it was an intermittent problem at first...when I turned the key, the pwr would come on but nothing would happen when attempting to start...no clicking, nothing...after trying a few times, it would come on. Finally, it would never come on...took it to a local Mini shop (not a dealer) and he said he it was due to a security module in the ECU that was preventing pwr to the starter? Says he can bypass it and start the car. He wants to replace the security unit (says it will need to be programmed specifically for my VIN) for a total cost of $1000 due to troubleshooting time and replacement costs. 2 questions....
1) does this make sense?
2) can I leave it on bypassing the security unit and drive it without it?

Thx

 

Which MINI shop is it? The bypass doesn't make sense to me, but if it's a shop that is known on this forum and has a good reputation, they may know what they're doing.

 

Hello: Similiar problem with MCS 2010. It feels like a game show evey time I go to start or not. Occasionally it's tempermental. I have under 5,000 miles. I'm not digging that.....