I found out about this problem while surfing the web by chance. If you peel back the rubber seal at the base of the door sill you may find the onset of rust where the pinch welds are and the seam is. On the early build Mini's it is more advanced, but it has occurred on cars as new as the '05's!

The design was changed for the '06's, and coincidentally the rust perforation warranty extended from 6 years to 12. I have an '03 and my rust is just beginning, but it is DEFINITELTY there. It's worse on the passsenger's side than the driver's side. I went to Century this morning, showed Jim, and had him document it. He was going to call the regional manager about it and speak to Brent as well. Jim said that he had not seen it yet or heard of it yet. It can be easily fixed, but I want to wait and see what Mini plans on doing about it. Since I am still under warranty it would be repaired on their coin, not mine.

Now everyone go out and lift those rubber seals...

 

There's already a long thread on this topic ...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=69139

 

I have read alot on this subject and I feel assured if this is a big problem the MINI/BMW will stand behind it no matter what year model you have. They have stepped up to the plate on every other issue and the 02 and 03s were the 1st built and they always have bugs or flaws. New 07 will probably not be an acception. Don't panic and motor on!!

 

Just got a used 2003 MC, same rust problem inside the door weatherstrip. I designed to clean the area up with a wire brush then spray rust inhibitor paint on top. So my question, do I need to put any grease inside the weather strip?