MINI2

Vitesse · Oct 30th, 2006, 10:11 AM

When I first got my Mini out of the garage this morning it was fine. Went back in the house to lock everything up and went to start the car again. It started OK but barely ticked over and the engine warning light was on, almost like it was choked up.

Then all of a sudden it sprang back into life and ticked over OK and everything seemed fine. The clock had reset and the milometer or trip can't remember which one is which had also reset back to 0. Like someone had pulled the battery off and everything had reset.

I assume this was some sort of ECU reset?? When I got to where I was going. I turned it off and restarted just to check it was fine and it restarted ok.

Anyone else ever experience anything like this?

Capsaisin · Oct 30th, 2006, 10:30 AM

Something similar happened to me after the MCS had been sat in the garage for about 3-4 weeks. I suspected the battery was nearly flat so it was no surprise, the car almost died and then sprang back to life. The clock and radio went off and reset.
If this is the case, then I suspect your windows will no longer drop when the door is opened, and go back up when the door is closed. I didn't notice this at first, but there sure was a lot of wind noise at 60mph.
Charged the battery and reset the windows and no problems since.

So your problem could be a low battery, you might get away with the initial start, but starting it a second time without any recharging could be just too much for the battery.

Recharge the battery and/or get it checked out.

Vitesse · Oct 30th, 2006, 10:42 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Capsaisin (original)

Something similar happened to me after the MCS had been sat in the garage for about 3-4 weeks. I suspected the battery was nearly flat so it was no surprise, the car almost died and then sprang back to life. The clock and radio went off and reset.
If this is the case, then I suspect your windows will no longer drop when the door is opened, and go back up when the door is closed. I didn't notice this at first, but there sure was a lot of wind noise at 60mph.
Charged the battery and reset the windows and no problems since.

So your problem could be a low battery, you might get away with the initial start, but starting it a second time without any recharging could be just too much for the battery.

Recharge the battery and/or get it checked out.

My initial thought was the battery. It's only just over a year old but I've read Mini battery lifes aren't too brilliant!

Capsaisin · Oct 30th, 2006, 03:17 PM

It may not be a dodgy battery, just that it's not getting enough charge. Do you use it mainly for short runs? You may just need to put the battery on an external charger every few weeks to top it up.
Your problem may be that you are effectively starting the car twice when cold. Usually a battery that has not been charged fully, can recover overnight and will start the car first time in the morning. But if you switch off, wait a few minutes and try again you might have drained the battery too much the first time.
The electrical system on the MINI puts a drain on the battery even when switched off, so the battery needs to be kept well charged. If the battery voltage drops too low, the ECU electronics can get confused and may reset.

If your problem is battery related, it will get worse when the weather turns colder.

I would have thought a 1 year old battery would be unlikely to fail, it probably just need fully charging.

Vitesse · Nov 1st, 2006, 08:42 AM

Dealer checked it out and couldn't find any errors. But immediately jumped on the fact that it had non OEM spots on it and claimed without doing any testing, that it was them causing the problem and they needed the car for another 2 hours to do some more testing but it might not be covered by the warranty.

They didn't even bother testing the battery and conveniently left the interior light on, to make it appear worse. After I refused to let them have the car, because I was convinced they were trying to rip me off, drove to the local Halfords and a very helpful guy in there tested the battery and in showed it was fine but needed recharging.

Stuck it on charge and it has been fine since, as Capsaisin said basically too many short journeys to get enough charge into.

Oct 30th, 2006, 10:11 AM	#1
Vitesse MINI2 Senior Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Westerham Local Time: 02:48 AM Posts: 682 Offline	Strange Tick Over Problem! When I first got my Mini out of the garage this morning it was fine. Went back in the house to lock everything up and went to start the car again. It started OK but barely ticked over and the engine warning light was on, almost like it was choked up. Then all of a sudden it sprang back into life and ticked over OK and everything seemed fine. The clock had reset and the milometer or trip can't remember which one is which had also reset back to 0. Like someone had pulled the battery off and everything had reset. I assume this was some sort of ECU reset?? When I got to where I was going. I turned it off and restarted just to check it was fine and it restarted ok. Anyone else ever experience anything like this?

Oct 30th, 2006, 10:42 AM	#3 (permalink)
Vitesse MINI2 Senior Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Westerham Local Time: 02:48 AM Posts: 682 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Capsaisin (original) Something similar happened to me after the MCS had been sat in the garage for about 3-4 weeks. I suspected the battery was nearly flat so it was no surprise, the car almost died and then sprang back to life. The clock and radio went off and reset. If this is the case, then I suspect your windows will no longer drop when the door is opened, and go back up when the door is closed. I didn't notice this at first, but there sure was a lot of wind noise at 60mph. Charged the battery and reset the windows and no problems since. So your problem could be a low battery, you might get away with the initial start, but starting it a second time without any recharging could be just too much for the battery. Recharge the battery and/or get it checked out. My initial thought was the battery. It's only just over a year old but I've read Mini battery lifes aren't too brilliant! Last edited by Vitesse : Oct 30th, 2006 at 12:56 PM.

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Oct 30th, 2006, 10:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
Capsaisin cave capsicum Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Crewe Local Time: 02:48 AM Posts: 3,364 Offline	Something similar happened to me after the MCS had been sat in the garage for about 3-4 weeks. I suspected the battery was nearly flat so it was no surprise, the car almost died and then sprang back to life. The clock and radio went off and reset. If this is the case, then I suspect your windows will no longer drop when the door is opened, and go back up when the door is closed. I didn't notice this at first, but there sure was a lot of wind noise at 60mph. Charged the battery and reset the windows and no problems since. So your problem could be a low battery, you might get away with the initial start, but starting it a second time without any recharging could be just too much for the battery. Recharge the battery and/or get it checked out.

Oct 30th, 2006, 03:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
Capsaisin cave capsicum Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Crewe Local Time: 02:48 AM Posts: 3,364 Offline	It may not be a dodgy battery, just that it's not getting enough charge. Do you use it mainly for short runs? You may just need to put the battery on an external charger every few weeks to top it up. Your problem may be that you are effectively starting the car twice when cold. Usually a battery that has not been charged fully, can recover overnight and will start the car first time in the morning. But if you switch off, wait a few minutes and try again you might have drained the battery too much the first time. The electrical system on the MINI puts a drain on the battery even when switched off, so the battery needs to be kept well charged. If the battery voltage drops too low, the ECU electronics can get confused and may reset. If your problem is battery related, it will get worse when the weather turns colder. I would have thought a 1 year old battery would be unlikely to fail, it probably just need fully charging.

Nov 1st, 2006, 08:42 AM	#5 (permalink)
Vitesse MINI2 Senior Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Westerham Local Time: 02:48 AM Posts: 682 Offline	Dealer checked it out and couldn't find any errors. But immediately jumped on the fact that it had non OEM spots on it and claimed without doing any testing, that it was them causing the problem and they needed the car for another 2 hours to do some more testing but it might not be covered by the warranty. They didn't even bother testing the battery and conveniently left the interior light on, to make it appear worse. After I refused to let them have the car, because I was convinced they were trying to rip me off, drove to the local Halfords and a very helpful guy in there tested the battery and in showed it was fine but needed recharging. Stuck it on charge and it has been fine since, as Capsaisin said basically too many short journeys to get enough charge into.

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