Here's my update as of today 1/10/14
My mini is still at the dealer they replaced the battery but it is still having random no start at the dealer so they are keeping it. The dealer now says they dont believe the battery is causing all my issues. Very frustrated . The dealer offered to buy back my car but since i bought it as CPO with only 22k on the car just 2 1/2 years ago no way that will pay my car loan off. I love my car just want it to run and be reliable :(

1/6/14
Hi I am new to this site but i am running into so many issues with my 2009 mini hardtop. Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated. I have had my mini for almost three years the past 7months has been awful. I'm in the dealer NO JOKE every other week :( Here is what i have experienced. 1..........car just doest start all the time and cant jump start it wont work. Spark plugs were replaced. Car is fine. 2.... window malfunction light comes on & now car wont start and it took 3hours but finally able to jump start. Back to dealer they reprogrammed the computer. 3.....happened again car wont start. wait for AAA for hours and they cant get it to start. For the heck of it i try my spare key and it starts. Back to dealer. It ends up to be i have a sealed FOB so i needed a new FOB. 4........ car wont start / back to dealer. i ask the dealer to check battery & electrical. They say its all good. They cant find anything. They kept the car for 4days. 5......car dead again / back to dealer now they say its the battery. they kept the car. Still doest always start. The car at this point is still at the dealer. :(

 

1/13/14 My Mini mess :(
So now the dealer said they [SIZE=3]found it was an intermittent issue with the Car Access System computer.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Crazy. My mini lives at the dealer :([/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
Here's my update as of today 1/10/14
My mini is still at the dealer they replaced the battery but it is still having random no start at the dealer so they are keeping it. The dealer now says they dont believe the battery is causing all my issues. Very frustrated . The dealer offered to buy back my car but since i bought it as CPO with only 22k on the car just 2 1/2 years ago no way that will pay my car loan off. I love my car just want it to run and be reliable :(

1/6/14
Hi I am new to this site but i am running into so many issues with my 2009 mini hardtop. Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated. I have had my mini for almost three years the past 7months has been awful. I'm in the dealer NO JOKE every other week :( Here is what i have experienced. 1..........car just doest start all the time and cant jump start it wont work. Spark plugs were replaced. Car is fine. 2.... window malfunction light comes on & now car wont start and it took 3hours but finally able to jump start. Back to dealer they reprogrammed the computer. 3.....happened again car wont start. wait for AAA for hours and they cant get it to start. For the heck of it i try my spare key and it starts. Back to dealer. It ends up to be i have a sealed FOB so i needed a new FOB. 4........ car wont start / back to dealer. i ask the dealer to check battery & electrical. They say its all good. They cant find anything. They kept the car for 4days. 5......car dead again / back to dealer now they say its the battery. they kept the car. Still doest always start. The car at this point is still at the dealer. :(

 

Since you bought it CPO, how much warranty do you have left and does it cover electrical problems?

If you are still under warranty or extended warranty, make them give you a loaner mini, until they fix yours.

 

I had a similar problem with an 07 wrangler a few years ago... Tell them to check the fuse box. It is very very rare that the entire fuse box needs to be replaced but after I replaced mine I never hard the random no start issue again... It's just a thought and very often mechanics forget the entire fuse box can go bad.

 

I would expect the car to throw some codes if it doesn't start. Any troubleshooting you do on these cars, should always start with the fault codes... Otherwise you are just guessing.

When you say it doesn't start, please clarify the following:
- Does ignition ON work? (i.e. radio, window, lights etc work?)
- What happens exactly when you press the brake and the start key? Does the engine crank but fail to start? If so, your problem may be the HPFP (High-pressure fule pump)
- I believe the window malfunction means it has lost the adjustment settings (auto-up/down and anti-trap safety). You need to re-calibrate windows for that.

 

Car Access computer sounds like the part that reads the key so yea thats a big deal. Also a expensive part i'm sure for the dealer to pickup to try and fix our issues.

 

If it is the CAS, it is not only expensive but it also needs to be ordered directly from BMW coded to the car to be used. Perhaps it is just a loose connection, rather than the computer itself.

 

If you are not under warranty, sometimes an electrical problem needs an electrical specialist.

A BMW dealer may just want to sell replacement parts.

Ask an independant shop that does electrical work.