I also keep mine garaged (and don't really venture out in the rain with the MCSa). Crappy weather is what the XC90 is for. Definitely not a candidate for the mass hysteria list.

 

Ha! I wonder how MINI would explain a warranty denial decision on the rust warranty if a car had been flagged as having been tracked? Specifically, how does the car being taken to the track and raced become a contributing factor to the development of rust?

 

Let me take a stab at that one:

"The excessive speeds and g-forces generated at track and autocross events can result in deeper penetration of water into the weatherstripping. The weatherstripping was engineered to keep aqueous substances out only at street legal speeds."

See, it's easy.

Slightly off topic - I have the infamous poltergeist glovebox. I called our local dealer and informed them of the problem. The said drop the car off and they would look at the glove box and order a new one if necessary as they did not have one currently in stock.

I protested that it was stupid for me to drop the car off for three hours so they could look at a problem they damn well know plagues the earlier models and then order a part and have me come back again to install the new box. I asked them to preorder the box - no go.........

I offered instead to remove the glovebox and drop it off so they could poke and prod at it to their heart's content - that way we could both avoid wasting some time. I was told, and I kid you not, that this would invalidate my GLOVEBOX warranty- so don't do it!

I called two more dealers and got the same response.........

Let's Motor!

 

My sideskirts are painted bodycolor, so I didn't see any rust, or am I looking at the wrong place?

 

fj0, you need to look under the weather stripping. It's the soft rubbery material that's inward from the door sill. All you have to do is pull a section up and take a look. It goes back in easy without any problems.

 

That's what I did, I think that's a part of my sideskirt and since it was painted like 2 months ago if it was there it would be gone now(?)

 

I don't think you're looking at the right thing quite yet... The "rubber" strip that folks are pulling up and peering underneath, is the one that runs the whole circumference of the door opening. I had to pull it up where it goes up the A-pillar, when I had my windshield and those pesky plastic A-pillar trim bits replaced (rock attack not a windshield defect).

Maybe that helps,
Tatt

 

I guess that at some point, you get to a conclusion that there isn't any more water (warranty work paid by MINI/BMW) to be squeezed out of that rock (MINI/BMW). How much does a replacement glovebox cost?

I think that they want you to drop off your car so they can charge (MINI/BMW) for the labor to remove and replace the glovebox as well as investigate the cause for the failure. Even at wholesale rates, they are still makng some margin.

 

I just checked my early '03 out. I keep my car garaged and is rarely out in the rain. After I wash it I always dry inside the doors and rim the seals. The last time the car was washed was three weeks ago. My passenger side was bone dry and absolutely no sign of rust. The drivers side seal was still wet deep inside the groove and there was some surface rust along the top edge and at the unpainted part. There is a small plastic film over the unpainted part that is starting to bubble up. Now part of my wash routine will be to pull the seals and dry them completely and wax that area. Thanks SpiderX for saving me some aggravation down the road!

-Dan

 

I too, have found rust on the driver's side, but not passenger's side. The driver's side was also wet. Minimal rust- mostly on the unpainted spot where the sill was clamped (at the weld). Mine is an 2004 (10/03 build) and I received the extended rust warranty- now I know why. I guess I'll be making a trip to MINI of St. Louis soon.

 

Rust is so cool. And it never sleeps.

 

Mine is an 02 and it has it too. :(

I have already had my door replaced because the paint was bubbling

Were I live we never salt the roads, and the car has been garaged all it's life

 

Kind of like cancer - it never sleeps either.

 

Across the Pond reporting ...Just looked at mine ( Feb 04) and no rust but its wet underneath, car last washed last saturday...tis not good is it :(

 

I would think that since 02 owners are starting to find similar and same problems on this issue then it certainly means it is a defect of the cars treatment on manufacturing. Anyone with these complaints should take it to there dealers and request that a regional rep comes out and looks at the problem and bring a printing of this thread or any similar thread of the issue with you. Bringing it to their regional reps beyond the dealer will help show this is an area that needs to be looked at by the manufacturer and will in all probability be taken care of by them at some point. If drivers do not bring it to their attention an a mass basis then Mini will just say it is your problem. There were some issues at the beginning with the minis that took a lone time for Mini to take responsibility for but when we all came out in numbers with the same issues they finally took care of the problems as they were complained about instead of being able to hide behind one individual car with a complaint. The power of these forums should be put to use when needed. Now I am going to go check my 02!

