I think I suspect what the answer is, but wanted a definitive response from the collective knowledge here.

I just ordered a basic OBD2 reader and it seems like the general format of a code is Pxxx, or Uxxx.

When I took a 2009 MCS for an oil change at a BMW/Mini specialist and asked them to read prior codes, they came up with codes like 00287D (Vanos, inlet) and 002845 (Vanos, exhaust).

Does BMW use a different code system? Is it compatible with OBD2? Is there a cross-reference of codes anywhere, or are they totally different? Will the OBD2 codes that I hope I can read provide less or different information than any BMW/Mini codes?