Hi all, I'm new to this board and have a question, but first... I was all set to buy a MINI a couple of years ago. I fell in love with it at first sight. So I started some research and discovered, from more than one source, that they had quality control issues, such as squeaks, rattles and loose trim.

Now my question to everyone is whether or not the MINI is a rattle trap or, and this is the response I'm hoping for, is the car a solid and well built vehicle? I know all new cars will have service issues at first, that is not my concern. I'm just hoping if it's time to order my new toy.

 

Ken, from personal experience, my 1 year old '04 MCS with nearly 13K miles is still solid as a bank vault and I have no interior rattles or squeaks to talk about. My car still smells and feels like new! I am still very pleased and impressed with the build quality.

My wife has a '02 Cooper CVT and she has had some rattles here and there but nothing to make you doubt the build quality of the car. Actually for a first year 2002 model, her Coop is a very solid car. It is exactly 2 years old and it has 25K troublefree miles.

I have no reason to believe that the new 2005 model year MINIs are less solid than previous year models, in fact MINI has proven that with each new build month, the cars simply get better and better and little problems are taken care off at the assembly line.

My '04 MCS has not seen the dealer for any kind of warranty related repairs since taking delivery on October 3rd, 2003! Just pure motoring smiles!

Take your time in researching more about MINI's quality and reliability but I suspect you will be pleasantly surprised.

So, what MINI do you have in mind?:smile:

 

Nah, these are Rat-L-Traps:

http://www.rat-l-trap.com/products.php?start=5

I had one rattle that was summarily fixed by the dealer... Had one more tha I fixed myself. Now, it's perty quiet!

 

My MINI was a 2003 Cooper, 17 months old, with just over 24,000 miles. In that time I had just a few squeak/rattle issues. For a period of time the windows squealed when going up or down - this was promptly fixed by my dealership. The sunroof, when open, at low speeds, would rattle a bit - this as well was fixed by the dealership. Towards the very end I started to notice a minor squeak in the drivers seat but I was never able to pinpoint the cause or circumstances under which it would occur.

Otherwise, he was problem free as far as annoying squeaks, rattles, or loose trim. I've heard about people having issues with the dash rattling, but I never experienced a problem. In my experience, the quality issues were few, if any, and certainly wouldn't stop me from getting another MINI in the near future.

Good luck on placing that order!

 

i just turn up my radio and drive!

but ive got almost 80,000 miles and the squeks kinda worked them selves out
so i geuss mine got tighter as i drove,
but yea shes still haulin and no complaints, suprising since i drive on michigan roads!!!

 

Generally speaking build quality has improved with each succeeding year. The odds of an '05 having the rattles of an '02 are pretty small.

FWIW, my '04 S is rattle free at 9K miles. :smile:

 

Mine has the infamous door rattle, but it's nothing that really bothers me.
I usually drive with the window open anyway. :smile:

Ive been in many other cars that rattled much more new.

 

From following the forum Mini has taken steps each year to eliminate rattle. My 05 MCS has 0 rattles. I only has a few hundred miles though.

I am very impressed how civilized it is and yet have the power and handling when you need it.

 

Ken-- You should have bought right away! The early year rattles were all fixable... My '02 MCS is now very tight. Sorry you've missed out these many months... wait no longer, join the fun!

Godspeed.

 

So, what MINI do you have in mind?:smile:[/QUOTE]
That, my friend, is a very difficult question to answer. The list of options is amazing, but I'll give it a shot. The "S" for sure. Cloth seats, suspension upgrade, that computer thing that puts the speedo on the column, no sun roof for starters. I can't decide on whether or not a nav system is worth it. I can't decide on a color, elect. blue looks cool but chili red will take a better shine, I'm a detailing freak. I learned from MINIMANIA that you can get in excess of 250+ HP out one of these things. Now I'm really Chomping-at-the-Bit to buy one. Hense the inquiry. I live in Denver and the mountain roads are a stone's throw away. Shoot, there's a canyon 5 min from my house that's a gas to drive. Anybody wanna trade for a Honda S2000?

 

My little rattles on a 03 MCS were adjusting the clamps on the rear seats, and a fix for the hatchback (tighten and new rubber bushings).

