Okay, this is my first MINI that I've ever owned. I've only had it for two days and I absolutely love it. (It's an 08, cooper S) It has me a little worried with some engine noises though. This is the first turbo'd engine I've ever owned, as well as the first direct injection engine I've ever owned so I am completely in the dark with the noises it should/should not make and all that good stuff.

I did a whole bunch of searching and found a ton of threads regarding the cold start issues with the timing chain, and a bunch of other threads talking about various rattles and what not but nothing that really described what I had. It seems like it makes a clatter/harsh fluttering noise when under power and at idle. It does NOT do it when cold, or when coasting in gear al lower RPMs. I would have thought it was the cold start issue but it never does it when its cold...in fact it doesn't start doing it until it warms up a little. I'm going to try to get a video of it, but it's definitely not a noise i'm used to and it sounds pretty harsh, especially in the 1500-sih to 3000rpm range. I dont know if it's the turbo, if its because of the direct injection or if there is an actual problem. I stopped by my local dealer today and they said to come back and have a tech look at it tomorrow (nobody there on sundays) and he said its possible the timing chain needs to be adjusted? and I asked if I could listen to other ones on the lot and he was very helpful...he let me listen to one but it took a while to get him to let me.

It also had trouble starting a couple times. It stalled the first try once or twice, and stalled a second try once even as well and just kind of stumbled to a start. I ran some seafoam through it and so far it's fixed it but it's only been a couple hours.

I owned a gm pickup before so I'm in the dark with the cooper :(

Thanks in advance for the help!

Ryan

 

The "cold start chatter" is not limited to just occurring during cold start conditions. Mine only started up once the engine was warmed up and would only chatter above 2200 rpm.

 

Here is what the cold start noise sounds like.
http://vimeo.com/8582979

 

and this one too
http://vimeo.com/8330376

 

That is EXACTLY what I'm getting. Calling the dealership right now. Thanks for the help.

 

+1 on the chatter not just occurring on cold starts. Have them check the high pressure fuel pump as well regarding your problems starting the car.

 

Dropped it off today. I have an "official" appointment wed. morning but they said if they can get to it earlier they will. I don't feel comfortable driving it without having them look at it first. I tried to have the SA that was there listen to it but the car had cooled down by that point and didnt feel like making noise and she said usually if its the cold start problem it only does it when cold. Wrote down that it only does it when hot and driving around, and I mentioned the trouble starts too. I have a feeling they will call me and say they could not replicate the problem but at least they will have it on file that I brought it in for that, in case it does kill the motor later on down the road. It has DEFINITELY gotten worse though.

 

Got it back, said they could not replicate the noise. It sounds like rocks being tossed around in the engine. It's 10X worse than it was 2 days ago. Calling them back again tomorrow, dropping it off again this weekend and the SA is getting a personal drive around town. There is no way this is normal. They tried to tell me it was .5 quart low on oil and that they still needed to start it when cold and that I elected to take it early. He told me it was ready. Will not be a pleasant phone call. It's unfortunate that this is how they treat their customers, considering my family has purchased 4 or 5 BMWs/MINIs from this same dealership in the last few years. I live an hour away and need this car for school, and they are trying to screw me over. Just awesome.

 

Keep on them about it. I have had to video issues that wouldn't replicate at the dealer, and upon hearing/seeing those, the service department took care of me (the cold start rattle was one, the other being a rear wiper that would stop in the middle of its sweep).

Good luck!

 

+27 F? Shouldnt that be +27 C?

I am confused

 

It's getting worse!! It now does it on every cold start, and anytime over 2500-3000ish RPMs. Such a horrendous noise. Every single person that rides in the car either says "That doesn't sound good" or "is it supposed to make that noise?". I noticed the oil wasn't topped off today like it was when I got it back from the dealer so I had a little hope of it being cured. I topped it back off, unfortunately it sounds like I made it worse?

I'll take a video of it tomorrow before I call the dealer and make an appt...the first SA I talked to last time didn't really take me seriously...she made it seem like I was a waste of her time. It didn't help that I couldn't be there when they inspected the car.

 

It's the stretched timing chain and failing tensioner due to low oil conditions.
You need to fix that ASAP so the camshaft don't skip teeth on the chain effectively running the valves into the piston.

- Erik

 

It wasn't low on oil or anything, it just wasn't all the way at that top mark. It was well within the 2 marks, it took like a quarter of a quart or so. I'll see what the dealer says about it when I call. It's still under warranty. Last time they said it was fine. It wouldn't do it this morning so I think it's pretty early in its failing stages...but until it starts doing it on a regular basis I can't really take it in. They are an hour away and I'm in college (and under 21) so if I take the car down there I have to wait...I don't get a rental or loaner because I'm too young. And if it won't do it for them then I've wasted a bunch of time and gas money. If it blows up, they can fix it. They have it in their paperwork that I complained about it and they said it was fine. I'm not going to touch it and risk voiding the warranty.

