I have noticed a weird groaning sound coming from my '06 R53 after it warms up and is idling. I finally brought it into my mechanic yesterday. He opened the bonnet, started looking/listening, and seemed to think it was the tensioner. He said to bring it back if it gets worse. Is this a good approach or will I damage something if I keep driving it?

Thanks!

 

How many miles on the tensioner and belt? Also, how many holes are showing on the small metal tab on the tensioner?

If the belt breaks it could cause a lot of issues and lead to some big $$ repairs. I would figure out what the issue is before driving it.

 

Thanks for your reply! If they are the originals, probably somewhere around 49k miles. I am unsure about the holes.

That's what I figure. The sound isn't pretty IMO and I know that preventive maintenance is key with these cars.

 

As far as maintenance goes for the belt, it's not a bad idea to be checked periodically (every 3,000 miles, or when you change your oil). Also, typically MINI owners replace their belt about every 30k miles. Now, if your belt tension is indeed an issue, I'd go ahead and replace it. If you're DIY savvy you could do the replacement yourself. We have an article that can help you tackle this job and save you some money. Check it out below to see what the process looks like and don't forget to look over the comments in the comment section as there is a lot of great info in there as well. Let me know if you have any questions.

DIY here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...eplacement.htm

 

Thanks! I am not very DIY saavy so I'll bring it in to a shop. I think the first step is bringing it in for a formal diagnostic. Seemed like my mechanic was busy and wanted to just get it out the door. But, this sound does not sound normal to me. https://youtu.be/dm6ioPK8wjI

I'd much rather just get it fixed. I was also told about some oil leak when I got it changed. Might as well get that looked at as well. I don't see any oil on the ground so am unsure.