[carole]

HI. i need help asap for whoever is on this board tonite. A couple weeks ago my mini -july 2007 arrival, would not start .it was cold out in the morninging here in albany ny. i kept pushing my start button until it finally started. that is problem one
problem two...with the cold weather, the windows dont come down when trying to open doors, when i get them open, doors dont shut cux window is still up...ocassionally i cant even get window button to work...after warmed up, i can shut car......i could solve this if they offered a remote car start but they dont.....i feel i am breaking my windows....
problem 3
car just died driving friday....no gas, no stearing. etc. i just sat on the busy street aqnd waited for 5 minutes, pushed the button to turn off car then turned it on and was able to pull over to side street . call dealer adn she said to drive it and if it did not do it again, then it was fine, just a fluke

problem 4....been having really loud ticking noise lately and ideling really wierd and weak....some one said to check the oil. i did so tonite. ran the car, turnedd it off, waited 5-10 minutes and checked the dipstick 5 times..NO OIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on it. drove it home and here i am. no oil light is showing up on car so manual says dont put oil in...

i am afraid to drive it.
i feel that i am going to call mini tomoorrow morning and demand a flat bed to tow my car to the dealer to get fixed..do you agree????????????
why is my new car low on oil to begin
: angry: with

[steve11]

Wow, sounds like your R56 doesn't like cold weather.
First 3 problems sound like typical 'new model' glitches that other R56 owners have mentioned & should be repairable warranty issues.
The thing i'd be very concerned about is problem 4, If your sure there is no oil showing on the dipstick i wouldn't be driving it without calling your dealer first, keep in mind it takes sometime for the oil to drain back into the sump (although 10 minutes should be plenty).
It is normal for a new car to use some oil so you should be checking it regularly.
Sorry i couldn't be more help & best of luck with everything.

[DaFlake]

Manual says not to put oil in it? I have not heard of this one...

I just looked at the 07 manual and it shows how to add the oil. Car oil levels drop, especially in a new car and you should check them every time you fill up for the first few months. In your manual it should tell you what type of oil to use. I use 5w-30 in mine as recommended by the local dealers (Royal Purple Synthetic) but being in NY you might want 0W-30 (the zero is the winter rating).

Windows not dropping are normal in the winter with ice and snow. You just have to use a little caution. This is a normal BMW thing.

Car not starting could be due to the oil. I don't know if the car has a built in safety feature to disable starting with low oil pressure. It is possible that is why it is so hard to start but I am only guessing at this point.

Personally I would check all of the fluid levels and top off where needed then see how it goes.

[steve11]

Agreed. I think that is sound advice.

[Martin F]

The dip stick on the R56 is very difficult to read when the car is new and the oil clean.

There is a low oil warning light as well as a low oil pressure light so I think the problem is about seeing the oil on the dipstick.

I cannot believe that there is a serious problem with the oil level as both the low oil and the oil pressure light would have had to fail.

I can't help with the other issues..

One other thought, overfilling with oil can have potentially serious consequences, so only add oil if you are absolutely sure it is needed.

[r1_kde]

I would normally say when your oil light is on, then its too late, in all cases.

[Martin F]

Quote: Originally Posted by r1_kde (original)

I would normally say when your oil light is on, then its too late, in all cases.

I would agree if we are talking about the oil pressure warning light but the R56 has a low oil warning light as well and the handbook says do not add oil until either the low oil warning appears or the oil has fallen below the lower mark on the dipstick.

[DaFlake]

Quote: Originally Posted by Martin F (original)

I would agree if we are talking about the oil pressure warning light but the R56 has a low oil warning light as well and the handbook says do not add oil until either the low oil warning appears or the oil has fallen below the lower mark on the dipstick.

I wouldn't trust it... Every "low oil light" that I have ever seen comes on after damage to the engine has already occurred. Best method is to trust your eyes and check that dip stick. MINI's dipsticks are hard to read but it can be done.

[Martin F]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaFlake (original)

I wouldn't trust it... Every "low oil light" that I have ever seen comes on after damage to the engine has already occurred. Best method is to trust your eyes and check that dip stick. MINI's dipsticks are hard to read but it can be done.

I agree that I would not trust a low oil light. But my original point was a different one.

The original post claimed the engine had no oil. I think it is more likely to be a problem reading the dipstick than have both the oil pressure and low level warning lights fail simultaneously.

As you say, MINI dipsticks can be hard to read and the R56 with its spiral rings is particularly difficult when the oil is clean.

[KPKalle]

I wouldn't trust the low oil warning light either. A few years back a friend of mine destroyed his engine because the light failed to come on. And this was shortly after a service

[Ant FR]

i find it hard to believe that BMW would rely on this light so much, as they are almost making themselves liable for further damage if this light does not come on when needed. Strange.

I know Peugeot ( who designed most of the engine) have always had a love affair with oil lights and electronic dipsticks, so hardly a surprise you have it on these new Pug engines.

[DaFlake]

Quote: Originally Posted by Martin F (original)

I agree that I would not trust a low oil light. But my original point was a different one.

The original post claimed the engine had no oil. I think it is more likely to be a problem reading the dipstick than have both the oil pressure and low level warning lights fail simultaneously.

As you say, MINI dipsticks can be hard to read and the R56 with its spiral rings is particularly difficult when the oil is clean.

Ah, misunderstood you and I agree.

