Good evening,

I went away for a week on vacation and my 08 mini was working perfectly fine.
When i came back and drove the car i noticed a weird "chattering" or "clicking" sound when I insert the key into the key slot. I do not have to hit the Start button or even turn the car on. It seems as whatever circuitry is enabled once the key is inserted the "chattering" or "clicking" sound begins. So far i have been able to drive the car without any problems and the problem is not exhibited once i start the engine. However, the problem is also noticed after arriving at my destination and hitting the "Start/Stop" button to turn off the engine. At this time i once again here the same "chattering" or "clicking" sound. It seems as if its coming from inside the cabin almost in the area of the interior fuse box. But I remove the only visible relay that I can tell and the noise continues to happen.

Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance. If more information is needed please let me know.

Just FYI, the relay that I tried removing was the relay depicted in the image found on the following post....https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...obd-codes.html

 

Could be a battery going bad and low on amps

 

I'll check the battery. However, the battery is at most a year old. But I will check it out and get back with an update. Thanks for the suggestion. Any more would be welcomed!

 

Just putting the key into ignition turns on a number of circuits. On my E90 bimmer, it definitely turns on the fuel pump. I forgot if MINIs are the same, or not.

Open the hood and hunt for the source of the noise with key in ignition.
Check for 12V on the HPFP (passenger side of the intake).

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So before heading home from work I move my car approximately a 2 minute drive, park, turn off the car, chatter is heard. I go to the back of the car and notice that my tail lights are on even though my car is off. I try to start the car and the car does not start. I needed a jump. I drive home, turn the car off, chatter once more. I immediately disconnect the battery cables from the battery so that it won't drain or have the opportunity to discharge. I let it sit for about 45 minutes and decide to go to Advance Auto parts and have my battery checked. Therefore, I reconnect the battery cables to the batter, drive to the store, turn off the car and no chatter is heard. A system test is performed and the battery and alternator are good. During the tests i started and stopped the car several times and no chatter was heard....I drive home turn off the car, and once again nothing was heard. Is it possible that something was reset electrically by having physically disconnected the battery cables? Or do I have a more concerning problem...possibly something electrically?
At this point since the problem didn't occur over roughly 4-5 start/stops, i am not sure if I should take my car in for service or not....

Any ideas are welcome. Thank you in advance.

 

Likely a loose or high resistance connection at the battery that was fixed when you removed/replaced the battery cables.