The First Abnormality

OK so I just picked up the car from the dealership after signing the paperwork, getting the extended maintenance/warranty sales pitch and sitting through an orientation session.  I now have 30 minutes to drive about 15 highway-miles to work to get to a meeting by 11:30am.  The speed limit on the highway is 65 mph, so I set my cruise to 70.

The top is down.  The weather is perfect.  Traffic is fairly light.  Life is good.

I finally get to my exit, and at the end of the exit ramp is a traffic light that is red.  I come to a stop to wait for the light to turn green.  Upon stopping, I notice a cloud of blue smoke billow out from the back of the car.  Yikes!

I pull over at a nearby bank and call the MINI dealership.  I tell my sales person (Jess) this recent experience and ask if this is normal break-in behavior or something I should be concerned about.  She puts me on hold to check with someone else.  When she returns, she tells me that this is not unusual for a break-in of the turbocharger in a new car.  She further said that if the smoke came from the engine compartment, then we should be concerned.  Whew!

Luckily, I haven't seen the smoke since.  :)