After a lot of searching and reading, I'm suspect that my steering angle sensor needs to be recalibrated / realigned. I am mechanically and electrically proficient - I'm willing to give it a try if anyone can help me with the procedure.

The symptoms are that my DSC and low tire pressure indicator lights come on after the first turn and stay on thereafter. This started happening immediately after I hit a curb with my right front rim in a parking lot. The hit was hard enough to through the steering wheel alignment off by ~20 degrees. The car drove fine - didn't pull, etc. I took it to the dealer and they told me that I needed to replace the entire steering rack, the wheel bearing, and the tie rod - $4300 Canadian! I had them do an alignment (steering fine now) and I took the car to the mechanic I have used for years with my other cars for a second opinion on the mechanical work. He couldn't find anything mechanically wrong with any of those parts - tie rod not noticeably bent, steering rack not bent/cracked/leaking/displaced, and the wheel bearing not grinding/clicking even at full lock. Maybe MINI is being conservative given that there was an impact - no way for MINI or my regular mechanic to know of internal stress cracks.

Regardless, the DSC/tire indicator light has to be addressed. Based on several posts, I suspect that the issue is the steering angle sensor. I don't know if MINI checked for codes or not. And the only scan tools I have aren't for the MINI. The next nearest MINI dealer is 1.5 hours away. I'd like to realign/recalibrate the sensor to check out the theory. As long as I can confirm that that is the issue, I'm willing to go back to MINI to have it properly calibrated, but I'd like to test the theory first myself.

Any help?

Thanks,
Minifox2

 

this happened to me also. check out this thread i started https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=69272
everyone had their own ideas so i just went to the dealer and they recalibrated the steering angle sensor for me under warranty. all good now. don't let them screw you like that with the steering rack tell them to check the sensor first.