Hey all, I've been getting a knocking sound coming from the middle or the back of the car (I think, hard to tell) whenever I press or release the gas while in gear. Anyone have any ideas what that is from or how to fix it? I've also got another problem (possibly related to the knocking). I think something may be wrong with my suspension. Whenever I go over bumps, the back of the car creaks, possibly from some loose bolts? I had a Hsport rear sway bar installed at AMVIV III, could that be the problem? It feels like the rear suspension isnt as good as it was before, but it could be my imagination because Cooper S' are always a bumpy ride. My garage has a pretty steep incline to get into it, and I think driving into it daily might have forced some bolts loose. Would this be covered by Mini warranty if i've got an aftermarket sway bar installed? I've had both these problems for a couple of months, but I think the problem with the creaking from the back is getting worse. Thanks in advance!

 

the knocking could be from many things...you'll have to do a process of
elimination. see if your battery's loose or not first, i suppose, then
go under the car and move the exhaust around and see if you can
replicate the noise.

your creaking is most likely coming from your swaybar bushings that
need to be relubed. white lithium grease inside/outside of the bushings
would help, some have used teflon tape.

 

My 05 MCS is making the same noise, more of a popping sound I would say. I can only get it to do it with medium acceleration, and then it pops again when I lift off the throttle. It won't pop if I go over any bumps or if I slalom the car, leaving me to believe that nothing is loose. If I accel / decel very gently it will not pop either.

 

the knocking sound could be from the engine mount. Check both your engine mounts to make sure it's not leaking any oil.

 

I used to have a knocking sound coming from my MINI. I brought it to my dealer and they found a broken right engine mount. It was replaced under warranty, and no more knocking!

 

Hrmm okay looks like i'll have to bring it into the dealer and see if I can get it replaced from warranty. Hopefully its not caused by the CAI or 15% pulley...

Another thing I noticed today while driving to work, the knocking is much more noticable at low speeds and low gears, I didn't get it much when I was in 6th gear. I also get it with the slightest press of the gas or when I completely release the gas, almost sounds like something opening and closing.

 

"Knocking" as a word doesn't give enough information to diagnose something over the internet. In my personal experience the motor mount failure was a low pitch knocking, almost a thump. (like thump is a much more informative word than knock...)
Anyway, my WAG is motor mount. Easy dealer fix, won't take too much of your time if they have the part in stock and it is SO COMMON that probably every MINI tech has done this repair before, so they should be familiar and fast.
Good luck with your detective work, but rather than struggle too much, I'd suggest taking it to the dealer and go test ride with the SA or tech to "show" them the noise which will expedite their diagnosis immensely. When my wife took our MINI in for this repair, I did not know it was the motor mount, nor was it such common knowledge yet. She did her best to try to tell them about the sound, they did crazy things like pull the passenger seat out trying to find the noise, all because they didn't know what to listen for and had a hard time following my wife's version of the story. (Truth be told, she never even noticed the sound anyway -- I got in to drive and noticed it immediately. She thinks turn the key and go. Crank the tunes. ZOOM.)
Good luck with your repair.
Jim

 

Why put up with this for months? Take it to the dealer. Whatever the problem, it's under warranty. Just as a guess, it might be a bad exhaust system mount.

 

I had a noise coming from the back of the car and it ended up being the exhaust hanger hitting the bottom of the car. It was more noticable at wot and being stopped. didn;t notice it so much in sixth

 

let em in !!!!

 

Stupid question, but it isn't the little weighted rubber ***** knocking into the back of your rear seats, is it? You know the little ***** at the bottom of the cords that lift the rear cargo cover.

 

could be the put put of the exhaust, which I love

 

Hey Avery, I'm having the same problem. At first I thought the sound was coming from the rear of the car, but then I had someone else drive the car in a manner that would reproduce the sound, while I sat in the passenger seat. From there I had the luxury of being able to move my head, and therefore my ears, around and determined that the sound was actually coming from the right front of the car. You might want to try this.
From what I have read on this thread it definitely makes sense that it could be the motor-mount, so I'll be making an appointment with my local dealership.

 

Well I took my car in to Long Beach MINI. Sure enough: it turned out to be the righthand side motor mount. The sound is no longer there.