Mini Cooper Diesel Preheating Lamp Issue

I'm experiencing a strange issue with my 2004 Mini Cooper Diesel, which has about 41740 km on the clock. The preheating lamp doesn't switch off, and there's an error stored in the error memory. Could this be a defective glow plug? The estimated repair cost is around 440€. Any advice would be appreciated.

4 comment(s)

Sounds like a glow plug issue, common on these. Does it affect your cold starts? I had similar symptoms on my Mini; check engine light, rough idle at first, and sometimes even an engine misfire code. Have you scanned for any DTCs?

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, cold starts are definitely rougher than they used to be. What do you mean by DTCs? I'm not very familiar with the terminology.

DTC stands for Diagnostic Trouble Codes, your scanner should show some codes. If you're experiencing rough idle and the glow plug light stays on, chances are high that one or more glow plugs are defective. At that mileage, it's not unusual. I would suggest taking it to a workshop to confirm and replace the faulty glow plug(s).

Just wanted to update you. The garage confirmed it was indeed a defective glow plug. After replacement, the preheating lamp now switches off as expected, and the error is gone. Thanks again for your help!

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