Hi All - hoping to get some advice.

Went out to my R58s (manic stage 2) this morning and noticed my hazards were flashing, and found some other issues:

• Passenger door would not open. Either from inside or outside. Door is flush with the body, but there is some play when I push on it. Suspect the locking mechanism is malfunctioning but the lock moves and sounds fine.
• Driving along, the speakers (Harmon/Kardon) popped and crackled something fierce. Very nerve-wracking. Then, the speakers went quiet. There is a steady popping sound through the speakers when I turn the volume up on anything.

It was cold last night, so I thought there was a possibility of critters in the engine bay but I didn't see any signs of that.

Appreciate your thoughts

 

Critters is one possible explanation. The sign may be hard to spot. Besides the behavior suggests if any critters have been chewing on wiring they have not been in the engine bay but perhaps in the cabin.

Also, with cold comes the possibility the battery is very low and while the engine started a low battery might cause some electrical problems. Sure the alternator supplies the electrical power once the engine is running but the power to rotor of the alternator comes from the battery. If the battery can't supply enough power the alternator may not be able to generate sufficient electrical power to meet the needs of the car.

Or the alternator is just not working right. (With another car while the alternator worked ok for a while after engine start over 15 to 30 minutes its output would drop to the point pretty much the car's electrical needs were being satisfied by the battery.)

At any rate if the battery or alternator aren't up to the job, weird electrical gremlins can result.

 

Sent the car into the dealer last week to see. They found the electrical issues were caused by water damage to the amplifier and other components under the seat. One of the door seals or trim seals let in some water during a rain storm, I figure. They wanted $13,000 to fix it. Going to take the insurance payout and say goodbye to Mini.