2005 Mini R52 S Convertible Tachometer Programming

[GarySzy]

I am experiencing all my guages freeking out and going Haywire. Many warning lights coming on, speedometer pegging out as max temp, then back to normal. In the research I have found it could be one of many problems. Fuse box corrosion, bad ground somewhere, broken wire somewhere, bad BCM/BC1, faulty tachometer, bad iPodAux cable.

I have;
-Checked all fuses, all are good on both sides of the fuse.
-Fuse Box Cable connections - they look perfect, no corrosion and no broken pins.
-BCM/BC1, no standing water, no signs it has ever been wet, no broken pins or corrosion.
-Check Ground by battery, engine to chassis (right side wheel well area). (I am not really sure where other ground points are to check).

In searching other forums, it seems like the 2 most likely resolutions have been to; 1)Replace the BCM/BC1 (Passenger foot well by the door). OEM are no longer available. Some used ones are out there (ebay, or Car-Parts.com, but there appears to be no way to test the used one prior to having it coded to my vehicle. Programming appears to be expensive, I was quoted $599 for just the coding from RPM MotorSports, which is really the only one I found that didn't have a ton of bad reviews.
2)Replace the tachometer. Used Tachs seem be to $50-$150 range which would be much worse than paying for a used BCM/BC1 and having it coded for $700 to $800 for the unit/coding/shipping, and not even having a way to know if the unit is in good shape prior to spending most of the cost on programming and shipping

Getting a used Tachometer seem like the least expensive way to test without spending a ton of $. I have not been able to determine if the tach has to be coded to the car on Gen 1 Mini. There is a post here in PelicanParts that states Gen 2 needs to be programmed, but nothing about Gen 1 needing to be coded. In other forums I have seen it appears that for my vehicle it may not need to be coded, but I am looking for confirmation if anyone knows.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/MINI_R56/99-INTERIOR-Tachometer_Replacement/99-INTERIOR-Tachometer_Replacement.htm#:~:text=If%20you%20deci de%20to%20replace,the%20sides%20of%20the%20tach.

Also, if the tach will require coding, does anyone have any recommendations as to who might be able to code it other than a Mini Dealership.

Additionally any other comments on how to try and track down this issue is appreciated.

Here is a link to a forum with a video which is exactly what I am experiencing.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues/265272-r53-gauge-cluster-issues.html#post3988295

Note, in chrome I can't get the video in the opening post to load, but if I open it in edge or on my ipad the video loads.

Here is a link to the video in youtube if you can't view it in the post above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs7K6NC75U8&t=24s

Please take notice of;
-tachometer bouncing from 3k to zero
-tachometer brake and abs warning lights coming on and going off
-tachometer service engine light coming on and going off
-tachometer led in bottom going on and off
-speedometer bouncing from 0 to 65mph
-temp guage on speedometer being pegged, if you notice the red light on the temp guage comes on and off, in my vehicle when the light goes off if drifts down to normal, then it will bounce up to pegged (note: my vehicle doesn't overheat, it is just falsely showing that it is overheating (bouncing from pegged to normal)

Here is another good forum discussing the same issues.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/stock-problems-issues/259190-2005-mcs-guages-and-lights-gone-haywire.html

Thanks to all for your help.

[colingreene]

The tach is a dummy device, it only does what the central cluster and BCM tell it to do, the problem lies there.
if you have corrosion on the BCM check the sunroof drains.