It feels solid as a rock, but IMHO wagons and hatchbacks will never be totally quiet.

regards,
Red

 

Slight rattle in the drivers door..started last week. Roads here do not help the situation.

 

It's an english car, so don't expect it to have the same fit and finish as other european or japanese cars. With that said, even after I installed my lowering springs, I've only had one issue that will not go away and that's the boot latch. Even with the redesigned piece it still squeaks on real hot days. For a while after I bought it, a voodoo rattle came up from the front of the passenger side door panel area, but it was really random and intermittent and has not occurred in the past 4-6 months.

 

At 28k miles my MC has just developed a rattle,more of a buzz,in the drivers door,only when the window is down,and I can't hear it over wind noise at +40mph.Dealer seems to think they can fix it,so will let them have a go at it.

 

My rattle stops when the window is down a couple of inches. I just turn up the stereo a little louder..fixes everything.:smile: I'll have it address during the first service. I think the trim holding the visor might need replacing as well. But that's about it so far. There will be more later.:smile:

 

What does this rattle sound like? I just noticed a sort of rattle, tapping sound on my drivers door. I'm at 24,500 miles now. It seems to be the window tapping against the rubber seal along the top edge, but I'm not 100% sure.

My 2003 MC, while very solid, does have a number to clicking and clacking sounds over bumps. The MINI is by far NOT a quiet car, and definitely nothing close to Lexus standards!

Richard

 

The noise is not a rattle,it is a buzz,right behind the lock button,only when the window is more than 1/2 way down,and I can make it go away if I push on the door panel.Going more than 40mph makes it go away from wind noise.
Sometimes happens at idle,stoppedbugs me

 

Sorry to post again,but my windows rattle if 1/3 down going over 50mph.I just don't leave them where they rattle.I motor with the heat on at -temps and the windows down.

 

Mine has the window squeek that someone mentioned earlier (I'll have to get that fixed) and the door rattle. I just went to the dealership last week and asked them to tighten the door and it's quiet now Other than that, not a problem!

 

My 2004 with 12,500 miles is as tight as a drum. Being 300% stiffer than a 3 series BMW, I expected a rattle or two. Note; my car is not equiped with a sunroof. I had my car on a 4 point lift to install the Magnaflow exhaust and only three of the "pads" were touching. The car did not bend! I was very impressed. I also noticed a thick hard undercoat was sprayed on the undercarriage at the factory. For those in the rust belt, I see this a big plus. No more rotted out floorboards.

 

The loudest rattle in my 04 MCS are the coins in my front cupholder.
The second loudest rattle comes from the CD holder in the bin under the armrest.

I did experience two of the very common rattles - H/K speaker grille rattle and the boot latch rattle. A strip of cardboard and masking tape took care of them.

 

My 04 MCS rattles more than any car I have ever owned. Primarily from the dash area top and bottom. I would go crazy without my roll of foam tape. I have fixed three rattles so far, and I've got two new ones. Only 2,000 miles, so we'll see if it gets better. The massive amount of plastic on plastic is tough to make perfectly quite.


Now I will say, the slightest bit of radio noise or window down is louder than these rattles, so it's not like they are terrible.

 

Mine has a few rattles- one when the sunroof is open in "Vent position" (goes away above 75MPH- mainly due to wind noise), a slight one above the speedo (only when cold), and an occassional rattle from the rear-exhaust when I'm on very rough roads.

Overall, tho, when I'm listening to the radio or have the sunroof open, I don't notice them. All in all, not a big deal. I wouldn't let the rattles stop you from getting one. The build quality on the 2004's and 2005's is notably improved, tho it is still possible to get even a 2002 with few rattles (or none!)

2004 MCS with 5,000MI

 

Eloncooper must've had Bentleys before the Cooper! My 02 MCS w/ 20,000 is and has been the most solid car I've ever owned. Have you test driven one yourself?

 

"Eloncooper must've had Bentleys before the Cooper!"

Nope, no Bentley. Just a Yugo, and a Harley Davidson built in the early 80's.

My MINI may rattle a little here and there, but certainly still solidly built.