Two days ago my Mini Cooper S 2009 went into limp mode. Working a part and full time job, and not driving anywhere other than the 15ish miles a day for those, I haven't had time to take it in. Not to mention the nearest dealer is 45 minutes away.

This morning I pull into the driveway after night shift, wait a few minutes, and then come back outside to check the fluids. I notice there's a little oil building up next to the turbo, something my mechanic friend noticed previously, but told me as long as I keep an eye on the fluid levelsI would be good until I had a day off to take it in.

Anyway, my main issue is that there is a PUDDLE underneath my Mini when I had only been parked for a few minutes. Checked it and it was what I assumed to be coolant... sure enough, checked the reservoir after I woke up and it was SUPER LOW.

My main question is this... would the coolant issue be sending it into limp mode? Any advice for me?

And of course these things happen at the WORST. POSSIBLE. TIME.

 

What CEL's are you getting?

 

Yes a coolant leak will cause limp mode. That's the point of limp mode, to protect the engine from overheating or hurting itself in a sense.

My bmw had a water pump fail and it would go into limp mode.

If you're leaking coolant like that it could be the pump, thermo, or a hose. BMW pumps go at 100k religiously. In fact they suggest replacing them at 100k even if they aren't out just as preventative maintenance. Of course after the estended warranty expires.

You need to get the issue fixed. Running the engine with low coolant is NOT a good idea. You'll cause some permanent damage.

My 2 cents

 

I'm not sure about a mini pump (mine mini is brand new so haven't looked) but BMW pump is electronic and the parts run about $500 for a pump and thermostat. I did the work myself. Have to obviously drain coolant and took me about 4 hours.

I haven't looked under my mini yet so no idea where they are located. I had heard that the BMW was one of the hardest thermostat and water pumps to replace.

 

All I've gotten is the half power light... I came to the same conclusion, so it's in the shop. Waiting to hear back from them. I'm only at 70,000... We'll see what they say. Thanks everyone!