I have a 2017 Countryman S built in January 2017 with almost every option, including the dashboard Head-Up Display. A couple of weeks ago I started hearing noise when the display retracted - and it got worse with a "Plasticly" sounding grinding noise. I took it in to Las Vegas MINI and they agreed something was wrong and started the repair process. Some interesting things about this process.

(1) The tech had to remove the entire dashboard in order to get access to the display for diagnosis. The problem is with the motor. They certainly don't design these cars for easy diagnosis and repair! I have been told I really don't want to see what my car looks like disassembled this way.

(2) Because this defect has never happened before in the US(!), the part had to be ordered from Germany. The time to receive the part was quoted as 8-10 days. They seem to be shipping via row-boat across the Atlantic(!) It has been 8 days and I don't know if they have received the part yet - the service department hasn't been very proactive in keeping me informed. (I've asked my Motoring Advisor to help - he is very good.)

(3) I gather the tech has never had to do this kind of work before on the new Countryman; I was told he was working slowly and very carefully. I hope everything gets put back together correctly.

The only good thing about this is that I have a 2017 Four Door "Justa" MINI loaner and my wife is happy - she likes the smaller models better. I have forgotten how low these cars are and have some difficulty getting in and out (I am 6 ft. tall). My wife (5 ft 2 inches) zips in an out easily. I have been pleasantly surprised by how much zip the Justa has.

I'll update when I get more information and when the repair is completed. I'm surprised MINI doesn't stock more parts locally.

David

 

"I'm surprised MINI doesn't stock more parts locally. "

I'm not, that costs money. They won't do that until they see if this is a recurring problem.

Shame on them for not giving you a heads up on your head-up display.

Wife has the 4 door justa, it is a blast to drive.

 

I'm not surprised your HUD went out already. I've raised and lowered ours a few times and it looking dinky and the movement is not smooth at all. I've told my wife to just leave it down or up and not move it often because it's only a matter of time until it breaks. I'm hoping this doesn't become an issue on these as the repair sounds terrible.

 

I was watching a Youtube video and somebody mentioned this in their review of the CTM. It is like a cracking sound when the HUD retracts, correct? And he said, it sounds like its going to break or something.

Sorry, if I see that review again, I will post a link.

 

Yeah it sounds dinky when going up and down. I'm sure the mechanism is plastic junko. Winter will be the test when plastic is brittle.

 

I saw the video with the crunching sound as well. My HUD is nearly silent- just a bit of motor noise; nothing that sounds like there is a problem. Have you tried adjusting the HUD height to see if the sound changes?

I know I am just a sample of one, but if one is quiet, it might be reasonable to think that others should be as well, and perhaps there is some kind of problem. If you have a noisy one, I would take it to the dealer. Perhaps they can catch it before it dies.

 

... ok - sorry - it's not noisy - it's silent as well - but the movement is just not inspiring confidence. It just seems dinky. It's not the smoothest moving mechanism. I should have said it "looks" dinky when going up and down vs saying it "sounds" dinky. My bad.

 

Yes, I saw that one too. He asked if the sounds were normal, which of course they're not. It should be silent!

The unit in my F56 retracts with every engine off, times 3.5 years, without issue. I highly, highly doubt that this is a widespread problem, or that we should expect it to happen to ours. That is, unless they've changed it in some way since the F56, but it appears to be identical.

 

If you think ours looks dinky/cheap, have you seen Mazda's horrible version? Talk about cheap! It makes ours look like an engineering marvel!

 

To help with fears of costs and work times....Its not any easier with other European Car Manufacturers either. We don’t have a retractable system , just straight projection, but still have to take the whole dash out to replace a faulty HUD unit if it goes bad.
Will be interesting to see aftermarket support for these systems as the cars age .....

 

I haven't seen the Mazda ones no.
To be honest the whole HUD is just a distraction and reduces front visibility to me. One of those techs I hope is done away with like self retracting seat belts of the 80's. LOL

 

Different strokes! I find (only been driving my new Melting since Saturday) that I really like the HUD. I appreciate having the current speed limit, my actual speed and map/turn directions in my line of sight- without having to look down to see the info. I have a buddy with an X5 and I would prefer to have the info projected on the windshield like the BMW instead of our little plastic screen. Still, I find value in it.

 

I agree.

 

I love it. It's why I made sure I got it again when I ordered my F60.

Check out the folding mechanism. It's not even covered, and it's very flimsy.
POS Mazda HUD

 

The repair was completed yesterday and everything is working fine again. It is completely silent when opening or closing. I saw a photo of my car when the dash was open, and it was gruesome - like looking at a surgery. They have to disconnect and remove the airbags (in the steering wheel and the lower dash) before they can access the head-up display. The service manager did the airbag removal as he is the only one at the dealership with the proper training. The tech doing the work took a PTO after the work - I think it was a really big deal. This is the first time the dealership has opened up the dash this way.

I really like the display - the navigation information is particularly helpful. I just wish the tach was also displayed - I understand the new Works cars have the tach on the head-up. MINI is not good about updating software - they need to understand that updates are a part of the business now, just like desktop computers and phones. I'd like Apple CarPlay too - though my salesman says it is a bit buggy.

David

 

In case anyone was wondering about the sound, here is the Youtube video I was referencing @ the 2:55 mark.

 

Mine sounded much worse than that! It really sounded like plastic gears were breaking. I thought the problem was in the raising and lowering mechanism, but the problem was with the motor - which is what was replaced in the service. No problem since then - it is completely silent raising and lowering the reflective mirror. Keeping my fingers crossed! My MA said he had one other customer asking about noise from the display but don't know if that is the same thing.

David

 

I know how to set the HUD to stay down, but is there a setting for keep it from retracting, ever?