I know this post might upset people and for that, I'm sorry.
But my 2003 Mini Cooper - Fully loaded (including strips, rally lights and more) just rattles to death. I have a total of about 24,000 with tax into this thing. What I hate, is I wanted this car to last 5+ years. I'm only at 2.5. When I bought it, I told my wife....she honey this is the car that will last me.

I have only 38,000 miles on it.

It's been in the shop a few times and Mini Service by far is the best I've had. But every time I hit little bumps in the road, I hear everything. They have fixed it about 50% which is now almost tolerable. But what happens after my extended maintenance runs out.

Long story short, I LOVE this car. I smile every time I see it, I love to drive it. I’m a proud Mini owner as I have put more money into it. But the rattles are killing me.

I have some friends that have other sports cars and they tell me that all tight suspension will rattle. But my god, at this rate, I won’t even be able to hear the stereo by 60,000 miles.

I feel bad posting this because I have been so loyal but who else out there can’t stand it?

So I have a choice, trade in for a new 2006 Mini Cooper and take the loss now or get away from Mini and got for the Acura RSX (I know…I have never had a Japanese car).

Any feedback would be nice. Anyone else have this problem. MOST Importantly….can the rattles be fixed.

 

I'm going to say...

No. The rattles can't and won't be fixed completely.

And I'll back that up with 2 case studies that others may also find upsetting:

1. My mother had a Saturn. Drove it for 12 years and it rattled the whole way. Subsequent models were apparently far, far better but they could never fix hers and I will swear on my grandmothers grave that their service department was phenominal. If I could take my MINI to a Saturn dealer for service, I would.

2. My aunt, who sits on a very high horse and rather enjoys looking down her nose at all non-Japanese cars (most especially my mothers old rattley Saturn) has a TRL that she has openly threatened to drive through the showroom window if the rattles aren't fixed. I think her car is a 2004 and she's taken it out to the dealership at least once a month for rattles. At this point, she's semi-psychotic behind the wheel, rabidly pointing out each chirp and creak to anyone who'll still drive with her.

Moral: either you're going to live with the rattles or you're going to get rid of the car. But consider that it's basically a crap shoot with anything short of a Town Car...

 

There are TONS of threads addressing the rattles, most of which have specific fixes - it would help to know where the rattles are coming from so you can address them one-by-one. The few that everyone seems to have are the rear hatch and the nasty rattle from the center of the dash both of which are covered by a service bulletin dealing with the latch and new locating rubber bumpers as well as the center locating pin, respectively.

A lot of folks have posted on the door rattles and I've seen replacement washers that work a treat for those as well - check the sites.
Hang in there - you just need to find a dealer who is familiar with the problems.

 

I feel your pain. Rattles are hard to take on a car that you really care about.

Having owned a couple of moderately-priced German cars in the past, I can say that the MINI is cut from the same cloth regarding rattles. It seems that rattle control is low on the priority list, along with cup holders and the like. My car is only a few months old and has a couple of pretty good rattles - the kind that are hard to stamp out. You can probably get the rattles repaired if you're willing to leave the car at your dealer for a while, but it may be more of a pain than it's worth. Unfortunately, the process of tearing the car apart to solve one rattle can create several new ones.

I've owned several Honda/Acuras as well. RSX's are nice, reliable, relatively rattle-free cars (no car is absolutely free from the odd rattle here and there). Compared to the MINI, even the Type-S can be a rather dull drive. Despite being the affordable/small/sporty Acura offering, the RSX (like most Honda/Acura engines) is a bit short on torque - power is really only there at screaming revs. Make SURE you're happy with the way it drives before buying. Beyond this torque caveat, though, there's little to fault the RSX on -- a bit bland by comparison, but a very good car.

Hope this helps. :smile:

 

My 05 doesn't have any rattles. Is there that big of a difference with the newer models?

 

My '02 MCS had rattles that finally were fixed by my dealer. It took them several attempts, but they kept at it and finally succeded, at my continued and relentless insistance.

Now I am ready to try an '05 or '06 MCS.

My advice is to go with very specific rattles identified and get a service rep. to go for a test ride with you so that he can hear the rattles and can not just push it off as another crazy owner. The dealer should be prepared to supply you with a courtesy car for your use while your'se is in the shop. Be polite, but firm.

Bring information on how to fix the rattles that you can find by searching here or in MINI2.com. Sometimes this will shame them into trying.

 

I have an '03 w/ 30K and I don't mind you venting in the least...it's clear you love your car. I have a dash rattle that creeps in when it's cold (and goes away when the car warms up) but that's about it. If it was happening all the time...yeah, it'd get me down, too. I had rear seat latch rattles...fixed w/ updated hardware...BUT, had I not read about the update here on NAM I never would have known about it. Even my SA (among the best) had to look it up...sure enough, there it was in the system. I know a few folks here have tackled their own rattles...that's what I'm gonna do when my warranty runs out.

I have friends who restore classic Minis...we're in a club together. Owners of classics (way out of warranty you might say) have a whole set of issues new MINI owners never dream of....all we worried about is Zaino and custom bonnet stripe. But the day is fast approaching when a whole new class of MINI owner will emerge. Our MINIs will be out of warranty, but we will still love them to death. That's when things will get interesting. I'll be there.

My suggestion? Try to do some searches, ask some new questions, nag your dealer if your warranty is still in force....whatever it takes. We can and must keep these little beauties on the road no matter what it takes. It's now our turn to keep the legend of the MINI alive.

