20K, no real problems. A/C connector came loose. Plugged back in under warranty.

The throw out bearing makes a little noise occasionally, and it's remarkably similar to the "cold start" videos I have seen. The similarity may be due to the quality of the video, I've never seen the issue in real life. I'm not really worried about that, though, it's certainly not unusual for that bearing to be noisy in other cars.

 

well im right about 10k mark, and 8 months out of the year my MINI sits outside at college and yes, there is a cold start "issue"...with mine, i chose to do the auto with paddle shifters becasue frankly i just love paddle shifters, and the only problem with mine is for the first 5 min. the shifting is delayed..given EVERYTHING is done electronically, and when electronics get cold, the react slower until heating up....

with that being said, when i keep it in our garage at home, cold start is not an issue, and no garage is NOT heated. NOT TO MENTION, in the winter no car should be started and driven RIGHT AWAY, the engine needs time to heat up before driving, thats just good car care...so I would DEF. NOT let that affect your decision to buy a MINI, but will catch you off guard the first few times it happens

 

Hendricks,
Most manufacturers advise against protracted warm up now, and say to just get in and drive.

 

I live in Pittsburgh which is pretty damn cold in the winter and haven't seen anything out of the ordinary with cold starts.

 

maybe, however, not going to change my mind...not to mention it warms the car up a bit inside as well...and as many people have said before, it's a car and it will NEVER be perfect, things are bound to be flawed in some ways or others, but would not go back on my purchase in a million years, 100% happy with the MINI

 

I feel assured, but ignorant to the possibility or prospective cure. I plan to change out to mobile 1 0W30 or 0W40 within 5K miles anyhow.

We'll see how it goes

 

I replaced my rear license lamp bulbs that both went bad (defect)? Easy and cheap to fix ($2.00 @ walmart and 5 minutes to change). I added the rear fogs afterwards for <$50 as I recall, and installed them myself in about a half hour. Very occassionally I will experience a minor cold start rattle, especially when not driven for a couple of weeks at a time, but no big deal. Certainly not that loud or worrisome at all. Glad it didn't keep me from buying this car! It has been a blast so far.

 

Sometimes mine does it; other times it's fine. My '95 Ford Probe GT does the same thing from time to time too. The hydraulic valve adjusters bleed down overnight and need a few minutes to build up pressure. The car has 170K miles and never had the motor apart. I think it's just the nature of the engine...

 

I've got 24.5K miles and have only heard the "rattle" noise a couple of times. Like others I let the engine idle and warm up a bit and the noise goes away. This car is one kick in the a__ and a joy to drive every time I get into it. Any excuse to go somewhere brings a smile to my face and that's after owning it for 2 years now. MINI has been great to me from the purchase to the few little things that have needed attention....don't sweat it, enjoy the car and be happy.

 

Hendricks:

Electronics don't react any slower when cold. In fact, a lot of super-overclockers in the PC Gaming world love to drench their computers in liquid nitrogen... allows them to make their computers faster! I believe it is just the computer trying to protect your engine. I have noticed this with my auto as well.

Anyway, 15,000 on the dot and no cold start issues at all at temperatures down to 29F (coldest it has gotten this year). My question is this: Why does it seem to hit suddenly at a random temperature? How come it doesn't happen to me, albeit quieter? You think if it was bad engine design it would be obvious at all temperatures. Maybe it would be quiet at 50F, but you should still be able to hear it. 20F shouldn't make THAT large of a difference in oil getting to your engine.

 

I think many folks confuse the cold start rattle with just the general noisiness these engines produce upon startup, all the whirring and ticking and whatnot. When I demo'd my first Clubman S I pulled it into a parking lot to check the loud ticking from the engine, I thought it was tappet noise but it was the direct injection.

The cold start issue, however, is a whole different animal. some people equate rough and stumbling engine with this, the kind that'll throw codes and make yr CEL lights lite up like an Xmas tree, but this not the case. when I had the noise--and as others--the car idled perfectly @about 900rpm with its usual associated noise, but underlying it was the metallic and very obvious BAMBAMBAM that sounded like excessive valve lash or a timing chain on the brink of failure. "Toy snowblower in my glovebox" is an apt descriptor.

