My partner bought an 03 Cooper S today

Has full BMW history and has been thoroughly looked after by the previous owner

There is a whining noise when accelerating

Previous owner on test drive said it was either waterpump or alternator making the noise

Is this a common problem or is it likely to be something else?

Thanks in advance

Just to follow up
It whines when stationary so its not gearbox related as other threads ive seen,,

Supercharger whines loudly when accelerating, thats what alot of people love about the "S". if there is a whining sound when the car is just sitting its something else.

If it's only when the engine is reved my guess is that this is just the supercharger.

You can find plenty of videos on youtube to show the sound.

MINI COOPER S JCW GP (2nd Gear Pull) - YouTube

Does that sound right? If you're whining at idle then you probably have other issues.

Robert

There are a few whines to be fair but the supercharger is the main accelerating one. That whine is a good whine!
I've found that the steering whine can be a little noisy but that's the same in every one that I've been in (I have several friends that have had JCW's and MCS's)

Steering whine generally means your power steering is getting ready to take a dump on you. This is a common problem.

whining under acceleration could also be the fuel pump, thats basically behind the two front seats so within earshot. that will spin faster in relation to the revs

Noticed that in my cooper s I can hear a whining noise from the aircon system that increases with revs....turn off the air con and the noise goes away...could be that?

If its the Misses whining because youre going to fast, leave her at home. :D

My JCW also whines when the AC is on, but as I've got a JCW I never wind the windows up anymore, so don't use the aircon. Problem solved.

If its the Misses whining because youre going to fast, leave her at home. :D

This one made my day!!!!! LOL :biggrin:

THANKS!!!!