Hey All,
Have about 3300 miles on my '05 S and I wanted to report on what rattles and whatnot I am experiencing at my mileage. Here are the specs on the car:
-'05 Cooper S
-Sport package
-Cold weather package
-HK
-No sunroof

Here are the rattles that I have been experiencing:

1. HK Rattle in the passenger side lower speaker area. Occurs during small, medium and high bass notes. This seems like a carryover problem from earlier models.
2. Pedal Rattle I have yet to hear about this problem, so maybe it is unique to the 05's. During shifting(upshifting and downshifting), and simply revving the engine in neutral, there is a wierd sound rattle eminating from the pedal area(driver's side). The rattle only occurs when the RPMs exceed 3500 RPMS, and occurs in any gear. The rattle can also be duplicated when the car is standing absolutely still, with the car in neutral. This is not the famed shifter rattle from previous models. Once the RPMs descend through 3500 everything clears up.
3. Window Seal Rattle Havn't heard much about this one yet with previous models, but this just started these past couple of days. When driving on any road that is not absolutely smooth(we are talking brand new), there is a squeking/creaking sound coming from the driver's side headliner area. These sounds occur when the car rolls from side to side(ever so slightly). It almost sounds like the area where the windshield/pillar meet the roof is loose/poorly attached. Like I said before, this just started two days ago and has gotten progressively worse since then. This is the most annoying rattle as it is impossible to pinpoint where the noise is coming from(literally comes from the front of the pillar, all the way to the back of the driver's window). This rattle is not duplicated on the passenger side.

Anyone experience this somewhat new rattles? The car is going into the dealer on Monday(Bill Jacobs, Naperville IL) to address these problems. I was hoping they would have atleast fixed the famous HK rattle in the new model year, but mine is certainly there.

Hope this helps someone.

Peter

 

My march 04 has #1 and a bit of #3. I'm taking care of #1 by following this how to:

http://www.jwardell.com/mini/hkdoor.html

 

I too have the lower speaker on my passenger door rattling. I have the HK also. We have an appointment this Friday to get that and a few other things taken care of. The airbag light is also on. There are also a few cosmetic things that we're getting taken care of also. I'll post here after they look at it.

 

Just a quick note for all of you with the HK problem, make sure you don't have any items that could rattle in your side pocket. I heard a bad rattle and thought I had the problem, but it turns out a passenger just left a plastic CD holder in there.

-mike

 

Peter, grab a can of spray silicone (Like Havoline brand from your autoparts store) and a clean rag. CAREFULLY spray the weatherstripping rubber seals all around in both front door frames. The "Creaking" that you are hearing is because the door window glass is rubbing against a dried up rubber seal.

If you open the window, voila rattle is gone because the glass is no longer touching the rubber seals.

Make sure all the rubber seals receive at least 2 good coats of silicone spray and presto, no more rubbing problems!

No need to get the dealer involved for such easy and fairly simple procedure.

 

Cooper4Us,
Thanks for the help. I have some silicone spray laying around here and will give it a try tomorrow. Hopefully that should make the difference.

I hope the pedal noise isn't something serious, as it is quite loud(audible over the stereo).

Thanks for the help everyone.

Peter

P.S. Mike, I did double check to make sure there wasn't anything moving around over there. It is for sure to do with the bass notes and the speaker itself.

 

lol, Peter only just now when I looked back at this thread did I realize it was you that posted it. Hadn't noticed the username.

-mike

 

#3.I have noticed some noise coming from the seat belt,were it comes out of the post when I move around,seat belt done up,quiet in the car.If your moving from cornering,maybe?

 

One thing (not really a rattle) I've been meaning to investigate is the annoying flapping of the passenger seat belt when not in use and the windows are down at high speed. The buckle component really gets flapping and whacks into the B-pillar or something making a horrible knocking noise over and over if the wind hits it just right. I have tried adjusting the location of the buckle component to see if I could make it stop, and I haven't had much luck yet, but I also haven't stopped to check it out while stationary, just reached over and attempted to move it briefly while driving.

-mike

 

Mike,
Haha..not a problem..I thought you didn't notice. Any sign of an HK rattle on your's?

lot15,
I was thinking the same thing, however this sound occurs at even very low speeds. I have a feeling Cooper4Us is correct, and it is the window seals that are causing the problems.

