...ive read all the posts (i think) that i could about this and asked this question with no response.

my power steering unit whines when i turn it at a stand still. i have read other peoples solutions...mostly just replacing the unit stories. it was suggested to me to have a full system flush before replacing the unit.

is this a good idea? or is more cost effective to just replace the unit. if so, what does the job roughly cost? i have yet to have any service done at a dealer so im a little ignorant to thier pricing.

i know i can drive on it for a lil bit but, its driving me nuts.

please advise.

thanx.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Mine has whined while turning, even at a standstill since the day I bought it. From what you've posted, it seems like yours is normal.

 

The Power Stearing pump is "Electric/Hydro" and they all whine

 

Have you ridden in another MINI? Is yours definitely abnormal? All MINIs have a pronounced whine from the power steering. I've grown to like it.

 

really? all minis have that whine?
ok.
if thats the norm then good. i can learn to love that. my original impression was "its time to add some fluid" but, thats certainly a relief.

thank you.

 

Yeah... I took mine back to the dealer after the first drive just to notice the same whine on every other MINI sitting on the service line. You learn to love that sound.

 

The steering whined loudly on mine (02 MCS) and I also learned to ignore it given all the input about them. I did notice the fluid going down a bit but could not find the drip so just topped it up once in a while. Well 6 months after the warranty expired the car went if for a service and they found the rack had cracked and had to be replaced. Thankfully they offered to pay for the parts but I had to cover labor. The new power steering does not whine nearly as much - whether that was a warning sign or not I don't know.

But I kicked myself for not having had the fluid leak carefully inspected earlier and I would advise anyone with this concern to very carefully monitor the fluid level and if in doubt have someone take a very good look at the unit. Power steering fluid really should never go down. If BMW does the inspection then they would at least be liable if something were to go wrong.

Hope this helps.

OzMini

 

I think the pump alone should cost about $600 plus labor, it´s an expensive deal.

 

Is it no longer under warranty? These went out quite often on the early models. I just had mine replaced.

 

no no...mines still under warranty. im tryin to get it to the dealership soon. my work is getting in the way these days.

i am goin to follow the advice i got on this site and have it carefully checked out as well as monitor the fluid level. hopefully, i can take care of it soon.

thanx.

 

Are you guys serious. I have 49, 356 miles on my 2003 Cooper right now, and I notice the fluid is low. Not a lot, but just a little. The thing is, I'm scared to take mine in now, because I just put new tires on a week ago. They are 205 45 R16s and I'm afraid they will say something about this. But my steering column pops and I want this fixed.