So my car hasn't been acting right (again) the past week or so, and before I give the dealer a call, I figured I'd ask here to see if any of my problems are normal. None of these ever happened last winter, when the car experienced much lower temperatures.

1- Last Thursday we had a pretty big snow storm. Friday morning before work I figured I would turn my car on and let it warm up while I'm brushing it off. It was about 10-15 degrees outside. I got out from turning it on, and started to brush the snow off when I realized that the car was being way too quiet, it had turned off. Maybe I didn't push the clutch in before I pushed the button? I got in the car again to turn it on, this time I KNOW I turned it on. Got out, and it shut itself off/stalled about 5 seconds later. The third time the car actually stayed on. Can the cold weather (which really isn't even THAT cold) affect a car so much as to where it would actually keep it from staying on?

2- When I got in my car to go out tonight, the windshield was actually on the inside. Again it's about 15 degrees outside. Although I guess I could have left my door open, I really think I would have noticed that earlier. Is there some other place that moisture could get inside the car?

3- Can the cold affect speaker performance? I have the HiFI setup, and when I hit play on my iPhone I just got a bunch of popping noises for the first few seconds. Like the speakers were being blown out, but the volume was way too low for that.


So, before I call the dealer, I was wondering if these are average, "normal" things, that happen to MINIs in the cold. At this point, I wouldn't doubt the stealership telling me that all my problems are in fact, "normal," or in some way my fault.

Has anyone else experienced any of these 3 problems in the cold weather?

Thanks

 

"Isn't even THAT cold" <--- Coming from someone who has lived in AZ and CA his whole life...10 degrees is brutally cold!!!

Anyway...in regard to the shutting off, I'd suspect you are probably having high pressure fuel pump problems. It is a common issue, and symptoms are usually exasperated on cold starts.

 

How buried was your car in the snow when you started it? Did the engine have enough air to breathe and was your tail pipe clear of snow?

 

10 degrees really doesn't seem that bad to me, but last year the car was fine in temps that were way below 0.

The car probably had about 3-4 inches of snow on it, but I never checked the tail pipe. It being filled with snow could be a possibility. If it happens again I'll have the dealer check the fuel pump.

The windshield hasn't froze on the inside again but it hasn't been as cold as it was the other night.

I'm still trying to figure out what the deal with the speakers was. When it gets colder again I'll be able to get a better idea of what's going on.

Thanks guys.

 

The MINI has a known issue with the throtte valve freezing in cold weather which can cause the car to idle rough and/or stall when started in cold conditions.

I've never had an issue with my speakers/stereo in the cold, though, and I don't think I've had frost on the inside of the windshield before.

 

Yeah most definitely sounds like the throttle valve check to make sure there is no moisture in there that could freeze it shut

 

I assume you meant to say "the windshield was actually ICY on the inside"? that can happen, if you drove the car earlier and got the inside all toasty warm, especially with 2 or 3 passengers. Warm air holds more moisture than cold. As the warm air, humidified by your breath, cools down, the moisture condenses on the inside of your windshield, then freezes. I guess the best way to prevent this is to open your door for a minute to let the warm air out when you're putting the car down for the night.

 

Oops, yep, that's what I meant to say. It was icy on the inside.

I guess what you said makes sense, I've just never heard anyone tell me that before, and I've never had it happen before. But like I said, it could have just been me leaving the door open a bit.