Hello All,

I haven't had much of a chance to check in since I moved to North Dakota. I've been busy. Here's what's happening:

I have a 2009 R56 with 75000 miles. Only add-ons include a NM Engineering Intake, Forge BOV adapter, and Deres/Decat stock exhaust.

Today I was driving to base and I hear 3-4 very quick exhaust pops, the engine becomes somewhat sluggish above 3k RPMs, and the exhaust not is loud and deep as ****. I turn around and head home. I popped the hood and I don't see any fluids, the smell is nothing out of the ordinary, and there are no abnormal sounds.

Because of the sound of the exhaust, I'm thinking it may be an exhaust leak. There's no "Fart noise" and the sound appears to be originating somewhere behind the center console, but before the muffler. The lack of pressure probably resulted in the sluggish drive. I may be totally off but I have to take it to the local shop come Monday.

What I think happened is the exhaust had 'meh' welds that rusted due to all the salt/snow/ice. But I'll update.

Additionally, I have a busted Thermostat housing that is being replaced this upcoming week.

Lastly, my RPMs at Idle or when I clutch-in fluctuate quite a bit. It'll range anywhere from 8-9 hundred RPMs to upwards of 2k RPMs. I'm thinking this may be carbon build up, but I'm not entirely sure.

Unfortunately, the closest MINI dealer is in Minneapolis- 8 driving hours away. I don't have a choice but to gamble w/ a local shop until it's in decent enough condition to get to Minneapolis for a complete look over.

Anyways, I'm not sure how I feel about all of this. I love the car, but this is a pain in the ****. hahaha I'll update this thread in case others are having similar issues.

Cheers!