[theowwm]

Hi all. I've got a 2015 Countryman with TC 1.6L engine. The car has ~22k miles on it. Recently, a few folks have commented on the sound of the engine. The first was at a gas station. I pulled up to the pumps after driving for 4 hours. The attendant came up to me and said "sorry, we don't sell diesel". When I told him it was a gas job, he said that it was the noisiest gas engine he'd heard. The second time was a few days ago when I was leaving my office and I ran into a few colleagues in the parking lot. I talked to them a bit and then got in my car and drove off. Later that day, I called one of them and he commented that the engine was making noise much like a diesel. I had a service appointment at the dealership the following day, so I asked about the noise the engine was making. They had the technician look at it, and he said everything was normal. The sound does not seem to be any louder/worse when the engine is cold. It also does not seem to improve after running for a long period of time. I drive the car pretty hard, putting about 700 miles/week on it. The bulk of the mileage comes in my 4 1/2 hour commute to work on Sunday and the return trip on Thursday. This is all highway driving at pretty good speed. I recorded a video of the engine from a cold start and then again later that day after driving it for an hour. Sorry for the length of this thing.

I can't post links yet, so the youtube video ID is: 0FB31UQKYGg

I've got to go back for oil service in a few weeks, I think I'll try to test drive a new car off the lot to see how the engine sounds.

Opinions/feedback is appreciated.

 

[Davyboy]

We also have a Cooper Countryman and they aren't the quietest of cars I have to admit...

 

[Desert Rat]

Sounds pretty normal. Do a web search or YouTube search Direct Injection Engine Noise and you'll hear a ton of examples. It's the nature of the engine design.

 

[Davyboy]

Sounds pretty normal. Do a web search or YouTube search Direct Injection Engine Noise and you'll hear a ton of examples. It's the nature of the engine design.

Plus very little sound proofing...

 

[Desert Rat]

Plus very little sound proofing...

Well yeah, that too.

 

[Koryak]

I hear both the high pressure fuel pump and valvetronic mechanism making more or less normal noises for this engine. Things like fuel & oil quality can quiet it a little but the diesel sound will still be there. If you're off free oil changes try 5W40 oil to BMW spec. The valvetronic lash adjusters sometimes benefit from more frequent oil changes that reduce internal varnish buildup.

 

[theowwm]

Things like fuel & oil quality can quiet it a little but the diesel sound will still be there. If you're off free oil changes try 5W40 oil to BMW spec. The valvetronic lash adjusters sometimes benefit from more frequent oil changes that reduce internal varnish buildup.

The oil is getting changed every 8 weeks or just about 5k miles. Currently running full synth 0W40. The dealer is covering oil changes until 100K miles. I have changed it a few times myself when I couldn't spend the time hanging around at the dealership (it can take them 3 hours as opposed to 20 minutes in my driveway). Next time I do the oil, I might try the 5W40.

Thanks.