Probably not an issue and I actually don't mind it at all, but still wanted to see if anyone else had the same experience. I've driven the car very conservatively during break-in and couple of tanks after just to see what kind of gas mileage I can get out of it, but last couple of tanks I've been driving in a more spirited fashion and noticed that the turbo whine is a lot more pronounced, even at low RPM / economy driving.

Is it a common thing to notice after the break-in is over or should I check oil level to make sure it's not low. The car drives great, pulls pretty strong and is a blast to pilot around the rural twisties where I live and work.

 

After 6,000 miles mine sounds about the same, no turbo whine...

 

Hmm. I guess a call to the dealer and a test-drive of a used S is in order. Too bad it's a 50 mile trip.

 

You should be checking oil level regularly anyway, imho.

 

3K miles, checked oil - level is ok (no change since pretty much birth), but it's pretty damn dirty. I wanted to go by the book on this car, but now I'm seriously considering DIY Mobil1 change some time very soon instead of waiting another 9 months until scheduled oil change is due.

Turbo is still very audible. Can make it constantly whistle doing 50 in 4th (3K rpm).

 

What do you mean by "constantly whistle"? I don't have a turbo, but if it whistles it should only make a sound under acceleration.

If you hear the turbo when cruising then maybe you should check your intake system connections. You may have an intake boost leak. This would result in a loud whistle and increased wear on the turbo bearings.

Years ago when I had an Eagle Talon TSi I had a terrible whistle & loss of power after taking it in to the dealer for work. I took it back and they said that there was nothing wrong with it, despite the fact that it made a sickening noise and drove like a dog. I took apart the whole intake system from the turbo to the intake manifold and put it back together. That fixed the leak and it ran strong like new.

Hope this helps.

 

I'll check for loose fitting tonight, but there is no power loss and the whistle at certain RPMs is not that loud, just seems louder than it used to be.

Thanks for the heads up on the fittings.

 

Well, if it was ok before, it's not ok now. Something popped under the hood on the way to work (under good bit of acceleration), and now it whistles like a full time banshee. The hoses/clamps on top of the engine looked ok/sturdy, and I didn't get to look underneath the car yet. No CELs yet, but I think I lost boost.

Will be limping home tonight and looking at engine bay more closely without 100F sun cooking my back.

I hope it is the first and the last issue with this car if BMW wants a life-long customer.

 

Pull the air intake box and check the hose behind the intake manifold too (up against the firewall). If nothing else, putting it all back in will ensure that everything is tight and as it 'should be'. It's really easy.

 

Looked at it again with the engine running - the whine was obviously metallic, not air getting sucked/chopped by the turbo. Called service, they told me to get the car towed to them.

Towtruck took about 20 minutes to show up (pleasant surprise vs. roadside's estimate of "73 minutes"), then I had to find a ride to get dropped off at the dealer 46 miles away.

The service adviser accompanied by a tech turned the car on and without popping the hood said that it was not the charge pipe. They also managed to hear the unusual turbo whine that this thread was started for and said that it's not normal either.

Now I'm driving a laser blue shortie Cooper S auto... God I hate autos, but it's quick and I like being able to downshift while braking. So all is not bad.

We'll see what they say when they diagnose the thing - they had no idea what it could be besides "sounds like a bearing".

Edit: Funny thing is that all this comes about a month after I filled out a 20-page JDPower initial quality survey giving MINI all 10s.

 

Sorry, new to forums and stuff, but perhaps it was a little bit colder outside when you noticed the turbo being louder?