Hello, I just bought a 2008 pre-owned Mini (plain Cooper) for my daughter. The car looks new and price was great and supposedly there were no problems, but after taking it in to the Mini dealer ended up shelling out some hefty dollars for a couple things. Hopefully this one last thing I can have the dealer figure it out, but wanted to see if anyone out there has ever heard of this or had it happen. Only having the car for less than a month and not driven that much, she has had it happen three times, it would not start and best I can describe the symptoms according to my daughter is that it sort of "acted" like it was flooded. Strangely enough we have narrowed the 3 time starting problem to 3 of the times she filled up with gas,taking notice that the fuel gauge was either on red or close to it. As soon as she filled up and tried to leave the station it wouldnt start for about 5-10 minutes, then finally would. I asked the MINI service guy if he had ever heard of that happening and he said no. Its one of those frustrating things that wont show itself at the dealer, but it needs to be figured out. Just wondering if anyone had any clues. Thanks.

 

Have you tried having the gas cap tested ? Or replaced ? Thats the first thing I'd TRY I'm assuming you don't have a check engine light or anything else

 

Thanks for the tip. Yes, that might be a place to start, the gas cap thing. No check engine light or anything. Am planning on taking it in to the dealer service, but wanted as much info as I could go in with. Thanks.

 

Just came back from the local Mini dealer here in Nashville. My wife's 2010 Cooper S won't hold an idle when first started. We have to blip the throttle to keep it running for the first few seconds or it stalls. The service manager told me that, if it isn't throwing a code, they won't be able to fix it, even if the problem is obvious. Really? He said that they have no way to diagnose issues if there is no code. Sounds like they have a bunch of idiots working there. We will see when it goes in, (had to make an appointment). I hope your dealer is a bit more educated...

 

Wow--I'm having the same problem with my 2008 Cooper S. I'm taking it back to the shop tomorrow to have them address this issue for the second time.

I've had my car a little over four years now, and it just up and started doing this all of a sudden. I can't think of anything I've done differently to bring on this odd behavior.

What's happening with mine is, when I crank it up after it's not been used for a while--like 7 hours or more--it turns on just fine. It still idles a little low after initial turn-on, but it doesn't shut off. On the other hand, if I go for a period where I have to stop and start the engine frequently (as in running errands or something), it seems apt to idle-drop and then complete shut off --which it occasionally does.

For example, when I left home earlier today, I hadn't touched the car all day and I didn't have any issues cranking it up. I then went to the Post Office, and to the gas station (I mostly use Shell Premium, as they recommend). When I turned the car on at the Post Office, it idled in the initial normal range and then dropped so low that it shut off--I was able to get it started again and keep it on though the idle still dropped pretty low with the second attempt. At the gas station, when I got back in the car and tried to start it again, it idled low and shut off on me three times before I could get it to stay on.

The first time I took it to the dealer, they suggested that it might be the gas. I don't *think* it's the gas, and I don't think it's the gas cap (but then I'm not a mechanic). I put in the additive they gave me, and it's still doing the same thing. [It's been doing this for over a month now.]

Arrrrgh! I don't have unlimited amounts of time to spend sitting in the dealership, and I don't like the thought of being out somewhere and having to get the car towed.

I'll let you know what they say tomorrow (but any thoughts/ideas before then would be very much appreciated). I think I'm going to try to call Car Talk over the weekend...

 

Glad to hear from some others on this issue. Yes, good luck with the Nashville service folk. Its a crying shame that you have to have a code to deal with the problem. How about just deal with it and check it out as best they can. I dont agree that the codes are always 100% correct either from past experience.
Tamra, yes please let us know if they find anything out. Sounds like our problems are very similar, but yours a little more frequent. We haven't had ours but about a month. So far ours has been running great but yet we are "trial and error-ing" regarding getting gas and when does it cause the car to not start. You had mentioned that yours low idles for a short bit then dies. I thought my daughters wouldnt start and idle at all, but I"ll have to ask her in detail, because she mentioned trying to get it into gear quickly which might indicate that it may run for a few seconds, but I'll check.
Right, the service people need to get past the "gas issue" solution. I hate when they always use that as the reason.
Thanks, good luck and we'll wait to hear back. Im going to schedule ours for Sat. or Monday and talk with the service man today and try to have him be looking for some answers before we bring it in.

