I recently took my 2009 mini JCW in for an oil change and the mechanic said that he noticed a small amount of oil around my turbo. I am taking it in to a Mini specialist to get it evaluated. I was wondering what all I have to do if I wanted to get a bigger turbo, or if I would just be better off just replacing the factory turbo.
The oil leak is a common fault but it doesn't mean that you need a new turbo. The oil line to the turbo bearing needs replacing, much cheaper than a new turbocharger. Detroit Tuned make a flexible oil line that is less likely to leak than the OEM one. Detroit Tuned MINI Cooper S Turbo Oil Line KIT
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Most likely it's the oem oil line.... There is a flex joint that gets a lot of heat abuse off the turbo and eventually starts weeping oil at the turbo housing.... MINI's fix was to make a small heat shield that clips over the joint for protection... Mini Turbo Oil Flex Joint Heat Shield...
There's a later version of that shield that has a fabric component that fits around the pipe for about 6 inches. I've replaced a few of those pipes and the hardest thing about it is getting all the heat shielding off around the down pipe so you can get to the end on the engine block....lots of small screws in difficult to reach places. That and the V-clamp on the lower end of the down pipe......but it's not that hard to DIY. This is a factory part, not just an aftermarket part.....just FYI. Thanks Detroit Tuned for the image..... BTW, once the pipe starts leaking there is no repair except to replace it.