Ask MF: Why Does my 2007 MCS Tick?

The whine from the power steering was due to the previous electro-hydraulic setup. In fact, the whine was ‘hushed’ even more in the ’05 and ’06 builds. Next time stand outside of a ’02-’03 and then a ’05+ and the steering whine is not as pronounced on the newer cars.

Going back to the “ticking”of the PSA engine. While I am not refuting the fact that the dieseling noise is due to the direct fuel injection setup, the noise at idle is still pretty loud and gives the impression that something is wrong with the car. The ticking seems to be louder on the MCS than the MC.

Dealers in Europe are replacing the chain tensioner piston and even the engine tappets (very big job) all under the direction of BMW technical support. Apparently, they believe there is something wrong with the engines but every diagnostic/repair seems to be a shot in the dark.

The big question is how this noise will affect these engines with 50K-100K miles down the road?

Just playing devil’s advocate here.

Actually the word I was looking for is “quieter”.

I actually like the ticking sound my MCS makes. I think it sounds cool and unique. The only thing that would really bother me is if it affects the life of the engine AT ALL.

Lavardera, you lost me right there. I have no idea what you are talking about. Who is this Frankinmiami? Anyway today I am in Munich, Germany which is far, far away from Miami (If my childhood geography lessons serve me well) but have heard great things about their beaches and the hot women (Wink!).

Anyway lighten up! Take a deep breath and relax! No need to get worked over a different point of view. After all, this is what makes Motoringfile a cool place to talk about the cars we all love and feel passionate about.

Cheers!

Otto

My ’96 VW Jetta had a definite tick at idle from the fuel injectors. You could sometimes hear it inside the car. The engine had over 70K when I traded the car away, and was none the worse for wear. It also was not a direct injection engine.

Hey Lavardera, you are so right about that! Let me not fall into that trap. There is much to like about the R56. Some minor tweaks inside and out could make it the perfect replacement for my ’05. Heck, I may even keep the ’05 alongside it!

Is it like a values ticking kind of sound or the sound my current R53 is making due to a faulty flywheel =/ …I’m guessing, one way or another MINIs just like to tick… I hate ticks… makes the car sound cheap and like you don’t change the oil or something.. quite embarrassing to have a car ticking when you spend all this money for them…thank goodness there’s a stereo ;)

My wife’s ’07 GTI ‘ticks’ too. It’s just direct injection. No big deal.

My point about the tick and anybodies dislike for it would just be while I adore my 05 for its refinment I can tell you horror stories about the 02. All new cars take a while to work out once they hit the real world. I would not have traded my 02 experiance for anything, at the time it was a great car. I am sure the tick in the R56 will just be a audio character mark to help me stand out while next to less interesting cars ;)

My ’02 MCS sounds tame in comparison to what’s posted here! The main noises I hear are the electric steering (more ‘cool’ than annoying), supercharger whine (also a ‘cool’ sound), light gear rattling in idle when the clutch is fully released, and some annoying plastic trim clicking / rattling noises while driving (can be fixed with a screwdriver, double-sided tape and felt foam).

Windscreen-wise the previous owner must have replaced the standard model with an Australian Standards version, which has taken several high speed road stone impacts with magnificent grace and little damage. Otherwise I’ve had no problems with my MINI. I won’t be trading it in soon, unless new models (aside from R56) woo me otherwise. It feels good to own the ‘classic’ ’02 R50 MCS. It still looks new, modern and hopefully becomes a collector’s item down the track.

the r56 turbo is water cooled as well as oil cooled. Also the water pump circulates water for up to 5 minutes after you shut the car off. No cool down nessecary. I would probably still do one for good measure if i was at the track and just came in off of a session… but thats me… probably a little unnessecary.

Aside from the normal ticking, anybody notice their shifty sticker…ooops, or a sticky shifter in their R56 lately. Happening to me w/ 2000+ miles on it.

My 2006 MCS ticked at idle from the day I picked it up. When the clutch is depresses, the ticking goes away. I reported it to the dealer on the two free visits and the mechanic suggested I wait until near the end of the warranty (Now only about 4000 miles away) and take it in for a warranty repair since it was recorded on their system. But what is it and what are they going to fix?