Particuarly the lights.
So. This post is designed to explain how to fix the lights when they go wrong, and at the same time maybe a few other electrical gremlins (if purely by accident).
The first thing that will occur to you, when they lights don't work as they should is that you have blown a bulb, on many a modern car this would probably be the case but the mini is different.....
The main fuses are located behind a plastic cover at the back of the engine bay, they should be pulled out and checked that they are the correct rating (as shown in your haynes manual).
Next it would be a good idea to clean the connections of grime and coat them with a light layer of petroleum jelly (i hope im right on that one) An expired tub of vasceline might suddenly find a use.
The bullet connectors are located behind the grille at the front of the engine bay, this makes them very succeptable to moisture and road dirt and if your lights were working normally then taking one or two of these connectors apart might cause they lights to dim or even go out completely.
So you can see from this how they affect the performance of the electrics. Check that they are secured to wire correctly and that they have a good clean connection, sometimes waggling them when they lights are on may fix yor probalem momentarily. But of course you want a more permenant solution!
As with the fuses the bullet connectors should be cleaned in the same way and any bent connectors replaced if possible.
The in line fuses on the back right of the engine bay should be treated in the same way as the other fuses making sure all are clean, of the correct rating and that they are seating properly in their casings. Together with checking the wire for loose connections or insulation.
Earth connections are very important for electrical equipment and a loose connection can cause sudden and unexpected failure. About halfway down on the left side of the engine bay next to the ECU (on injection cars) there is a screw with wires attached, earthing them to the vehicle body, unscrew this (a stubby phillips screwdriver simplifies things) wire brush the metal until the paints wears away and you have a clean connection and then replace ring terminals and wires if necessary to ensure a good connection.
Another earth for the rear lights is nect to the fuel tank on the left light cluster, a similar treatment should be used here.
The headlamp bowls should be checked for a good connection and you can usually test the bulbs by swapping them over.
With a bit of luck this should fix the problem, unless its an internal wiring fault in which case its a case of fine tooth combing the wiring with a multimeter, unless something hot has burnt through the wires (which will be quite obvious) or you have overloaded it with many many extra spotlights then this is unlikely since most electrical issues stem from loose connections neway.
I hope this has been usuaeful and that it will be posted into the FAQ section for future reference. If anyone else wants to contribute then go ahead, it should be complete after all.
