Am I the only one that finds the trunk on the 06 annoying to close. Had the car for 3 days now and I keep having to get out and close it a second time.
Should I just slam the dam thing ? I mean id rather not

 

just put your hand on the license plate area and push. it closes pretty easy

 

There are rubber bump stops on the hatchback lid that probably just need to be adjusted so it closes easier.

 

'05 Cooper's the same way. I just seemed not to close it quite hard enough, but after a while I learned what force was required and it's not really all that much, just more than I was used to. The direction of force is more back to front than just down like a regular trunk. It's a hatchback really.

 

Well since you've only had your car for three days, we'll forgive you for calling it the "trunk" - it's the BOOT.

This is a common weakness of MINIs. On my '03, the boot lid would always hit the piece separating the boot from the cabin, so I'd have to close it lightly the first time, then slam it. On my '05, I do have to slam it fairly hard to get the light on the dash to go off. Not much that can be done about it, unfortunately.

 

-Thank You
I have heard stories of dents, scratches etc. by using the license plate so I grab the internal handles and pull down with a good deal of force and momentum shuts it tight, not quite slammed but does make a little nit of noise. It will become second nature in no time.

 

Maybe he doesn't want to sound like a poseur... he is American afterall, where trunk and hood have been the standard forever.

 

Seaz, a properly adjusted boot should not be all that hard to close. You could play w/ the rubber stops or let the dealer set it up for you. Mine was slightly off (rattle) on my '03, but once adjusted (during the first week) I've never had one single problem.

I use the inside handles to close the boot quite often...but generally I push on the license plate to close it. I've placed two dense rubber strips of weatherstripping between the license plate screws and the body to ensure no scratching occurs.

Seaz, don't put up w/ the frustration...that is not normal, nor is it hard to adjust.

 

It doesn't matter what the owner is, the car is British. I don't even care if you tell me it's German-owned, it will remain British forever. All MINIs (and Minis) have boots and bonnets, period!

I have been calling it boot and bonnet since I got my first MINI in '02 and have accidentally referred to the hood of our other vehicles (Ford and Saturn) as bonnets on occasion. That is wrong. Those are hoods!

 

I've seen posts that said the bootlid can be dented from this. My MA suggested pulling on the handles to get the bootlid down and then pushing on the MINI badge to close it. Works for me: no dents and no troubles.

 

For some reason, my '05 bootlid is harder to close than the one on my '02. During the first week with the '05, I had the boot open up several times while I was driving. Now I close it more carefully and pay much closer attention to the dash lights before taking off.

 

I found that, on my '05, as the rubber stops wore in a bit and softened up, it became easier to close. I did have to slam it sorta hard at first but after a few months it got easier.

 

This is all very useful info since I, too, have some issues closing the boot door, and find myself closing it much harder than I'd like to. So I guess I'll look at whether something can be adjusted. Good to know it's not just me.

 

since my Civic is really Japanese could you kindly let me in on what they call their trunk and hood? I'd hate to get that wrong too.

 

When I was taking delivery of my 06 MCS, my MA pointed out to me that closing the boot takes extra force than you might be used to. A firm push IS THE NORM for 06's according to my MA... no need to adjust anything. He recommended pushing on the glass as to not deform the metal by pushing there.

If you put your hand through the glass you pushed too hard.

 

Look in your owner s manual, nowhere in my MINI manual is there mention of a hood or trunk, just bonnet and boot.

 

No doubt! If you want to drive a car with a "hood" and a "trunk" buy a Honda. To me (and all REAL Mini enthusiasts) it's boot/bonnet.[IMG]images/smilies/thumb-up.gif[/IMG]

 

MY '06 seems to be adjusted the same as my '02. No problems closing the boot.

Pull down on the inside handle and the finish the job with 2 fingers on the MINI badge.

If adjustment is needed, the 2 rubber bumpers simply screw in and out. Try screwing them in a 1/2 turn each. If it starts to rattle, screw them out a little.