I have a 2007 Mini Cooper S that I have recently had some issues with. I bought the car used with 24,500 miles on it back in November. (It has 29,000 on it now.) I recently experienced the "death rattle" that everyone has talked about. I took it to the dealer 3 weeks ago so they could diagnose it. They determined the timing chain was fine, but that the tension should be replaced. So, they replaced the tensioner. The car was fine for roughly a week. Performance improved but, then it developed a new noise. Took it back and they couldn't find anything. So, I told them to put it on the rack to look underneath it and they found that the waterpump was leaking. So, I had them replace that. Car was fine the rest of that day and night. However, the death rattle came back the very next morning, and the next, and the next and the next. So, back to the shop it went. They replaced the timing chain, tensioner and all the other parts that are required per the service bulletin. However, today it developed the noise again, but under different conditions. This time, it doesn't do it on cold start up, it does it AFTER you drive it for awhile. I opened the hood and couldn't hear the noise, but when I closed it, the noise sounded like it was coming from the area of the hood scoop. ARGH!!! What do I do? I like my dealer, but I really shouldn't be on a first name basis with my service manager. Any suggestions?

 

Piper, It sounds like you've been doing a good job of doing what you should do! It's refreshing to hear that you have a dealer that seems willing to stand behind a car that they sold.

Whether this is related to something they have already done, or if it's a new issue, take it back for them to fix. I understand your frustration.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Are you confident it's the same noise?

BTW, I don't understand the "Death Rattle" appellation, in my car it wasn't a rattle, it was very clearly the sound of a loose chain riding against something it shouldn't. It went away as soon as the RPM's got high enough and the oil pressure pushed the tensioner far enough to take up the slack in the chain. It was also a noise that escalated with the RPMs. Is that what you hear too?

All of these 2nd gen cars use very high pressure fuel injectors that make a pretty loud noise, especially when the hood is up, just FYI.

Either way, I agree with grgramps, take it back to them so they can straighten it out once and for all. It's possible they just got a bad tensioner out of the box, if so it only takes an hour or so to change it.

 

Record it on your cell phone or video camera just in case you can't replicate it for the dealer.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I am taking it back for the fourth time in 4 weeks to have this noise looked at again tomorrow. When the noise happened today, I heard it when the hood was lowered and at idle speeds. When I raised the hood, I didn't hear the noise. I'm sure it's the chain/tensioner again, but it's just frustrating that I have to take it in again. The tensioner they replaced the first time was probably the wrong part # (as there have been reports of two different part #'s with this issue and one is better than the other) so the second time they replaced it with the other. I'm glad they are being receptive and trying to fix the issue, but it's difficult to believe after two tensioners and a new chain with all the accompanying parts that this is happening again less than one day after it was all replaced. ARGH.

 

You might verify your oil level isn't low for some reason; that can cause rattling noises from the chain/tensioner.

 

I found the air conditioner service valve on the passenger side can rub against the hood transferring the engine vibration into noise. If you see a mark on the hood where the paint is worn just above the valve then it could be a contributor to the noise problem.