So I have this nagging whining noise in my 09 MCS with 39K when I'm driving it around town or on the highway. When the throttle is underload I can hear the alternator whining in the cabin. This has been going on since the beginning of the month. I can hear it with either the radio on or off. I've had the car in at the dealer twice for this. Who gave me the usual lines "The tech did not hear anything" or "The tech could not replicate concern at this time". Recommend test drive with owner. To me it sounds very familiar to a alternator on it's way out. The alternator in my previous daily driver 01 325xi touring did the samething when it went bad. Slight whining at the beginning to a loud whine at the end until it stopped charging. How do I get my dealer to address this concern? It took me 2 months of complaining about the timing chain slapping on cold start up to have that addressed. Or should I wait for it to fail and have the car towed in on their dime? Thoughts?

 

If you don't have the option to go to another dealership, I'd suggest making recordings of not only in cabin, but also at the alternator and provide them. Regardless of them being able to re-produce it at the time, you have documented proof.

 

Have another local MINI owner that you can compare to?
I'd start with such to make sure you're not wasting you and the dealers time.

- Erik

 

Get an automotive stethoscope, carefully touch the end to the body of alternator. You will hear the offending bearing, if it is indeed the alternator.

http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-52500-Me...9874333&sr=8-1

 

There is two other MINI dealers that I can go too. But one is part of the same dealer network as the one I've been going to. The other is just to far away for me at this point. Recordings would be a great idea. Why didn't I think about that? I did that with the timing chain. Which by the way still sounds like a diesel every morning.

I actually have a few other R56s I could compare mine with. Like I said before I've had alternators fail and this is a very similar whining sound. I actually had a friend of mine who is a 20+ yrs BMW master tech check it out and he said that the alternator is making noise.

Just picked one up from work before I left tonight.

 

Hi There, did you get this sorted out? I have awful alternator whine and I'm wondering if they ended up fixing yours for you?

 

Never fixed it. Dealt with the whine for the 3 yrs and put 121k on the R56. Ended up trading it in for a newer R55 back in October. Which has no alternator whine.