Terrible noise starting at 3500 rpm today:( On the drive into to work this morning - starting at about 3500 RPM this horrible noise has started. If I had to describe it it sounds like a fan that rapidly spins up until I get to about 4000 RPM, then it just keeps getting louder. Also - as soon as it starts it sounds like the dash board is going to vibrate itself apart. Could this be something up with the turbo? I have the garmin eco route tool installed and I pulled up the intake manifold pressure guage. It seems like I am still getting boost. I'm afraid to really push it to see if I can still dip into overboost. Thoughts?

 

Call the dealer. Sounds like roadside assistance is needed.

 

So just to fill everybody in - took the car into the dealership. Turns out whoever I talked to in the morning didn't actually make the appt for me which was supposed to be on Saturday morning. So of course when I get there they tell me that it will be several days - if not almost a week before they can look at it because there were no lights and the car said everything was fine. But I talk them into at least coming out and listening to it. And I don't know what law of physics determines that a car will perform perfectly at the dealership but it kicked it - the car sounded great. But I kept pushing and eventually we discovered that the car ONLY makes the horrible sound and vibration if the AC is running. I have auto climate control and don't usually pay much attention to it. After 45 minutes everyone there agreed it wasn't critical unless it got worse and made an appt for later in the month.

 

So an update -

2 trips to the dealership now and the original problem has not yet been solved.


Took the car in for its second visit. They told me something in the AC compressor was grinding so they replaced it. I drove the 1.5 hours back to pick up my car - made it about 2 blocks down the road and had to turn around. The sound was "better" but not gone. Drive the tech around in the car again and he know things the remaining sound is something in the vents vibrating. I should say it vibrates so loud it drowns our the radio. Anyway - they wouldn't have any real time to look at the car again for several days and I don't like the idea of it just sitting there.

So I now have a 3rd appt to go back in a couple of weeks and have it looked at again. It is making me very unhappy:( The next closest dealership is another hour or so further away and I am thinking about planning a trip there to see if they can tell me anything different.

Between this and all the rattles the car has developed over the last few months it is not making the summer driving season fun.

 

Update #3 -

IT seems every day the engine bay sounds worse than the day before - knocking sounds when the fans are running, strange noise when I first start the car in motion sometimes - like an air/vacuum kind of sound.

Then yesterday the check engine light came on - solid yellow. Code P2404 which is some form of emissions leak. I've checked and re-checked the gas cap and it seems ok. I got the dealership to move up my appt from the 22nd to this Friday. Maybe third time is the charm? I'm afraid to drive the car now as it seems to worse every time I get in it. The dealership seems to think its all no big deal and maybe it isn't but I'm very unhappy at the moment.

 

any update?

 

Sorry for the slow response -

Let's see - in the end there was a mounting bracket that had broken, the AC compressor was replaced twice, there was an issue with an engine mount. Sorry for the thin details. The car was eventually fixed. The dealership never called me when they finished - I had to call them and find out it was done.

For about a week the car was awesome - then the rattle from the steering rack came back, the rattle behind the speedo came back, 2 new rattles from behind the seats.

The breaks started sqeaking. About 2 months ago the dealership told me the rear breaks had only a few mm left and to come back in about 1000 miles and they would probably need to be replaced - in fact we made the appt the day I took the car home. Came back for my appt and they thought I was crazy and told me I had at least 10k miles left. The car seemed to agree with them - the maintenance countdown for the breaks kept going up and not down over this time. They told me "mini breaks don't squeek" and took a look at them anyway and told me they were fine but the sqeak kept getting worse.

Finally I reached a point of frustration - driving 70 miles for service - that car had been in the shop 8 times in 12 months for small little issues and I was done. We traded the car in on a new vehicle for my wife and I am in the market for something new for myself probably as a X-Mas gift to myself.

I think had there been a local Mini dealership I'd have been ok - but the difficulty of getting a loaner vehicle and travel time just made it not worth it. When I could drive the car and actually have a conversation in it it was awesome but for what I paid for the car I should not have to take it in that often.

It was a sad day saying goodbye to the car and I will miss it but it was getting to where I couldn't enjoy it anymore.