[Timmy]

Hi Folks.. hope you might be able offer some advice or reassurance.

Less than a month since our first Mini purchase. Starting to wonder if we made a bad decision.

2015 F55 (5 dr) UK Mini Cooper SD
Auto transmission

Sadly a few issues aside from a Battery discharge while stationary issue, which appears to be resolved temporarily at least, following a trip to the local dealer (different to where we bought our car).
Was told a full battery charge was the fix and possibly a s/w update but no mention of that.

We got this drivetrain error message not long after the battery warning.. image attached

Drivetrain⚠
Continue the journey at a moderate speed.
Full power not available.
Have the problem checked by your service partner.

Warning came up in stop start traffic about 3miles from cold start not after any significant load or high revs… still in green (eco) mode and driving cautiously, after all we only just got it… So we took it even more gentle and got it into the local dealer and delt with the afore mentioned battery issue in parallel.
Diagnosis on this issue appeared to be EGR fault code… and EGR valve was promptly replaced under warranty..

Unfortunately a couple days in and sadly we’ve got the message again. 😕

Similarly whilst in stop start traffic not long after cold start… but no battery warnings so far so I believe these are two separate issues.

Car is going into the local dealer again and I’m hoping this does not drag on and gets resolved soon as it’s really taking the shine off our purchase and we bought it trusting the approved used mini assurance and 12mth warranty, so naturally we paid over the odds for peace of mind… which I might add I’m not getting at the moment

My ask is if anyone had had a similar experience with approved used mini sales or picked up this error message?

If so how did you deal with it? 🤔

Reading through this forum there’s hints of similar issues and YouTube suggested a few things… I’m trusting the dealer will resolve it but looking for any tips on making sure the most likely issues get checked first.

I suppose it’s natural to think the worst and the fault description is rather vague so I’m remaining pragmatic.

I understand modern vehicles have a lot of software and electronics to help balance performance and emissions and moreover a 6 year old used mini albeit low mileage <9k may have a few parts that may have been idle too long or aged by time so perhaps more common… not that I accept this should not have been picked up to some extent and resolved in the approved used mini inspection prior to sale.

Mini AUC (approved used car) inspection did detect a slightly lower than usual batter level which was advised as being re-charged prior to sale (leading to my suspicions the s/w may have been updated / registry for the age of the battery after the fault code flagged up and was seen by my local dealer)

I’ve attached the AUC report and an image of the message on the car display… any similar experiences let me know… 🤞I’m not alone.

I understand not all issues are equal 🤕

 

[Blue al]

Check out your service/mot history for the car, I’d be worried that it had been on lots of short journeys with such low milage for the age, @ less than 2 k per year. the last thing it needs at this stage is babying in green mode.
You may be lucky that your trip computer shows a long term averages of journey speed, and mpg, expect these to be low with lots of short journeys. ( although battery discharge and software re-write may have wiped these.)

Your car possibly needs what used to be called an “Italian tune” or translated as a jolly good thrashing at high speed in a lower gear to encourage a “re-gen”
otherwise it might also need a de-coke, or wallnut blast I’d be asking for this solution or consider rejecting the car sooner rather than later.

Modern diesels do not like the driving conditions associated with low milage and short journeys. This car sounds like a one owner pensioner, who lost sight or driving confidence over the years and did less and less miles every year.

 

[Fat Pete]

Diesels need to be driven at least once a week at motorway speeds to clear the particulate filter, they don't like lots of short slow journeys. Get on a decent bit of road and drive it for a few miles at a reasonable speed.

 

[Timmy]

Thanks @Fat Pete & @Blue al

I’m not giving up hope yet still have my Mini 12mth warranty to fall back on. I did our car a good blast on collection and we’ve covered around 500miles since so it’s had a fair bit of use over its previous life.
this may in itself have dislodged some crud in the system… so while I attempted an “Italian tune” I didn’t go to the full redline as I would have been clean over the speed limit for our UK motorways.

to be fair we haven’t seen a performance dip at all… no stutter, no hesitation, no judder… and this message was only brief if repeated…. so I’m inclined to believe it’s an erroneous message caused by the airflow or some sensor in stop start conditions.. problem is that this triggers the engine management.

I’ve never been a fan of stop start engines either.., just feels mad to me but my experience tells me it gets the fuel efficiency allowing manufacturers to market better…

Just to add,
I’ve an automotive background in engineering across engine body & electrical components for over 20 years with different OEMs across passenger and commercial engines so I must confess I do have fair experience with diesels.

