I was missing a few things after switching from my R53 to my R56, little things that gave the car character. My car has just started to rattle and I can proudly say... "now it's a MINI"

 

My rattle seems to be moving clockwise: It started right above the speedo, and now have moved to above the passenger door. Good thing is that it's just one rattle, and hopefully once it gets to the back it won't come around again. But the roads in NYC are awful, and it definitely is worse in the cold.

 

The dash rattle has a Service Bulletin for it. I just had mine fixed. Here's the SIM: [FONT=Verdana]SIM #51-04-06. I took mine in, they fixed it right up and now the rattle's gone. But, as people have mentioned, now other things are crackling/rattling, and my heating system makes some new noises too. So it's a bit of a gamble. I think it's worth it since there's a SIM, but you never know what you're gonna get![/FONT]

 

What was your rattle like, and what was causing it? Thanks.

 

it was an ongoing crackle almost, but sounded like it was up on the dash in the middle, almost to the windshield. the SIM describes that it's essentially a lack of padding under the dash cover, and that pieces end up crackling as they bump together. i guess they put some felt padding in there, all around, and that tightens it up...

 

I also noticed a cracking type plasticky noise when going over bumps. What is a SIM? Is it like a TSB? Is it applicable to 2008 models?

 

yeah, SIM and TSB are the same. I have the crackly plastic noise too. I dont know if that's 'normal' or not...but with all that plastic in the interior, I wouldnt doubt it. I assume the SIM is for all models, but I'm not 100% sure. You could ask a dealer if it applies to the newer models.

 

What year and production week is your vehicle biscuit? how well did their fix work?

 

Well, with the summer, I started getting a metalic/plastic rattle coming from deep under the center dash. While installing some other things and cleaning up my old installs, I ended up removing a lot of parts like the secret compartment, front and speedo trim piece, and side vent covers, allowing me to remove the top dash scews, lift it up, and stick some clean Pampers baby diapers in. I just happened to have them in the car. I didn't originally plan on removing the top dash piece.In the unlikely event it actually works, I'll make my own official service bulletin. Things do feel more tight.