Only happens for me with summer gas. Must be the beans... :smile:

Mini Cooper S '04

 

My '02 MCS is doin this as well only after sitting for at least 4 hours. It realy sucks, I am worried of what kind of wear this is putting on the starter.......
if its just an ECU problem why wont MINIUSA fix it?

 

You don't get it - it's not a 'problem' - to them at least. Every dealer response has been - nothing we can do...and they are right. The issue is with the latest version of the ECU software. All we can do is wait for the next revision - that will probablybe for some other issue in the first place - and HOPE this will be addressed.

 

So why do some do it & some not My 05 MC Cabrio sat for 2 weeks while I was on vacation & it started without a hitch.

Lois

 

Mine has done it as long as I've owned it. I can deal with the stall while sitting still. I do NOT find it at all acceptable or safe however, that when I try to enter on to my busy arterial street coming out of my neighborhood in the morning, I nearly get rear ended from the on coming traffic as my car bucks and stumbles and misses.

Not cool. Not for a new, modern car. No excuses.

Also... I don't find it acceptable that my car does not always have a stable idle. It even rumbles and misses on random occasions while sitting at traffic lights in the middle of a driving day.

 

1st 2003 Cooper - Car would shudder upon starting, sometimes stall, usually would eventually level out. Lights would come on during the "shudder'. Told dealer about the issue. They looked at me like I was insane and told me they "could not replicate the issue."

2nd 2003 Cooper (1st was totaled) - Ditto. Car shudders and stalls. Stalls MUCH more than the previous one. Hasn't been updated with current software.

Nothing new to add, I'm just adding myself to the list.

 

I think my MCSa has a similar issue that you have mentioned. Its a rural pain to start. Mostly from a cold start and many times from a warm one. I took my car to be tinted and it sat for 2 hours and when they went to move it they thought there was a problem as the started ran and ran to turn over the engine. The only thing I find that helps (sometimes) is to turn the key to position 2 for 1-2second (prime fuel pump) and then turn it over.

 

No fair Louie, everyone knows the convertibles run on SOLAR power, lol...

Seriously though, this is a toughie...

'05 MCS with 5k since January, with no strange starts. I'm in Chicago.

 

This really sucks


When is MINIUSA going to provide us with a software fix that doesn't require a new update every 6 months (When the gas formulation changes)?

Firmware version 36 was decent so far. The latest build with "Emissions fixes" (Version 39) has been nothing but problems in this regard.

 

I had the problem of the car stalling after starting in the winter. Then again I live in Chicago and it was usually when it was 20 degrees or below. So I would just give Lance some time in the morning and he acted just peachy.

I also had the problem of the rough idle, another Mini owner suggested I switch from hi-grade to mid-grade. After one tank I haven't had the rough idle problem.

Recently, I did have the stalling problem again. I don't drive to work anymore and so the car sits for up to a week at a time. I just think Lance was pissed that I forgot about him for a week. So, he gets a little more attention.

 

Changing to a lower octane gas to "cure" the idle problems only reaffirms the fact that the ECU software currently in place can not handle the gas formulation of Premium fuel.

 

For what its worth, I have a 03' MCS built in 12/02. It only has 6,400 miles on it. I don't drive it very often, but when I do I usually put 200 miles at a time on it.


Remarkably, I've never had a starting problem with it. 99% of the time it will start and run on the first try. I don't drive it in the winter, so I start it at least every month, let it warm up, and drive it back and forth in the garage to lubricate the mechanicals.

When I do take it out, I'm easy with it until its throughly warmed up, and then drive it rather aggressively. It doesn't have any problems so far reving up through the gears to red line.

For what its worth. It does have the 210 JCW upgrade, and the new program didn't have any adverse affect on it so far.

 

I'm experiencing this with my May 05 build MCS. (I've only got about 100 miles left to go on my break-in. )

As far as problems go, this may not seem like much, OmToast -- but when I'm pulling out into traffic from my car's overnight curbside parking spot downtown, it is a problem.

Sometimes the stall doesn't happen until I've accelerated, and if a car rounds the corner behind me, it finds me stopped right in the middle of the road.

If you have a driveway, maybe you've got the space to work out the morning kinks. I don't, and I'm not thrilled with the idea of working out the kinks in the middle of morning rush traffic.

 

As Tarzan mentioned before My JCW "05" stumbles at start up then recovers but at any outside temp. My "03" had an issue on cold mornings and it was a little more intense. My "05" just started this after I had an oil service at the dealer after 3000 miles.

 

Exactly! I replied to OmToast before I'd read this (my bad). Thanks, JCW Driver!

 

It goes beyond Annoying. It is in no way accaptable for a modern, brand new car, to behave this way. Wait until you try to sell your car, and its resale value is diminished because of its glitchy computer. Your "they all do that" will certainly be received with skepticism from the potential buyer.

Would you allow the manufacturer to convince you that you can pay them $20K to $30K (I'm above that now) for a car that can't idle at start-up without practically or even actually stalling, and that THEY don't mind that YOU find it annoying?

 

I've had this problem twice so far with my 05 Cooper S. Both were within the last week or so. I go to start the car, it tries to stall, and then will eventually catch.

For what's it's worth, there is a similar thread on mini2 as well right now.

 

Hmm, I wonder if any tuners have this issue with a different ecu flash? like GIAC or MTH? I might get the GIAC done myself.

 

COUGH

 

count me in with : "we start it nice cause we start it twice" followed by an innitial stumble the first time you pull out.(june build 2002 MCS with version 38) it seemed to happen with the advent of "Summer gas" although last winter I followed someone's advice and turned key to position before cranking and waited for the DSC light to go off before actually turning motor over and that seemed to work well-however DOESN'T work now!

 

In the past month, my '03 MCS has started doing this every morning. Crank and it won't catch. Crank again and it catches every time. It also runs a little rough at first as well. A couple years ago, I experienced similar behavior when I went on a trip in Maine in August, 2003. Back then, I had an earlier version of DME firmware (v.32 -vs- v.36) and different mods, etc. The one thing in common between the then and now is that, in Maine, I filled up with Sunoco fuel and my last tank was Sunoco (my commute is short so that tank may have lasted me most of the month). I can't imagine the brand of fuel making such a big difference, but I just filled up with Lukoil 93. I'll see if it has any effect.

BTW, I discovered that it doesn't matter how long I crank it, it won't start on the first try. But, it always starts on the second try. So, I have just gotten into the habit of cranking it very quickly, then turning the key back off, then starting the car. Fix yer cold start behavior, MINI!

 

Might as well throw my name on this list too. All started around mid-May, when the summer blend was released.

Although I will now that it' s finally above 55 degrees (hell it's only June) the start-up issue hasn't been as noticible. Last week with rain wind and temps in the 40's the problem was much worse.

Obviously BMW is NOT a software company, but you'd think they would have a vendor who is.

 

Me too!

All I get from the dealer is 'summer gas, please stop using premium and use mid grade'. done that it is still there. Not as bad. one local motorer has started using regular. In a MCS, that is terrible.

Not exactly what I want to do. Thanks MINI! You have disappointed me on this one.

I also got some crap about MINI would do a recall if it a genuine issue. My foot they will!

GMG

 

Gas is gas - the only difference is the additive packages per brand.

 

Andy,

I think your having a bit of a different problem then this thread is discussing. Your problem is cranking it over in the first place, most people in this thread are having problems with stumbling once the car is cranked over on cold start. And some of those people are having problems with their eventually stalling during that start at idle.