I got the half-engine warning light this weekend and a quick trip to AutoZone showed it as a defective valve timing solenoid. (P054B) I went to dealer this morning to verify and they said their "diagnostic fee" was $150, and if it was the solenoid that needed to be replaced, I'm in shock.

I looked on YouTube and A1 has a good video on it and their replacement looked like it took about 15 minutes.

Here are my questions that I'm hoping someone here can help with:

1. Is there any problem driving the car (gently) for a few more days until the solenoid shows up from Ai!
2. If the code reader says "valve timing solenoid replace" is that it, or is that just evidence of another underlying problem?

Thanks for any help.

 

Based on my own experience with bad VANOS solenoids I will say your odds damaging the engine are nil.

I don't believe that you much choice, other than to replace the valve to determine if the DTC is correct. Mini's DTC logic is pretty crappy (based on experience)