Hi All, I'll try to keep it short but my 2003 S is having some serious electrical issues, that seem to be piling up/getting worse. My main question is, who do I take the car to? Is this an issue any auto electrical shop can diagnose? Should I take it to my local BMW/mini private shop? (Bay Area Bimmers, Kemah TX) Or do I need to go to the dealership for repair? I can do a few simple DIY things myself and I'm not afraid to try with instructions.

Here we go:

--About 2 years ago , the dash lights for the tire pressure, ASC/ABS came on. A dealer checked them and could not find an issue. They have been on ever since. Fuse is fine
--Next the audio speakers quit working. Radio works, but no speakers. I have no idea if this is amplifier or speaker problem. Fuse is fine.
--Next the passenger side window stopped working. Fuse is fine. I did the "Pounding soundly on the door panel" trick which I learned in this forum. That helped for several months. Now it's not working again, fuse is fine, pounding is not working .
--A/C stopped cooling. The blower/fan works fine, and the coolant is fully charged.

That was all going on so I've been driving around with the sunroof open and the passenger window open with no air. I haven't had the $ or chance to take it in (it's the only car). I know I should have done that by now, so don't judge.

Flash forward to last couple of weeks
--turn signals stopped working
--dome light started flickering
--door locks acting weird--when i unlock the doors, using the key, they will sometimes lock and unlock on their own a couple more times (I'm tempted to rename the car Christine), but not always.

Finally, today I drove to a store around dusk and when I turned off the car and the headlights, I noticed the emergency flashers were flashing verrrrry slowly. Headlights and taillights work, so I drove home. Several good samaritans pointed out to me that my flashers were on, very slowly flashing. Once home, I turned everything off, and the flashers are still going, all on their own with the car turned off. Nothing I turn off or on seems to matter. I couldn't find a dedicated fuse for the flashers, so I finally just disconnected the battery, and that's where we are now.

I'm in SE TX near League City/Clear Lake etc. Car was not affected by Harvey that I know of, although it sat out in the rain on high ground for a couple of days--more moisture than normal around. The car was never in standing water.

Any thoughts, ideas, or advice is much appreciated. I'd like to avoid the dealer if I can but I don't think this is a job for my local shade tree mechanic either.

Thanks in advance!

 

Your electrical gremlins sound awfully like those with sunroof. With age the drain tubes for the rainroof come loose and detach. This leads to water pouring onto the BCM (body control module) that is behind the passenger side kickpanel. This module controls just about everything you listed. Connectors can be damage, as well as the electronic components and the circuit board inside.

 

Wow, thanks for the quick reply. I took off the moulding and took a look at the BCM and surrounding area. It seems dry and very pristine in there. Would I see damage or dampness or corrosion?

 

Update:
Thanks to pnwR53S, I got on the research trail of the BCM. I ended up un plugging and plugging the harnesses I could reach, and made sure they were clamped down well. Reconnected the battery, and VOILA!

I'm back up and running again with turn signals, door locks, dome light, etc.

Still have my original problems so if anyone has thoughts on those:
--Warning lights for the tire pressure, ASC/ABS are always on. Fuse is fine
--Audio speakers quit working. Radio works, but no speakers. I have no idea if this is amplifier or speaker problem. Fuse is fine.
--Next the passenger side window stopped working. Fuse is fine. I did the "Pounding soundly on the door panel" trick which I learned in this forum. That helped for several months. Now it's not working again, fuse is fine, pounding is not working.
--A/C stopped cooling. The blower/fan works fine, and the coolant is fully charged.

Thanks again for the quick help!

 

subscribing.. I have the tire pressure light and asc/abs light on. asc light is intermittent.. sometimes it goes off.

I've read the tpms system uses an abs sensor, and I'd assume the asc/abs is also tied in with that. Where is this sensor? Hard to replace?

 

Thanks; that would make a lot of sense. I hope someone answers us.

Minis are weird, aren't they? So very quirky and yet we all love them.