Ok so for the past 2 weeks or so I have noticed an odd sound while driving. Typically while driving on the street the noise doesn't appear but when driving on the freeway (especially getting on the on-ramps) this weird noise occurs. On the freeway im usually driving 70-75 mph. It sounds like it is coming from the passenger side in the front, more specifically the lower door area. The sound is just odd to me, sounds like tin foil being crumpled very quickly and also like that static-like sound you hear when you put the needle on a record in a record player before the music starts playing. This sound gets even stronger when I switch lanes on the freeways also. It's not super loud but it is audible enough to me in which I can always hear it when it appears.

Anyone got any ideas on what it could be? Thanks!

 

Bump

 

Bad speaker in the door? Try leaving the radio off for a while and see if it still happens.

 

Yep I did that and the noise is still there

 

This could be something under the car that resonates into the cabin. Not sure what components are in that area but you may want to look for loose trim or exhaust shields and the like. Given the nature of the occurrences it does seem speed and angle related. If push comes to shove you will need to have someone drive the vehicle and you can ride 'shotgun' to try to pinpoint it conclusively.

 

There is a goo sized empty space between your fender liner and the door. It's very common to have leaves, dirt, mud etc. build up in there over time. It is worth checking to see if maybe you have a plastic bag somehow stuck in there, maybe a bunch of leaves, just anything noisy that wouldn't get too rustled until you get to higher speeds.

 

Checked that area and there wasn't anything there that would cause this noise. The sound seems like it's coming from inside the door itself or maybe some of the trim. I had a theory that maybe an electrical or mechanical component in the speakers was loose but i doubt that's it

 

I suppose at this point removing the door trim may be necessary? The speed related aspect of this though has me still wondering if that would be needed. The best bet would be to have someone drive the car while you ride along and try to exactly pin point the source, or at least the specific location of the noise.

 

Is the sound continuouse or intermittent when at speed ? Is it always on the same roads or are you able to reproduce it on any surface?

I ask due a stretch of the QEW near Grimsby Ontario that makes car tires moan like whale song! You have to be going at a good pace to make it happen, but it was bad enough to send some of my relatives to a local shop thinking they had a real problem under the car... It's actually kinda amusing when you know what's going on!
Good luck!
E

 

Seat belt buckle? That was my problem; I ended up wrapping it around the passenger headrest to verify.

 

One last thought I had was that it could be the side scuttles. I have noticedntheynare pretty easy to knock loose when washing the MINI.

 

After duct taping the seat belts to the seats to eliminate possible vibrations, checking out the side scuttles and everything else, the noise is still there. In the past 1000 miles I've heard the sound once on surface streets (just to see if speed was the only factor i did go wot to 75mph on surface streets on an empty straight away at night and no noise). It only happens on the freeway i take to school between 25-85 mph (i usually dont go higher than 85 on freeway). It's definitely coming from the passenger side in the front and yes there is nothing in the little storage space on the inside of the door (where you would put little things or whatever). I have Dunlop run flats and the front tires are way way way more worn than the backs (i like to have fun cornering and pedal to the metal-ing) so maybe it's them but i doubt it is. The noise doesn't sound like anything damaging, just exactly like my description in my original post. I'm about ready to call my dealership and talk to the mechanic there to see if he might know what is causing it.