I think mine is actually a little worse than this. I have definite "fuzzy bits" on the edges of the wear marks, but it's hard to get them with a camera phone. I'll have to break out the real camera.

Please keep us up to date with your progress, I'd like to be able to point at another case for backup next time I talk to the dealer (assuming a good outcome for you, of course...).

 

Had the same wear issue just on the passenger side..... ..MINIUSA replaced my roof, this week under warrenty...

 

We (NAM posters) are a very small part of the MINI Roadster community. I wonder how common the problem really is. Are you guys the miniscule exception to the rule, or is this a widespread issue?

 

That has always been the $64K question for any design-related issue since the beginning of the MINI. Some insist that since folks tend to come to the forums to register complaints, uncommon problems get overblown and create hysteria. Others say that issues are likely more common than we can ever know since the vast majority of MINI owners do not frequent the online forums. I tend to lean toward the latter view. If you dig really deep into the bowels of these forums, you can find plenty of examples of people being accused of being "Chicken Little" in response to early complaints about their EHPS fan, EHPS pump, CVT, engine bay fires, passenger-side motor mount, coolant overflow reservoir, "death rattle," melted bonnet scoop, carbon build-up, etc., etc. -- all examples that ultimately resulted in a design change, a warranty extension, or a recall.

Now, back on topic. I did about 250 miles of top-down motoring today. Before I put the top down and departed, I put a couple of 3" lengths of blue painters tape over these two wear spots. When I returned home and inspected the tape, each piece had a dark, black line on it of about 1 1/2" in length, like it had been drawn on with an old Sharpie (wish I would have snapped a pic). It is clearly the rubber seal on the top of the boot that is causing the wear.

I don't know if I should keep taping to protect the top (hoping that MINI eventually comes up with a fix) or let it go so the top wears fast enough and sufficiently bad enough to get replaced under warranty.

 

That, my friend, is the $64 question. Personally, I would immediately consult my MINI Service Manager and ask him/her. I would like the response in writing, but otherwise document their reply and bring at least one witness to the consultation. It's the lawyer in me....

 

I think the forums are great, and have been around many years. We share both good and bad.
When I went to post on the site yesterday. I was not sure if mine was the only one having an issue .. And thinking, was it something I did wrong. It was actually nice to see it wasn't just me and that it is indeed a defect in design.

I am greatfull we have the site to share our idea.

 

I don't own a roadster but I've seen some on the road with the same issue, some look worse than the pictures on this thread!

 

mine is showing the same signs as you guys. i need to make an appointment soon..

 

What can the MINI dealer do other than cut the trim piece slightly to avoid contact between top and trim? Would this affect viability of the top? If I encounter the issue when my '14 Roadster S arrives, I'll bring it to the Service Manager's attention. If serviceability of the top is unaffected by trimming the piece, I'll have the MINI dealership perform the work. If they refuse, it's still a matter of record for future action, if necessary. MINI should be held wholly responsible for patent defects such as the one described here. I sincerely hope this is an isolated versus widespread problem.

 

New design, new problems, Mini will eventually get around to fixing it. Look at the timing chain issue, the melting hood scoop, the peeling chrome trim, the failing high pressure fuel pump, the aux water pump, the leg burning exhaust, and many more...

 

Any news on this?

I made some time to look at it more closely yesterday to see if I could take some preventative measures. While I have not found a solution yet I definitely understand the issue a lot better:

It seems that for the most part is as to do with the way the fabric folds. My guess is that it was meant to fold a lot tighter to the inner plastic housing you see from the inside of the car. If you push the fabric further along that edge it looks a lot better. But the fold created a far out corner that sticks out towards the rubber seal. All it takes is to pull on that fold a little. The problem is what to use to accomplish that. I'm still thinking about it . . .

It also seems the rubber edge was designed intentionally with a very sharp edge so when the soft top is up, there is the least amount of gap between the rubber and the soft top preventing as much water from entering the hidden area as possible. This does not cause wear is normal operation of the top due to the angle to which it comes in contact with the rubber seal. However has the fabric folds it hits that sharp edge straight on (as opposed to from under) creating a direct knife like edge situation and causing wear.

I'm going to study further the problem to see if there are ways to control the fabric better. . .
I'm not a fan of cutting the rubber edge as it will create water entry and since it is not in true open air I'd be concerned too much humidity could sit in there for too long and get long term mold issues.

 

Had the Roadster in for service yesterday and made my SA aware of the wear marks on the top (288 hours on meter). Was advised at the conclusion of the service appointment that a new top was ordered for me as well as some other top hardware to correct the problem. Parts are back ordered and could take as much as a month to arrive but I'm satisfied that the problem will be corrected and Mini evidently knows there's a correction that is needed other than just trying to trim the rear water seal. My SA commented that he didn't think the seal was the problem at all and as we all know something else was causing the two areas to come into contact with each other. I can't tell you what top frame parts are involved but I suspect the rib area above both the driver and passenger head areas.

Thus far all of my service experience as well as the buying experience have been top notch at this dealership ( Cincinnati Mini ). It doesn't bother me to drive 90 to 100 miles to deal with them instead of the dealership that is within 20 miles of my home.

