I just purchased an '08 Clubman S. It looked good, drove well. Not particularly fast. But a comfy nice ride.It had a few dash lights on, but nothing crazy.

So I need help/info on a few things.
First: I didn't notice when initially driving the car, bet every now and then, If im turning when driving spirited, or of I hit a bump, the steering wheel jerks a little to the side. Feels like there is no steering dampning. Is this normal, or what should I look for to fix this.

Second: The engine warning light is on on the LCD dash. It is the engine light that is half filled in. after a quick google search, that means that the car is not running at full power. Which would explain the car not being incredibly peppy.
I have done the OBDII, and it is not throwing codes, and it is not resetting. Im taking it to a shop tiomorrow that will do a more thorough scan.
There was a lot of different info on what it could be, what people have fixed and more than one horror story of never being quite right again. Also there was mention of turbo problems.
But I could not find how to check any of these issues.

So can anyone tell me if there is a systematic way to go through this car to check on what could be causing the engine light? or just things you know I should check.

Thank you all in advance for your help.

Kent

 

You will most likely need a code scanner for a bmw. However you can unhook the battery for 15 to 20 and that will clear the computer. It will relearn so it will probably pop back up if there is an issue. Check plugs, what’s the oil look like.

 

Welcome to the Mini world if this is your first. Two priorities Bentley manual and a code reader that can read BMW/Mini specific codes.

 

Definitely need a code reader.

The steering issue while turning and hitting a bump... that could be worn out front control arm bushings.

 

If you plan on fix and keep I also recommend a scanguage 2 so you can keep an eye on temps, I have mine setup to watch oil, water, intake temps, and boost duh.

 

As for the things to check, in all honesty the list would be so long that it would be way easier for you to start with a scanner that reads bmw codes.

 

Step 1. Get a BMW/Mini specific code reader. There are several different preferred units that NAM members use. Schwaben seems to be the most talked about here. I use an iCarsoft BMW V2.0.
Step 2. Get familar with https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/
Step 3. Get familar with https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select
Step 4. Get familar with https://www.ecstuning.com/ , https://www.waymotorworks.com/ , and a few others that are supporters of NAM.

Good luck and have fun. We have all been there.

 

You folks are awesome. Im starting with the reader, see what's up.
A mechanic that works on minis talked to me about the turbo going bad, and showed where oil builds up. He suspects the turbo is going out, or at least clogged lines.

Not excited about having to figure this out, but I do like the car, so will get working on it.

 

There are so many things that can cause the half power light. I am surprised a mechanic that works on Mini's would say anything without reading the code. Report back and you will get plenty of diagnosis.

 

Looked at reviews of the Clubman professionally and apparently driving spirited on bumpy roads causes the steering wheel, tires etc to jerk around and it is true. That's why I drive spirited only on paved roads.