So I recently bought a 2006 R50 with 102k miles. It failed inspection for a bad O2 sensor, which I had replaced. Now it failed again because the display on the steering column is not working. It failed because the inspector said he needs to see the check engine light turn on and off when starting the car. It works intermittently, but mostly it’s off. The Mini dealer wants $600 just to diagnose it. My independent mechanic says there’s a communication code showing up between the BCM and the display.
Has anyone experienced this and was there a relatively simple fix? I’m thinking a short in the wiring, since it’s intermittent. Thanks!

 

So I wound up buying a used tach on eBay for $62 and it works great.