Hey NAM!

My previous car was a 2004 Chrysler Sebring. I wanted a change and were looking for ages at something a bit more modern and luxurious; Jaguar S-Types, Cadillac CTSs, Volvo S60s, etc.
After bumping into a couple of MINIs on the Finnish used car sites, I became fixated with the Cooper S. After reading a lot about them, I knew I had to get one. Don't know why, as it didn't fit "more modern and luxurious" at all...

I then test drove a 2004 R53 with ~150 000 km (~93 000 miles) on it for sale close by.

It was cramped, really rough on the road, didn't have cruise control, and rattled like hell. The exhaust was ridiculously loud (previous owner had done the "one ball mod"), the steering was heavy as was the clutch pedal and 'box. It felt pretty much as far from "luxurious" as I can imagine.

But man, was it fun! Who cares if there's some road noise when you can overpower it with that awesome supercharger whine? I bought it then and there (about a month ago now) and have never been as excited about a new (very much used) car.

I used to have a 2000 Renault Clio RS, a pretty much equally small hatchback with pretty much the same power (N/A 2.0L) etc., but it wasn't half as quick and responsive as the MINI. Also, the retro styling of the Cooper looks about as "obsolete" now as it will twenty years from now, I think.

The thing that bothers me the most with the MINI is the rattling. Which is why I'm here, actually -- I searched Google for a remedy for this problem and found this thread.
...and thought "this seems like a great community."

See you around!


TL;DR: I wanted a refined "luxury sedan", so I bought a MINI and don't regret it one bit.

P.S. Some bonus photos attached

 

Welcome to the MINIacs!

Yeap, sounds like you really belong here...

What rattles? Isolate and work on each one ... I just replaced the driver's door seal on my #24 MC40, at about 120kph the wind noise picks up and any little bump caused the window to rattle... $63.00 later... all fixed. I did have a rattle that was driving me crazy... I looked and looked then i realized it was the plastic water bottle in the rear cup holder, DOH!

Best of luck.

Motor on!

 

Welcome Finn,

Looks really nice, especially for 150K KM.

BTW, sun roof rattles/squeaks can be cured by cleaning the tracks and lubricating with appropriate grease (available at ECS tuning).

 

Welcome to NAM, moarsecode and congrats on your MINI. It looks fantastic. Happy motoring and please don't forget to wave.

 

Congrats and welcome .

 

Welcome! Nothing like the supercharger whine! Enjoy! Sounds like you're riding on run-flat tires. I switched out mine for some Continentals, and it got much quieter! Motor on!

 

Welcome and enjoy your new MINI!

 

Congrats! If you're a DIY person feel free to check out our DIY tech articles, which may help you with any future fixes.

-Luccia

 

I had an R53 that rattled like crazy too, especially in colder weather. I did what JABowders suggested, isolating and then using felt backed tape to cushion and isolate. I never got rid of the rattles, but man did I smile every time I drove my R53!