Originally Posted by MCompact
Originally Posted by Garyd
I just went through 2 different Mini forums and it seems to be such a common problem with Minis that it is called the "Mini flu"! Seems like dealer service and Mini/BMW shops rack up huge bills trying to chase the cause of this. Sometimes it is from a battery that is getting near replacement, sometimes PVC valve, sometimes fuel filter, sometimes fuel pump, sometimes bad gas, etc. etc. Many owners go through all of these and still don't solve the problem. Sometimes going down to a lower octane of gas solves the problem. Dealer and Mini/German car shops all charge no less than $99 or more just to hook up a scanner. Guess I will have to take it to one of these shops to see what's up.
You are just guessing unless you have the proprietary fault codes. A "Mini" shop that can't trace down a CEL is simply incompetent- period. That said, if you want to take a shot in the dark, you might try adding a 20 oz bottle of Techron to an almost empty tank and filling up with Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium fuel.
I tried your suggestion and it seemed to work. It stopped idling rough and dying at first start up and ran smooth and the CEL went out.
Then a couple of weeks after going through the tank of Shell V Power, I refilled it with Costco Premium gas and on the next cold start, it idled rough and died and then it kept cranking but wouldn't start. I let it sit for a couple of hours and it started but it idled rough for about a minute before it ran normally (the symptoms I was having before). A few days later upon a cold start, it idled rough and died, then wouldn't start (but it still cranks). I let it sit for a few hours but it still wouldn't start (but still cranks). After trying to start it for a few minutes, there was a real strong gas smell. It is acting like it's flooded. I've tried to start it a few more times but it just cranks and it almost catches but it just won't start and it starts smelling strong of gas. I checked the oil and I can smell gas on the oil dipstick.
I don't know if this is just a continuation of the original problem or bad gas from Costco. Can fuel injected cars become flooded?