I know I'm not the first one here in this situation so I'm reachin' out for advice. '08 Clubman S. blew turbo and looks like a clogged cat as well.

Advice??

replace or rebuild turbo? waiting on pricing on a miami shop that apparently upgrades turbo's. have asked what they will charge to re-build without upgrade. What years can I look for a take off turbo?

Looking for a Cat if anyone has upgraded their's and have one sitting around.

Jim

 

Is it the cat thats clogged, or the cat(s) in the downpipe?

As far as turbos go, your going to want to buy a new factory turbo ~$1200 or a remanufactured turbo ~$500 ( If I remember the prices correctly, I'm just relaying info from another thread) Do a search for turbo replacements

 

hhmmm... I'll have to get more information on the Cat issue. I've seen many posts here about it but will have to confirm with mechanic.

on the turbo...yes, I'm seeing the same approximate pricing but see no one referring actual shops that are doing this. I'm looking for vendors that actually sell or do the reman so I can contact.

 

Why, or better question, how is your catalyst clogged?
Even if the exhaust turbine of the turbocharger hand-granaded, you'd still be able to remove the downpipe and allow the 'pieces' to fall right out.

Sounds like you're getting some far-fetched information... even poor fuel trimmed engines don't clog up catalytic convertors.

- Erik

 

if you look around here you'll see that the clogged/bad cat is a common problem. I had the sulfer/rotten egg smell that is talked about a lot on these forums.

 

That sulfur smell is typically from the fuel becuase the combustion isn't 100% efficient and it produces hydrogen sulfide.
Normally the sulfur is converted to sulfur dioxide which is odorless.
Which means your catalyst isn't properly completing the chemical reaction.

"Clogging" is a misconception as the convertor isn't blocked, more that the honeycomb cells aren't able to convert the amount of mass flow through it.
Check with your dealer FIRST as catalyst systems are warrantied due to emission regulations by the federal government.

- Erik

 

Got it Erik. Mini dealer is ignoring me. I've even provided them with copies of the federal mandate that says they need to handle it. nothing! I will be trying a different Mini dealer later in the week. it's a shame that the impression of a brand can be affected by a service manager ignoring an obvious responsibility of his company. shame

 

Have you contacted MINI USA directly with your claim?
If you're in an area that does smog / emissions testing, make sure to grab that report too for your ammunition of factual data.

- Erik

 

Why did the turbo fail?

Mine went in December when the spindle seal on the hot side went. I developed a pre-cat leak saving me the hassle of catastrophic turbine failure.

If your journal bearing went due to starvation of the oil supply, you have more than just the turbo to replace. You'll have to do the oil supply line and filter gauze as well.

In any case, you can't rebuild them as that can only be done at the factory (hence the source of reconn'd turbos).

Mini was kind enough to goodwill mine 6 months out of warranty, maybe you want to inquire about that as the unit alone (not including labour) runs to about 1200. I'd caution you against a reconditioned unit, however, be aware that labour will also cost you a bomb and a half so if you're cash starved, a reconditioned unit deserves serious consideration.

For the cat, it will have to be replaced in its entirety as the pre and post cat seals are welded. If I were you, I'd be pushing the dealer on this hard or you're going to pay a not-so-insignificant-sum of money out-of-pocket and, trust me, it's going to hurt.

Go with another dealer if one is ignoring you - the service and warranty claims are all centralized. I had the same problem as you with one dealer pissing on my parade even after Mini agreed to goodwill the repair. I promptly went to another dealer with no problems whatsoever.

Good luck, hope it works out for you.

 

Having gone through alotta Turbo issues and swaps, Yes you can clog a turbo and you'll find it either by visual inspection or through O2 sensor reads/codes/CELs

Though unless you find a golden guy/girl at the desk, the dealer will want you to pay for it -.- they covered a turbo for me once, but not the cat? after that I went to a high flow and gained some performance and saved over the OEM. Though I voided my "warranty".

 

Anyone know what causes it to clog? Is it from tooling around too gingerly? Or running it too hard? A really bad tank of gas? Or is it the luck of the draw?

 

Contact one of these places for a rebuild/upgrade:

www.gpopshop.com
www.blouchturbo.com

I think most people use G-Pop Shop and is the preferred vendor for this kind of thing between the two from what I can gather.