I apologize in advance if I have posted in the wrong section. We are new Mini owners as well as forum newbies. We purchased a 2008 Cooper S about two weeks ago. We knew that Minis can be a bit finicky, but this car has a lot of gremlins and we aren't really sure where to start. I am hoping that someone here has some good suggestions.

Firstly, I have some paperwork from the previous 2 owners that shows some of the troubleshooting and work done to the car over the last few years. The timing chain was replaced at 160,000kms as was the high pressure fuel pump which I know has been troublesome in a lot of cars. It has been into the BMW shop for several codes and faults and most were never resolved, it was just suggested that further investigation was warranted, but nothing really seemed to be solved.

When we took it out for a test drive the check engine light was on and I did not feel that it was as powerful as it should be. On the ride home the limp mode light came on. I took it to my mechanic this past Monday and they ran the codes. Here is what showed up:
2B64 - intake manifold unmetered air
2AC0 - O2 sensor after cat dynamic response
2A61 - O2 sensor heater before cat activation
2746 - multiplicative mixture adaptation
2A64 - O2 sensor heater before cat function
2A75 - O2 sensor behind cat ageing
2F64 - oil pressure switch plausibility
2D8R - knock sensor electric
2885 - charge air pressure control deviation, plausibility

They cleared the codes and sent me on my way. I drove the secondary road home not going above 80km/hr about 55 km distance. No warning lights came on. Yesterday drove it on the highway about 100kms. After about 3 minutes travelling at 100km/hr the limp light came on. Then approximately 70 kms later the check engine light came on. Later we drove the car about 30 kms to go look at another car I am interested in and at some point between leaving my friends house and returning the limp light went out. I am taking it back to the shop tomorrow to see what is now showing up and hopefully do some trouble shooting.

As I understand it there are many things that could be causing these faults or several. We are thinking we will check to make sure the valve cover is not cracked or damaged, replacing some of the sensors, definitely the knock sensor because I believe that was recommended to be replaced at 150 000 km. Also read that carbon build up on the intake valves could be causing the issues. If anyone out there has has similar problems, what solved them? Where do you recommend starting? We will be doing some of the work ourselves, but we want to prioritize and stretch our funds and only take it to the shop for the things we don't have the know how to do at home.

In addition, there is an issue with the key fob. we replaced the batteries in one. It is not the rechargeable fob. Upon locking the car with one quick click of the lock button the windows will go down and the sun roof will open. The sunroof has started jamming in the last few days and strangely enough the window controls went from doing auto down to doing auto up. They checked that the sunroof drain was not leaking down the A pillar and into the module at the drivers left ankle, they could see no water damage. The display for the radio has also deteriorated since we took possession and it is VERY difficult to view in the daylight. Thinking that might have to be a complete replacement. When you take the key out of the fob and insert in the drivers door nothing happens, I believe it is seized.

Would love to hear from anyone with any suggestions.

Thanks

 

Sounds like a harness issue, check for animal bite marks, the other thing it could be is bad grounding. I am not sure where all the ground locations are under the hood, but I would find them and check and clean them.

 

For the boost pressure deviation, check the blow off valve. the plastic/rubber diaphragm tends to wear out and tear, like my sons did. This is a known failure mode. Check all of your vacuum lines, and possibly replace. they get old/brittle, and may have dislodged themselves. And of course, check and replace the plugs and wires. Easy to check your valves, pull your intake off and take a peak. Relatively easy job to do yourself and there are step by step instructions and shopping lists on line. You might also want to pulll and clean the throttle body. With all of the oil in the charge side, your throttle body can get pretty nasty too.Also, pull the vanos solenoid and check valve. Clean these out as they are likely full of coking and nastiness. Once all of this is done, you have a good baseline.