After being at a car wash..is this a coincidence?...I had a "whining noise" which seems to come from under the hood...it doesn't stop when the a/c is turned of..just keeps on until I switch off. My MINI is only 4 years old with under 6000 miles!Maybe someone has experienced this?
Problem solved... a cover had fallen off the rear boot area..they replaced it at the Dealer..however, they suggested a coolant flush and an engine flush...250.00 and $200.00..I declined at this time. Do I need those at 6000 miles?

 

Is it a different sound than your powersteering?

 

Is it worse when you turn the wheel?

 

I think the car is whining because you have hardly driven it in 4 years!

 

But it is really well looked after..and didn't whine before!

 

Remember that a car is like any other machine. If it doesn't see much use, mechanical and moving parts will begin to fail and give problems. If the car begins to see more normal use, these types of things are expected, especially on a car that has not seen much use since bought new. Even cars that are stored away in private collections or museums need to have some sort of "excercise" routine, otherwise mechanical parts bind and stop working. I would have the car checked just to make sure that the lack of use is not or has not affected the vehicle mechanically. Good luck!

 

Thank you..I will do that.

 

Did a test drive..noise gets louder when the car slows down..such as going into the driveway..dies away when i switch off. Nothing shows on the Warning lamps areas.

 

Isnt it the radiador fan?

 

Take it back to the dealer. However, you need to make sure you still have full warranty coverage. Even though the car only has 6K miles, the basic warranty may already have expired on the basis of time. The MINI warranty is 4 years/50K miles, whichever occurs first. Call MINI at 1-866-ASK-MINI and with the VIN serial number they can determine whether or not you have any warranty left on the car. You can also take the car to a reputable independent mechanic in your area that is known to work in MINIs. A good source for this type of information is your local MINI club or here in NAM. Since the power steering system in your is electro-hydraulic (Uses an electric motor to assist steering effort but the system still uses hydraulic fluid) it could be that the power steering fan or the power steering electric motor has gone kaput. But this diagnostic is best left to your dealer or an independent mechanic that has experience working with these cars.

 

Checked the coolant..it's fine. Going to the dealer tomorrow...he listened to it today, briefly, and thought it was crying!! He also "thought" it wasn't serious.

 

Good news...it wasn't serious..cover had fallen off the rear boot area so they just replaced it. However, they say I should have a coolant flush and an engine flush..a total of $445.00..I declined at this point. is this necessary? Can we or any mechanic, do this...cheaper?

 

Yes.