I have a Cooper S, with 17 inch wheels but no upgraded suspension. I have noticed that when going over bumps on not so smooth road surfaces, the upper dash sounds like crackling plastic.

Anyone else get that?

Or most of your cars quiet?

I have driven a Cooper (non S) with 15 inch wheels, and obviously the suspension is much softer. So I never heard a thing.

Thanks!

 

Unfortunately, my car is "creaking" also. Especially now that it is colder...

At some point, I will thoroughly scour NAM for threads on this issue and see if I can fix the noises. Until then, I feel your pain.

 

It's 'normal', but that doesn't mean it's not a problem. Or not annoying.

MINIs seem especially prone to a case of the rattles.

 

Gotta love plastic!

 

Mine rattles like a bag of bones. Kind of a bummer on a $30,000 car, but what can ya do?

 

Call the dealer up and make an appointment. They are used to it. I went back twice for a minor rattle in the console in front of the rear view mirror. Second times a charm

 

Hmmm, my fear is they would do more harm than good.

 

I also fear that the rattle would inconveniently silence while at the dealer.

 

Having worked on a couple squeak & rattle cars for customers today, it doesn't matter how expensive the car is, all the panels are made of plastic & when it gets cold, they all develop some rattles, this is why they include stereos

also if you expect a tech to disassemble (yank apart) all the plastic pieces clipped together that make up your interior and then clip & screw it back together with less rattles then the factory... well I wouldn't hold my breath.

I'm not saying the rattles can't be fixed, but BMW's only going to allow (pay for) a very small amount of time for the tech to test drive & diag the rattles & then a very limited amount of time to pull the dash/trim apart & insulate it.

If you're going to take it in for squeaks & rattles;
make sure you take it in while the roads are dry, wet roads & foul weather can drown out/mask interior noises.
try to isolate the sound down to a specific area or component & make sure the service writer is writing down your description of the noises or at least on the same wavelength.

If all else fails; felt-tape, duct-tape, and some sheets of dynomat, or take it to a reputable stereo install shop.

 

I had an upper dash rattle in mine. The dealer told me that MINI issued a fix for the rattle. Apparently, they opened up the dash and placed felt where the pieces were rattling. 36 hours after I brought it in it was returned rattle free. I got a BMW 328 xi for a loaner. Nice car, but was very happy to return it and get my baby back.

 

I have two odd sounds in my MINI that I just assume are normal.

1) Now that it's cold out, when my car starts to warm up I hear a crackling plastic sound from the dash.

and

2) Going over rough roads I get an annoyingly loud rattle.

I'm not worried about them, though. Every car has its quirks and I'm guessing this is one for ours. Plus, since others seem to be dealing with the same sounds then that should ease your mind a little.

I agree with n1tr0. Going to the dealer could only do more harm so just crank up that stereo.

Glenn

 

I have this one but only when the defroster is selected. I clear the windshield and then turn the selector **** to another position and it stops.

 

If it's consistent & only when on defrost, I'd suspect you've gotten something inside the ducting or something's come apart, that's worth taking in to the dealer.

unlikely your tech's going to have the same rough roads around the dealership, but... if you can isolate exactly where it's coming from, you can always take it in & ask for a specific spot/component checked/secured/padded.

there've been several mentions of realoem.com for part diagrams, you can figure out what the parts called that you hear the noise coming from or even get at it yourself.

 

check your tach housing. I had an annoying vibration / rattle that I traced to that area. CAREFULLY and SLOWLY tighten the 3 phillips screw on the back of the tach. You may want to drop the steering wheel to its lowest position and use a right angle ratchet to have easier access to the screw heads.

 

With the cold being below 20s in Colorado, I have noticed my dash creaking and some lighter rattles.

One thing I have noticed does the heating systems sound like it is wheezing to some of you folks. Shifting air from duct to duct, kinda. I know not very scientific for a description but an oddity I have noticed.

I have the automatic climate control system. Others?

 

My dash does not rattle at all but I live in north Florida where it does it not get too cold. Also, my dash came with a huge scratch on it from the factory and it will be replaced under warranty this week. Now I am starting to get worried about the dash replacement. I am worried that they will screw up something and the new dash they will put in will rattle like hell. (I am also worried that they will put scratches on other parts of the car while taking out the old dash and putting in the new one but that's another matter.) I wonder if I should keep my rattle-free original dash and learn to live with the scratch on it.

 

nah, get it fixed.

also, mine didn't start rattling until recently. So either way, yours might as well over time.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head, i believe that 95% of the rattles and creeks in the Mini are temperature related . plastics get hard when cold. I live in South Florida and I havent heard the first sound from my interior .we freeze to death whenever the temperature drops to ~60 DEG.. On another note , if I had a squeeky panel I would remove it and wax the edges before reinstalling. I would go ahead and get that piece replaced if i were you.

 

You freeze below 60 degrees? Wow. I guess i won't be asking you to come visit us Mini freaks here in Chicago :-)

 

Yep temp right now on my remote thermometer is 85.6 in the shade of the afternoon sun my AC in the house is running.

 

Check the dash panel above your knees, below the steering wheel. Mine doesn't stay clipped in at the top and at times can vibrate and squeak like a dog's chew toy!

 

My car had a horrid rattle the minute I picked it up. It was behind the CD changer in the compartment where the "secret" trap door is located and where the iPod adapter is installed. Both Mini dealerships near me (one where I purchased and the other where I get service) had seen similar problems. Basically they had to reinstall the compartment and made sure to wrap all sorts of rattle prone parts with felt. The thing is totally solid now and no peep out of it. Fortunately for me, it was a very easy rattle to localize and I could reproduce it by banging my fist on the console above the compartment.

Kathy

 

I get the exact same thing and crackling on top of the dash is a perfect way to describe it. It is not a rattle but a constant crackling like a fire place but not nearly as loud. I took it to the dealer for this and a rattle from the secret compartment. They fixed the secret compartment rattle but did not fix the top of the dash crackling. I notice it more when it is cold but it makes the noise on any road that is not very smooth. I am sure the 17 inch is what makes it worse. When I put my JCW Suspension on the crackling became a constant on all but perfect roads.

Please let me know if your dealer finds a fix but I have a feeling it is in the dash material and is a design issue.

 

OMG! My dash rattles like a sonofabeee! Drives me up the wall, the stereo doesn't even drown it out. Does anyone know how to take off the plastic piece near the windshield?

 

I live in AZ. 13000 miles, one year, and no rattles or problems. From the tone of this blog, it does appear to me that many problem related issues are cold weather related. Materials contract in cold weather and this may cause the rattles.