Bad News, my Clubby had the full monte replace in a few months ago and the noise started back up again this week 3 times so far this week. I have a call in to my dealer and waiting for a response. Mine started the first weekend I bought him in Feb 09 and my dealer took their time fixing it and now after a few months the noise is back again. I am planning on going out this weekend to start to look for another car....this time it won't be a MINI!

 

Humm...not good. No cold weather right now either, right?

 

cold weather has nothing to do with it. it's cold engine.

 

If it's cold out and the MINI is rattling, that's just normal behavior

 

I got my Clubby the same month, and had just the tensioner replaced at about 1K miles - since then I haven't heard the noise, but now that the weather's getting cooler I've got my ears wide open. I'm at 10K miles, how many do you have now?

I don't know how you can afford to sell or trade your car when it's this new, I couldn't or wouldn't stand the loss. I'd rather just get it fixed again and carry on.

 

MINIdave I am pretty close to you in the milage dept, I have about 9k miles. shoot I should have traded it in last month under cash for clunkers I am so fortunate though that I don't have to sell the MINI or trade it in to get into something else. I wouldn't give my problem to someone else, I like to sleep at night, plus it wouldn't be prudent...I never heard from the service advisor..no surprises there, do they ever return calls? I did talk to MINIUSA and they appeared concerned that the previous repair did not resolve the issue with the cold start chatter and they have notified their engineers to follow up with my dealer. So it appears to be a waiting game now.

 

My car is has 1,000 miles. I need to have it fixed. It chatters once or twice a week. I recorded the chatter on a CD with my iphone (the chatter is very, very noticeable on the recording). It's just that I'm sick of driving my car to the dealership. So far, I haven't used two full tanks of gas without driving it back.

 

What sort of feedback have you gotten from the dealer's shop about this?

 

On my way home from my office tonight, I experienced a similar noise. The car had been sitting for about 3 hours in the warm autumn sun. The tach was jumping from 750-1500 RPMs, and the car ran very rough. I pulled over, called Mini service and ordered a tow truck.

A few minutes later, I decided to move to a spot where the flatbed would have better access to the car. I gingerly started the car and lo and behold, it ran as smooth as silk. I let it run for a few minutes and then called roadside assistance back and cancelled the tow truck.

I'm still going to take her in on Monday, but do you think this is related to the cold chatter issue? My build date is 12/08.

 

If I move my car out of the garage to the driveway to wash it and then move back into the garage afterwards and let it sit overnight, the next morning, OMG, the engine sounds like it's going to fly apart! For the first 1/2 mile I have to drive it easy and then noise just goes away. That's the only way and time it'll do it.

 

more likely your high pressure fuel pump. It's not the chatter we are talking about.

That's the easiest way to recreate the noise. Let it sit for >hour, drive very short distance, let sit a few hours then start. There's something about that short drive that doesn't get oil pumping very well.

 

We've had all the tensioner upgrades and the noise is back again - seems to be progressively getting worse. Happens on the first start in the mornings... Headed to the dealer in a couple days...

 

I've watched owner videos of both and my issue is not at all like the fuel pumps problems. In those, the car revs very smoothly on its own. With mine, it stutters and grumbles along, and sounds more like a diesel.

I spoke with my dealer today. They said next time it happens, bring it in and they won't mess around with it and just do the tensioner first.

 

It doesn't sound like the chatter problem either. The chatter problem doesn't make the engine run rough or have erratic idle. It's only noise.

I have seen where the high pressure fuel pump creates rough idle and stumbling issues.

 

If your SA is not calling you back, time to move up the ranks in the dealership and talk to the service manager, if that doesn't get things moving, keep moving up the ranks till you get to the owner if need be. I've always been able to get a situation handled without resorting to the owner's office, but I know some dealers just are not as responsive as they should be. I guess I'm fortunate that here in KC we have a terrific dealer who seems to really care about the customers. That said, a few of our KC MINIacs have not had as good an experience as I have.

I don't see it as giving someone else a problem, it's the MFR's problem, it's up to them to resolve it, the dealer is just the one who gets caught in the middle, trying to please the customer and get paid by MINI's warranty claims dept.

Good luck and keep us posted, OK?

 

No. The jumpy idle and rough running are the giveaways here. With the cold start knock, the engine otherwise runs steady, it just sounds like the noisiest dammed diesel on the planet-- no codes, no cels, no unusual exhaust, idle stays where it should <900 rpm. At least that's the way it was with my two times, and others I know who have the problem.

 

Had my chain tensioner replaced with the updated part to fix this issue back in February. Unfortunatley the noise has now returned. VERY UNHAPPY. Cars booked in to MINI next week . I'm sure they will do another temp fix using the same crappy parts. Just glad its a lease....

 

I too feel your pain, had mine done 3 months ago. The noise has resurfaced twice since then. Although not as loud as the original one, it's there!

 

Just got our car back from the dealer, they replaced chain and tensioner assembly... we'll see if the noise returns.

 

Well this has turned out to be the worst 3 weeks, the dealer who sold me the car wouldn't return calls, MINIUSA had me take it to another dealer and meet with an engineer. The tech did everything he could in the last four days to duplicate the noise with no success. They asked me to come and pick it up. I am thinking of having MINI Finacial pick it up once I get it back home.

Here are some of the videos that I took for them before they got the car on Tuesday 10/06/09

Idle

Driving

 

Sorry you're having these problems. Sure sounds like cold start chatter to me and I don't understand why the Nashville dealer won't take action to fix it. I had a very similar sounding noise and the dealer performed SIM 11-02-07 and I haven't had any further problems (fingers crossed). Hope you get it resolved...and it sounds like you will one way or another.

 

That doesn't sound like the noise my car made, mine was not so much a knocking noise as a chain dragging on the inside of the case noise. And mine changed with the rpm of the engine, becoming higher pitched as I revved the engine. I'm not saying your car doesn't have a noise, only that it's different from what mine did.

That - to me - is a distinct "diesel" sounding knocking noise...........

Your car is under warranty, I think I'd simply drive it. If it does have an internal problem, it will become evident soon enough, and well within the warranty period.

 

My dealer called me back today. Bad news. They have had the car in for 2 days trying to fix the cold start rattle. Its already had the sim 11 done in feb and as stated above the noise has returned. The bad news is the engine is now being fitted with new lifters and possibly a new head. The dealer would not admit it was a result of the chain tension issue but said they could not rule it out. I'll keep you updated, listen to your engine if it rattles it aint right!! And the Sim 11 fix is only a band aid.

 

What is the tech doing to try to duplicate the problem?

 

My yearly service is Wednesday and I have both the Z-i-i-i-i-p noise of the chain dragging followed by the diesel sound for about 1/2 mile.

It went away for the entire summer and I was parking in my downhill space at work. Now it is cooler and I have to park nose uphill to avoid the problem.
It seems that if I park uphill and rev to around 3000 a couple of times before shutdown, I can somewhat control the problem.


Mine doesn't sound any better than the others but I don't seem to get it nearly as often. Not sure what that means.