Driving mini when it's cold outside help with rattle
 

Hi guys I got my car a month ago. Love it. But now it's starting to get cold and when I start my car up is fine and everything but all of sudden I hear this loud rattle coming from driver side door or dash. I am not sure what's going on. And it last for 10 to 15 mins after car is warm up its stops. Anybody have that problem?

which year of your mini?

2009 mini s with 50k

Have you checked your oil? The biggest worry is that it is your timing chain, so please search for timing chain posts on this forum and make sure it isn't that! If it is, *don't drive it any more!!* Tow it to a mechanic and have it fixed. If it is the timing chain, you can destroy your engine if you drive it.
Hopefully it is not the timing chain!!

No it's not rattle from engine. It's inside the car. Right by driver side door panel speakers to ac vent to side pillar.

No worries, they all do that. Lol

Turn of the fan motor and I bet it will stop.

Haha than I will freeze.

I recently had that same rattle/buzz on cold days too. I stuck a piece of self-stick weatherstripping (bought a roll of it at the hardware store) about 3 or 4 inches long on the driver's side end of the dash so that it presses on the door panel when the door is closed. You don't notice it when the door is open, can't see it at all when the door is closed. So far... no more buzz.

Cheap and easy - - my kind of fix. Worth a try!

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Yeah I am thinking the same. But it isn't cold as before but do you happen to have pics?

I noticed a new rattle on mine since it has cooled off. I think it might be the lid on the cowling for the brake fluid reservour. It looks a little warped. It's very noticable for the first 15 minutes after start-up, but disappears after things warm up.

Ok I'll take a look at the area as well. Just weird how it rattles when cold. So what you end up doing with the cover?

My passenger door is rattling on the clips that hold the interior door panel on. I noticed it when i upgraded my amp and the front boston speakers started hittin some hard bass. Now that its cold it does it over rough roads. I took the door panel off and none of the clips are missing or loose other than the fact that they slide around in the guides that hold them. i put it all back on and it still rattles. I'm guessing its the panel vibrating on that slight bit of play around the clip cause they are all snapped into the door. Might have to try the weatherstripping on the inside of the panel between it and the door frame like 33EJB said.

I had this same problem. I took off the panel, then removed all the little clips. I then put some black silicone on the back of each, and put them back in the panel, then the panel back on the door. My thinking is the silicone will set up and keep the clips from vibrating. So far, so good. On to the next rattle!