My Mini Cooper acts like it wants to start but it dont start

So, the engine is cranking over but will not run? Or does not crank over at all? Cranking and not starting means there is a concern with ignition spark, fuel delivery, air intake, engine compression or engine timing. It could also indicate a concern with anti-theft system activation in some cases. Testing hands on will start to give a direction.

Everything that Dave said is true however as a mini Cooper owner myself I recently went through this very same thing with hard starts at first and eventually things got much worse as is the case far too often with Mini. There is currently a service bulletin out regarding failure of the high-pressure fuel pump. Common symptoms include hard starts, engine rpm’s dropping below 1000, decreased power, and DME placing engine in “Safe mode.” I’m not 100% sure on this, but I recently read that a warranty extension was authorized for the HPFP and I want to say it’s been extended to 125,000 miles. In my personal opinion if you fall in that category I’d bring it to the dealer anyway and complain of those issues again just to get it replaced because eventually it will fail. Why you are there ask about replacement of the left foot well module that has been extended to 155,000 miles or 10 years. You do not want that foot well module going out on you trust me it happened to me. Practically everything in that car quit working windows, blinkers, reverse lights, highbeams, headlight wouldn’t turn off, dash cluster didn’t work, fog lights, and more codes than you can shake a stick at. At last count my Cooper S through 44 different codes all related to the foot well module. The thing with both the high-pressure fuel pump and the footwell module is most mom & pop mechanic shops aren’t going to have the software required to both diagnose and more importantly recode & clear the DME to get your Mini back up to peak. I am in no way saying mom and pop shops aren’t good, I’m saying Mini/BMW make it absolutely impossible for almost anyone except a dealership or shop that specializes in European vehicles to do the work properly. I know I went a little bit further than what your question actually was, but if I can help you save a whole lotta money in the long run by getting this information to you in time than it’s worth being long winded. Also if you did happen to change your battery out and you didn’t go with the exact same AGM battery that was in there to begin with do you need you’ll have the new battery registered or it’s life will more than likely be cut in half and you could risk damaging other vehicle systems as well. Battery registration isn’t that expensive but it’s crucial in order to get the DME and your charging system all speaking the same language once again.