Hi everyone, I have a 2003 cooper s with the most annoying rattle coming from the back trunk latch. when I opened the back trunk door while my wife was driving, the rattle disappeared. any suggestions and how do you take off the lower molding. thanks, wade

 

Ding ding ding Bingo!

I think that is the rattle, that everyone complains about coming fron the trunk latch. Pretty much all MINIs have that rattle, even 06 models. Please post and let us know if ya figure it out.

 

the dealer replaced the latch because they had a run of bad latches.

My '06 MCS is fine.

 

I fixed mine. See here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...3-post825.html
It's not the best way to fix it but it works! The next tome I go in for service I'll have them do something more "official".

 

i really hope that the latch is the issue with mine. it makes perfect sense. when the hatch is open, everything feels tight and secure, but when it's closed it has a terrible metallic rattle on bumpy roads. i can't wait to get home and try the fix. tape > rattle. thanks

 

it actually worked! thank you! silence is a beautiful thing.

 

The rubber bumpers on the hatch are also adjustable. just screw them out a bit.

 

Yup, twist the little bumpers a but....trial and error to get it right...and all will be great. Also if you lube the striker/ latch area it will help.

 

And here I thought this was a design feature...uh...quirk.
I'm going to try the bumpers this afternoon after work...
Thanks for the tip.

 

There was also a recall on the original chrome latch. it was replaced by a black one.

 

SteelersFan you are a genius!!!!
Finally the extremely annoying rattle is gone!!!
It was really messing up my MINI experience.
I've been twice to the dealership,they couldn't fix it.
Finally,the tape took care of it.
Thanks

 

Do you have the chrome latch hoop or the black one?

 

Black one.
I just drove 20 miles over uneven pavement,nothing,no rattles at all!!

 

Cool.....you got the new one then.

Another option is to adjust the latch. All you need to do is loosen the screws and move it down a bit or even easier adjust the rubber bumpers on the boot.

The tape didn't last long for me.

 

Thanks!!! You're welcome! It was taking away from my experience as well. I've still got a buzz or two from other places in the car ('09 MCSa) but they don't bother me nearly as bad as the boot rattle did.

BTW, I finally drove my wife's '07 MCa again and it turns out that her boot is still rattling (even with the tape in place). It's not as bad as it was but it's still there.

Was the recall mentioned above for 1st Gen cars or 2nd Gen?

In any case, I am going to request the dealership adjust or replace the latch. (the first time I complained about it they replaced a component in the FRONT SUSPENSION! oy!!!)

 

Tried this many, many times in both cars, never improved it much. Haven't tried this. I can tell you my '09 started rattling within a couple of weeks of taking delivery.

 

My 04 has a chrome latch and a bit of black tape has stopped the rattle for now. Thanks for the tip.

 

The recall for the loose latch was for 1st gen cars. They replace the chrome loop with the black one and adjust the latch. No more rattle.

 

My experence with quieting the rattle with the bumpers, tape, or latch change were all gen 1. Not sure about gen 2 tricks... Sorry!

 

Hey all, resurrecting this ancient thread...

I also have the dreaded latch rattle. My car is an '06 with the black D-Ring.

I have tried the tape and fiddling with the bumper positions. The tape seemed to work for a little while but it was quickly chewed through and now even re-taping seems to only muffle it a bit but not get rid of it completely. I have also tried wrapping a thin layer of foam with tape, and jamming the latch full of foam and slamming it shut hard enough for the "hatch open" dash light to turn off... not much better.

Adjusting the latch position by loosening the torx screws and moving it fore/aft also worked GREAT... for about a week. Now it seems that no position, and no combination of tape/position/bumper adjustment can keep it quiet. I am going out of my mind with this thing!

Are there any other suggestions? Can and should I just order a whole new latch assembly? Is removing the boot trim to get at it a big job? Any help would be greatly appreciated! If I can get it fixed, I'm selling the car!

 

The new lock latch might be your only fix , if you tried all the other tricks. Must have enough play in it over the years of use. I know those rattles can drive you crazy.

51242754528

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51242754528/



HERE is the R56+ version.

But its relatively the same way for R50 R53 models

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-problems.html

Thanks and good luck.

 

One thought ...
Look at the hinges...
Many have failed from lack of lube/wear...wondering if their wear have attributed to the rattle/clunk...

 

Another thing I noticed that does a bit of rattling is the "wheel chock's" in the maintenance kit in the rear cubby. I went and wrapped a rubber band around mine and it seemed to have helped

Just throwing out idea's .....

 

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll check out the hinges and the the odds and ends in the kit, if that doesn't do the trick, I'll order the new latch