I recently drove my '05 Mini Cooper S (automatic) from TX to CO. After about 11 hours of driving (over 2 days), the car overheated while stopped at a gas station. Horrible smelling smoke came out of the hood. At the same time, the battery died. I had the car towed to my new house in CO and a couple days later, my boyfriend jumped the battery and drove the car fine around the block with the coolant tank filled with water. When he got back, he turned off the car and took the keys out of the ignition. The lights went off then came back on and the engine kept running. After about 5 minutes he put the car in gear and turned it off- killed the engine. What is going on?
The closest mechanic for BMW/Mini is about an hour away so we’d like to know more before we take it all the way there.
Thanks!
Laura, It sounds like it needs to be diagnosed in person - lots going on here. You don’t HAVE to take it to the dealer there is likely a good local mechanic qualified. Use cartalk’s web research tool, yelp and of course NAM - the North American Motoring group forum. Look for your local club members and they will help you. http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/ You’ll find a good mechanic that way and you won’t pay dealer prices on parts… granted there are occasions where the dealer is the best option…
With that said here is my free advice - its worth what you paid…
When engines overheat they need to be tested for a warped head and/or damaged head gasket. Its expensive to fix, driving it if damaged will worsen it. Water alone WILL NOT KEEP YOUR MINI COOL it will over heat in a few minutes. Coolant/antifreeze extends water’s cooling capacity beyond the standard boiling point (212) and your mini likely runs at 220-240. I would avoid letting the boyfriend, who im sure is a heck of a guy, work on your car. It will only cause strife when things don’t work out… Unless you are willing to let him experiment as he’s doing and you both pay the monetary consequences.
I have a suspicion that the horrible smell was plastic melting under your hood, possibly part of the wiring harness which would explain the strange electrical behavior but also possibly the computer. The computer is next to your air filter and the wiring harness has parts that run all around under your super charger inter-cooler, next to the water pump etc.
Use NAM, Cartalk, and your local cooper clubs to find a mechanic and then go pay for diagnosis only. Post your diagnosis to the forums if you are unsure and would like possibly not qualified people to chime in 
I know its hard to not feel taken advantage of in these situations. I have a feeling this is going to be an expensive repair but cheaper than replacing the car…