I have a 2013 MINI r60 turbo. My local dealership JUST doubled their diagnostic fee. Yes, doubled. I have a generic P054b code that pops up. The engine light was on, but it's not on at the moment. However, this code still pops up. The vehicle has a rough ride, kind of like you can feel every bump in the road. Sometimes it feels like it lacks power. When shifting, (it's automatic), sometimes it's starts in 3000 rpm and doesn't shift till 4000rpm, and keeps doing this until you reach about 50mph. It does this when the engine light is on. Usually it shifts between 2-3000rpm. This is without turbo. The first time this light came on, it was a couple of weeks ago, when the weather had just changed and it was the first coldest day of the coming fall. At first it still ran fine. Now the ride feels rough. Also, for additional information, I had the thermostat and housing and hoses replaced in December of last year by the dealership. The spark plugs were changed by a local mechanic six months ago. Also to note, two days before this engine light and problem, I had topped up the oil. I was trying to follow the manufacturer recommended 10,000 miles oil change; there were about 1500 more miles before it was due. The oil looked fine, but a week later it was black, so I had it changed when I saw it. Before this, I was having it changed every 5,000 miles. So I was hoping maybe I could get some help to let the future mechanic who works on it to figure out what's wrong with it.

 

AN over-retarded VVT in a MINI tends to indicate worn timing chain (rough idle, loss of power, noisy chain on cold start is not always there). It can also mean problems with the auto box. Me, depending upon your mileage I would replace the timing chain if over 50-60K miles if not already done. I would also change the auto box oil and filter to see if that improves the shifting.