[Loui]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ant FR (original)

i find it hard to believe that BMW would rely on this light so much, as they are almost making themselves liable for further damage if this light does not come on when needed. Strange.

I know Peugeot ( who designed most of the engine) have always had a love affair with oil lights and electronic dipsticks, so hardly a surprise you have it on these new Pug engines.

BMW designed the engine as i have met the guy who did the design. Peugeot are only involved to make the components cheaper.

The ticking is common an in most cases normal on the R56 engine as it uses a valvetronic style system on the intake instead of a traditional butterfly. You get the same tick on an M5, which sounds like a bag of spanners when you start it up.

The R56 dipstick is a nightmare to read so there might well be oil in there, tbh i wouldnt trust an oil warning light.

The stalling i havent got a clue? How old is the car? it hasent got stop start i take it? As i know this came on in july

In relation to the windows there frozen? if so just scrape the bottom part of the window that will allow it to operate as normal.

Not got a clue on the non start tbh

[carole]

thanks so far. i am back home after 3 hours of work and awaiting a tow. all my other cars with oil problems never ever had the oil light come on, even when i got down to one quart of oil.so i dont trust them. my low gas never lit on my other cars either and always ran out..

i checked my oil cold and it was low near the min mark. them i drove it as explained, warmed it up, checked it, no oil, went into target to get cat litter, came back out and checked it 5 times, no oil on dipstick at all.........so i do know what it looks like with oil, as i tested it ice cold (albany temp).
i am talking aobut when there is no ice at all on my windows and i cant oopem the car to get in cuz they are frozen or something...i know better when there is ice to scrape..what i need is my husbands MX5 to come out of the garage and my mini to go in there so she works

as for the stalling, it had been ideling really wierd shortly before it. and it sucks to get stuck in rush hour traffic with a new car.

the ticking noise had been gradually getting louder lately adn that is exaclty what my old car did when i almost siezed the engine with one quart left.....
wish me luck at the dealer today

[sef]

Good luck with it... Hopefully everything will be sorted to your satisfaction...

[Ant FR]

Quote: Originally Posted by Loui (original)

BMW designed the engine as i have met the guy who did the design. Peugeot are only involved to make the components cheaper.

The ticking is common an in most cases normal on the R56 engine as it uses a valvetronic style system on the intake instead of a traditional butterfly. You get the same tick on an M5, which sounds like a bag of spanners when you start it up.

The R56 dipstick is a nightmare to read so there might well be oil in there, tbh i wouldnt trust an oil warning light.

The stalling i havent got a clue? How old is the car? it hasent got stop start i take it? As i know this came on in july

In relation to the windows there frozen? if so just scrape the bottom part of the window that will allow it to operate as normal.

Not got a clue on the non start tbh

Ok whatever you say, but it is pretty much all peugeot, (even if your guy does say he designed it all.....lol)

The only thing BMW got involved in was the designing of the Valvetrain and the head work as these used tech borrowed from the m-series straight 6 engines. Even though all the heads are built by PSA. also the turbo tech was borroed from the HDi engines where peugeot were ahead of most manufacturers with direct fuel injection and twin scroll superchargers ( all first seen on diesel engines). Antoher thing which was taken from WRC ( PSA rally cars) technologyy were the on demand water and oil pumps which is new new stuff in mainstream cars.

Oh and lets not forget that PSA build all the engines and were using them a year before BMW got there hands on em.

[KenL]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ant FR (original)

Ok whatever you say, but it is pretty much all peugeot, (even if your guy does say he designed it all.....lol)

The only thing BMW got involved in was the designing of the Valvetrain and the head work as these used tech borrowed from the m-series straight 6 engines. Even though all the heads are built by PSA. also the turbo tech was borroed from the HDi engines where peugeot were ahead of most manufacturers with direct fuel injection and twin scroll superchargers ( all first seen on diesel engines). Antoher thing which was taken from WRC ( PSA rally cars) technologyy were the on demand water and oil pumps which is new new stuff in mainstream cars.

Oh and lets not forget that PSA build all the engines and were using them a year before BMW got there hands on em.

...and how do you know all this?

I thought the engines were built here: BMW Group

A BMW engine plant

[Loui]

Quote: Originally Posted by KenL (original)

...and how do you know all this?

I thought the engines were built here: BMW Group

A BMW engine plant

Yup there built a hams hall, only the diesel is built an designed by peugeot

[jamesbeaumont]

Quote: Originally Posted by carole (original)

as for the stalling, it had been ideling really wierd shortly before it. and it sucks to get stuck in rush hour traffic with a new car.

Were the engine revs jumping up and down at idle almost causing the car to stall then eventually it did, perhaps when you let the revs drop quite fast when slowing down? If so my cooper went through a stage of this for a week or two, in the end it sorted itself out and it runs great now so dont worry unless its a long term problem

[Ant FR]

Quote: Originally Posted by KenL (original)

...and how do you know all this?

I thought the engines were built here: BMW Group

A BMW engine plant

some info here,

MotoringFile » Archive » New MINI & PSA Engine Range In Detail

and a guy i went to school with and am still in contact with is a senior r&d guy for peugeot, he started out as an mechanic with the peugeot team when they changed over to the 206 for WRC, then moved to work for PSA in coventry then was relocated to the R&D team in Belchamp, france. His current project involves the Euro V cars and new diesel hybrids. He's ******* clever and a damn fine person to chat with. thats where i get all my peugeot info from.

But i'm sure your guy knows best