Couldn't be sure what it is exactly. Could be the same thing and it is just occurring at a different rpm for you. I would personally not bring it in if it only happened once and no engine light came on or anything to prove it. You basically have to wait until any abnormality is continuous and you can predict when it will happen so you can prove to the tech it happens and so they can pin point the problem, but its up to you

 

The whine from the water pump mostly occurs when the car is idling. Your whine could be from something like the serpentine belt. Had you just washed your car, or gone through a puddle right before it happened? Most of the time when you take it to the dealer, they want to replicate the noise to find out where it's coming from. I'd definitely keep an ear out for it happening again!

 

Count me in, my 2008 MCSa is making this sound at idle when warm now as well. 2500 km only on the counter.

I took it to the BMW workshop this morning (was there 3 weeks ago for a transmission problem, I got the car new less than 3 months ago!), and got 2 reps listen to the noise. I left the car running and dragged them out. They confirmed they hear it too.

They will contact me once they have a tech diagnose the problem. I mentioned they need to have the engine warm to reproduce it, to which they said ok.

Let's hope the Japanese guys are thorough...

 

I used to get a whistle only at idle, and not all the time. Seemed to happen most often between 3,000 and 5,000 miles; now at 21,000 it hasn't happened in months. It sounded to me like there's something getting adjusted by the ECU that caused it in the induction system.

And, to be honest, I don't think it was an issue. It was not very loud and certainly did not cause the engine to malfunction. Maybe what I had was different than you guys; loudness was slight to moderate, and sounded like your nose whistling when it's partially clogged?

 

Perhaps it's a different noise. Mine is very audible even with the windows closed.

 

Could well be different.

 

Cooper S, 2010.

I just noticed the whine. It definitely sounds like a misaligned belt to me. The weird thing (and similar to all of your experiences) is that it goes away immediately after I even slightly touch the accelerator.

Very strange. I don't know when it happened, because I always drive with the windows up, and the noise is only apparent after the engine is warm. But it's impossible to ignore if the windows are down.

My car has... heh... 800 miles.

 

That's the one.
Well, you're in for water pump and pulley replacement. That fixed the whine on mine.

 

Well, I suppose it'll be a good moment to have my dash rattle, the misaligned hatch and the noise at idle looked after.

The car has 800 miles, after all.

 

Things aren't going well at the dealership.

Misaligned hatch and hood -> "It's normal, you can't expect the car to be perfect". WHAT?

Dash rattle -> "Will have to look at it". Well, fine.

Noise at idle -> "What noise? Can't hear it". "Oh, that noise? It's normal, it's a turbo engine". "Water pump issues? We've never heard of them" "You can't rely on what someone tells you on a bulletin board on the Internet".

Ugh. At least they kept the car and will "see if they can grease a pulley or something" to kill the squealing. Which, by the way, was worse than it was yesterday.

I'm already missing my Honda dealership. And I never visited it for any problems - only for regular maintenance. :(

 

Sounds like a major A hole...
Perhaps trying another dealership (if possible/not too far) would help.

 

Got a call today from the service manager.

The guy had a completely different attitude for the first one. He made some small talk, apologized for having to bring the car twice to the dealership before 1,000 miles (the first time was because they forgot to add the vinyl stripes) and then told me...

a) They need to change the pump, and he estimated that would take 4 days' time (since they don't have any in stock).
b) They'll fix the dash rattle - it's just a loose harness.
c) They aligned the hood and hatch, but the hatch is a bit noisy. They'll take a closer look at it.

All in all - this is the kind of service I was expecting in the first place (actually, I would have expected not to send my car to the dealership so soon after I bought it!).

I'll post back when I get the car, and see if the whine is gone...

 

Oh boy.

I should have received my car today. I call the dealership, and...

"Our technicians are still trying to determine your problem. They may finish by tomorrow. Then we need to send all documentation to BMW, since it's a warranty claim. You may have your car back by September".

WHAT THE.....???

Is BMW's service this terrible? 2 WHOLE WEEKS to fix the water pump?

DAMMIT, I should have bought an MS3. I owned an old 3 for 3 years. I was never treated like this.

 

My dealership kept my car about 4 days in total for that problem. The reason was that they tested the car for 2 days to make sure the pump/pulley they replaced would not do the whine again. That kind of delay I can understand.

I believe 2 weeks for this is a bit over the top. Is the guy who informed you it would take until September, the same guy that apologised to you the second time ?

Damn, sorry to say, but your story sure does make me glad I bought and drive my car in Japan...

 

Nope, it was someone different. I believe the receptionist. One whole week to diagnose a problem. What the f.

