I have been looking for a used MCS for over 4 months. There simply is not that many available in this part of the world (eastern Canada). And the few that are around, are either in very poor shape, or way too much money.

I finally found one that looks promising (at the MINI dealer of all places). Here is the link to the car: http://www.bmwminimoncton.com/used/M...96d7de59fc.htm It is in good condition, has the limited slip diff and 2 years left on the MINI Next warranty. The price is fair for this market especially with the 2 year warranty.

The only issue is I can just hear the timing chain death rattle starting. It is still relatively quiet (not nearly as bad as some of the videos I've watched online). It goes away once the car is warmed up. The dealership says they will look into the noise if I buy it. Should I be concerned? Or should I walk away?

 

A clicking sound isn't always the death rattle. Could be normal.

 

y isn't the dealer 'looking' at it before anyone buys it? if this is a 'next' warranty, that rattle should have been taken care of. i wouldn't sign the sales until the rattle is fixed. there are other inherit problems resulting in the prolong 'death rattle'.

 

.......

 

I know these engines definitely have an interesting sound to them. This one has the normal click, but there is a faint metal "clack" in the background. And it definitely went away after the car warmed up.

I'm not sure why the dealer hasn't fixed it. Maybe they didn't notice. As I am a bit paranoid about it, I was really listening for it. I think I will call them tomorrow and ask them to have a mechanic look at it and measure the tensioner

Thanks for the feedback.

 

+1 - until oil reaches normal oper temp/pressures completely normal for these engines.

 

Have them replace the damn $32 tensioner in 30 minutes and if that doesn't fix it. Walk away lol. Or it could just be the normal noise of these cars. Ever heard another R56 MINI?

 

Had the same issue... Not much choice used in Ontario so went buying new.

My justa Cooper is noisy until warmed up too. Other MINIs i've heard are the same.

 

I called the dealership yesterday and asked them to have a tech listen to it. The tech said he could hear it faintly. He thinks it might be the start of the tensioner going. They are going to address it on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday). Assuming they fix it, I think I will buy the car. I sold my daily driver last night. So I really need a car as my other car will be going into winter storage in a couple weeks.

6speedwtneed:
I have heard 2 other R56's run. One of them didn't have this sound, and the other one was 2+ months ago before I was aware of the issue, so I didn't listen for it.

walk0080:
I've actually been looking for a MINI in Ontario and Quebec too. I'd fly up and drive one home. There have been a couple cars that were good, but they were sold before I could make arrangements to go up etc.

 

Just for some final closure in this thread.... They replaced the tensioner and the sound is gone. The mechanic was very surprised I was able to hear the sound as it was quite faint.

I bought the car. I went and got it tonight. I am finally a MCS owner!

I checked the local classifieds tonight. Figures, 2 MCS came up for sale today. I'm still very happy with my purchase though.

 

Awesome!

Enjoy your Mini!!!

 

Didn't happen unless you post pics! Congrats on the new addition and welcome to the dysFUNctional family!

 

Congrats! Yeah, gotta break that habit of looking at "what's out there" after you buy your own. I was doing that a little and a couple times I was annoyed there was a lower price or different options or whatever. But, everytime I get out of my "new" MCS I'm smiling.

 

I will post pictures if it ever stops raining here. I've driven the car 4 or 5 times since I got it and it has always been raining. Still loving it though!

I'm still checking the classifieds out of curiosity. I don't regret buying the car (even if the same car comes up for sale for 5k less), as it was the right decision at the time. The real nice thing about my car is it has the 2 year warranty and the limited slip diff (which is extremely rare around here)

 

I was the same way when I bought my 2007 R56 used. I kept checking the marketplace to confirm that I got the best car at the best price possible. It goes away in a couple of days as you start looking for ways to customize your new Mini.