Hey guys,
I currently have a 2015 F56 JCW Mini Cooper S - it's just turned 6 years old and unfortunately recently developed some issues, including errors such as:
Reverse Parking Camera failure
Headlight vertical aim failure
Lighting System - Control lights, turn indicator, dipped beam, fog light, high beam and headlight flasher not functioning
Lighting system - Front right cluster failure
I took it down to a MINI specialist and they quickly identified a CAN communications issue. Upon investigation, they discovered that a design flaw with the car has resulted in water running down behind the scuttle, soaking onto the wiring harness and drenching the wires. The wiring is severely swollen and these errors are the start of massive electrical failures. I spoke with BMW parts and they confirmed they're aware of the issue and sell a specially made part which is designed to replace the area of the wiring commonly affected. Additionally, they told me the fault is so common that they sell 70+ of these repair parts per month. The new part has been redesigned to allow water to drain away from the wiring when it gets wet.
However, due to the amount of work required to access the wiring to replace it, the repair is 2-3 days of labour and, even without dealership prices, I've been quoted upwards of £1500+VAT to make the repair. I spoke with MINI regarding the issue and they told me that as the car is out of warranty they won't do anything and quoted me £2584+VAT to repair it at their centre.
I spoke with MINI customer services and their executive complaints team to ask if there's anything they can do to help, as the issue has clearly taken years to develop and there's no way a 6 year old car should have a full wiring failure of this nature, but they've refused to offer any help whatsoever and told me it's my problem, despite it being a well known issue due to the way the car has been designed.
As far as I can tell, this issue can affect any F56 mini from 2014 through to at least 2018 and was only recently rectified, thus the need for this specific replacement part that BMW have created. In some issues, the washer fluid bottle directly above can leak onto the wiring and in other instances it's just a case of rain water slowly leaking down over a sustained period of time, eventually resulting in complete electrical failure. If the issue is left undiagnosed for too long then in some cases it can result in the entire wiring harness requiring replacement. It's still unclear if mine is damaged beyond the scope of the replacement part or if that part will be enough - the garage currently working on the car have left the bill open ended as they're unsure how long it's going to take to fix or if a full wiring harness will be needed.
I've had nothing but trouble since I bought my JCW three years ago, so I've decided that this is the last issue I can handle and once repaired I plan, very reluctantly, to part with the car
Additionally, I wanted to make sure anyone with an F56 of this era checks their wiring - don't end up like me with an eye watering repair bill and an undrivable car. If you find you have this issue or you've had this issue previously and didn't know it was a common fault, please feel free to get in touch, as I plan on continuing to pursue BMW UK for the cost of the repairs and hopefully help out other owners who've had to shoulder this cost themselves too. The wiring flaw is so severe it should've resulted in a recall, but because it only causes financial woe for customers and isn't a safety issue, BMW clearly decided not to bother taking any responsibility.
I've attached some photos of my wiring so you know where to look if you need to check yours. Very upset it's come to this as I've had MINIs throughout my driving career and this has left me feeling like I can't trust MINI or BMW anymore
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I currently have a 2015 F56 JCW Mini Cooper S - it's just turned 6 years old and unfortunately recently developed some issues, including errors such as:
Reverse Parking Camera failure
Headlight vertical aim failure
Lighting System - Control lights, turn indicator, dipped beam, fog light, high beam and headlight flasher not functioning
Lighting system - Front right cluster failure
I took it down to a MINI specialist and they quickly identified a CAN communications issue. Upon investigation, they discovered that a design flaw with the car has resulted in water running down behind the scuttle, soaking onto the wiring harness and drenching the wires. The wiring is severely swollen and these errors are the start of massive electrical failures. I spoke with BMW parts and they confirmed they're aware of the issue and sell a specially made part which is designed to replace the area of the wiring commonly affected. Additionally, they told me the fault is so common that they sell 70+ of these repair parts per month. The new part has been redesigned to allow water to drain away from the wiring when it gets wet.
However, due to the amount of work required to access the wiring to replace it, the repair is 2-3 days of labour and, even without dealership prices, I've been quoted upwards of £1500+VAT to make the repair. I spoke with MINI regarding the issue and they told me that as the car is out of warranty they won't do anything and quoted me £2584+VAT to repair it at their centre.
I spoke with MINI customer services and their executive complaints team to ask if there's anything they can do to help, as the issue has clearly taken years to develop and there's no way a 6 year old car should have a full wiring failure of this nature, but they've refused to offer any help whatsoever and told me it's my problem, despite it being a well known issue due to the way the car has been designed.
As far as I can tell, this issue can affect any F56 mini from 2014 through to at least 2018 and was only recently rectified, thus the need for this specific replacement part that BMW have created. In some issues, the washer fluid bottle directly above can leak onto the wiring and in other instances it's just a case of rain water slowly leaking down over a sustained period of time, eventually resulting in complete electrical failure. If the issue is left undiagnosed for too long then in some cases it can result in the entire wiring harness requiring replacement. It's still unclear if mine is damaged beyond the scope of the replacement part or if that part will be enough - the garage currently working on the car have left the bill open ended as they're unsure how long it's going to take to fix or if a full wiring harness will be needed.
I've had nothing but trouble since I bought my JCW three years ago, so I've decided that this is the last issue I can handle and once repaired I plan, very reluctantly, to part with the car
Additionally, I wanted to make sure anyone with an F56 of this era checks their wiring - don't end up like me with an eye watering repair bill and an undrivable car. If you find you have this issue or you've had this issue previously and didn't know it was a common fault, please feel free to get in touch, as I plan on continuing to pursue BMW UK for the cost of the repairs and hopefully help out other owners who've had to shoulder this cost themselves too. The wiring flaw is so severe it should've resulted in a recall, but because it only causes financial woe for customers and isn't a safety issue, BMW clearly decided not to bother taking any responsibility.
I've attached some photos of my wiring so you know where to look if you need to check yours. Very upset it's come to this as I've had MINIs throughout my driving career and this has left me feeling like I can't trust MINI or BMW anymore
