I've been having the cold start/death rattle since I picked up my JCW but NW Mini wouldn't fix it unless they heard it. So I dropped him off at the new Seattle Mini for it's annual service and after having to check it every morning for a week they fianlly heard the rattle. Good news too cause when they pulled eveything apart the timing chain had stretched to the point that it needed to be replaced! Now having been in the auto industry I understand that a dealer can't just replace parts based on a customers request but HOLY COW! This wasn't far off from a set of bent valves. At least they finally got it done. FYI; I highly recomment JP at Seattle Mini if you're a Seattlite.

Cheers!

 

The Prince engine is really scary...

 

what is the sound like cold start rattle? I'm not sure but I may have the same issue on my JCW.

 

It's a clattering sound, almost like the car is low on oil. It's the timing chain banging against something (maybe the cover) when the hydraulic tensioner is malfunctioning.

Now that the chain, the tensioner and a bunch of other little bits in there have been replaced it runs and sounds sooooo much better.