 

I do not have any rattles at all, very happy so far at 10500 miles, you should also take the roads, driving habits, external factors into consideration as well, we also have a 2003 Hyundai Accent with 28000, it does not rattle either, driver and the roads that the driver usually takes are very important. If you drive on a country road or bad roads, lot of construction sites or developing areas your vehicle is going to go through rougher conditions, and lets say if you are heavy footed, trust me that car is going to rattle. Anyways, maybe you are right, the older models were designed with less care, because it is very common on older or in other words, earlier models. I think you should already think of trading the car anyways, it is close to get out of warranty and you will take more hit at that time, trade it for an 06, you will like it. Good luck

 

I have a vary early 02 S (and a classic)

1. Your windshield rattles agains the leading edge of the dash panel. Try a few pieces of felt...about every 6 inches. Buying velcro and just using the fuzzy side works.

2. Is the cold rattle in the sun roof, or surronding trim...or so you think? Open it. Look for rub marks on the pop up wind deflectors. Mine rattled there anytime the temp was below 45. Again, velcro. Buy some self stick and put about 4 inches centered on the rub mark line.

Took me two years to find these...after several dealer "we can't recreate it" trips. I'm quiet as a wake now....till i fire up the cd's.

p.m. me and I'll even tell you how I make the rear hatch rattle go away after repeated dealer failures. I won't post it here again cuz no one believes it works!!!!!


Now the 79 on the other hand. Well, a K&N cone + HIF6 + LCB + 1275 + PlayMini twin DTM does not equal quiet. I have a CD player but seldom use it ... above 25mph/2200 rpm I can't hear it even tho there's a pair of decent 6x9 in the back!!!!!! Haven't bothered to add an ant to the sound head... No I wont go for a super sound box, The burble thru that PlayMini is fine enuf....very fine enuf indeed.

 

My car rattles too, but it's a $20k range car so I don't expect it to be perfect. I usually drive with the sunroof tilted or windows open so the
wind noise covers up all the imprefections.:smile:

 

 

My '02 is rattle free (now that the hatch latch was replaced)!

 

I have an 03 with over 78K and it has very few rattles, the sun roof rattles when its really cold and thats about it. Sorry to hear that you have so many. Maybe your 06 will be better

Nik

 

I won't pick up my MCS until this Saturday and I guess I won't or even expect anything but rattles... Every car that I've ever own rattled. So, I guess I shouldn't be too awfully bothered by them then even if I have them in the Mini

 

Rattle me, Rattleeeeeeeeeeee Rattled.......

 

I just went outside, I love that Mini. Man it's nice.

OK, the dealer has worked on the dash rattle twice, I can only is the foan they put in the middle of the dash a litte :( I have heard of the dash pin but is that for the 2003 or just 2005 and up?

They have fixed the rear hatch rattle but I swear I can hear if from time to time.

They have fix a passenger door rattle, it was both that fell off and one clip.

They have looked at my sunroof rattle, they say there is no fix, they use to replace the sunroof but that only last so many miles and comes back. It mainly when it's tilted open (back end cracked up).

I still hear ones from here and there though, but now I can't figure were they are.

My new hated one which I'm taking in Tuesday is just to my left ear on almost every bump. I can't tell if it's the door look area or were the seatbelt meets the door. Driving me crazy.

 

My 03 MC with 53K miles had some door rattles about a year ago. Fixed.

My hatch rattled, sort of fixed. The dealer replaced the latch and stricker.
But I still get a rattle if I'm on the highway, no dog in the back, driver window down, certain head winds. The fix is crack the passenger window, getting the air pressure off the hatch.

I motor on some pretty rough roads, lots of gravel back roads, snow.
I have no rattles now, well except for the hatch, which I can deal with.

When I get in other cars, vans, trucks, even new ones, I feel like I'm in a babies rattle.

 

I had two rattles on my '03, sunroof and rear hatch. The dealer replaced the hatch latch and bent the springs on the sunroof flap........rattles are gone.

Since I only had these two rattles I don't know for sure, but I got the feeling the dealership knew of a fix for most any rattle and would quickly take care of it.

 

My 02 MCS is rattle free and I drive the **** out of it.

I don't slow down for bumps or railroad tracks, I take it off road and It gets driven very hard at the Dragon no less than 3 times a year.

 

Unfortunately, you will. I have an '05 with a passenger window that rattles, a rear hatch that clunks over every bump, and a dash that makes at least three different sounds. None were there when the car was new. The '05 is no different than any of the others, in fact I believe it has more rattles than previous models.

 

In reference to the rear hatch rattle....I had one early on (like for two days). Nothing was replaced but I adjusted the rubber stoppers. I would think a combination of replaced striker/latch and stop adjustment would certainly clear things up...but obviously not. That would be a mystery. Has anybody experimented w/ things like electrical tape around the striker or other less premanent, more experimental fixes? Just curious...there has to be a fix for this it seems.

 

Seeing how the Black Lab Nav. unit is sleeping against it 99% of the time, the rattle is not a real issue.

The rubber stoppers do help, but I have to back them off in the winter, as it is hard to close the hatch they get frozzen hard.

 

jds,

I have an "04" MCS and had the boot rattle after about 10,000 miles, wrapped the "U" shaped latch with Black electrical tape and all has been silent for the last 9,000 miles.

I have the center of the dash rattle also but one whack with the palm of my hand on the center front lip and it goes away for the rest of the trip.

Don't want to leave the car at the dealer for these little things.

Bill

 

I get that from time to time, seems to be from temp. change, as the dash is either warming, or cooling. I just push on it, or whack it, and it goes away

 

Rattles are good..When it gets quite than worry..You just lost something..