1st Gen R53 Cooper S Driving/rally lights not working

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by na8flush, Nov 29, 2016.

  1. na8flush

    na8flush New Member

    Nov 29, 2016
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    Been trying to get the auxiliary driving lights on the new Mini I bought working, but have had no luck so far.

    Replaced the bulbs, and replaced what I believe is the inline fuse (not sure if it was bad, but the fuse was opaque, so no way to know).

    Figured out that they only turn on when the high beams are on, but no matter how many times I push the button by my left knee, the green toggle light doesn't come on.

    Any ideas what I can check next? Seems like everything should be working.
     
  2. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    I don't have them and when I push the button the green light comes on. So dumb question but it the button plugged in?
     
  3. na8flush

    na8flush New Member

    Nov 29, 2016
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    Haha not a dumb question! But yeah, the button is indeed plugged in. Interesting that you have the button but not the lights installed and you still have the green light come on. Maybe my button is broken.
     
  4. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

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  5. r34king

    r34king Member

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    Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
     
  6. Dennis Bratland

    Dennis Bratland New Member

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    The PDF instructions above will show you where all the hookups are for the wires, assuming they wired these lights using the OEM method. If your lights only come on with the high beams, then they surely must have used the OEM wiring method. Anybody else would have just run power to the relay and had it turn on any time you pushed the button.

    The main issue I ran into with this is poor electrical contact with the BMW wire splices that come in the auxiliary light kit.

    If you check the splices behind the radio and at the body computer over by the passenger footwell, they might not be clicked shut all the way, or the could have been damaged, or become corroded, at some point. If so you might need a few 18-22 ga quick splices.

    That's the first thing I'd check. Before even opening up the body trim on the right side, I'd order a few of the plastic clips that tend to break and get lost -- part # 51437048911.

    You could say you aren't thrilled with the whole factory system, and you'd rather have a simple switch that turns the lights on when you push it. That would mean rewiring it in a simple fashion: switch, relay, lights. You might not be able to keep the factory switch; I think it might be momentary, relying on the computer to maintain current to the relay, so you'd need a normal rocker. Which might not easily fit in the dash; I think the size is weird.

    Which leads you back to sticking with the OEM wiring, found in the linked to above.
     
  7. Wetcoaster

    Wetcoaster New Member

    Nov 27, 2016
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    "You could say you aren't thrilled with the whole factory system, and you'd rather have a simple switch that turns the lights on when you push it. That would mean rewiring it in a simple fashion: switch, relay, lights. You might not be able to keep the factory switch; I think it might be momentary, relying on the computer to maintain current to the relay, so you'd need a normal rocker. Which might not easily fit in the dash; I think the size is weird. "

    I was contemplating doing something similar., but with fog lamps. If i could find an appropriate switch, are there any other concerns to consider? The dealer around here quoted me $1200 just to buy a fog lamp kit! Plus installation. I can get a nice pair from the local parts place for a heck of a lot cheaper.
     
  8. na8flush

    na8flush New Member

    Nov 29, 2016
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    Hey thanks for this reply, sorry I didn't see it early - for some reason my subscription settings aren't set up properly.

    So that PDF with install instructions was pretty helpful. I had some time to dig into all the connections and it seems everything behind the dash is working fine. Pulled the relay out and tested all the inputs with a multimeter, everything looks correct. Then I used a wire to bridge the connection the relay would normally switch on, it seems that the driving lights still don't get power - so something past the firewall seems to be not working.

    Traced the wires back from the lights themselves, and already found one of the wires was split and slightly corroded inside. So probably that's where the issue is. When I get a warm enough day, probably going to rewire everything from the firewall forward.

    But failing that, I might just rewire in the simpler method you shared, I like the ability to turn them on whenever anyways.
     
  9. nobbyclark

    nobbyclark New Member

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    #9 nobbyclark, Dec 21, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2016
    Check the earthing wires. Whenever I have had probs with aux lights on either of my cars, it's always been down to a poor earth, either the wire being exposed and getting damp, or else corroded.
     

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