Im sorry if the is a newbie question but I just got my new mini this last friday and i knowingly bought it with the airbag light on. the salesman said that the lady who had it before had children so the seats were always sliding back and forth. so he said he was possitive that i just had to disconnect the battery then airbag wires underneath the seats. Blow out the connectors wait 15min. then plug them back in. I also noticed the steering was a little heavy feeling but i thought maybe thats just how the car was. Now reading it sounds like it could be a few things. the car is a 2003 cooper s with 106k. since im not the original owner is this something that could be covered under factory warranty? just wondering. thanks

 

I'm not familiar with many warranties that last more than 100k and 9 years so I'd say your best bet is to go back to the dealer who sold it to you and bring it up with them. Some used car dealers will offer a 30 day or 60 day warranty or guarantee that may cover some issues but it's really not something they're required to offer. The airbag light probably should have been fixed before they sold it to you since, as far as I know, the car won't even pass safety inspection with the light on (someone correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know, in NYS at least, if any of those "idiot lights" are on the car will automatically fail the safety inspection). As for the steering, from my experience thus far I would say the steering is a little heavier at low speeds than other cars I've owned (Audi A4, VW GTI, VW Jetta) and it is very reminiscent of my uncles old 86 BMW 325 (which had "power assist" steering).

I say go talk to the dealer and see what they can do for you. Good luck and I hope it all gets sorted out so you can really start enjoying the car.

 

thanks for the quick response. ya i bought it at a used dealership and he was pretty positive that it was what he told me. He had the carfax and nothing was bad on there. just routine maintance. Ive searched a couple threads on here and some people are saying that the wire was made kinda short and that could be it. I also found this post too http://www.motoringfile.com/2006/03/...airbag-issues/

Is this true? since the airbag light was such a big deal the extended the standard warranty to 150k or 10yrs? If so thats awesome!!! as for the steering i might just bleed it and put some new steering fluid in. Other than that this car is amazing!!! everything works perfectly fine and this car has power and handles awesome.

 

So nobody knows if this is true ^? I wanna call the stealership and tell me them that the power steering and airbag light seems to be an ongoing problem and recall it seems like. See if they can do anything for me and not completely screw me over money wise. i need to get the car registered soon so just trying to get as much info from you guys so i can go in there knowing what im talkin about haha. Ohh and I did read the sticky on power steering pump failure and it sounds like some people got full reimbursement and some had to pay in full. its like the dealership was happy that day or depends on location. one last thing i did file a complaint to NHTSA also.thanks for your responses.