Oh and previous poster the randomness of it all could very well depend on where the camshaft comes to rest at the end of the previous power-down cycle, and that factor in excessive valve lash.

Worry not, some of the best minds in America are researching and investigating this, and we're not talking about BMW-- there are SAE engineers out there that have the problem, and they may be the vanguard in convincing BMW that since what they've attempted hasnt worked, then why not look into our theories? Maybe it will take more catastrophic engine failures to alter previous thinking.

In the interim, if you have the rattle on a consistent basis, try this method: if U think yr car is going to sit for 6+ hours, at power-down slowly rev the engine to 3K, keep it there, then hit the stop button. There has been some reported success with this method, and may lead to the possibility that there's something amiss with the variable "oil on demand" system and the valve train.

 

I would not call this an "issue". People buy a BMW product and expect it to be silent and "perfect". The injectors from the DI make the engine tick and what not at cold starts. I had the same thing with my Mazdaspeed3 which has DI as well. Sounds like a school bus at times...it is just the nature of the beast. It goes away when the motor warms up a bit. I believe this is the same thing I experienced in my previous car. Everyone complained about it anyway..lol.

 

So what is it that you don't think is an "issue" -- the general noisiness of the engine or the cold start rattle?

If the former, I think most folks (including me) would agree with you. If the latter, I suggest you do a bit more research here on NAM and in the other online MINI forums before making such a claim. This is a frequently reported and well documented problem. BMW is clearly struggling to determine root cause and appropriately address the underlying problems. I'm particularly sure that those owners who have had their engines self-destruct from associated timing chain failures don't share your perspective.

 

From what I've read, this issue only affects the Cooper S, not the non-turbo engine?

 

Well if it is just the turbo engine that is having this "issue". The general noiseyness of the motor would be deamed normal sounds as the injectors are larger on the turbo engines (from the research I have done)...hence making the motor a bit louder at start up.

 

I've experienced the same problems with my '08 MCS. It's only done 500 miles so I'm wondering if there's a 'breakin period' for this. I park it in my garage. I've experienced it when the temp has dropped below zero, as well as when it's been above freezing.

After about 2 or 3 minutes driving the noise does disappear. I was wondering if there's metal components that expand with heat to fill gaps where there might be in contact with plastic components. I really have no idea though.

My dealer tried to duplicate after letting the car sit in sub-zero temps for a while. The noises are there about 50% of the time.

 

Rixter, you should post your experience in the Cold Start Database Sticky (<--link) using the provided format (see Post #153 in there for the latest example).

Many folks are reporting occurrences in multiple threads which is okay but reduces the value of the sticky as a reference.

 

I've had my '08 S (manual) since last May...only 6700 miles on it. Winters here in Northern Vermont are wicked cold. I've had to start mine several times when the temp was way below zero and I haven't had a single issue.

 

Good call. I didn't know there was a seperate thread. I actually was just surfing around last night when I came across this one and thot, "hey that applies to me"

 

no cold start rattle in the storage unit this winter

 

Have had mine for 43K.
1. Had the fuel pump replaced
2. The dash (multiple times). Lots of rattles in the dash....just had it done again today (3rd times a charm). There is also a bulletin to add more insulation to the dash.
3. Speedo replaced (due to the dash clips breaking, nothing wrong with the actual speedo).
4. Just replaced the hood scoop due to melting (dipped in the middle due to heat).
5. Had the rain gutters replaced as well .I think that covers it.

Slightly rough idle on start up, but quickly goes away. Otherwise drives nicely especially after dumping the run flat tires.

