hi,

i had the issue in my car when i started it every morning and sometimes that noise cause the car to have less power when accelerating in the morning.. took it to the dealer for service.. told them about the issue ans here what did they changed to solve the problem:

1100 Replaced Timing Tension
Chain Tensioner



http://youtube.com/watch?v=UDf8kj727_E


http://youtube.com/watch?v=jOhtSoEe6Ww

 

I would be very relieved and well on my way to ordering a new MCS if this is indeed a permanent fix.

 

its 1K miles more since i got it from the dealer... no problems till now

 

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This 'fix' has been attempted on many other R56s, and has yet to be a permanent solution. Let's hope you are the first.

 

how we doin? how long has it been since the fix?

 

What was the build date of the OP's MINI?

Is it possible it has been addressed on the assembly line by now? Has anybody with a recent build had issues like this?

 

it been almost 2K since i got it fixed.. my mini was built in may 2007

before getting it fixed i had the issue almost one time every 2 days..

 

i got a mini on the way.. if this is either fixed at production, or can be easily remedied thereafter.. this will set aside some anxiety

 

As far as I've heard this still has been an issue with later builds. I've read up on this problem on MINI2 also and again the issue remains.

I would say one of the biggest concerns is whether or not it's going to have any long term effects.

I have been talking with a dealership about these issues, I DO NOT have a MINI, but was considering one since this issue has come up. If anything you want in a car is a solid engine and as of yet it doesn't appear like that is the case. This has made me think twice about purchasing one.

Now I sit back and wait to see what happens, the dealership have stated that this has been fixed. But many MINI owners have gone in to have the "fix" and still the noise comes back.

Thoughts?

 

More info: http://www.motoringfile.com/2008/02/...issue-exposed/

 

the issue is back.. the weird sound is louder too!

 

is this an issue with the automatics or does it affect manual as well? only MCS??

looking to buy a mini soon and this is freakign me out. Im in SoCal though, anyone experience anything like this in warmer climates??

 

affects both auto and manual S's, well into the 09 model year, and climate makes no diff.

 

thats not what i want to hear.

im thinking of buying a new mini and upgrading from my toyota camry. that camry is nothing but reliable. 10 yrs/ 140K miles, not one issue.

i might have to rethink this.

 

Be careful about making this type of decision based on what you read on this type of forum. Remember almost everyone here is a fanatic (me too) and we post issues so it may seem to be more of a problem than it really is. I don't know about this cold start issue because I don't have my Mini yet, but I can tell you from experience on other forums that things that seem to be a major problem on the forum may not be that big of an issue across the entire population of owners. Do a little more research. I also owned a Camry with over 100k that had no issues, but Toyotas do have problems too. One that my brother had was that the oil would gunk up in the engine. Seems like it was an issue across several models of Toyotas. Would it keep me from getting another Toyota, no, but I would look into it a little more.

Does anyone know what percentage of Minis actually have the cold start issue?

 

Your point has been expressed before and discussed ad nauseum in other threads. I suggest you read and digest the following thread from start to finish...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-chatter.html

...and perhaps check out the enumerable posts on other sites using the links therein.

See if you emerge from that exercise with the same opinion wrt the cold start death rattle.

 

I concur with the above. I have an 09 MCSa built in Sept 08. Took delivery in October 08. Have 3100 miles on it and to this point 0 problems. Does not mean I am saying I won't have the problem (and I hope I don't) but to this point I have not had the problem.

 

I took delivery of my MCS in July 2007 and never had the problem until recently. I'm at a little over 32,000 miles and have had the cold start issue for a few months now. I'm due for service in a couple of months so I'll tell them about it then because I want it documented. I read so much about it here that I wasn't real surprised when it happened. Not happy about it though.

 

I have already seen that thread and it just proves my point. In another car forum there are discussions about subframe issues and engine bearing issues. If you were to just go by what is in the forums you would think the cars were junk. But they are not. They are great, well engineered cars that have some issues. What car doesn't have issues. All I'm saying is that we, in these forums, tend to focus on this type of issue and make it look worse than it really is (in some cases). I was suggesting that the poster do more research and not make the decision to not get a Mini based on this one issue talked about in this forum.

 

I have a July 07 build with 25k miles on it. I get the cold start issue when the temps get down to at least 40 degrees. My SA has me on the list of cars that will get the fix, if and when it comes along. So far the cold start issue has not caused any noticable problems with the car. I baby the car when it's cold. After it's warmed up I have no inhibitions about driving it hard.

 

I've had the cold start issue about eight times now. In about six of the instances, I had just washed the car within the past 8-24 hours. I'm wondering if spraying water on some part of the engine has something to do with it. The rattle lasts for a few minutes then fades away as I drive (loudly) down the street.

 

Well, 17800 miles a no cold start issue as of yet. No problems, besides an ECU retune that was caused by a Footwell Lighting Module that was debunked since 1,500 miles (according to the ECU). Who knows what that is, but no problems as of yet.

I have not experienced the cold start issue at all, at temperatures down to 30 degrees F.

EDIT: I have used Royal Purple 5w30 since Mile 1200.... don't know if that affect it at all?

 

Danger I have the same thing and I proved out yesterday that washing is not a factor. Its the process of starting/stopping/restarting/restarting again the next day (or at least 6 hours later). Check out the Cold Start Issues Database. I posted my findings at https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post2714925

 

This is how mine is too. It only occurs like this. It only started when it was cold out, but it will only happen if I start the car to quick move it and then shut it off. The next time it runs it will chatter when cold. For example. I drive it to work all week. Every time it is started it will sound fine, no matter how cold it is. If I have the car at home and park it in the driveway. Later on I will start it and put it back in the garage. The next day it will chatter when started. As long as the car it brought up to operating temperature it will never do the chatter on the next restart.