Mini Cooper door lock malfunction

This sounds eerily familiar! I had a similar gremlin in my Mini Cooper. Symptoms sound identical - central locking refusing to play ball. The door switch is a prime suspect in these cases. Have you had a diagnostic scan done? That should pinpoint the source of the fault, hopefully revealing which car sensor is misbehaving.

I did a quick OBD scan myself, but nothing specific came up, just a generic 'electrical issue' warning. When you had this problem, did the diagnostic tool specifically point to the door switch, or was it something more vague? I am also wondering, if you had the same electrical issue, was it also related to the contact signal?

The initial scan wasn't super specific, if I recall correctly, beyond highlighting a fault in the door's electrical system. Tracing it back, the culprit was indeed the door switch, or more precisely, the cabling loom leading to it. Because of the door switch, the contact signal was not correctly registered by the onboard computer. Given your symptoms and the OBD result, it might be best practice to take it to a workshop, so they can check the wiring within the vehicle doors.

You sir, are a lifesaver! Just got back from the workshop. Turns out it was exactly what you said - the door contact signal was wonky. They replaced a defective cable/plug connection, and now my Mini's locking system is back in action. Cost me about 95€, which is a steal compared to the headache it was causing. Thanks a million!