turn the car off. Turn it on and it bonks out. Try this several times and it won't stay on. Nothing. I chill for a few minutes. Turn the car on and the car starts. As I drive off the electric locks stay unlocked until some magical moment when they lock, the heat miraculously turns on, too. The stupid seat belt light kept chiming as well. WTF is up with these (my) car(s)?

 

You said it.....weird.

Could be any number of things from a bad BCU to a faulty ground strap. Was it stored this winter ? Any rodent activity of the 4 legged variety ?

 

It was a used car I just purchased. BIG HEADACHE so far. Long story. There aren't any signs of rodents. Since I purchased it, I've been driving it regularly. It just got almost $4000K worth of work done to it.

 

Check the battery....
Odd things happen with the electrical systems in thse cars with a bad battery...if you need to dig deeper...Could be a wiring issue....

 

Copy. I'll check that. Thanks.

 

Dont think it could be the battery, because the radio still turned on. The heat wouldnt.

 

I took it to Autozone and they said my alternator is going bad.

BTW, how much would an alternator job cost at a Mini dealership? I would be bringing in my own alternator.

 

When the voltage is out of spec, tons of odd things happen....many electrical.
not sure about the alternator labor cost, but going to the dealer is the fastest way to the poorhouse....
The one redeming quality about getting work done at the dealer is the 2 year warrenty on parts....
Bring in your own part, and you are paying 2x the going rate of labor for no gain....if they even let you.

 

Ps the simple plug in alternaor test ( non bench) can read a bad cell in the battry as a bad alternator....so don't be afraid to pay $ for some basic troubleshooting....
Swapping parts that autozone tells you too can get expensive, cause the simple plugin tests are frequently wrong/innacurate.
good luck, good to see you have the issue narrowed down to electrical power...
imo check here, find a good independant shop that works on mini's....
I bet 50% of the stuff you have had done by the dealer was way overpriced/ not 100% needed. Getting non dealer warrenty work done elsewhere is usually a good idea is you can find a mini centric shop.

 

I'm learning that. Helix is too far. Autobahn is my next bet. Btw, I went to two Autozones. The first said alternator is going bad. The second Autozone used two meters and said everything is normal. They said to simply charge my battery and go from there. How ya like that?

 

I'm pretty sure I purchased the biggest POS '05 mini around. So, I replaced the OEM battery thinking a new battery would solve the issue of all the electrical quirks. Now, my entire HVAC system doesn't turn on. Nor do the automatic door-locks lock upon reaching a certain speed. WTF!!!!!! AND, just yesterday my brake lights stayed on. That happened before but, quit. Can someone please provide some insight as to what the F is going on with this car? I just used my AC on Sunday and it worked perfectly fine.

 

Check to see if the grounding straps are good....the fact some tests said it was acbattery....some an alternator kinda says this is a possible cause....
Next you might have a BCM ISSUE...BODY CONTROL MODULE...kinda like the computer for the non-engine related stuff...
Do a search...good luck!

 

Check out California Altenator & Starter on Ebay.
Great prices on rebuilt units.

 

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING ELECTRICAL OR MECHANICAL RELATED AT AUTOZONE!!! You will only be giving yourself headaches. I bought a crank position sensor for my jeep from autozone after a mechanic read the code on it. Code remained, took it back to the mechanic, same code. took the part back to autozone and exchanged it. The code cleared for about two hours, back to the mechanic and it was the same code. Bought a NAPA sensor for $10 more code cleared and never had a problem with it again. This type of story is very common with autozone parts.

 

Thanks for the advice. Just yesterday my blinkers stopped working while enroute to work. So I turned the car on and off and they worked again. WTF? Lol

Btw, I'm trying hard to diagnose these issues.

 

Since the blinkers and lights are all affected...
do a search on BCM....
the body control module...
It is a computer that controls most of the cars non engine related items...

 

Thank you.