Peter

 

No HK rattle on mine (knock on wood), so we'll see after I get as many miles as you have. Check out the site, finally got to 1250 miles. :D

-mike

 

so far i have not noticed any of these on my 04 (as i run to knock on wood) (knock knock)

 

Just loop it over the outside bolster of the passenger seat and you're done.

 

I have #3 pretty badly and am really hoping that this fix works. I've convinced my self that my Mini is structurally compromised and is actually flexing aroung the pillars.

 

I have noticed less noises,rattles since the outside temps have been hovering around 32F.Not that this car rattles ,just the odd noise.If you drive with the rear seats down,mine are always down,the road noise from those vents in the boot would mask most anything else

 

Yeah I hear you, it sounds pretty bad, but trust me this has nothing to do with the structural integrity of the body, if that was the case, you could have a pretty serious problem in your hands.

In early model year MINIs, the seat belt assembly housing inside the B-pillar was notorious for making less than pleasant noises, but this was fixed in later builds.

The glass rubbing against the rubber seals is the culprit of 99% of the rattles and creaks typically heard around the A and B pillar regions.

One thing I do know is that the body of these cars is so STIFF and well put together that often causes the interior components to rattle.

However, I am happy to say that my 1 year old 2004 MCS has ZERO rattles and squeaks at this time. Very solidly built, like Fort Knox.

 

I have a little rattle of sorts around the tac. It actually sounds a bit like a wierd elictrical buz/popping/rattle. The window is making noise but I imagine I shall try the silicone thing, great tip.

 

My car also does this if the belt is permitted to rest in it's natural, fully retracted state. I solved the flapple noise by positioning the forward loop of the belt (with the buckle) over the outboard side bolster of the passenger seatback, instead of letting it hang free. Since I have the cloth sport seats, it stays there with no fuss until the next passenger uses it.

If you have leatherette or leather seat cover material, it may be easier to simply latch the buckle over the empty seat. This also works well for restraining fast-food bags in the seat while you're on the way home from the drive-thru.

 

Cooper4us,I agree with you that these cars are stiff.I have the sport suspension and this car feels like it is on rails,no rattles,unlike other new cars I have been in.I drive alot on gravel roads,rough asphalt,and COLD conditions,no squeeks,nothing rattles,but I do hear the odd noise now and then,but as I tend to be alone in the car and can't take my attention away from the main task at hand,driving,I can't find them,and the next motor,they are gone.
Now I do have a very slight rattle coming from my drivers door,around the lock button,but my tech. thinks it is probably from opening up the door last winter fixing the frozen door handle issue.He figures something is not done back up right.Not to worried,only happens when the window is down,and I can't hear it over 15 mph,because of wind noise,I motor at cold temps with my windows down,heated seats are GREAT 0 F is still windows down for me.

 

Thanks for the replies, folks. Yeah, indygomini, I did decide to buckle the belt once just to stop the annoyance, maybe this will be a more permanent solution. :-/ But no way I would put fast food bags on my leather seat, I stuff them under the passenger footwell, and conveniently there's a part of the HK amp (or something else? not sure, looks like an amp's heatsink) that I can stuff the bag under a little bit so it doesn't fly anywhere through my fast turns.

-mike

 

I would not pack anything around anything
that looks or feels like a heat sink

 

Hehe, if you knew the thing I was talking about I'm sure you wouldn't be concerned. I too would never do anything to hurt my baby.

-mike

 

Aww, shucks, leather needs a little oil as a conditioner every now and then!

seriously, I usually order only sandwiches at the drive-thru. There's no point in getting the full meal- there's no place to put the buckets of fizzy, sticky sugar water, and I also dread what grease leaking from the fries might do. I don't want my seat to look like that oily bag! I also keep a thick terry towel in the back, and put it down as a protective pad.:smile:

 

mlebleau,that blue in your sign, is great:smile:

 

Hehe, that cloth idea sounds like a good one, I may try that. See, being a true Californian, it's my obligation to be heartily addicted to In-N-Out Burger, pretty much the best thing to happen to the United States since the Constitution. So it's a requirement that I go at least 2-3 times a week, and their food always has a certain degree of grease. And of course it would be absolute insanity not to drive the MINI on every possible occasion, right? So it all adds up to lots of trips to In-N-Out in the MINI.

-mike

P.S. The picture in the link to In-N-Out's site, believe it or not, is actually how their food looks. That's why they rock. If you're ever on the west coast, I'd say getting your *** to an In-N-Out is about as important as seeing the Golden Gate, or the Hollywood sign.