3 questions about the wastegate
 

I have three questions about the waste gate:

1. How bad is it when the wastegate is stuck shut?

2. What can cause the wastegate to get stuck?

3. What can cause the rod from the wastegate valve to get bent? (I'm very sure it didn't get hit by something)

1.) I'd say it's pretty bad for the longevity of the turbo, since it's not venting that extra pressure, however if you're pretty much stock, you shouldn't be much over what
2.) did the car sit for a long period of time? if so, it might've been stuck from debris locking it up. If not, there may be debris stuck on the other part of the lever, not allowing it to move down and move the plate up
3.) if this car is fairly new to you, the damage could've been done by the previous owner. if not, have you tried removing it and possibly lifted it with that ?

don't know how much it helped, but good luck

A wastegate that doesn’t open will cause boost to rise uncontrollably. Assuming there’re no problems like clogged cats, it’s quite possible to boost well beyond the capacity of the fuel system and blow the engine up. You only need to use WOT once for this to happen!

You're thinking of the BOV.