as warranty going out soon, i am thinking back all the concerns i've had over the yrs, to make sure they are taken care of if required.

please understand that while i LOVE my mini, i am what you would call a car-tard. So i do apologize in advance for sounding stupid and appreciate it if you would be so patience in educating me..

Apr 06' MSCa, DS-w, 36500 miles...
los angeles area, mostly bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway driving

1. Click Click Click
since day 1 of getting the car, i've heard this not-too-loud "click click click" noise after i start the car, cold in the morning...it will last for a few minute and then disappear?
it sounds like it's coming from inside the car, like in the cockpit area, not the engine...

any expert can shed some light on what can it possibly be?

i've taken this to the dealer before, but since it's 35 miles away from me, by the time i drive it there, Mini is all warmed up, they can never replicate what i am talking about, and never did anything for me.

2. mushrooming?strut?
reading the various mushrooming-strut thread just now. and remembering that i spent $$$ to replace my run-flats only after 30k..i think i remmeber tire guy telling my alignment is wayyy off, and may have sth to do with the strut mount. any truth in that? what do i need to say at the dealer to have them look at this for me?

3. jolting when downshifting
my 1 and only previous car before my mini was a used toyota Camry, that practically drive as smooth as butter...so pardon me if i am being silly. Since day 1, i have noticed that somtimes, my Mini will have this weird jolt, when going tom 2k to 1k rpm, as if i just tapped on the brake or something, when i am just cruising, without my foot being on either gas/brake.
Mind you my mini is an automatic (further proof that i am car-tard)...i took this to the dealer at some point, but they says it's the "sport" in my Mini...i am not so sure. With the 3 diff gas station around my work, i have noticed that Shell gas seem to give me no jolt, while Exxon seems to be more jolty...and i never goes to the 3rd station, Arco.
Any insight in this? could this be a potential "issue"?

once again, thank you for your patience and time.
As mentioned, my warranty& maint is coming up soon, so if you have any related advice for me, i'd much appreciate it. things to make sure to check before it goes and etc

Or if you have any insight on extended maint/warranty, please see my other post for some research i've done, and let me know too.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post2993837


thank you very much!

 

You may want to get a second job to help pay for your car repair bills. As your Mini ages, it will become an extreme drain on your wallet.

Urban legend has it that the on-board computer will sense that your warranty is up. It will then start sending electronic signals to other parts of the car telling them to break down. Some more sophisticated computers can actually tap into your bank accounts and detect when you have made your last car payment to trigger these signals.

to answer your questions ...
1. - that is your power steering and its a normal sound.
2. - runflats rarely last beyond 15k. Mini's do need alignment like any other cars. But to be on the safe side, you may want to have a knowledgeable Mini mechanic look at the strut mounts.
3. - stick to Shell if it works for you. Mini's are picky about fuel. the random jolts could be a gunked up injector. A bottle of high quality fuel injector cleaner might help.

 

If you're still on good terms with the service writer, try to get them to replace your brake pads/rotors and wiper blades.

There are a lot of other things which are going to fail soon but it will be very difficult to persuade the dealer to replace them prophylactically if they haven't actually failed yet.

The best thing you can do after the warranty expires is to find a capable independent Mini-only repair shop. Since you're in LA, I'm sure there are several available -- ask around.

Best of luck in the post-warranty after-life!

 

I took mine in this summer about 1 week before the warranty was up. I had a friend who is a BMW mechanic look at it and he gave me recommendations for #2 and #3 on the list. Here was my list:

1. Stained bonnet stripes - replaced on warranty
2. Small crack on strut mounts - dealer told me it was not a warrantable item
3. Possible leak around power steering pump hose - no problem/leak found
3. Tranny occasionally difficult to get into 1st gear (manual) - this item I was sure I would get a cannot duplicate. Only about 29K miles on the Mini. - Found metal shavings in fluid - took 8 days for approval, but tranny was replaced on warranty

So based on my experience, I say have everything checked and documented that you possibly can. If they can't find a problem, at least it's documented that you questioned it and noticed an issue. If they do, you will get lucky like I did