I just bought a used 2007 Mini Cooper S and picked it up this weekend. When I test drove it before purchasing the car, there was a noise coming from the front end when going over bumps in the road. The dealer did replace all 4 sway bar bushings and that seemed to have resolved the problem.

To get the Mini I wanted, I purchased this car 90 miles away from home. I did notice on the way home that when at high speeds 50-60+ mph there was sort of a hum similar to the sound of an airplane propeller. I blew it off as I am not familiar with the car and figured it was tire noise. I am going to have them check for a bad wheel bearing.

Of course, I get the car home and I then hear a different noise coming from the front end. This time it is happening when the car is either parked or nearly stopped speed and turning the wheel. Very loud creaking sound and it is NOT happening when the car is at normal speeds. I tested it again last night and it seems to be happening only when turning the wheel in one direction, not both. I will test it again when I get in the car.

I am going to bring the car in, but was just curious if anyone else had similar issues.

 

Creaking when turning the steering wheel:
This sounds like worn bushing or ball joints of some kind.
If you ask me which one, your guess is as good as mine.
So it would be best to jack the car up and take a look.

Humming at high speeds:
Do you have run-flat tires? If yes, that's why.
They are much harder compared to normal tires and easily transfers vibrations from the road into the cabin. Resulting in a humming noise.

If you don't have run flat tires, then it most probably still is tire noise.
I've had two sets of non-run-flat tires on my 2007 MCS with 70,000km on the odo.
And both sets hummed ceaselessly at >60mph (100km/hr).

But to be safe, you can still take a look at your wheel bearings.
Especially this is a used 2007 MCS.

With our cars the rear wheel bearings is a lot more prone to breakage than the front.
So on your next drive take a listen to see which one of the four wheels is making the most noise.
Or at least see if you can tell if the noise is coming from the front or rear.

Good luck!

 

Is that hum is sixth gear? If so then it's normal, I kind of like it. You'll hear this alot, ditch those run-flats! Also find out where your MCS was driven meaning what state because there's a huge different between cars that are park a few miles from the beach to 20 miles inland! My MCS was first purchased in Concord, California and my front windshield looks like it's been sand blasted from all the high winds that kick up dirt and debris in the inland deserts. I got pits that look like rock chips in paint except in the glass, there like craters, but not like the crater in Nevada.