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My Mini as started to unlock itself then re-lock every 5 mins, have tried changing the battery in the key but problem persists, sometimes remote key does not work and i need to manually lock the car, then it starts to work again before it begins it's random lock and unlocking. I left it unlocked last night and have just got up to find it is now locked - HELP!!
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I had a similar problem on my ford focus. The doors kept locking themselves at random intervals as I was going along. It turned out to be a dodgy solenoid in the central locking mechanism inside the door panel.
Basically there is a small gap between two metal contacts, that gets squeezed together when you turn the key (or press the fob) making a circuit and thus locking or unlocking the door. They tend to wear however, and the contacts get a bit "loose" resulting in the gap shrinking and the circuit being triggered at random. Moisture, bumps in the road, or temperature change when you heat the car's interior can all make it go off.
You can't usually change the just the solenoid, but need a new central locking mechanism (for my ford the part was about 70-80 quid) which unless you are fairly handy, you probably want to get fitted by somene who is.
There is a locking mechanism on both doors, but it's most likely to be the drivers side, as this gets most wear.
There is another possibility which involves re-mapping your fob to the key code. I don't know anything about this, but if it does it when the keys are nowhere near the car (ie overnight) then it doesn't sound like the fob. I'd suggest getting someone useful to look at the central locking mechanism for you as a starter.
I should point out that I am complete novice, but this is what worked 100% for me, in similar circumstances to those you describe.
Good Luck
Andy
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One other point, before shelling out any money, is to check that the locks are connecting to their wires properly.
After removing the interior door fascia panel,(which can be a right fiddle the first time you do it) there will be a wire inside the door cavity with a small plug on the end, that connects to a socket in the locking mechanism. It's worth checking the door locks both sides to make sure it's not just a loose contact first of all.
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Thanks Andy - Took it to the garage for once over and they confirmed it was exactly what you said, I needed new locking mechanism, due to a lot moisture getting in.
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