I got the rattle today again.i was able to record 10 seconds of it. Ill clean up the recording a bit And upload it.

 

No, I had a 2005 R53 which had both driveshafts destroyed and its gearbox, too.

That one spent 3 months or so at the dealer the two years I owned it. The story is around here somewhere, actually.

 

yeah I had major problems with my 05 S's CV joints and axle shafts, more reasons why it had to go.

 

Too bad NAM doesnt have a "smart ***" simile...

 

It should bother you. It needs to be fixed. It will damage the timing chain, and could eventually destroy the engine. Anyone who has this start-up rattle (sounds like a chain being dragged over metal, and changes with rpm) should get it fixed ASAP. Until you do, try to keep it below 2,000 rpm until the rattle stops.

My 2007 had it on rare occasions. MINI of Mountain View fixed it without charge, and gave me a Clubman to drive for the week they kept it.

 

I've been parking the car nose-up and the rattle is gone.

PRoblem is, the audio I recorded doesn't show a thing. I need to start parking the other way around...

 

So just how obvious is this rattle? I have a 2007 MCS that I purchased used (so I'm a bit of a noob). It has about 21K miles on it, and I don't hear a rattle.

I'm I just one of the rare lucky ones? I just hear a slight sewing machine sort of noise from the valves as the engine idles - a bit more pronounced than when warmed up but nothing dramatic.

Am I right to assume that if/when my car develops the rattle it will be _obvious_? Or do I need to be a bit attentive to hear it.

 

no, the sewing machine noise is the direct injection and is normal. The cold start rattle is a loud horrid thing that you can't mistaken for anything else. Mine only did it a couple times, but I was lucky enough to get the timing chain and tensioner replaced anyway.

 

So from my understanding the cold start rattle is loud enough to hear from the inside? I opened my windows this morning and my engine sounded rougher than when I drive it in but I never paid much attention to it. But compared to the youtube videos, it doesn't seem at all simlar.

 

I think a lot of people are confused with the engine noise they're hearing. Most may be normal...

 

Take a bicycle with a really loose chain, hold the rear wheel off the ground and pedal it really fast. Now hold an enpty gas can against the chain. That's what it sounds like.

The sound increases with rpm. If you have the radio going when you start up and weren't paying attention to the engine, you could miss it. If you listen to the engine for the first minute of driving, you'd notice.

 

Yes it is-- open yr glovebox next time it happens and hear for yrself. If U record the sound, do it inside, too much ambient noise outside, bonnet up, with all the DI noise as well...

RC's description is accurate. Mine would be taking a ball-peen hammer and smacking it against something metal.

 

I got a clear recording of it and I burned it into a CD.

Something I've noticed - the noise is getting louder everytime. First it was barely audible - now it's really noticeable and bothersome.

Then again, I'm still waiting for an appointment from Mini. I think I'll just drive by tomorrow and drop the car off and tell them to fix it immediately.