Has anyone noticed that getting the outside of your MINI wet nearly always results in getting what seems to be a large amount of water INSIDE the car too? I don't have any leaks (yet), but I find that in the rain or after I wash the car there's lots of water on all of the rubber seals around the door and trunk...and the rocker panel trim (the chrome trim strips on my S) is all wet as if it were OUTSIDE of the car instead of inside. Then, this results in water getting sucked into the car and all over the seats and carpet when the door is actually opened.

Today, it's raining, and I have wet seats, wet door interior, and wet carpets. It's just annoying and makes me need to carry a towel with me inside the car at all times.

 

I have NEVER had this problem! Get it looked at.

 

I don't think there's anything to "look at"...it seems rather to be a design problem. Not enough of a drip channel above the doors and door openings that are too flush with the outside of the car. Also, the only seal between the outside and the inside around the window is the single rubber weatherstrip (since there are no window frames). If that rubber were to wear out or not be tight, then water would really be pouring into the car while driving.

If I had a particular leak, then I'd certainly take it in. I'm just wondering if anyone else had just how close the inside and outside are on a MINI.

 

Until it gets on the inside I would'nt loose any sleep over it.

 

You MUST have a leak. I've gotten car washes and driven through pouring rain! Not a DROP of water or wetness inside my MINI in almost 3 weeks. The only drop of liquid I've had in my MINI was yesterday when my wife dropped a can of Sprite coming home from a trip to Pennsylvania! :evil:

 

Seriously, you REALLY need to check this out jsun. Water in your MINI is NOT normal!!!!

 

Not in the new MINIs perhaps. I had a classic Mini that anytime it rained, both front footwells would have 2-3 inches of water in them. I had to be careful what shoes I wore when it rained unless I wanted wet socks all day.

 

This year is going down in history as the wettest in Minnesota, and I have not had one drop of water inside my MINI! You really should go to your dealer and make a little noise!

 

Hmmmm...We have had nothing but rain for 10 days now, but Tabby is nice and dry inside. I agree with the assessements above, have it checked out! Nothing quite as bad as a soggy Mini!

 

I also get a little bit of water in my mini when i wash the car or when it rains. I usually find water along the top of the side windows along the weatherstripping and on the chrome sill plates and sometimes throught the weatherstripping along the trunk. :???:

 

I drove to my cottage on saturday, 100 miles in poring rain and 3 inches of snow for a part of the road and came back the same day in heavy rain.
Not a drop of water inside the car, even with 12 miles in mud, gravel road, door sills were clean when I arrived.
The MCS was just reat to drive in the rain, i'm surprised, the Dunlops runflat were better than I expected.

 

>>I also get a little bit of water in my mini when i wash the car or when it rains. I usually find water along the top of the side windows along the weatherstripping and on the chrome sill plates and sometimes throught the weatherstripping along the trunk. :???:

YES! This is exactly what I am talking about. I do not get water in the car when driving...and nothing "leaks" into the interior unless I open the door/boot and the water that is on the weatherstripping or sills spashes in. All I was commenting on is the abundance of water on the weatherstripping and sills and how easy it gets into the car.

The sills are sort of "inside-outside" the car. They seem exposed to the elements even when the door is closed. That's why water accumulates on them. I'll have this checked out the next time I'm in for service...but I really don't think that this is an unusual situation. Now, an actual leak -- with wet carpets and such while driving -- would be a whole different story.

 

jsun - I hear what you are saying. But like some of the others in this thread, there is NO water ANYWHERE - not on the weatherstrippings, not on the sills. Nothing, nada. I'm in and out of my car 10-12 times a day and open my boot just as often and get absolutely NO water in the MINI even in heavy rain!

I only had 2 drops of water on my leather seats ONCE and that was b/c the car wash guy was a little careless when he sprayed the inside of the windows with window cleaner. And believe me, I was a bit peeved with those 2 drops!!!!

 

jsun, I have had some water in the boot, some drops and moisture on the boot liner. I find that it depends on if the car is parked on a slight incline whether there is any water at all sometimes. And forget aboput driving with the windows open after it rains...but the boot liner definitely helps - one note, if you have the 6 CD changer installed, you will have to unscrew it to put the hard liner in place. I would mention it to the dealer though, and I will say something when I next get it serviced. I find the joy of driving the car outweighs the minor first year quirks/glitches I have encountered though.

 

Do the people with water have 2002 builds by any chance??? Maybe there is something that changed???

I use my sunroof, windows and open the boot a dozen times a day and don't have any water!

This is an interesting topic....

 

2002 build - with all the special intro glitches - bonnet release broke, rear passenger seat handle broke, stalling issue. BUT it is a new model, so there's going to be growing pains. Love the car, it's all warranty stuff and the service department fixed it without an appointment. Just need the CD#31 fix for the stalling.

 

I've got a 2002 build and I too get water on my door sills if it rains or is washed.
I have not noticed it in the boot but I will keep an eye out for that.

 

I second minimotorin's response. My 02 MCS will only get a few drops of water on the sills when it is washed or rains hard. I've never noticed it anywhere else.

 

>> I do not get water in the car when driving...and nothing "leaks" into the interior unless I open the door/boot and the water that is on the weatherstripping or sills spashes in. All I was commenting on is the abundance of water on the weatherstripping and sills and how easy it gets into the car.
>>

I have an August '02 build MC and I have noticed the same problem. When there's water on the roof and I open my door I get a few BIG drops falling on my seat. It's annoying, but I figured it was just a consequence of the design....

 

After heavy rain or washing I will occasionally have a couple drops of water on the sills but none has ever actually been IN the car or on the seats....I have cloth seats, too and they have never been damp. I have a 2002 build.