Did this occur after you had started but not driven far enough to warm-up the engine? Be sure your dealer makes a service notation on your car's history.

 

Now my R56S is experiencing the Cold Start issue twice in 2 weeks. Taking it to Classic MINI asap. I realize nobody seems to know what is causing the noise, but just throwing in my 2 cents that mine is now making the awful diesel-ing noise. MINI better own up to this one or this will be my last MINI.

 

see post:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...23-post57.html

 

I've been experiencing the Cold Start Rattle for a few months now--even in the summer. We notified the dealership of this when we went in for the yearly oil change and they said it was the timing belt, they'd change it. They had to order the part, which didn't arrive until we returned home--750 miles from that dealership.
Since we've returned home, the temps have started to dip. My car has stalled on 2 occasions. The first was on a mild day, when I pulled out of the driveway. The second was this morning, again pulling out of the driveway--it stalled 6 times. Both times, the car started with the rattle. I'm not sure if this means the problem is escalating or not, but I'm letting MINI know...

 

From the Factory JCW Forum:

 

this may be a month late and a dollar short. but this technique was advised against... So your are doomed if you do and doomed if you dont, Is there a database of tempatures that is happenes at... Like maybe tempatures and numbers of days since last start? I think that would be a nice little idea.. So guys like me have something to read since i do not own a mini yet and it will still be a few more months before i am able to purchase

 

You mean like the sticky at the top.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-database.html

 

Thank you
that is exactly what i wanted to see. If i was better at Excel or dbase i would make a nice speedsheet ... i have 3 and 1/2 months of partial free time...

 

Maybe you could crochet some seat covers...

 

The PUMA 10686850 referenced earlier in the thread can not be found by my dealership.

Quote "does not exist".

What goes on here, phantom PUMA?

 

just an update.... my car has had the dreaded CS rattle for about a year now. i have had the fixes mini recommends, and as we all know, that has not helped at all. the noise is louder than ever. i can hear my car idling in my house. the car now makes the noise in both hot and cold weather, and is worse after short drives, but pretty much chatters on every cold start. it continues to make this noise while driving, even up to 3000 RPMs.
i dropped the car off at morristown mini yesterday, and their head tech sat there and told me how the noise is normal for up to 5 minutes, but that he'd look at it anyway. i am not holding my breath. i worked for BMW, so i know how they are slow to admit problems and don't really like their dealers' service departments going on fishing trips.
i am very disappointed in this car. i was planning on selling it, since a car that once brought me joy now just makes me sad, but decided that i couldn't pass this problem off on anyone else. thank god i leased.

 

It is indeed, sad. I have the problem intermittently and have pretty much been able to control it by eliminating short running times. (This is quite a pain since I have to often move the Mini in my garage.) My understanding from Mini Main Line here in PA is that Mini has recognized the issue, but does not have a solution.

 

hmmm.. from what I gathered so far, it seems that a very short driving time is the consistent factor in all these cold start rattle threads. maybe these short drive times are "fooling" the oil-on-demand system??

2009 MCSa, week 39 build, 1400 miles, JCW tune kit, ambient temps below zero the last two AMs--no cold start problems. And no start/stop short drives.

 

I have had this problem with my car when starting first thing in the morning, spoke to my local dealer in the UK and apparently BMW have a fix that should be available sometime in January. Not sure if this may help some of you but since mine started making noise, when I get in my car in morning I press the stop/start button without depressing pedals so ignition lights come on but engine doesn't start leave it about 30 seconds then depress clutch pedal and press start button. When I do this no diesel sound just thought might be worth a try for some of you.

 

When I was in for service last my SA said MINI has now pointed the finger at the vacuum pump and says it's "normal" again. Lewis has been very noisy lately, and I never do quick start/stops - yesterday he was real bad when I started him after work (it's a 25mile 40minute trip here) and this morning also bad when I started him in the morning.

 

How is the Oil pump driven? Is it electric? I would think a preluber or maybe an oil filter that has a one way check valve , would help but are probably waaaaay out of what BMW would want to spend on a recall...

 

According to the Michigan Mini Club, Mini is now claiming that it's the vacuum pump. That's odd considering that previously it was reported as a tension device for the timing belt that would be replaced. Anyway, some Mini owners in Michigan are testing Mini's theory.

There's no way Mini can claim the vacuum pump is operating normally if the car also stalls (even if you ignore the unappealing sound characteristic). It's also odd that they would say the sound is normal if Mini has actually replaced some engines. Perhaps there are some real problems and some unrelated acoustic issues?

http://www.michiganmini.org/forum/in...topic=3115.150

 

well, i just went and picked up my car... the SA told me that i was down almost a quart of oil, (odd, since i just had an oil change in late april at their dealership, and it didn't burn oil the first 10,000 miles). of course, i knew this was complete nonsense, and of course, when i started my car, the noise was there, as it always is. it's snowing here, so i didn't even bother going back in. i had an hour + drive home, and honestly at this point, just feel as if i am wasting my time mentioning it to them...

 

I thought the vacuum pump was something MINI identified sometime last year as a possible source for the noise, before they identified the cam chain tensioner as the culprit.

 

Do we have any idea of the % of R56's impacted? I have an '07 with 15K and have never had this....Am I in the minority, and/or is it just inevitable??

Thanks!

 

I think that's the burning question of the day. I'd love to know, because I'm reluctant to spend my hard earned savings on a car that might give me expensive post-warranty grief (I keep cars a long time). I contacted the local dealer, who claimed never to have encountered even one case of the dreaded chatter. I just wish I knew whether this was affecting 20%, 2%, or 0.02% of the cars. It's probably not possible to know with any degree of certainty. I just wish MINI/BMW would acknowledge the problem, but I guess that would amount to self-inflicted bad PR. But it's pretty hard to ignore the numerous YouTube clips and forum posts that document the problem. What's to be done?

 

I agree with you Bob..until this issue is sorted out, the MINI is not on the top of my next new car list....still on the list but this problem along with fact my nearest dealer is 2 hrs away....keep it from being #1. Perhaps one of the rumored 13 new dealers by 2011 will land in my area to coincide with a solution for the cold start shudder issue..I can only hope.

Rick

 

I don't have the rattle but I have something else.

My check engine light went on when I started my Mini the other day. My Mini did not want to shift out first gear and rpm's was fluctuating up and down.

Dealer said, code was for throttle condensation? (Throttle housing freezing due to condensation, they found ice) It is the second time is has happened. First time the CEL went off and the car drove properly after. Anyone else have this issue?


It has been really cold here in Calgary for the last week

 

Mine had this problem when the temperature went below 0F. Dealer installed a "revised throttle." No problem since.

 

how often did this happen? What is a revised throttle, did they replace it with a new one?


I just don't want to be stuck one day...again

thanks