 

How could it . . . any excuse to drive the roadster in my book


That's amazing they did not hesitate. It's a design problem so everyone will have it. What I'm curious is what they will actually correct. You should make sure you take a few pictures of the before and after from the inside to see what they will have changed.

In my opinion it's simply a small mistake in the design of the soft top fabric and specifically how it folds. I bet if the geometry or the location where it is held was slightly changed it would not do that.

I'm also sorry they didn't make a correction on ours, manufactured only 3 month ago

 

RP, appreciate the insight into your experience.

And I'd suggest that those of us of R59 ilk subscribe to this thread, given that we were unsuccessful in getting the mods to move it back to the Roadster Forum.

 

Excellent news! I'm going to contact my SA again and push for a replacement based on your experience. Thanks for posting!

 

I wish I could do something preventive but since there we don't have enough hours (76hr) and the wear is barely barely visible. There isn't much we can do until later. . . on the other hand I'm really curious if they have a real fix...

 

Well, the Roadster top was replaced the other day.
The hardware kit was nothing more than the normal mounting screws etc. The top seems to have a slightly different texture than the original, less fuzzy. The water seal still makes slight contact with the top in the same place it did with the original top. Since this was the case I asked if wear marks appeared again would Mini replace the top again and was told "Yes". I also asked if they would put that in writing and got the response " you have a warranty on the car ".
I was also told that a factory rep was on site when the top was being replaced and checked to make sure the correct part number top was being used for the replacement. Today I went to RealOEM to check for a new part number being used for the top fabric and found there was only one number out there. I am inclined to believe it's the original number but can't verify that. At this point since there is less of a contact patch the new top may function as intended.
The one saving factor for me is that I never keep cars for long periods ( my wife and I have been married for 47 years and the Roadster is new vehicle number 72 during that time ) so it will likely be gone soon. I'm already looking at other options.
Good luck to everyone else in their quest to solve the wear mark problem. At this point mine has been somewhat solved but I don't know for how long.
I believe the dealership did all that was in their power and at this point that's all I can ask.

 

From your description I'm inclined to think the top they replaced and installed on yours is probably the same we had factory installed this last July. I'm also inclined to think that it probably won't fix the problem entirely and perhaps MINI is hoping the fabric, if indeed different, will wear less . . . or, I'm afraid, less until warranty runs out which I think is probably their primary concern.

I don't really get the feel this is a fix but I truly wish my skepticism on this is totally unjustified and that it will hold out very well. So please let us know later how it holds up
. . . I'm afraid that my wife and I will never have that many cars in that amount of time . . . 72!!! I'll be happy if we have more than 10-15, but each his own situation ...


Once winter has passed I intend not to wait for MINI for a solution and hope to think of a simple fix that will truly work. Our car being new I'm all for prevention. As I said before I convinced that the primary reason it rubs is in the folds of the fabric. If that can be slightly controlled differently there won't be an issue at all. How to make that happen is a different story however...

 

I decided I would run over the winter with this one, then when I'm due for another visit in the spring I will force the issue and get the top replaced. I'll be two years/30,000 miles in at that point and if the new top doesn't come with some wear mitigation mods as well then I will do something myself at that point, maybe sanding the sharp edges off the rubber seal and/or cutting it back a little.

 

I'm just over one year and ~12,500 on the clock. My wear marks are visible but not nearly to the point of necessitating replacement. It's more of a glazing of the fabric right now and not as much a severe thinning of the material. My existing top has such a great fit and superb seal that I'm not that anxious to tempt fate (yet) with a replacement. I suspect I'll hold out as long as I can, making sure a swap takes place prior to warranty expiration. I've documented the condition with my SA, including photo evidence (earlier post), so it's all on the record.

For anticipated longer periods of top-down motoring I've occasionally resorted to a couple of pieces of painter's tape over the wear marks. While not very aesthetically pleasing it seems to stay put and protect the fabric fairly well without leaving any residue behind. I'm reluctant to mess with the rubber seal. Perhaps the more ingenious among us will come up with some new and better solutions over time.

 

My new Roadster's top folds similar to this, but the top doesn't quite touch the rubber seal when the car is idle. Do those encountering the wear believe it shifts and contacts the rubber seal while driving, or is it actually touching while the car is idle, thus automatically subjecting the top to constant wear?

 

You can't quite see in the picture, but mine is constantly in light contact, and I'm assuming that vibration and aerodynamic effects make it rub when the car is moving.

 

I hope someone comes up with a preventive solution without the necessity of putting tape, Velcro, etc., on the top's edge during top-down motoring. Aesthetics are an important consideration IMO.

 

I completely agree!

From the testing I have done, there is no rub what so ever if you slightly pull the fold from the inside. But how to make it do that is an other story...

 

Ditto here.

Agreed. This is not a preferred solution in the short- or long-term.

One wonders if some sort of bungee cord could be connected between the underlying supporting strap at the touching point and one of the frame members, in a way that in the top-folded position the cord would be under strain and pull the strap/top away from the rubber weather seal--while allowing the tension on the cord to be relaxed when the top was in the closed position.