Tomorrow I'm going first thing in the morning to ask them if there's any danger in driving the car, and if there isn't, I'm taking it until they can get the water pump and pulley. They already told me there are no loaner cars.

I swear - I'd love to just leave the car there, get my money back, and buy the new MS3.

 

My car is currently at the dealer for the water pump whine. Dropped it off yesterday morning, they replaced the pump/pulleys/tensioner, and it's still making the same noise. So they asked to keep the car overnight so they could contact someone higher up (I'm assuming a regional mgr or tech from headquarters) - they just called and said that they still have not heard back from this person, and he was supposed to be in their shop today. So they're keeping my car yet another night.

Granted, I have a loaner, but I'm super **** about my car and having it out of my hands for 3 days is driving me insane! This is supposedly the first water pump issue that this dealership has had, and they've been nothing but nice - but if this isn't resolved tomorrow, I'm getting my car back, whine and all, and will wait until they can get the correct person to fix this or the correct part, then I'll go back.

Ok, update - the master tech is on his way to specifically look at my car, I'll post later when I hear back...

 

3 days? I haven't got my car back yet. Today they told me the pump may arrive by tomorrow.

Frankly, I've already forgotten about my car. I only had it for one month, after all. :(

 

So, master tech says whine is a "normal" sound, as he heard it on another MINI in the service bay. So no fix.

Now, the whine is there when I'm either coming to a stop, or just starting out. It is not audible when idle. I hear it right before the engine noise takes over. Complete opposite of what it was before I took it in.

Side note, did you know they have to take off the front bumper to replace the water pump? They didn't put the bumper back on right, there is a 1/2 inch gap between the bumper and hood, so back to the dealer I go. I compared before and after pics, and it's clearly off. I hope I don't get any problems with this. My SA has been above and beyond as far as service, so let's hope his winning streak continues....

 

My car is back! Got it today!

And the F#"$"%"%"G whine is back, too! Just the same as always!!!!

Isn't it just GOOD to know that you can count on some things in life, like your Mini being even more unreliable than a Yugo?

If my Mini was my son, I'd have sent him to a military school or something a long time ago.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!

 

bssiesmith, I feel your pain...

I had my waterpump and pulleys replaced, only to be told that they're making the same noise, and per the "field engineer", it's a normal noise and give it some time to break in, since my car only has 3700 miles on it...why do I have to deal with a reman'd part that's making the same noise as the original, but LOUDER? This is ridiculous.

 

The problem is that we may be the first series of people to be experiencing a design flaw, but they can't admit that their engineers screw up and didn't test EVERY single thing and EVERY possible condition. I wish they would just own up to problems and start believing in the customer instead of their bottom line.

 

Thanks for the confidence boost, Checkercoop, I really need one right now...

I emailed the Service Manager at my dealer asking for some sort of resolution to this - my MINI was in better shape before I dropped it off to be "fixed" . My front bumper got moved while being worked on, and no one can see the gap between the bumper and the hood that wasn't there prior to service.

And my "new" waterpump is louder than the last, so can I please have my old one back?

 

lol Yeah well I've lost my confidence in MINI. They gave up on me, so I'm gathering my paperwork to lemon this thing.

Goodluck on yours. Trust me, I've been there

 

Even funnier (and true).

I took my car for a spin, the pump noise is there, I decide I don't care anymore (and hope for my car to explode, burst in flames, or something like that) when someone on my right makes strange signs at me.

So, hoping my prayers have been answered (FIRE! FIRE!) I park and notice that my skidplates (is that the correct term? A piece of plastic that protects something underneath the car) are hanging lose by only one screw.

I take the car back to the dealership (again) and ask them to fix my issue and they are like "nooo can't be... we didn't do anything to that part!. I'm just begging them to fix the p#$$"#$" of s"#$$"$ and let me go on my way. They do so. I take my car and drive off.

At this point, I wonder how long it'll be since I have to go back to them. I mean, the car is still squealing like a pig. Difference is, I don't care anymore, and I hope it really, really breaks down soon (catastrophically, if possible) so I have a really good excuse to trade it for something - anything - else.

In the meanwhile, no way I'm driving this car out of the city with my wife and kid in it.

 

JUST PUT THE WATER PUMP/ FRICTION WHEEL INTO SERVICE MODE AND DRIVE IT AROUND HARD AND SEE IF THE NOISE GOES AWAY. DISREGUARD ANY LIGHTS THEY WILL BE FALSE BECAUSE THE ENGINE THINKS IT IS OVERHEATING OR SOME CRAP....