 

While cleaning up the MINI today I pulled the door seals and looked closer. At first the inside of the seal appears damp or wet, but while trying to dry it out I discovered there is a shiny adhesive of some kind along with a little moisture here and there. Perhaps these seals were intended to be glued into place. Additionally, the seal, which is continuous around the door open, may actuall collect some water near the top of the window and channel it down within the seal (capillary) rather than getting wet from driven water at the door sill. Either way isn't good, but pulling and drying them at each washing isn't all that hard.

 

When I pulled mine, it looked like there was a small amount of adhesive and the seal was stuck pretty tight to the body. This might be partially due to surviving Florida heat since '02.

 

every car has its little rust quirks. honda for instance is always the rear section of the wheel arches. obvioulsy the mini is under the door seal rubber. a little silicone coating before it becomes an issue will solve the problem

 

just inspected my car and I have a theory. These points on the car where there is potential for rust (I have surface rust) are probably contact points for painting using electrostatic paint processes. For some bizarre reason BMW engineers thought it would be ok to cover these post paint with clear plastic sealers (on my 03). This appears to be an inadequate method to prevent rust in an area that naturally retains moisture.

 

Just want to say a HUGE thank you for the 'heads up' guys! Since an Aussie saw this thread and informed us over on the MINI2 regional forum, a lot of Aussies have checked their cars and have found they too have rust!! My 08/02 MCS has it on the driver's side, but not the passenger side. (It appears that the UK owners are also finding it too).

We don't have the extreme cold weather that you experience, and don't 'salt the roads' (although the majority of the population lives along a coastline).

I am going to write a letter to BMW Australia and let them know to expect quite a few owners will be taking their cars into the dealers and asking what can be done? I will emphasis that is would appear it is a 'world-wide' problem which would indicate it goes back to a manufacturing problem

On a run yesterday, I checked another 3 cars - and 2 (a 2003 and a 2002) both had the problem. The other car (a 2006) is so new, you wouldn't expect to see it anyway!! (Not that ANY of us should have rust on such young cars) The day before, we also found it on a friend's 2005 MINI Cooper S.

After having watched "Full Throttle" last night, where they refurbed and raced 2 classic Minis - hearing about how much rust they found made me more than a little nervous

Cheers
Avril...(in Sydney, Australia)

 

Here are some more pictures from my 09/02 build date 2003 MINI Cooper:

Build date is on the plaque:


The plastic covering coming off the scuff plate - not a big deal, I've already replaced the (silver) scuff plate on the other side of the car:




The rust, if present, will live on the metal that is underneath the black rubber strip in the door opening, not under the plastic side skirt. There is an "unpainted" looking rectangle towards the back of the door opening. It does seem to be covered with something resembling a fancy kind of clear tape.

The passenger's side of my car doesn't show much (if any) rust, but does show the unpainted area:

giant version: http://static.flickr.com/45/155702978_d209a77a80_o.jpg

In the giant version of the picture, you can see the edges of the clear tape-like covering over the unpainted area.

The driver's side shows a little rust:

giant version: http://static.flickr.com/52/155703606_850d8255c6_o.jpg

 

snid, that looks interesting. Our '02 doesn't have that un-painted spot but there is still some rust. I should have time tomorrow to get a pic.

 

I removed the delaminating plastic on the passenger side completely, and cleaned up the residue with rubber alcohol as was recommended by someone else here. Looks beautiful. Changing it out would seem to be a waste. The driver's side looks as though the plastic is already gone. Much shinier without the plastic covering. It is at all possible that this was a protective film intended to be removed at delivery and no one ever did?

 

Check back in with us in a month on that issue (the plastic covering on the door sills / scuff plates). I did the same thing, it looked great for a little while...

 

I just bought my 06 MCS less than a week ago and have been following this thread as soon as I noticed even 05s have this problem.

I checked under the rubber part and it's wet. I picked up my MINI a week ago yesterday and haven't washed it since! I'm getting really paranoid because I thought that since I have those 2 holes in the rubber, that 06s would be exempt from this problem. But I've just noticed that in the pics posted, you all have those holes too.

As other people have mentioned, if you have any preventative measures that you know about (other than wiping the inside of the rubber after a car wash) please post! My MINI's not even a week old and already I'm freaked out!!