• My 2006 Mini S has the Service Engine Soon light on and my mechanic can't find anything wrong. He was able to turn it off, but it came back on again and remains on. I am about 200 miles from the nearest Mini dealership, so any advice would be appreciated.

 

Did the mechanic mention what code caused the light to come on?

 

Is it a soft code, or a hard code? A soft code will reset itself within a set number of ignition cycles. A hard code will have to be reset by a scan tool.
You can take it into Autozone, they will read the codes for you and give you a print out. Maybe they can see something? The last time I had a hard code set it was from an O2 sensor.
I was just searching for a similar problem I have (thats how I found your post).
My SES light comes on....and this is a weird one....when I am going down an incline over 20-25 miles an hour, and hit a bump. Its a soft code and it resets itself after 6 ignition cycles. Its irritating because I have a class in a building on a hill...and if I dont crawl down it and avoid the bumps, it comes on. If I dont get hit there, it does it when I come down the hill from my parents house. It drives me crazy. I imagine that there is something loose somewhere...buy where???? Maybe someone else out there has a similar problem? Maybe yours is related? Who knows....no, really who knows? :-)

 

The receipt from the mechanic says "p2096 post catalyst fuel trim too lean bank 1. No vacuum leak found."
There is an Autozone nearby. I'll take it there and see what they say.
Thanks

 

P2096 can come from several things but failed O2 (oxygen) sensor is a common cause. Fortunately, the warranty for O2 sensors was extended to 10 years/100K miles. The SES light started coming on in my 06 convertible, sometimes turned off at the next trip, but after a few months was on all the time. It turned out to be an O2 sensor and the dealer replaced it for free.