 

Okay. Hopefully I have some useful information...

So, I took my car to the dealer, and my service adviser told me that there is a "high-pressure fuel pump issue" about which BMW/MINI is aware. He explained it all to me in detail, but I'm sure I'd never explain it the way he did so I won't try to here. What it boils down to is that this HP fuel pump issue can cause cylinder misfirings, among other things.

As I mentioned, BMW/MINI is aware of the problem--and I forget whether the issue technically falls under the category of "recall" or what, but they WILL replace the fuel pump at no charge if the noted symptoms continue. At a minimum, if it's not an all-out recall, my adviser said that they extended the warranty on the fuel pump. HOWEVER, there is a computer reset that they try first, in hopes that it eliminates the problem.

I had the reset done, and *so far* the problem hasn't reappeared. He said that if the problem comes back, then they'll replace the fuel pump.

My adviser is certain that it is NOT a gas issue, although in doing some research before going to the dealer I contacted *another* dealer service department (I like to "average out" information and opinions ) and talked to the head guy, where I learned more about gas/Ethanol mixtures (which vary *widely* from state to state--beyond what is advertised), the importance of using "the right gas," and carbon deposits than I ever imagined possible. So, while what's happening now may not be a gas issue, I feel more confident about making informed decisions about buying "the right" gasoline and I now know why it's necessary, which is just a good thing to have in the back pocket in terms of overall maintenance.

If we had Chevron gasoline (with Techron) available in our area, that would be the ONLY gas I'd be putting in my car.

Here are some links:
Info about "Top Tier gasoline" (seems to be folks in the total-worship camp and in the it's-a-hoax camp)
Top Tier Gasoline

Discussion on "Top Tier gasoline"
Top Tier Gas - MINI2 - MINI Forum

Really interesting comments about Chevron gas (with Techron), and about their concentrated Techron additive. Same love/hate thing going on, but I can't see where the additive hurts as part of an overall maintenance routine...
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Chevron Techron Fuel System Cleaner (12 oz.)

Ethanol Labeling by State
Ethanol Labeling Laws - State by State Guide.

If you want the name and number of my service guy so that he can better-explain the technical nature of the problem, send me your email address and I'll send you his info.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

 

Thats certainly great new information and I appreciate you sharing that with me/us. Now I have some great backup and info to give to the service folks when I take ours in this coming Tuesday. Coincidentally enough I told a great mechanic and one of my best friends about the problem. In brief, he went into the fact that it may have something to do with the fuel injection/ fuel pump system, especially if the gas got low in the tank. He said that some cars had the pump in the tank and other outside of the tank and that may be the problem, which really sort of says the same thing you have found out. He suggested if it didnt start again, to take the key in and out about 3 times in a row, as if turning a normal key to the "on" position, not starting it, just on and off. he said that would be similar to "priming the pump", and then see what it does. Then according to what happened next, it would give some further clues about where the trouble might lay.
Thanks again and maybe you are fixed up for good.
md

 

Took our MINI in for service 2 days ago and picked it up today. Regarding the intermittant not-starting problem, they found a fault error code that indicated there was a problem with the DME valvetronic servomotor and then replaced that. Not sure exactly what that is, but supposedly has something to do with helping the fuel go through the system.
We will just hope that takes care of the problem.
Thanks and will update if further complications.

 

Your symptoms sounded different than the others in this thread but like mine. Mine is an '07 Cooper S, same starting problem and no codes either. I have to flog the throttle to keep it running for the first 20 seconds or so in the AM almost all the time, and after it's been sitting for several hours some of the time. Did they ever fix your wife's car? Do you remember what they fixed? My guess was either MAF sensor or high pressure fuel pump but before I replace mine I thought I'd check out what you found out.