We have received several error messages and after exhaustive research in the manuals that come with the car cannot find a list of what they mean! Anyone know a source for these? We did learn for Mini road side assistance that red means stop and yellow is a warning to seek service
How about you clarify how you received several error messages. Are you talking about lights on the dashboard? Or are you talking about actual diagnostic trouble codes after someone scanned the car with a code reader/scantool? Describe. This post is up there for its cryptic nature.
Sure, I guess after reading it does sound cryptic. It actually prints it out in english at the bottom of the screen of the navigation screen that is the speedometer in most minis. My complaint is that the car is programmed to tell you about trouble but we can’t find an explanation or advice on how to react to the message. The message read “excess emissions”. Does that mean exhaust troubles? As it turned out it was the fuel pump. How would have figured?
I’m not familiar with what kind of info a mini will put out on its dash. But cars these days have a whole bunch of systems designed to decrease pollution (keep pollutants out of what is emitted from the tail pipe). There are lots of these systems with lots of different parts to them. Any of them can go wrong.
One of the things that is done to control emissions is a very precise and careful adjustment of the air/fuel mixture that goes into the engine to be burned. Anything that throws off the computer’s ability to maintain that ideal mixture will trigger warnings. The fuel pump is obviously one of those things.
It sounds to me like what any of those things should mean to you is to take the car to your favorite local mechanic to have things checked out.
Yeah, that’s the end result every time. We’ve gotten the message, low tire pressure because the car was driven from San Diego to the desert and the temp change affected pressure. We gotten the message about brake service needed when the pads were worn down to the sensors. (that was easy to figure out) And shortly after the fuel pump issue, it reported only an icon of a yellow triangle with a gear in the center of it. We wondered if that meant transmission trouble so we consulted the manual without finding any explanation. We called Mini Roadside assistance and learned that a yellow icon is a caution to get service, the same one in read means stop driving immediately! It would be nice to know a little more detail when they appear. The alarm retired itself and so we don’t know what it was until we take the key in and have the dealer read the message history. These are cool but weird little cars. Thank you for your input this forum is fun to review.
I think that you should check the manual again. If you still can’t find it call your local dealer and get an explanation. You really do want to know what all of those lights mean.
My guess is that the yellow one is the same thing as a “check engine light” / “malfunction indicator lamp.”
Either the red or yellow likely mean that error codes have been save in the computer. Many auto parts stores will read those codes for free, just for future reference.