Clicking coming from Engine - help please

[gleamz]

Hi guys,

New to the forum, just bought a Mini Cooper on an 03 plate last week.

Since I've been driving it, I have noticed a clicking noise coming from, what I can guess at being the passenger side of the engine bay.

Characterstics are as follows;

1) Noise like a click [remember when you put ly sticks in your bike spokes as a kid?]

2) Noise gets louder and faster with accelaration / decelaration

3) Noise doesn't occur when standing still and revving the enginer or when I press in the clutch and rev the engine in neutral whilst I'm driving

4) Can't seem to hear it from outside the cabin, only seems to be when in the car [had wife listen to the car when I drove past her - I could hear it, she couldn't].

5) Noise can be louder at some times rather than others.

6) Can't 'feel' it through the brakes / accelarator / steering or gears - it's just the noise

I spoke to BMW about the fault with the chain that this site has mentioned, but they told me it was only on the COOPER S. I've got a cooper.

Sounds like a gearbox / transmission issue to me - just wondered if anyone had heard something like this before. It is under the car dealer warranty, but I imagine they aren't really worth the paper they're printed on.

Any help would be appreciated.

[lori21]

Sounds like you have the same problem i have, Ive been told by several people on this site and by independant mechanics that my gearbox is on its way out! only have 34k on my clock!

I took my 03 cooper back the dealership i bought it from only 2 months ago and basically got told i was imagining things and that they couldnt hear anything whatsoever wrong with my car! They also said they couldnt hear the bad wheel bearing even though it sounds like its about to snap off! I have 3 months warrenty that runs out the end of this month and of course they dont want to replace a gearbox at £1000 + cost to them

please see my thread i have video footage of the noise my car is making, is it the same problem you are having??

http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-gen...ce-needed.html

[gleamz]

It's possible, although I couldn't really hear the sound on your video.

Can you still hear the noise when parked on the drive or road with the engine running as I can't - my noise is only there when the car is moving under load.

I can rev the engine freely whilst parked or in neutral whilst driving and it doesnt make a sound, but as soon as I put it back into gear, it rattles again.

I'm going to speak to the car seller today as I'm not sure how their warranty works [they give 3 months, but I paid £150 extra to stretch it to 12months, but I only got paperwork for the 9 months I paid for so have no real clue as to what it actually covers].

I'll keep my thread updated and let you know how I get on and what it was.

Good luck with yours too.

[gleamz]

UPDATE:

Car seller has now told me that I need to speak to the Warranty company to get this sorted. Unfortunately (for him), I told the company that the fault was already there when I picked the car up, which it was.

The warranty company are now saying that the issue should lie with the seller.

The seller is telling me that I have invalidated my warranty by telling the company the fault was already there!?!?

So, after much to-ing and fro-ing, with a smattering of threats to trading standards, he has agreed for me to take it to a garage (it is in as I write this), and he will pay the costs.

If it helps, as soon as I described the problem to the mechanic, he booked it in as a transmission problem.

Will update when I get any more information.

[gleamz]

UPDATE

Mechanic has said it is the pinions that drive the driveshaft that have gone - basically, its the gearbox, but not the part that actuall 'drives' the car.

He has quoted £800 + VAT to remove and repair - he did say that the Rover gearbox [I assume this is the midlands gearbox] can be repaired, but if it was the BMW gearbox, then you can't get the parts and it would need to be fully replaced at £1500 + VAT.

Car seller has said that this is too much money and I need to take the car back to him so he can get another garage to do the work.

It is due back next week - will keep this thread updated just incase anyone has the same problems