Mini Fault Codes

Mini is a revived brand that BMW purchased in order to market premium compact cars. The original Mini brand was an icon of the 1960s, bringing affordable cars to the masses whereas the new models are considerably larger.

Many of the fault codes that you find commonly see pop up on your Mini will also be found on BMW models due to the sharing of technology such as engines.

Common fault codes that could appear in your Mini include the P1688, which indicates that there is a problem matching the air coming into the engine with the power it is producing. It detects the level of air coming into the engine using the MAF (or mass air flow) sensor and then compares it to the engine’s rotation speed. If it seems that the engine is sucking in a lot of air with little power being produced then it could indicate a problem and so will cause it to switch to limp home mode.

Another common annoying fault code to appear on Mini models such as the Cooper is the P1497. When this appears on your ODB2 reader then it represents that there is a leak detected in the system that provides the fuel/air mixture to the engine in Minis. A common cause for this error is that the plastic component that connects the air intake to the engine melts and so it cannot keep itself secure leading to a leak.

You may also find the Mini-specific P1339 code pop-up if you are experiencing a rough sound coming from the engine. This error in a modern Mini represents that a sensor attached to the camshaft is noticing something out of the ordinary. Although this could be the symptom of a more serious issue it may actually just be a dodgy sensor.