I need help identifying why my cooper is overheating I recorded this video of the weird noise from the coolant tank area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wgSiGiC7P4
So I had a slow leak from coolant reservoir I keep an eye on the level and a little every few weeks. Today I was on the highway heading home and I see my car overheating but I am doing 65. So it's strange because it only ever overheated if I leave it sitting for a long time and coolant was low. Then as I pull off highway I hear a weird chugging/chortling sound. I waited for car to cool off I add some spring water maybe 12 ounces then I waited and it seemed full. But it keeps overheating I check it and it has coolant but it makes the weird sound coming from the coolant tank.
Just want to figure out if it's my water pump or if it's an expensive part. If it's a cheap part I'll have it fixed nearby, If it's over 400 dollars then I'll tow it to dealer I bought it from where I have a warranty.

 

have it brought to dealer so you are covered under warranty. if someone else looks at it they have a way out .

 

Yup....bring it too the dealer...say it overheated ONCE...and the fluid was found to be low....DO NOT SAY you let it overheat MULTIPLE TIMES!! Or you will not have a warranty (can anybody say user error, VOIDED!!). Allowing a car to overheat can cause the head to warp, or a head gasket to blow....just for a start on the bad things that happen.....

 

Update
I purchased the platinum bumper to bumper warranty(4 years 48,000 miles) on my pre-used vehicle purchase from Courtesy Toyota . Over 2 years and 28,000 miles later My Mini Cooper's temperature gauge went up while driving home and began making a noise. I had the vehicle towed to courtesy for repair after a week they replaced a coolant tank said to have a leak but could not stop or find the source of any over heating. Courtesy proceeded to sublet the work to Downtown Mini. After another week Downtown Mini found a bad radiator cap and had to open up the engine because of compression loss. They found the cylinder head had warped due to the failure of parts I have under warranty. Both Mechanics from Courtesy Toyota and Mini agree that this should all be covered by warranty as the failure of my warranted parts caused the damage to my Mini's engine. Which is now estimated to cost over 4300 dollars to fix. When my car first got hot no coolant leaked and no steam blew out of the car. I opened the coolant reservoir and it had coolant. I had no previous over heating. I was in contact with fidelity warranty service at every step as well as both mechanics. Fidelity declined my claim saying the vehicle over heated which voids any damage done to it.
I have researched this company and they have tons of scam and rip off reports going back over 10 years. So I have posted on a bunch of consumer rip off sites but am trying to figure out what to do next.

 

Sorry to hear that you got screwed.....but this is so common in the aftermarket warranty arena, that it just proves the old add-adage "Buyer be ware". Wording like you found, when present in a warranty gives most warranty company's a "way out" when almost anything fails, be it wear and tear, age, or even a orgional defect, which is often called "abuse".
Since you bought the warranty product through the dealer, appeal the descesion, and see if the dealer will, at the very least, refund the warranty price, and maybe proclaim they will stop selling products from that company. Warranty's are popular add-ons sold by dealers since the mark-up is often 50%.........when volume incentives, and bonuses are considered (from what I have heard and read anyway).

Overheating is usually considered a user controllable event...like driving on a flat tire and damaging a rim...quick action is needed to prevent damage from being done. As such, as drivers we are expected to turn the car off when the needle goes into the red, just as we are expected to pull over if a regular tire goes flat....even though in some situations it may not be safe to do so.

One time is certainly enough with overheating to cause damage....though the mini usually seems to survive a couple overheats before sustaining MAJOR damage like you experienced. Sorry again that you had a problem...but if you had enough time to tape the sounds, and then post them to u you-tube, it sounds like it happened more than once...and you kept on driving the car..... This is a recipe for disaster....

What can be learned from this....aftermarket warranty are usually a bad deal if it is a good new/used car that a mechanic looked at and gave a good bill of health (they are best sold to the risk adverse, and then should be thought of as paying a premium, so consider it "pre-paying" repairs....and even if you have a warranty, you MUST ACT QUICKLY if a problem occurs to prevent further damage....and act to get it fixed quickly, just as if it on on you nickel....because in the end...you still may be paying anyway.