I have begun to notice in the past month or so that the rear hatch doesn't latch all the way . When looking at the back of the MINI from the side it sticks out about 1/8 to a 1/4 of an inch . while my friend was driving I looked back and saw that when we hit bumps light is visible on the bottom of the hatch (this is while it is locked). What can I do? Can I adjust the latching mechanism? I don't want to see my boot fall off like I have read in other threads. Any insightful help would be greatly appreciated

Save the boot!
Dan

 

There are two rubber bumpers on the hatch that adjust how far the boot will stick out. Just give them a couple turns clockwise and that should get it adjusted right.

 

sweet! I was hopeing it would be that easy! Be right back im gonna go check that out

 

They turn, but they dont seem to be adjusting

 

This was also covered under recall at the dealership. They will replace the loop with a slightly longer one. (and adjust it for you too !)

 

Just call the dealer and let them know?

 

Yep.........do you know if you have a chrome (older) or black (new) loop?

 

BRB im gonna check, By the way it's an 03. would that matter??

 

The latch is black.

 

Then it is the newer one.........you will need to adjust the black rubber bumpers on either side of the boot opening. They will need to be turned clockwise to set them further into the body.

You may also have to adjust the striker plate on the body to get the boot to latch properly. It isn't that hard, just takes a bit of guess work to get it just right.

 

Thats the only problem, The rubber adjusters dont seem to be adjusting

As for the striker plate, do i need to remove the plastic paneling?

Thank you!

 

Yes it would, the answers that you get in this R56 forum may not be right. Try the First gen forum.

 

See second post

 

Just an FYI - look under the carpet if it has rained in your area since you started noticing the gap. I had this same problem with mine. My boot wasn't closing properly. Got it fixed but then a few days later, I see a warning light (don't remember which one...). Apparently water had slowly leaked down into the battery compartment and set it off.

 

Yes the rear plastic panel just pops off.

Are you saying the rubber bumpers don't turn or they don't seem to be raising or lowering? They should have some "threads" cut into them.

 

You might want to have the hinges look at as mine stuck out about 1/4in on one side. the dealership adjusted the top hinges

 

Had a similar problem - hatch wasn't closing right: gap, misalignment, one side lower than the other. I tried the bumpers and it just kept getting worse as I fiddled with it.

Finally I realized that the right hinge was not rotating on the pin - it was frozen so the whole hinge had been flexing. It bent the hinge to the point that the hatch was sagging and not lined up.

In fact, within the few minutes that I was messing with trying to figure out what was wrong, the hatch sagged so badly that I could not even close it. It would not even come close to latching.

I was almost sick to my stomach - I mean I couldn't even drive it at that point. I unbolted the hinge and with a lot of WD-40, began to free up the pin so it would rotate. When I got it free, I bent it back to close to here it should be and bolted the hatch back on. Its not 100% perfect, but it is within 1/8" of it. It will suffice until I get into the dealer. I'm out of warranty so....you know the drill.

So take a close look at the hinges to make sure that one of them didn't rust solid like mine.

 

With the amount of potholes we have in MI that is what caused my problem

 

i have just added lubing the hinges on my "things to do once i get home list"

 

No water in the battery compartment.

The lower bump stops that fasten to the top of the bumper? If so those are the one that wont adjust. They have a opening in the top where to put the screw driver to tighten it to the car. The rubber bump stop rotates but does not adjust in either direction. What about the bump stop on the hatch about even with the glass?

 

Yes.....those are the ones. They are on the hatch and they hit the clear plastic "sticker" on the body.

 

Adjust the latch. There are two plugs in the sill plate. Pull these out and you can get at he torx screws that hold the latch.

 

cool i will give that a try