My 2008 MCS just rolled over 100k last week. Since I've owned it (about 30k miles), I've been plagued with frequent check engine lights (the less serious light located in the center speedo housing). I've taken it to the dealer multiple times, had the engine internals walnut blasted for carbon buildup, replaced the plugs, replaced the thermostat housing (twice, the first was faulty), replaced the high pressure fuel pump (done under the recall), and it's currently n the shop for a new Vanos Solenoid (threw the more severe check engine light in the tachometer display - resulting in reduced power mode). It's also been smoking from the engine bay a bit when I come to a stop - I believe this is related to (according to the technician) a blown upper gasket on the turbo wastegate (which they say will cost $840 to replace) or a leaking oil filter housing (which they said would cost $1250 to replace). It's not dripping oil on the ground, but it does burn through 1 quart every 1000 miles. Two days in a row when I got in the car to leave work, I was engulfed in a cloud of smoke after starting the car (cold start, temps probably in the 70's). The only thing I can think that caused that is both those days I sat in the parking lot with the engine running for maybe 5-10 minutes while I wrapped up phone conversations before going inside my office.

I'm trying to decide if I can fairly easily replace the wastegate gasket and possibly repair the oil filter housing. Or if I should just sell the car and buy something that won't throw check engine lights several times a month. It's almost comical how many CEL's pop up on this car.

All that being said - I drive 60 miles per day and love driving it. But, I have 3 young kids (and a wife) so it's not really a great family car. I can get by with it, but if all these repairs are just going to keep popping up, I need to get something else... My budget's pretty tight, and I can't really afford to keep throwing money at it.

So, should I replace the wastegate gasket and oil filter housing (gasket?) - if so, is there anywhere that shows me how to do these repairs? Or should I put a for sale sign on it this weekend.....? I've replaced timing belts on 2 of my previous vehicles - I can turn a wrench, provided I have good instructions to follow, but I don't have a ton of specialty tools.

 

Holy hell sell that thing. It's all culminating to a giant pain in the 8ss car to own.

 

 

It looks like you have had more than your fair share of problems.

I'm no tech but my dealer has told me that to get to the wastegate you have to put the car in service mode, (remove the front bumper cover), move some of the radiator parts, drain coolant, and remove heatshield and catalytic converter.

The book rate for that is 5.5 hours labor. Just to inspect the wastegate. Here is a oem parts diagram of the turbo. I don't see a gasket for the wastegate.

Good Luck

 

Ugh - 5.5 hours for someone with the proper tools and existing know-how. Guess it's not something I'd be able to tackle. The service adviser said the oil filter housing leak was a pretty in-depth repair as well. Even if I fixed these two items, I'm still worried something else is just around the corner. The carfax report indicated the previous owner had the turbo replaced around 45k miles. After I bought it (around 69k miles), I took it to my local oil change shop and he brought me out to show me the oil filler cap - it was coated on the inside with thick, chunky sludge. He thought maybe the previous owner had not been using synthetic oil...

 

Or sticking to the ridiculous 15,000 mile oil change interval. Now that you said that, REALLY get rid of it

 

If the turbo was replaced by a MINI dealer it should carry a 2 year warranty on the part I believe (At least my dealer does this). Not sure how long you have had the car.

As far as the 5.5 hour book rate goes, I believe they are padded to the advantage of the dealer, but that is my opinion only.

The tricky part is when to pull the trigger right? In my case it's all that labor to inspect the wastegate. But for 2 more hours worth of labor I can have the turbo replaced. Although the turbo is a lot of money.

The point is that you pay for all the diag work, maybe make the gasket repair and then soon you have problems again which only leaves replacing the turbo.

That is where I am at as well. I think I am going to tear into it this weekend and at least try to prove that the turbo has to go or not.

 

I just got a call from the service department. The tech showed the adviser, who relayed to me that the old vanos solenoid has little vents in it and they were completely clogged. In the tech's opinion, the replacement solenoid would likely clog again and trigger more CEL's. And if that didn't, he said the blown upper exhaust gasket (which they previously said was the wastegate gasket) would trigger a CEL. I asked the adviser what effect the blown exhaust gasket would have and she said it's turbo to run all the time... Frankly, I'm not exactly sure what exact gasket is blown and how it affects the turbo - it's just apparently connected to the wastegate. I asked why the vanos valve's vents would be clogged, and she said typically it's from going too long between oil changes. I change the oil every 7,500-8,500 miles, and honestly add at least 6 quarts of oil between changes.

The tech was aware I was holding off with the additional gasket and oil filter housing repairs since I might sell the car - his suggestion was to sell it sooner, rather than later because the CEL's would come back on soon...

 

IF you don't have a CEL, go trade it in on something else. It seems like you are having way to many issues to keep it IMO. Run and don't look back.

 

Picked up the mini after work, CEL was back on within a quarter mile. :(

Guess I'll be fixing the exhaust gasket and drive it a bit longer while I save some money for a down payment on something else.

 

I just thought I'd post a follow-up to this thread. On around June 7th, I pulled the trigger to have the vanos solenoid, oil filter housing gasket and turbo exhaust gasket (still not 100% sure exactly which gasket was replaced in that area of the car). The car drove great for a while with no CEL's. To be honest, it went so long without a CEL I jokingly wondered to myself if the tech disconnected the CEL bulb. About a week later, the bulb light back on. That was August 26th (almost 3 months without a CEL - I think that's a record for my car!). We went on vacation the following week and funds are pretty tight so I haven't been able to take it to the shop yet.

Autozone pulled the code for me, and it's showing "P1497" - searches online led me to a few posts here and elsewhere stating it's likely a cracked or faulty valve cover. I do have a rather loud hiss when I shut off the engine that lasts maybe 10 seconds, and I do have a rough idle.

I wanted to get everyone's opinion - can I be fairly certain (certain enough) that if I replace the valve cover on my own, that the problem will be fixed? Will I have to do anything to clear the code and/or reset the system similar to what others report doing after upgrades so the computer will re-learn the driving conditions? My car is due for an oil change - I could probably pay the dealer for a diagnostic check to confirm what the problem is, but would rather not if the group here is pretty certain it's a bad valve cover.

I'm still planning on getting rid of this car, but that's still a few months away.

 

mine hissed when i shut off. I replaced the valve cover. problem solved. it caused cels from time to time as well.

 

Did you do anything afterward to clear the CEL? Or did it automatically go away as soon as you started the car?

 

It will go away on its own if the condition no longer exists. Autozone can reset the code for you though.

 

it went away on its own. May I offer a suggestion if your a DYI'R ? buy the Bavarian teknic scan system. enthusiast model. $287. It will tell you soft codes as well as hard codes when something is wrong. It can do a lot more than just reading codes tho. it can shut certain things off and reset different systems as well. some scanners that are bought at places like autozone wont read the soft faults which can lead to hidden issues that drive you crazy from time to time. second best thing I bought so far.

 

Do your valve cover yourself. It's pretty easy just don't forget to make sure the coils are put on correctly after your done. Good luck, BTW, I'm surprised you haven't thought about selling the car yet haha.