 

reading this is liking watching a horror movie....I can hear the music, I know what's around the corner, and I can't do anything about it.

Please don't drive it at all until its fixed!?!

 

It is just like a horror movie. I know what's coming, yet what can I do? How can I not drive it? I have to go to and from school, there is no other option. It's been to the dealer and they said it was fine and until it does it on a regular basis, I can't take it in. They are an hour away and I lose an entire day and gas money if they give it back and say it's fine again.

They know I complained about it, they "couldn't hear it" so according to them there is no problem. I have written paperwork that says I brought it in complaining of the timing chain and HPFP so if those fail they can't say crap but fix it under warranty. It is what it is I guess.

 

I park on a downhill incline, and this is what I listen do every morning. I took a video of it, i'm going to see if maybe i can email it to the dealer service guy. I know nothing official can be done that way, but it may help?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_ahUFBmhoY

 

You could just spend the $40 and the 15 mins and have changed the tensioner yourself.. there are enough how to threads out there.

This would or will buy you time until it is properly fix.

or you can keep driving it into the ground whatever works for you.

 

I don't really get how fixing it myself is going to buy me time or ultimately help me. The only thing that that will do is buy the dealer time from fixing it. If I change it out, then then in 7 months when I'm out of warranty and something fails completely I'm completely screwed. I did buy an extended warranty but I'd rather it get fixed rather than just keep patching it up.

Letting it go out slowly, it will start doing it more regularly (so far it has been) and then the dealer can't deny it when it clearly does it, or dies completely. Is it the most logical way to get it done? No. My engine can blow up. But if I mess with it, start changing out parts, and something fails then its on me, and I'm sure they will void my warranty if they knew I was changing parts out. Not to mention I definitly don't have the money to keep getting new parts. That's why we got the car with the warranty, so if something goes wrong it will get fixed with little cost.

 

From other posts i've seen they will try an pin it on a low oil condition, to which obviously you have been keeping up on. Just make sure you keep an eye on the oil, and keep bringing it to the dealer and watch them listen to the car.

 

yeah that's what I'm a little afraid of. I called the dealer a while ago and he made it sound like if there was an indication of a timing chain issue they will fix it without too much hassle. Mini of Concord has really good reviews on service and is really active with mini events and stuff so they seem like stand up guys. Makes me feel a little better about it. I check the oil every week since they said it was 'low', and I've noticed if it is parked facing downhill, on cold start it will rattle like in the video I posted. Flat ground and facing uphill it does it only every so often. I'm going to give them a call and talk to my SA. See what he has to say about it.

I would honestly do it myself, it's not that I think I can't do it or that I am trying to blow up my engine. I've read every thread I can find on the issue and how to correct it, i'm just worried if I fix it and have trouble later on down the road they will try to pin it on me and leave me high and dry to pay for it on my own. I'm still in college and the car was given to me. It's still under warranty, which was one of the main reasons I got it, so if there is a problem with it I really need the warranty to cover it, and I don't want to take any chances of voiding it. Otherwise I am out a car, which will make it really hard to get to and from class.

 

It's issues like this that make me feel good about leasing my MINI. It's scheduled for production so I don't have it yet, but it's reassuring to know that the entire time I have it it will be covered by the warranty and the maintenance plan. It's the first car have ever leased in my long life, but I felt a lot safer doing it this way. Good luck to the OP in getting this resolved.

 

I can't believe dealerships are still pulling this trick when they know it's a manufacturing defect. I had mine fixed last year. I brought it in with the cold start issue and they claimed it was low oil and couldn't reproduce the noise. They changed the oil but when I picked the car up it was rattling up a storm. They didn't have a choice but to fix it at that point. Checked the chain length and agreed based upon service bulletin to do the fix.

 

I showed my SA and SM and tech (at the same time) and they said, can you leave it hear now? I told them I would be back in the morning when they had a loaner for me. Measured the slack in the timing chain, replaced everything under warranty.

 

Took it in. Made an appt for this morning, and I did a night drop last night so it would be on a fresh cold start on a cool misty morning for them. I showed up, my SA asked if I wanted to be there when they started it, I told him yes I would so I went out with the lead service tech and I talked with him for a few minutes about it, and then he started it up. Thankfully she felt like making noise this morning (doesn't do it every start) and the tech said that it was without a doubt the timing chain.

He said I'm getting a new chain and tensioner, and it should be done today, but they want to keep it overnight for a fresh cold start tomorrow morning just to be sure. ill probably pick it up friday sometime. Big sigh of relief, I was sure she would get stage fright and stay quiet on me!

 

Glad they could finally replicate it! I love a happy ending. I feel relieved and it's not even my car!