My 2012 Cooper S started doing this thing recently when I initially start it up first thing in the morning when its cold it immediately goes into reduced power mode with the half shaded engine symbol. The engine does not sound or run abnormal besides the obvious power restriction from the safety mode, also no signs of misfiring. After a few miles and the engine warms up and I restart the car it will run in full power for the rest of the day. I have cleared the codes and it stays off until the next cold morning start up. The picture attached shows the two codes I get. I can't seem to find any info online with those exact fault codes. Any help would be great!

 

Just one tale: https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1608350 , and: https://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57720

BMW VANOS Generally: https://us.autologic.com/news/bmw-va...and-diagnosing

Mini specific: https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart..._Replacing.htm

Vacuum pump as cause: https://us.autologic.com/news/mini-c...by-vacuum-pump

Using this search: https://www.google.com/search?client...4dUDCAo&uact=5

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to include all those great resources!

So I pulled the exhaust solenoid and cleaned it and it may have helped but I’m not sure. Now if I start the car after sitting overnight the reduced power warning still comes up right away however if you restart it after a minute or two once it finishes warming at high idle the message is gone and it’s problem free for the rest of the day, even after sitting for 6-8 hours while I’m at work.. no probs and no lights. But something about it sitting overnight causes the fault. So weird. My next step is probably just to replace the VANOS exhaust solenoid and see what happens

 

Interesting, keep us updated on what you figure out

 

What is the history of oil and filter changes in your car? My N18 engine was very susceptible to Vanos issues until I had the engine oil flushed with a cleaner before a new oil change and then replaced the older style solenoids with the newer screen versions you might have. I only had warnings on cold starts in the morning.