The mechanical side of the wastegate in the turbo rarely fails. Based on the description the wastegate actuator may be failing. Its a simple spring loaded diaphragm in a canister that connects to the wastegate itself. Vacuum is applied to the actuator through a control valve at the direction of the ECU. Getting an original BW actuator is difficult unless you go to a BW authorized dealer. Non OEM alternatives are available. Google is your friend. Remove the primary O2 sensor and upper heat shield. Three bolts later you should be back in business.

 

When your car goes into limo mode and you get a code 2885, it means your turbo waste gate in the exhaust side of the housing is worn and not sealing properly. If you can remove the turbo you can have It repaired or replaced economically. Look at this site for ideas. Www.jmturbocoopers.com

 

Since the turbo and wastegate appear to be a unit, I would say you would be miles ahead by buying a rebuilt unit from a known-good supplier, and doing the work yourself. You seem to be mechanically inclined. Why not give it a go? Cheapest alternative so far. Just be sure to soak all nuts and studs with rust penetrant like WD40, maybe give a few heat cycles in between applications, just to give it a chance to work in. If any still appear stuck, don't go nutso and break any studs. Apply some heat from a butane torch. You may want to research "service mode" here in order to give you more room to work. Also, look into new turbo oil feed lines, like the kit that Detroit Tuned offers. IF my turbo ever needs to come off, I will use their oil line kit, for sure. Oh, and stay up on oil changes. I do mine myself every 5k, using Mobil1 0w40 and MINI Genuine oil filters only. Let us know what you decide to do.

As an aside, I bought my 2011 MCS used at 21k from BMW of Murrieta 5/14/14. I opted for the Hendricks extended warranty. Glad I did that, as it has already paid for itself. Nothing major, all work done at MINI of Escondido. About an hour from me, as well. I am now at 62k, all repairs at MINI of Escondido have been done well, and the Hendricks warranty is awesome. If you bought from a certified dealer, all recall info should have been passed onto you from MINI. If not, you could have gone to a MINI dealer and had them read your keyfob to look for any open recalls.

 

If your MINI dealership charges you $150 I'd complain to cooperate office. It's $70 at most all MINI dealerships. They're very competitive with their pricing if you factor in full synthetic oil changes in your area. I've got an extended warranty and have had 0 issues, Mine has already paid for itself. They paid the dealership and paid nothing out of pocket for a HPFP which is a 1k plus repair. Route 66 is the company I chose and have a factory style agreement. Extended warranties might be bs when it comes to buying one for a Toyota or something, but these cars we all know can be a bit of a hassle cost wise to maintain/repair. The only hassle about an extended warranty is leaving the car for a minimum of 2 days.
Yes MINI has a few lawsuits, which is why I'm surprised you hadn't checked into any recalls. That's the first thing I do with ANY car I buy, 10 years ago I checked into recalls on a 91 Accord I bought. Can't beat free parts and labor for known issues.

 

I agree on the extended warranties! Can't beat it especially on a car you know it's gonna be a few shiny pennies for parts in the first place. Mine has paid for itself as well

 

I just replaced the turbo on my brothers R55. It was not too difficult to do, the exhaust manifold will have to come off though. I got a brand new Borg Warner replacement with no core charge for 982 from detroit tuned. I bought their super oil line kit and replaced the rubber gaskets on the heat exchanger and both oil lines. I would suggest having new studs on stand by just in case they don't come out. Takes 7 total, can be bought at car parts store for about $3.00 each.

 

Have you try looking at this kit?

http://gpopshop.com/products-page/kk...4-rebuild-kit/

Has anyone on this forum try this kit?

 

Yes, I actually mentioned that in my earlier post that I have used these on my Audi S4 (same turbo) and on the cooper. The kits are simple and complete and relatively easy to install. Cleaning is important and some of the carbon is stubborn so you need to take your time and be thorough. The one area that seems to be a bone of contention is balancing because you need to remove the compressor rotor to take apart the center section. Once the rotor is off there is a concern that it gets reinstalled at the same relative position so as to preserve the balance of the assembly. I just mark the rotor with a tiny scribe mark as a reference but I'm not convinced that it will matter much if it is installed a few degrees off as it seems like the turbine and compressor rotors are each balanced (dual plane) and should remain balanced as long as they don't suffer loss of material (damage due to foreign objects) or uneven buildup of carbon on the turbine. Another point to be aware of is the thread on the compressor nut is not right hand and the shaft is quite small so you could easily snap it off or strip the threads if you turn it in the wrong direction.

Here is a video of a rebuild for your entertainment. I didn't make this..

 

Sorry Guys been a busy few days. Really appreciate everyone's feedback and suggestions. Gives me some hope, that I can actually tackle this myself. Now I just need to try and determine what really is wrong with this thing.

I am still puzzled as to why the limp mode went away on it's own. The only code I got was a superknock code. I didn't get any paperwork or information back showing a code specific to the turbo.

I believe I have some issue going on, but I have to be honest, I am not really impressed with my Diagnosis from MINI, to me it just seems like they ran a test and tried to nail me for a whole turbo replacement vs really identifying the real issue with the turbo and giving me a few different options.

 

If the code is 2885 then it is because sometimes the wastegate sometimes seals and others it does not.

 

Thanks, that doesn't sound hard.

Rather do this than replace the whole turbo.

 

I totally disagree. If your miles are getting up there look to your wastegate linkage. The arm that goes through the housing wears out. You can pull your top heat sheild and check the linkage for excess play.

 

'09 R55 JCW, in the same boat. Twice into limp mode during aggressive driving. Both times came out on it's own-doesn't feel quite right though. (a little down on power) I don't remember the code, but it was explained to me as a likely issue with the wastegate not sealing consistently relating to the linkage. Also as a non-serviceable part. It was also stated that the power seeming a bit off could be the system relearning and adjusting for this. At 58K I don't think a turbo should have issues either, but I'm told it's not super unusual. I have good faith in the dealer, they actually suggested some other turbo options not coming from them. Not sure what to do yet myself.

 

well darn. I have to change my primary O2 sensor and going to put in the diverter valve spacer (to not destroy a 2nd valve on track day) this weekend so I'll just add that to my list.

Temporary fix is just don't go over 50% throttle in gears 4-6 below 4K

 

That doesn't make track days much fun. What's the diverter valve spacer-is something else going to break and hurt other things now too?