I just bought a 2002 S with 18K miles on it. So far I am loving driving the little guy. I have the rear latch rattle that I have read about, and I will take the car in soon to have that fixed. I am wondering if another noise that I am hearing is normal. It is a fairly loud high pitched whine that increases dramatically when I move steering wheel. Is this a power steering pump of some sort?

 

You're correct that there is an electric power steering pump that makes a high pitched whine. If it is "fairly loud" you may want to find another MINI owner and do a sound level comparison. My guess is that it sounds loud because it is a unfamiliar sound on your new MINI.

 

I too aquired a "pre-loved" 2002 MCS and was curious about that whine, it was a normal volume on mine. Just something I wasn't used to.

 

:smile: Thanks for the feedback. I am taking my new toy into my local Mini dealer on Dec 1st for a complete checkup, and I will ask then to assess the volume level of this whine. It is a steering related noise for sure. With your helpful feedback I am now a little more knowledgable about it. Thanks.

 

I just bought a modded '02 S with the above mentioned whine. Much more audible than my wife's '04. Still only noticable when manuevering at slow speed.

 

Interesting body work.... sort of 911 turbo-ish