Hey everyone. So in the last couple of days my 2002 Mini Cooper started making this clicking noise when driving. I did some research here and saw it could be the Dreaded Steering Click. From what I read, most of those issues arise when the car is turning. My noise is constant - when driving at any speed and not just turning. It also sounds like the sound is coming from the wheel well area, though I'm not certain of that.

Any thoughts on the cause? Seems like it could be a damaged CV Joint.

Thanks.

 

could be a number of things......
strut tower mounts (just replace mine 2 months ago)
Bushings (replaced mine about 8 months ago with polyurethane ones)
rack and pinion (mine has a "thunking" sound when going over bumps and certain turns, its broken and next on my replacement to do list)
I have a 2002 MCS w 91000 miles, so those are things that may need taking care of if not already done..
hope this helps...

 

Could be a nail in the tire too based on what I read here. Check that first.

 

bushings as what i thought as well, i had a squeek on my other car because the bushings were dried up

 

On my 03 it was a wheel bearing. No wobble, but definite rotational noise from 27-43 and with the window down I could hear random but constant clicking as well.

 

does it continue clicking even when you press down the clutch? because i get a clicking/rattling sound, but when i press the clutch down it stops...

 

thanks for the input everyone. I should've clarified that the Mini is an automatic.

I just had a mechanic come out and give it a look and a preliminary diagnosis, and it's not good. There's likely an issue with the transmission. The car only has 80K miles, so that's very disappointing.

I'll be taking it to a shop soon to get more details and a more definitive diagnosis. Anyone have any input/advice on the transmission issue?

Thanks.

 

as far as i know (please anyone with better expertise on the subject correct me) it could still be the clutch on the automatic (you just dont press it manually) or even the flywheel...my clicking comes from the flywheel, which by most users is ok - they say , accept it as a character of our mini's...if however is the clutch it would be less expensive to fix than the transmition...if you have a friend mechanic ask him if he or someone he know can run an OBD diagnosis and see if the problem really comes from the transmission...i just have been in few troubles with my used MINI mainly because the dealer never took care of it, and i feel horrible when i see people having to pay a lot of money just to repair their ride...

 

Thanks for the follow up, Tzefalos. Before I panic, I'll take it to my regular mechanic for a more thorough diagnosis.

In the meantime, I would welcome and appreciate the thoughts of others.

Thanks.