Highpoint1

Thanks, all. I've taken the car to a nearby independent shop that claims some experience with Minis. Their diagnosis confirmed misfiring and they're in the process of changing the spark plugs. Hopefully this will cure the problem; otherwise there's a chance it will need new coils and/or a flushed fuel system and/or a decarbonization treatment. I hope to know more within an hour. I'm planning to get a code scanner at the next opportunity, though as I have virtually zero experience in "wrenching" on cars, I'm not sure how useful it will be. As it happens, while Wisconsin doesn't have any mountains worthy of the name that I know of, the first flashing indication came as we were climbing a long, steep-ish hill at a rate of...uh, spiritedly.

Hello everyone—merry Christmas and/or happy Chinese food. My fiancée and I took our 2008 MCS to Wisconsin for the holidays (family lives there). In the last hour of our 1,100-mile, 18-hour drive, the car dinged and flashed the speedo check engine light. The tach display also showed an engine icon momentarily before all returned to normal. About five minutes later, the same thing happened. After the light flashed for a few seconds, no problem at all. We finished our journey without incident and with a car that seemed to be running fine. Any ideas of what's going on? How worried should I be about driving 1,100 miles back to DC?

:rock: Wow! I'm really impressed with the photos. I'm also flattered that my MINI and I are in so many of them! Thank you!

It was our first DCMM event, too, and we also are looking forward to participating more in the club. A hearty thank you to everyone who put MTTB7 together!

I've just donated, but the website calls me anonymous. Sorry.

If you have access to a shipping pallet and strapping tape (preferably the heavy-duty industrial kind), you'll probably find the rates of a less-than-truckload (LTL) common carrier rates the lowest. (LTL common carriers include the likes of Con-Way, Old Dominion, New England Motor Freight, etc.)

Thank you very much, Brandy. Is your warranty from MINI or one of the aftermarket/third-party type places? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Corey, thank you very much. I think that the diy-with-help route will be the way I go for these items.

Just an update in case anyone is curious: I had my car towed to Liberty Auto on N. Henry Street in Old Town, where David Rockwell told me that both the water pump and thermostat were shot. He replaced both, as well as the serpentine belt, which was apparently somewhat cracked and needed to be removed anyway (I think). He also pointed out that I should have my valve cover replaced soon and that my car will require brake work in the not too distant future (and that it's due for new spark plugs), but I opted to defer those items for the moment, as even with the shop's generous DCMM discount, the total for all of that is quite daunting. I picked up Emma (the MCS) yesterday and drove her home with no problems, but I admit I'm pretty nervous about the future; that she's awfully fragile and terribly expensive. Are there any reasons that (a) I should be nervous now, about the valve cover or any internal damage to the engine from the overheating incident (I should note that David said that the oil didn't seem to have any coolant contamination, which was a relief), or (b) I should start thinking about other major potential problems down the road, and/or begin to think about replacing the car? Thanks again for all the help and support.

Thank you! Emma is a 2008, and I don't think Lightning Blue was available that year. She's Laser Blue.

This is Emma. She's named for Emma Peel, of "The Avengers."

All right, so today I checked the coolant level (after having topped off but not bled [since I'm not sure I know how]), and it was down somewhat. There is a wet spot under the front, which seems to be coming from the center of the engine bay. Laying on the ground, I saw a single drop of fluid coming from the cylindrical object in my photo, but I don't know if its coming from that or somewhere else. Sorry to be so vague and inept, and thanks enormously for all the help so far.

Just over 62,000 miles.

My car does start, thank heaven.

Thank you...I will try that. Do you mean the cap on the front expansion tank, or is there another pressure cap elsewhere? Sorry for such dumb questions.