Hello , I was wondering if any of you could help me out .

I have a 2011 Mini Cooper hatchback
Estimated mileage 46,000

My yellow engine light has been coming on and off . I've had the codes read . Code p0015 exhaust camshaft position timing over -retarded (bank 1 ) has came up. I took my car in to the dealer to get the oil cleaned and topped off. Some I was running low on oil. When they were doing that they said that they found out my water pump was leaking . I choose not to get it fixed because I have never noticed my coolant to leak. I then took it to another mini dealership where they updated my software in order to run an engine light diagnostic . They said that I needed a vanos unit and solinoide replacement . But the water pump issue never came up. So I'm kinda sketched out about their claims . What do you guys think could be wrong with my car ?

 

The second dealership sounds right. It is common for the solenoid to go bad. The water pump on these go bad often. It can easily be over looked by a tech. You should ask the second dealership if there is any signs of the water pump leaking.

 

If you want to investigate and see if your pump is leaking yourself, look for signs of coolant dripping from the right rear corner of the engine. A lot of times there is coolant on the bottom of the friction wheel (green arrow) and the right side drive axle (red arrows). It could be that maybe it is in the very early stages and the 2nd dealer did not notice. I would ask about the 2nd dealer about the water pump, as noted above.



The VANOS can be an issue and typically people clean them to see if it resolves the issue, but I've seen more than a few times that they require to be replaced. You can swap them to possibly test if it's a bad unit, as your R56 has two, one for the intake camshaft and one for the exhaust camshaft. I'm sure the dealer is on the right path, but it could be other things - Some info on P0015 HERE.

If you're concerned about the dealers, you could always seek out an independent MINI shop. They are just as knowledgeable and more likely than not will cost less than the dealer for repairs. You can use this site to help find one near you if you want - http://www.minirepairshops.com/.

 

What engine oil are you using?
You should not "clean" anything using the right oil, level and changing it periodically.

You would need VANOS sensor replacement to fix your problem. It is a good idea to check the VANOS.
I agree with the second dealership selection and the water pump diagnostic as noted above twice.

 

How close do you think that is to the actual mileage?

How frequently have you changed the oil and oil filter?
I see I'm not the only one that was puzzled by that oil cleaning comment.

Op, what is meant by "oil cleaned and topped off"?

These engines use the oil for lubrication and in the hydraulics for the VANOS, and we all know that hydraulics like very clean oil.