The starter on our Clubman seems to have crapped out. It has not sounded right for a couple of days, and yesterday it would not engage, it was running, but the gawd awful noise it made grinding down the flywheel was a bit unnerving. It did sort itself out, and started, but it did not disengage as it should, could hear it running on for 1/2 a second or so. So today, took it into the dealer, it started, and they are going to check it out. The SA did not seem to worried about them being able to reproduce the problem. So my guess is a new starter. Got a 2nd gen stick Cabrio as a loaner. So have been out and about topless in cloudy 45F weather:arf: Mark
Hope your clubbie gets fixed and only a Canadian would go Topless in STL in December (although I'm rocking T-shirts and driving with the Windows down a lot here recently).
Hopefully that doesn't surprise you too much. If I'd seen you driving by top-down in that kind of temp I'm sure I'd have shook my head and muttered something about the driver having a few screws loose.... ut: Here's hoping you get your Clubman out of the shop soon.
I talked to the SA and they got like 8 cabrio's for service loaners just in time for winter....:crazy: Good luck with Gimli
Back in Winnipeg I used to ride my bicycle to work all winter, so mid 40s going topless is balmy for me:lol: Just talked to the SA, they are going to replace the starter, should have it back by tommorow. Mark
When I lived in Rochester NY... my girlfriend (now wife) and I were tooling around Canendegua in my Fiat 124 spider on one of those sunny but really effin cold days in January. Top down, with jackets hats and gloves, but it was a great day and the heater worked great. Some lady in a station wagon almost slid off the road when she kept looking at us as we drove by. The Fiat was a great winter car, as long as it was above 15 degrees. The starter just wouldn't turn the engine over at lower temps. Matt good luck with the repair
Well the Clubbie is still at the dealer, seems they now want to replicate the problem:mad2: The head SA, who has been dealing with it, was off yesterday, and his trusty sidekick, is pretty much useless. What irks me the most, is why would we lie about the starter crapping out, the car has only 20k miles on it, do they think we feel a new starter is in order, "just cause" I may have to go motoring in the Cabrio loaner topless in the snow/rain/slop today, so I can get the inside of the car as dirty as the outside:lol: Mark
Just talked to the service manager at the dealer, it seems that the BCM was sending corrupt info to the starter. So they reflashed the BCM, and have not gotten anymore codes from it. They are going to keep it till tomorrow so they can try one more cold start. Anybody ever hear of this? Mark
I just looked through the clubman wiring system... and the starter per se is not bus enabled. But the starter function is heavily interlocked with the EWS and something called the CAS (Car Access System). But for what it's worth, the body control module isn't correct terminology for the 2nd gen systems. It's been replaced with the "junction box) that is a combined network hub/system controller/fusebox in the passenger footwell. And to answer your question directly, this is the first time I've ever heard of this particular problem. Matt
Thanks Doc. Your right, it is the CAS. Have not heard from the dealer yet, and I've left a few messages since early this morning:incazzato:. Mark
It would appear this is the first time both the dealer and MINI has heard of this. The car had thrown over 3100 fault codes, all related to starting the car. It seems it was either energizing the starter late, so it was spinning before it engaged, or keeping it energized to long, causing it to run on after ignition had happened. I hope I'm explaining this right. In the old days, this would seem to have been a solenoid issue, fixed by either a new solenoid/starter rebuild, and a whack with a hammer until it could be fixed. Seems my detailed description, and all those fault codes helped them figure out to re-flash the CAS. My guess is we will be back, the starter will be swapped out for a new one, and that junction box/CAS will be replaced. Time will tell. I did get an apology from the service manager that it took so long. Mark
So all that ballyhoo last December was for nothing!:mad2: I was 250 miles from home in Arkansas (Mark was in St Louis) & the MINI did the same thing it did 6 months ago. Luckily it finally started & I was able to get home without any problems. Took it to MINI of STL yesterday, today get a call that they are installing a new starter. My SA said that's the only thing that could be wrong with it. Checked the flywheel & it was okay. Sure wish they would have listened to Mark back in December Lois
This is why all MINI dealers should have one old time mechanic, to fix the obvious, not just plug in and see what the computers have to say. Mark
I wonder if the starters are working loose - it seems more likely to be a mechanical problem than an electronic to me. But then, I'm an old, old time and old school mechanic.....