Been a few years since I've owned my last MINI. After the MINI I had a few higher end vehicles where fit and finish was very good but typically resulted in the car being super heavy. Well getting back into a MINI I completley forgot how many squeaks and noises these cars make. Mine sounds like a dang wooden battleship over bumpy roads. I started the search when I had my other MINI but the questions is...

How do you solve your interior noises and squeaks? I think I'm going to start taking things apart and lining any plastic to plastic contact areas with some felt tape. Which leads me to my next question, anyone know where to purchase some felt tape?

What works for you?

 

+1

so far, and knock on wood, my r56 has no rattle around the front dashboard. however, it appears that there are developing rattles on my driver door panels and rear b-pillars area (seat-belt area) whenever the mini flexes. would like to know anyone able to solve this.

 

I generally turn up the stereo or mash the gas pedal until the CAI drowns out the rattle.

 

Thats fine when I'm alone but if there are people in the car that just nice.

 

Windows down + Revs up + JCW Exhaust.

 

Haha yes, exhaust will help! Can't wait until I get my Borla, that'll quiet down the interior rattles.

 

Maybe I should have revised it. How to solve interior noises WITHOUT the use of exhaust, music, or driving fast.

 

All joking aside, I think the most common fix is indeed felt tape, or little pieces of foam rubber jammed into the offending area

 

I had a heck of a time finding felt tape at Walmart. I basically went to every section I could image carrying it and eventually found it in the hardware section, I believe it was. It's used to keep furniture from scuffing your floors. I found strips and large felt sheets. Just go for whatever is cheapest and cut it up and place it between the dash paneling and whatever else creaks in your car.

 

The only thing making noise on my 123,000 mile, saved from the junkyard $1,500 fixer-upper is the tailgate. But damn, it's annoying. I've played with the striker alignment (did nothing), and have adjusted the lower bumpers several times. Each time I adjust the bumpers, it seems to quiet for 50 or 100 miles, then it returns. Anyone have luck permanantly killing the tailgate rattle on a first gen hardtop? I hear this is quite common, and imagine OP must have this as well.

 

The only rattle I have is my own fault and that is when I changed the lenses out on my tach and speedo. When I remove the guts for the secret compartment it didn't go back together right and rattles like hell now and I can't figure out what the deal is. When I get back and have the dealership do some service on it I am going to have them take a look at it.

 

So far so good... 11K miles

 

You guys have second gen MINI's though. Every first gen I have driven in has an orchestra of noises going on.

 

Believe it or not, the dealer fix is to wrap the striker with electric tape. It actually works for a long time.

I suppose you could do better by welding metal on it and grinding to size, but a couple inches of tape wrapped around it should work.

 

Whats the striker?

 

If you're on runflats, replacing them with regular tires will cut the road noise in half and give you a much smoother ride, too. I've noticed switching tires reduced quite a bit of interior noise, just because of that smoother ride. But if you've already made that switch, I guess the felt tape sounds like the next thing to try.

 

Oh you are right the 2nd gen never squeaks or makes any noise. It is like drivining a 7 series. Come on get real. Other then the self made squeak in the dash, I have another one in the back of my MINI that I have no idea what is making the noise. The 2nd Gen has is own faults and it does have some of the same idiosyncrasies that the 1st gen has.

 

If you want the same felt tape the dealer uses it's part number is 61136908716. It's super sticky. Much better than the sticky-backed felt I bought at local hardware store.

 

The striker is the u shaped thing the latch strikes and catches on. It is the part that doesn't move.

 

oh I feel so much better now reading all of this....

I thought I was going crazy hearing noises in mine. After 107000 miles I think she's a little tired...LOL

I have given up trying to find them.

 

HRM, thanks a million for that tip. I'm going to do that first thing tomorrow morning :-).

 

I tried the electrical tape tip mentioned by HRM in post # 14. I initially used a tad too much, but after an adjustment, I'm elated to report the squeaks are gone. Of course now I hear a couple of faint intermittent noises I had not noticed with the hatch noise, but they are insignificant by comparison. It seems the cause of the hatch squeak must be side to side movement of the hatch causing the rubber seal to squeak against the metal of the hatch. The tape seems to prevent the side to side movement. Great fix!!!

 

HK Stereo tuned to Bluesville
HK Stereo = Loud
Sunroof Open
Windows down
What Squeaks ????

 

My 07 has had multiple rattles much louder than any of those thngs.

 

I see the rear rattle has been addressed already, weirdly I've always solved mine with additional grease. A huge blob of vaseline always fixes it.