My wife's Mini has developed a strange noise when driving. Its like a pulsing clicking or rattle of some sort. I was wondering if any of you have some insight. It sounds like its coming from the drivers side. My guess is its the half shaft or transmission. But I curious if anyone here might have some answers.

Here is a video link. The car is stock with a CVT transmission.

 

I have the same problem with my 2004 Mini Cooper Base (non-s with CVT). The sound increases with acceleration on the driver's side. It has been making that noise for at least three years, and it has definitely gotten worse over time, yet the transmission has yet to fail. There are 126K+ miles on the car. I've been told by several Mini dealers that the CVT will inevitably fail, but maybe this isn't a transmission problem. Could it be the half shaft on the driver's side? This car needs to last forever because I'm poor, so if anyone has some ideas for fixes, please let me know!