Hi All,

I have a 2005 Mini Cooper that recently started developing the strangest (and most annoying) electrical issues. I took the car into the dealership about a month ago when my windshield wipers would randomly turn on (rain or shine) and not cease until I restarted the car; however, they would continue to come on randomly. The dealership found fault codes with the BCM and replaced this for $500+. When I picked up my vehicle I literally drove off the lost and my radio turned off and the windshield wipers immediately started going off, so I turned around and brought the vehicle back. Weeks later and the dealership claims they cannot replicate the issue, so I pick back up the car and have no problems for about 1-2 weeks, BUT...

Now I am constantly having weird electrical gremlins pop up when starting up my car. Please see the attached YouTube video to see some of the issues:

Symptoms Include:

- Airbag Light is dim and blinking
- Seat Belt light sometimes randomly lights up
(Also, I would like to note that I do not believe I have a passenger weight sensor like other threads have mentioned).

- Windshield wipers randomly cut on at start up and will not stop until car is powered off
- Radio (rarely) will turn off as I am driving and windshield wipers start up
- HVAC system sometimes will not have power (no LED illumination), but is fully functional when power works

Workaround For Now:

When I start up my car and I see the air bag light blinking I can turn my key carefully between the 1-2 ignition position and IF the air bag lights becomes a solid red I can startup the car without electrical issues.

If I start up the car while the air bag light is blinking the radio sometimes will not work and NO power goes to the HVAC system.

Any thoughts on what part might cause this issue would be extremely appreciated. I am taking the car back to the dealership in two (2) weeks, but I fear the technicians will just give me a run around again and provide a temporary (and expensive) fix.

 

Is it an S or cooper? strick or auto? there is a 64 bit chip in the back of the tachometer, when it goes wacky these things can happen. edit-I see the P illuminated in your speedo telling me it is an auto-s or regular?

 

This is just a regular '05 MINI COOPER (Not S) with an automatic transmission.

From other threads I am wondering if the issue I am having centers around the ignition switch causing an issue with voltage.

 

Remove the left kick panel and check the connections for corrosion. This is where the main connection point for the dash harness resides. Its pretty easy to access and its the first thing to check with multiple dash "gremlins" appear. It will be mounted to the fuse panel on the lower side. If any moisture gets into the carpet and foam this is one point is always seems to end up in.

 

Dumb question, but have you checked or replaced the battery? MINIs with battery problems do all kinds of crazy electrical things.

 

Hi All,

Thank you for your suggestions. I used this forum and MINI2.com to narrow it down to the ignition switch, which was just replaced today. All systems are now working as expected.

Dealer noted: FOUND LIGHT CORROSION. CLEANED THE CONNECTORS WITH TERMINAL CLEANER AND USED COMPRESSED AIR TO DRY THE TERMINALS. REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH. CHECKED FUNCTION.

Hope this helps somebody down the line.