 

If you read the other cars forums you will learn that just about every single car out there has people reporting some sort of problem or another. The Mini is no different.
If you go to the Corvette Forum you will learn about the dreaded COLUMN Lock problem as well as the rocking seats, The Air Conditioning actuators not working. The list is a mile long on so called problems. But there sure are a lot of C5 Corvettes with over 200.000 miles still running around out there.
When it is really cold out, most engines will sound like crap when first started. It sure don't seam to hurt them. Thay all seam to be OK the rest of the year so Go ahead and order your Cooper. I'm sure you will learn that out of the million R56's they already made only a handfull make the rattle anyway.
So far in 3,000 miles I have absolutly NO problems at all. I would not give up my 2009 JCW for all the tea in China. (OPS! did I just say that? ) If you read some of the reviews on a lot of products you would never purchse anything at all.
Ronnie948

 

I beg to differ with your logic. The Corvette column lock problem was often traced to low battery voltage and wasn't a manifestation of a more insidious, underlying problem as is the MINI death rattle. More importantly, GM followed through and issued a full recall to fix the problem. Rocking seats and A/C actuators reflect design or workmanship shortcomings to a degree, but as problems they are little more than inconveniences.

Think about the amount of attention the '02-'04 1st Gen door sill rust issue has received here on NAM over the past five years. You might consider the complaints as being out of proportion, and I'll bet there are some of these MINIs out there with over 200K miles on them, still chugging merrily along next to your Corvettes. But the fact remains that practically every single MINI sold during those years suffered or suffers from the door sill rust problem. It eventually drove BMW to improve their preservation process at the factory (though I still pull up my door seals on my '05 after a wash and dry under there as a preventative measure). You can bet that there are many owners of '02-'04 cars who still haven't a clue that this problem exists. Of course, finally discovering rusting under your door seals is a little easier to take than the sound of a snapping timing chain and pistons and valves trying to occupy the same space at the same time...

How do you explain the increasing number of reports (both online and from MINI dealership service departments) of both the prevalence of the rattle and timing chain breakage with complete engine failure in both the 2nd Gen MINI and Peugeot vehicles associated with the issue? These are shared real experiences, not just worry-mongering.

Best case, based on the most conservative estimates there are likely several thousand R55/R56 cars in the U.S. experiencing the rattle, which we now know can lead directly to engine self-destruct from chain breakage.

Worst case, every PSA engine comes from the factory with the same design flaw to varying degrees and it's just a matter of luck if you happened to buy/lease a car that may not show the symptoms until after you've replaced it with something else.

You invested a lot in your JCW and I'm really glad you have not heard the death rattle yet. I wish you continued luck.

 

My MCS has 31k on the clock. I get the cold start clatter pretty consistently when its below freezing. It nags at me slightly but there isn't a single car on the market I would rather be driving in place of my Mini.

 

If you read the post you would see that I'm not really bad mouthing Corvettes. I did have a 98 coupe that I bought in the year 2000.
The column lock had nothing to do with low battery voltage. It was a problem on most of them through the years. Most all of them had to be repaired by the owners. GM did not re-call any of the cars until I got my letter in 2007. The problem still existed after the dealer was supposed to do the fix. I got stuck and it cost me $700.00 to get the new harness they finily put out in 2008.
Air conditioner actuaters need to have the whole dash removed to replace them as well as the condenser.$3,500 for that repair.
Drivers side power window $1,600
CD changer $800.00
Belt Pully tensioner $400.00 with belt
ETC ETC ETC
If you want to hear something rattle just drive a Corvette on a nice 35 DeGree day.
I always really liked my Corvette and I still think they are really the best hi-performance sports car you can get for the cost involved. "BUT" don't ever think they or GM is perfect because like any other thing you can drive or ride you may find a problem.
If my Mini ever does rattle I will report it to the dealer and it will be on record that something may be wrong and I just will keep driving it.
I once had a Harley Davidson that had the death rattle in 1979 and it turned out to be carbon on the flat top pistons. Valves would hit the hard carbon on start-up and after riding a while it would stop. It would cause no damage but sounded terrible. The dealer put in a repair piston kit which included pistons with relief cut outs for the valves to elimnate the noise. Of course the carbon would still be there but the valves would not hit it and make the noise. I put 140,000 miles on that bike before I sold it.
All I'm saying is if someone wants to buy a Mini Cooper they should just do it. The Mini is no worse or better then any other car. "BUT" It is a lot more fun to drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!