Has anyone experienced a random instrument failure? Ocasionally, when starting my car, everything in the instrument panel will come on as normal, then the next time I look, everything is dead. No speedo, tach, lights, nothing! Shut the car down and restart it and everything is back again. Very weird! Only does this about every 8-9th time and I can't willingly recreate it.
My car does have the Push button start (Dealer installed)

 

Have you checked the fuses? I had this happen once with my add a circuit I was one 10amp fuse off of where I originally wanted it (trying to go from switched to unswitched power), freaked out moved it one fuse over (still a 10 amp) and never had an issue since.

Something might just be sitting a little loose and a bump in the road or something knocks it off just enogh to cause some trouble.

Hope its something small tiny simple cheap and easy to fix!

 

I Have the same problem, took it to service they told me it was a loose ground cable but 4 days later (today) it's carzy again, I'll check the fuses before calling.

 

I have a similar issue here too... Once every few months or so, upon starting the car, the Headlights, interior lights, AC, and maybe a few other eletctrical related things do NOT come on. After a minute or so, or after turning the car off & restarting, everything is back to normal. I had mentioned this to the dealer a while back, but since it happens so randomly & sporadically, there's really no way I can show them the problem.

Jeremy

 

Ironically this just happened to me but only once. My Lights at first would not come on. A second or third flick of the switch and they turned on. After driving off and beginning to turn on the heat I found out that the climate system would not turn on. I then pulled over and restarted the entire car and everything was fine.

Has not happened since. Possibly onboard computers needed a reboot?

 

Something to mention, apperently many electrical gremlins dissappear if you let the car sit in the run position until the fuel guage indicator switches from red to orange(1-3 sec), apperently its giving the computer time to finish checks and eliminate some of the issues.

 

Check this TSB...
Appears to be limited to a small number of vehicles produced between 11/03 and 02/04.http://www.alldata.com/tsb/BMW/11596...06/620206.html.
JAS

 

Not for mine 07/2006

 

JAS, is there any other way to access that article you posted? Following the link results in just hitting the main page for that site and I'm having that exact problem with my '03 Cooper.

 

Has your instrument cluster failure been resolved?

I have a 2003 Cooper S with navigation and the dual cluster behind the steering wheel is completely dead. However, the fuel gauge and some error lights do work on top and on the bottom of the NAV screen.

It has a fault code 30 for control module fault and fault code 67 CAN BUS, no message 1 from KOM2. I did a test module and it failed saying to replace the instrument cluster control module.

I got a new instrument cluster and recode it but still doesn't work. I thought the control module was built inside the cluster but I don't think it is. Mini repair instructions say that the control module for the instrument cluster is behind the center dash but that's where the NAV screen unit is located so now I'm confused.