Service Engine Soon Light in Mini Cooper

My SES light has been on forever!! My mechanic (who I trust implicitly) has replaced the sensors (light goes off for a bit, then back on)and has checked the car from bumper to bumper (light goes off for a bit, then back on)and can find nothing wrong whatsoever. However, this guy has a small shop without a lot of fancy computer gear. His computer indicates that the mixture might be too rich, but he did an emissions check and found everything to be fine. The car runs perfectly, but I am worried about the light!!! I am resisting taking the car to the dealer because my experience with Mini dealers has been awful, and they want $140 just to hook it up to the computer. When a dealer tells me “it could be anything” my blood runs cold. Am I stuck? Do I have to submit my car to an expensive fishing expedition from the hated dealer?? Help!!!

Please tell us what the DTC trouble code is, such as: P0410, etc.
Its possible that there could be a Technical Service Bulletin for your problem; but, we need the code to see if there is.
Knowing the car model year and engine size would also be helpful.

I’ll ask the mechanic. Thanks.

It’s a 2003 1.6L manual transmission. The mechanic says the DTC code is P2097.

Here’s a thread from a Mini forum concerning the P2097 code.

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues/107278-ses-o2-sensors-p2097.html

Ed B.

Ugh! My sensors have already been replaced. I take it, then, I have no other choice but to go to the hated dealer. (And even that seems iffy!!) Thanks for the referral thread, though. What an obnoxious problem!

On my 206 Mini it was the oxygen sensor.