Ok, now for the second thread on a totally unrelated problem.

On the highway, Im hearing air noise like the door or windows arent closed fully. It is faint, but I definitely hear air coming in like a leak. Anyone else have this problem or is it just normal for these cars? I had frameless windows in my 96 Subaru Legacy wagon and they never made any noise (and that car wasnt exactly cherry either )

Regardless, Im not really entirely comfortable with that noise. I do have to turn down the music at times, yanno....

 

Do a search in the R56 forum on wind noise. It looks like there's a lot of cars with windsheild/A-pillar/moulding-related noise including mine.

Start with the masking tape test and good luck.

 

I have it, but I only hear it at speeds above 65 mph. To me it sounds like it's coming from the driver side window.

 

I am upset with the lack of quality put into the build of my Cooper. The taillight housing is mounted improperly, my pillars and stripes are stained from the washer fluid issue, and it makes a bit of noise from the door seal on the highway. The cover to the kick panel on the passenger side fell off as well and will not stay on. The steering wheel volume controls are a bit screwy. It takes two or three tries to close the hatch properly on my cooper. To be honest, I like the car, but I really miss my old Subaru and I can only imagine what sort of problems this thing is going to have at 50,000 miles, nevermind the 200k my Subaru was at.

*sigh* I dont know what to do. Im really unhappy with it at the moment.

 

I'm with MINI USA. I've passed this message on to a MINI National Customer Relations Representative who will be in touch with you soon.

 

Mike621 If you really want to get annoyed about build quality , check out the crome pieces that circle the car at the bottom of the windows ,none of mine line up some are nearly a quarter inch off .....It is fun to drive though .

 

R56 Build quality is not great. Single door seals, plastic that rattles, etc. I've driven BMW's for 35 years, and I assumed that the R56 build quality would at least be similar to BMW....in my case it is not.

 

I also have the annoying Wind noise. To me it is either coming from the sunroof or the windshield. Pretty annoying. It is only above 60mph on the highway. Hell people cant even hear me on the Bluetooth phone sometimes because its so loud. Along with the other issues such as the 3rd to 2nd gear down shift squeal. People have been getting Transmissions and clutches replaced on brand new cars. Mini needs to address these concerns ASAP. Seems like no one is getting the issues resolved.

 

I was experiencing this same wind noise and thought it was coming from the sunroof. I took the car in for service, and the technician adjusted the sunroof only to hear the same high pitch noise again at highway speeds so they figured out it was the windshield. It is getting replaced as we speak. It sounds a little crazy for a car with 4,700 miles on it to need a new windshield, but I'm glad the dealer didn't give me probs and addressed the issue right away.

This might be the solution for the rest of you as well...good luck

 

I had the same problem, brought it to my dealer and they were supposed to order new weatherstripping, they also adjusted my doors so they aren't flush iwth the car anymore :impatient it helped a little but it is not right. Needless to say im not going there anymore. MINI USA guy feel free to contact me, I have some specific complaints that don't need to be voiced here to badmouth a dealer.

Have fun,
Josh

 

I was so sick of driving that car with the lack of quality all around, I ended up trading it in today, I actually only lost $600 on the trade in value versus what I paid new. Im happy.

 

I also have a perceived wind noise on the driver's side. It sounds like a bad window seal around either the driver door or windshield at the front pillar. The problem is worse when driving at 30mph or more with a strong cross wind or head wind.

I believe the problem is with the fresh air inlet for the climate control system. The problem seems to go away when I set the climate control to recirculate the cabin air, and it comes back when I switch it back to automatic. I've tried opening and closing the window, using a rag around the window edges, etc, with no luck.

As a result, it's back to the dealer to look at this along with a problem regarding sun shade creep, a creaking arm rest, and a blistering hot seat heater. Minor stuff for sure, but I'll be glad when I get the car to a level that makes me happy.

2007 Cooper, black with silver bonnet & boot stripes.

 

I can hear the dreaded wind noise as well. It tends to appear at speeds over 50mph. I had it in to the dealer for them to look at it, but of course they couldn't find anything. Oddly enough as soon as I got the car back the noise was gone. Uncanny. It's back now though. I'd probably be a little more pissed if a) the car wasn't under warranty, and b) I didn't love driving the durn thing so much.

 

Frustrated by dealer responses, I took matters into my hands. My noise leak (air or road noise) was coming from the rear upper door edge just below the B-pillar and noticeable over 50 mph.

I reinforced the seal here with thin foam weatherstripping tape as pictured.



I then moved the door latch back for a tighter fit. Just loosen the two torx screws as pictured.




Well, the noise is quieter. I can't really hear it now due to wind noise from the front windshield I'm hoping is normal aerodynamic resistance.

 

I was thinking of doing the same thing. Thanks for the post! Do you know the torque specs for those torx screws?

 

Sorry, don't know the specs, but it was the biggest size on my swiss army style torx wrench set.

Also, I took that picture earlier before I added and extended more insulation tape further down.

Good luck. Driving in the rain today is definitely quieter for me. Probably as good as it gets with the door design. Interestingly, my wife never heard the noise before because she is shorter and sits more upright and closer to the steering wheel.

 

That is the same one I hear. It started with about 1000 miles on the car. It's very faint but there if I don't listen to the radio. It gets worse when it's windy.

How far back did you move the latch? Did it change how the door fits in relation to the other body panel? Is it still flush with the rear fender/quarter panel?

 

Just a little bit, the amount the green foam backing edge that is now showing as in my picture.

Still flush, no visible difference but definitely feels tighter and requires more force to latch the door.

 

I did a test drive in a new Clubman after dropping my MCS off, and it too had the air leak noise. So I'm hoping that this isn't something 'normal'. It's not horrible, but it is annoying when you're listening for it.

 

I think it is 'normal' but can/should be improved. Other cars have better redundancy in the way they seal IMHO, like rubber weatherstripping on both the door and the body frame. There's really not much of a "seal" with this door design.

 

That's not surprising the Clubman has the same noise. It is the same chassis up to that point.

 

Also, I need to note that though the noise is better, it is still there. One way to make it pretty much deaden it is to stuff a rag from inside after the door is closed.

I wonder if those who have used dynamat on the inside of the doors noticed improvement in this "leak".

Also, anyone know how the earlier models fare? Is the design different?

 

hey guys, I also have what sounds like wind noise coming from my driver's side window. It sounds like the door/window is not properly closed, but obviously it is. It's note loud enough that it would interfere with my talking on the phone, but it is load enough to hear even with the radio on. Obviously, the noise level is directly proportional to my driving speed. I've got about 500 miles on my car and I've heard this since the night I drove it home from the dealership.

 

What i have experienced on my S was the whistling sound from my sunroof at speeds from 120km/h upwards.

It does get very annoying when all my past cars that have sunroofs didn't even whistle.

 

I started a thread on this subject under the heading "Driver Side Wind Noise & Vent Noise/Whistle"

Your problem sounds a lot like mine did. Good luck with it.

'07 MC, Astro Black with silver bonnet and boot stripes