ALLGBMINI

Anyone with aftermarket mods on their MINI might want to peruse this NAM thread before taking their car in response to the “emissions recall” which applies V39 to the engine.
It is perfectly possible, as always, that the online forums are highlighting the “one in a thousand” glitch, but the thread still makes for interesting reading:
efcmini: “… suddenly the next day my “service engine soon” light came on and the car was running a little sluggishly and the rpms would drop while idling at a light … the paperwork “Faults PO420 Cat. Converter bank 1 efficiency below threshold. Has aftermarket header pipes, muffler, spark plug wires and air intake system” … I jumped in and cranked her up. Service engine light still on … they are of the opinion that my after market exhaust is causing the problem …”
El Diablito Rojo-N20Mini: “… never EVER had a SES light until they insisted on installing the new software on my car … [dealer says] SES light says nitrous …”
bgrpph: “… few months back back SES and DSC light comes on for no reason after work and its runs very rough on lite throttle and idles poorly- runs fine at full throttle. Take it in and fault code says intake pressure high-(forget the code #) they say its due to aftermarket pulley etc & won’t cover under warranty …”
I hope this is nothing more than one or two MINIs that happen to get a similar fault at a similar time – but it is also possible that V39 in some way tightens up its emissions detections and is confused by the effects of unexpected aftermarket upgrades …
MINI Peabody has previously told me of more than one exhaust cat requiring early replacement, associated with aftermarket mods – that hints at a possible link to emissions issues?