just wanted to update everyone with my ongoing "rear suspension" noise issue. About a week ago I had emailed Mini again pretty much saying "quit making excuses and just try putting some new shocks on my car"

I didn't really get a response to that but Mini just contacted me saying that they have a "procedure" to perform to my car which should address the issue. She told me that they are still working on this procedure so it may require more attention in the future, but that they should be able to do it in a week or two.

I'll try to get more information when I schedule with the dealership.

Hopefully I can get the new software release for my 3->2 rev matching while it's there!!

I'm so excited to finally hear some good news after thinking they had given up on this.

 

I spoke with the service manager from my local dealership a few minutes ago. Apparently Mini has changed their tune from "the suspension noise is normal, they all do it" to "they all do it and we need to fix it".

He said within a week or two they should have the procedure from Mini for quieting the noise which they believe is related to the shock boots or shock "top". At this time it doesn't seem like they are replacing any parts, but he said that there could be a second fix later as they figure this out better.

 

Now that is just great.......! 5 months with rattling shocks and mini finally acknowledge they agree. ....

 

Now this is interesting. My SA tells me that MINI has decided that the rear sway bar assembly needs to be replaced, but they are trying it out in one of their demo cars first to see if it works. I will definitely email him the above.

 

Oh geeze. Well hopefully they figure this out for all of us. My dealership still seems unsure of what the fix will be so ill update this when I learn more.

I did receive some good news that the finally have the software update for the rev matching available.

 

I must say. This is BS. What can they not figure out? How complicated is the rear suspension....really. The guy that designed it should be able to sort it out very quickly.
It is not about fixing the problem it is about the cheapest way to fix it! Right? We all bought these cars and any good "proper" mechanic could tell you what needs to be fixed. It is clearly not about that. My dealership are just replacing my rear shocks and bushings...but they had to get special permission. That is because there has been so much wrong with my F56.
This IMO is completely unacceptable.

 

Haha I know. The rear suspension is a box of mystery! Meanwhile there's maybe half a dozen things that could do it.

 

Greg. Don't you think a professional that charges $100/hour should be able to tell which one of the 6? I would hope so! :-)

 

Any new information on this yet?

 

I spoke with the service manager from the dealership last night and will be taking the car in on Monday to have the software update for rev-matching and the procedure to quiet the noise.

 

Good to hear! I can't wait to hear the outcome, and if they've come up with a standard procedure. My dealership seems to be dragging its heels, and I wondered if it's because they are waiting for word on high.

 

well, i'm still not aware of what the "procedure" was to fix the suspension noise, but apparently it did not work. They've had the car Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday... yesterday they left a message saying the fix didn't work and they were consulting with BMW again.

i'm still very confused why they've wasted so much labor attempting to diagnose and fix this when several people on this forum and the other claim that new shocks resolved the issue.

In the mean time i'm driving a 2nd gen convertible (non-S, automatic). I will say the sliding roof feature is neat, but it has horrible blind spots and of course the drivetrain makes it a turd. It also seems to be worse on gas than my S.

 

I received an email from the SA saying that they had performed the repairs on one of their demo cars, and were now waiting to hear from MINI. This I believe involved replacing the rear sway bar assembly. We shall see.

 

Anyone having rattles coming from the rear interior trim panels? I thought it was coming from the front, but wife said they are actually coming from the back. I can make a rattle noise if I tap the plastic trim on the rear side windows, but I'm not sure if it's this or not.

There's so many rattles in this car. The door, the dome light area, front dash, rear.. :( Poor workmanship.

edit:
I got a 4000 miles loner (2015 F56S), and that one also had the exact same rattles coming from the door panel and the rear interior trims or maybe the trunk.

 

By the way, I'm also confused about why they insist on replacing things, when new shocks seems to have taken care of it for people on this forum and elsewhere. It seems like communication between dealers and the mothership isn't very good...

 

alright just got the update from the service foreman at the dealership.
they did install the rev-matching update which is awesome.

He didn't know the exact details, but the procedure involved attempting to insulate the shock boot somehow. Anyways, it didn't work on mine nor a demo car. They went back to engineering and they're working on something else.

In the meantime him and someone else decided to just order new shocks which will be in Monday.

 

They finally called me. My new shocks are in....They are putting them on next Wednesday....took 6 months...

 

Dealerships says that the new shocks were installed but the noise prevailed. They're still holding onto my car waiting for BMW to tell them what to do next.

My car has now spent 22 days at the dealership. It's getting very frustrating as I would like the noise to be fixed but at the same time I'd rather be driving it than the POS automatic turd.

 

I can not believe that a good mechanic can not diagnose and fix the problem. This is ridiculous. I certainly hope that the new shocks fix my problem. Honestly if you replace the shocks and all the bushings on the rear sway bar what else could it be. GK

 

Alright, picked up my car on saturday. They did the software update so I now have rev-matching for second gear which is pretty cool.

The suspension knock/rattle seems to be gone on most bumps and is quieter when it does happen. It's a huge improvement in my opinion. I'm still anxious to see where this goes since it looks like Mini is still trying to figure out the real cause. I would LOVE for there to be a recall or service bulletin just for the "I told you so" after having to argue with the dealership and Mini about this noise not being normal.

As an added bonus, Mini of Pittsburgh was also kind enough to install the following at no charge:
-swirl marks, courtesy of their car wash (they usually put a big "DO NOT WASH" sign on the dash for me)
-greasy fingerprints or maybe boot marks on my satellite gray (aka white) door panels
-3 lovely paint chips on my driver's door

i get that sh*t happens, but why does it ALWAYS happen to my car? Is it really that hard to give someone back their car in the same shape it was left in?

Go out of your way to wash the customer's car who doesn't want it washed, but too much to wipe the dirt off the door panel?

 

My wife's R56 spent a total of 5 months over 3 years at our local dealership having a rattle fixed under warranty. At least they stuck at it when pushed.
2 gearboxes, new clutch & pressure plate, full dash in/out twice complete with windscreen removed. Rattle was in the heater box!
I love my Mini and my wife loves hers but I hate the "holier than thou" attitude at the dealership.
Be firm and persuasive without being rude and you should get the service you want eventually.

 

Well that totally sucks about the carelessness. About the rattle, mine is mostly gone as well, but I believe it is temperature-related, and will return next fall, then we will go through exactly the same thing.

 

Anything new on this? I haven't heard a peep out of my dealer for a month now.

 

They replaced both rear shocks on mine and it seems fine now. It is so nice not to have that can of bolts in the back!

 

I would definitely push the dealership to replace your shocks. It makes a huge difference and if Mini Engineering ever decides on a real, permanent solution you'll still be able to get that if/when it appears.