My 2006 Mini Cooper (Non-S) CVT is having what is probably the dreaded BCM cancer I've read so much about. The center brake light works, but the twin side brake lights don't. Every other light and feature on the car seems to work properly.

Taillights != Brake lights! (I know you all know this, but my mechanic sure doesn't.) The mechanic has replaced the twin-filament bulbs more than once, but they either immediately fail or the brake light filament never gets power at all. What causes immediate bulb failures?

I just spent a humid evening taking the back lenses apart to check on the bulbs and apply bulb grease/filings to the housings and connections. I wiggled and jiggled every BCM connection and ground I could find, I checked for BCM water damage and came away with nothing, and I disconnected the negative battery cable for about 20 minutes. Taillights still out.

I've seen a lot of threads on this that don't end with: "So I replaced my BCM." Most of the time they don't end at all. Either people found a solution, or they live on the street and wear barrels for clothes. Is there any hope for me? Anything I can try that I haven't already?

This non-S CVT Cooper has already had way too much money spent on it, a $1000 BCM service is out of the question. This car is worth $3000 if we're lucky. But...we like this car and don't want to push it into the ocean just because this failure makes it horribly unsafe to drive. Help me, Northamericanmotoring, you're my only hope.

(Also, I'm not above bashing together my own separate brake light circuit at this point if anyone knows how to.)

 

Does the car have a sunroof? That is the most common cause of water ingress into the BCM, few have had botched windshield installs that led to leaks and air noise, others have had the weatherstrip on the passenger side not seated right causing a slow dripping leak.

You may need to investigate wiring for the tail lights for exposed wiring that is shorting out and causing trouble.

But yes, a faulty BCM can cause problems as well.

 

On another thread he found out he had TWO burnt out bulbs....

Edit....Opps....it was the reply to another post the op made by a different poster...