And I agree short low duty use where EGR valve is in constant open position and exhaust gasses constantly recirculating to maintain emissions is a problem and I considered include:
1. Emissions results on past MOT’s and service repairs all clean
2. Exhaust gas was a little hot on test drive but no smoke / soot evident.
3. No odd smells / sounds of gas escape under the hood, all hoses and lines looked good order and original without wear.

Our car has less than 10K miles so barely run in.
so my main qualm is approved used Mini inspections should have picked this up…

If the engine is not suited to the light duty use and prone to carbon build up / battery issues or sensor issues etc… should have been checked before sale. So I think it’s a process / control failing from the manufacturer inspections. After all buying from the brand should bring peace of mind..

I sense this is more common than I perceived before purchase… and if this is the case there is cause to get common restitution.

 

[Fat Pete]

It seems all manufacturers use this term "used approved" what does it mean? I think it's just a sales ploy to sell used vehicles because it sounds good and as for the 100 + checks carried out another sale's ploy in my opinion, but at least they give 12 months warranty if the original one has expired. As with the stop start I'm with you on that one I always turn mine off as soon as I've started the engine.

 

[Blue al]

2 recalls on this engine egr related for mini and bmw, my recent “upgrade“ wiped most the settings including radio station, generally I’m very happy with mine or I would have moved it on years ago 98,000now less 1k at point of purchase 6 months old in 2015.

the mini approach seems to be do as little as possible pre-sale and let the client complain post sale as any work can be charged back to factory or insurance

im sure you will get the car right in-time and you have the background to ask the right questions

 

[Timmy]

Thanks again chaps!

EGR value position sensor has been replaced with the further checks on any other parts for any flow restrictions followed by control unit reprogramming. Was checked over by the master mechanic with a fresh set of eyes and a decent test drive. (No doubt their own version of an “Italian tune” & DPF regen) 🙄

Can’t complain about my local dealer, they’re doing what I ask and more and are supper polite and considerate.. Shame about the sales from the other franchise… as you’ve highlighted once sold not their problem.. and one for the buyer beware list.

Still baffles me why car manufacturers don’t fix the root of their problems and learn from their shortcuts.. would have saved a lot of time, money and reputation, economics must work for them but it’s such a waste.😵‍💫

Fingers crossed this time round we’re out of the woods not sure we wont get any more issues but it all adds to our cars character..
Still smitten with our car and if we get on top of these issues with <10k on the clock will pay itself back in spades so I’m holding out while I have the warranty.

My next job will be preparing it for the winter… if we can get a couple of days clear weather so I can give it my personal “mini” detail and some paint & leather protection.. (will invest in a DA polisher for the spring clean) hope to share a few pics once I’m done. ✨🚙✨

 

[Timmy]

Quick update, 3mths on, EGR valve, and sensor replacement along with a battery recharge seems to have done the trick, all happy motoring since. Thankfully 😅

Opted for the service package which includes 2yrs servicing an MOT and map updates so with the warrantee on top we’re golden for a while, and if the warrantee extension is not too expensive may just continue it, given it’s my wife’s car makes it easier to keep maintained. 🤞

With a bit of time over the festive season and feeling we’re out of the woods I’ve got around to giving it a Mini detail for the start of this year with iron x and a hybrid ceramic wash and wax topped with some rain repellent on the glass and tyre dressing which working a treat in this cold wet weather! Will likely give it a full decon and buff in the spring ready for the summer sun ☀✨

Will look to post on the detailing thread in due course… still need to find a brush that reaches in those pesky alloy spokes.

 

[Stealth Mode]

With a bit of time over the festive season and feeling we’re out of the woods I’ve got around to giving it a Mini detail for the start of this year with iron x and a hybrid ceramic wash and wax topped with some rain repellent on the glass and tyre dressing which working a treat in this cold wet weather! Will likely give it a full decon and buff in the spring ready for the summer sun ☀✨

Will look to post on the detailing thread in due course… still need to find a brush that reaches in those pesky alloy spokes.

I know what you mean by trying to find a brush that works into small alloy wheels. Hope the below link helps from Slim's detailing. I bought the 12" small one, perfect for the 16 inch wheels I had with small spokes.

Search: 18 results found for "wheel* woolie*"

Slim’s Detailing has been established in honour of a man whose vision for quality lives on in his cars and his business which started trading over 50 years ago, but also is inspired by anybody who has a car they love and care for. Treat your car and shop online with Slim's Detailing Today - 0333...

www.slimsdetailing.co.uk

They even do an angled one which may help to get behind the spokes.

 

[Fat Pete]

Wilko does a decent wheel brush for about £4, long enough to get the full width of the wheel.