I bought a new 2013 jcw last Oct. After a month into driving it i could hear a whining noise through the speakers that would get louder with the rpms. Reminded me of old car stereo's that had a bad ground(alternator whine).So i finally had enough and brought it into the dealer for them to fix. Well they have had my car for 5 days changed the amp ,new battery ,reground the stereo and did some other things and they are stumped ... Noise is still there and now they have mini Canada involved .I have a loaner (new bmw) so not worried about a car to drive but at this point they don't know what they are going to do,.So anybody have this sound happen?sorry for the long post just need some input on how i should deal with this if they can't figure it out.

 

Finding something like this can be very tricky.. It could be a bad ground somewhere to a bad head unit. to a bad alternator. and anything in between.. When MINI says the term not "Normal" they mean that in every sense of the word! But do you know off hand if they did change the head unit? They should test and see if the static starts there.. That way you will know if its before your amp or after.. I take it you have the HK system?

 

Suggest that they check the antenna and cable. If the cable has been damaged and the exposed shielding is touching just about anything at all, you'll pick up alternator/ignition noise.

Sounds like the dealer is guessing and is stumped. Call an aftermarket stereo shop and ask some questions. At least they might be familiar with the problem.

 

yes i do have the HK system.dont think they have checked the head unit.thank u for the info .i will call them tomorrow and see what the latest new is and ask them these questions.cheers

 

that is a great idea i all do that as well tomorrow.thank u for the info i need all the info i can get ..haha cheers

 

what pokeyjoe has said would also make sense.. That could be easily checked up by the head unit. If they unplug it there, there should be no interference. But does this only happen when listening to the radio? Is it there when playing a cd? Good luck..Hope it all works out.

 

Well quick update on my car. Dealership finally got mini Canada involved and after 3 weeks with my car they figured it was a bad alternator..first they re ground car, Then changed amp ....then alternator WOW .So all is well... after having car back for a day the noise is back??? So back to the dealership. Its been one week and get a call today saying they have know clue on what is causing this. They tell me to contact mini Canada and start a file case with them. Mini Canada says they will contact deanship and look into things. So i call the service guy back and he tells me....well not sure what we are going to do,so after we talk to mini we will call u. Sorry for the rant but not sure at this point what i should do besides wait.

 

I hate stories like this.

As an auto tech (or rather, someone who teaches automotive techs)... It comes down to this.. one root issue.

Obviously either a failed part or a failed installation (manufacturing defect).

Checking grounds is a good call. Replacing the alternator was a good try..

I fully understand your frustration. But, there is no magic "tool" that Mini has to pinpoint the issue. If they thought they fixed it, they thought they fixed it... sorry its back.. obviously they did not..

At this point I'd be looking at swapping out the head/amp unit...

 

Thanks Dan. I will be calling them tomorrow and ask about swapping the head unit. I know there is no simple tool ,as long as they keep trying to fix it I'm fine with that .But we will se where they go from this point.

 

bump

 

Also this could be a case of one bad thing made something else down the line go bad. Perhaps it started out as the alternator, but since it was failing or overcharging, then it could have damaged some other electrical component. Who knows at this point, but I feel for you, I've been in similar situations and its a hard arduous process that realistically may take even longer than it already has.

 

could be a bad coil or plug

 

yes very true.at this point they have changed and done so many things that anything could be causing this.... its in there hands for now.thanks for the response .cheers

 

Well i received a call from the service manager late today. He told me they have everyone involved in my car .From mini Canada to some other dealerships and it's on going. They have extended my loaner and will call me next week..... At this point they have no idea and have to wait for mini Canada to make some calls. So time will tell but i do know one thing and thats, they will be keeping my car until it's either fixed or replaced .... thanks for everyones responses everything helps.cheers