Hello,
A couple weeks after purchasing my 2012 Mini, I began to smell what I assume is exhaust in the cabin of my car. It was not a consistent issue and would only happen for very short periods while driving on the freeway. The problem worsened to at least once a day (not on the freeway, just milling about town) and the engine light appeared and my car lost most of its power. I took it to the dealership and they claimed to have fixed it (he said it was caused by the actuator, and/or a vent in the engine that was stuck open, no mention of a leak) but only a couple days after picking up my car it started happening again. The car doesn't accelerate as quickly as before, overall feels more slow, along with a slightly airy sound coming from the engine. I called the dealership and explained that this was happening again and was told that "due to the fact that we made those specific repairs you must be driving the car hard" and "that would be the only reason I would smell exhaust in the cabin at this point". Can anyone pls shed some light on this? I would like to have a bit of knowledge before having to contact the dealership again. Thank you

 

the actuator is attached to exhaust side of the turbo it is a intergrated diaphram that works on vacuum it has a rod attached to it that rod leads into the exhaust side of the turbo housing there is a door the rod is attached to in that housing. That door was probably shut then they slightly opened door vila ajusting the rod bolts. which would result in a slight loss of turbo power,but less back flow into the intake tract thus less smell in the cabin. Keep in mind when you sit in the drivers seat the heater core is less then 5 inches from the gas pedal behind a less then 1/8th piece of plastic. This new heater core smelling new may also be the problem. Mabey you turned the heater on to cool off the engine to get more power. Days of cars getting more power like that are long gone. cooling the air charge will give you more power. So now that you have a turbo remember that in the winter it will have about 25 to 30 more horse power. And if you run premium gas you'll have another 10 to 15 because it is a turbo winter or summer so. In the end it will not have as much power as it does in the winter.
Still yet I am interested in your story keep me posted on the vitals in the future and mabey I could provide a better answer.

 

You might want to post in the Second Generation MINIs forum for more responses. Most 1st gen owners are not likely to also have a second gen MINI in the garage.

 

If you have an "S" version, ask the dealership to check for either pre or post-catalytic converter leaks. They have to remove the turbo heat shields and check the connection between the catalytic converter and the turbo outlet and the post-cat connection where the cat joins to the exhaust system. Leaks like this are easier to spot on the diesel engines, because the soot accumulates under the hood and on the turbocharger itself. For gasoline engines, the leaks are harder to detect.

Either that or you have a problem with the wastegate actuator of the turbo sticking open.

It could also possibly be a leak between the exhaust manifold and turbo inlet.

Under no circumstances should you be smelling exhaust fumes in the cabin of the car. In fact, it's dangerous because you are likely being exposed to raw exhaust fumes (in the case of a pre-cat leak) and carbon monoxide. You risk carbon monoxide poisoning especially when driving in winter and with the windows of the car closed. I would raise this point with the dealer in order to nudge him into action.

Good luck!

 

The exhaust out the tailpipe on a correctly running Mini will not have any significant smell. Like others have said, you have a pre-cat leak. The dealer MUST fix this, as it is a safety (and warranty) issue.

-Charlie

 

Thanks so much for all the info! The problem has been getting steadily worse, though the engine light has not appeared yet. I'm going to call tomorrow, and now that I am more knowledgeable on the subject, hopefully he wont brush me off!
-Cindy