Picked up my R56 yesterday. Evertime I take it for a spin, the little flap covering the tow hook hole in the rear bumper comes open. Good thing it is tethered to the bumper or it would have fallen off a long time back. When I put it back in its place it does snap into place but seems to be a little loose.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

mine is loose, but it hasn't flopped open.. I'd take it in and have them look at it.

 

My R53 flap is not real tight either. What I do is snap it in place, and then slide it downward to get a tighter fit. It has never flopped open using this technique...

 

Perhaps you shouldn't accelerate quite so hard.

 

Mine is the same way. I looked at the tab that usually snaps in place when you push it into the hole and the rear and front tabs are bent. It’s almost like the delivery driver had to use the tow hook and really pried the cover out of both bumpers. If you look at the tab that would snap into place on the covers you may see that the plastic looks stressed (white from stretching too far).

I tried to push them the other way to make them tighter fitting but they are still slightly loose but have not popped out since.

Hoe that helps.

 

Gorilla Glue

 

Now now, I'm trying really hard to be good during the break-in period

 

My front cover is loose, but never fallen out. My back one fits tight.

 

If trying to bend the tabs back or wedging them differently won't work, you might consider some low-strength adhesive on the tabs. Like that booger stuff that holds inserts into magazines. Or -- wrap a bit of tape (maybe a small bit of duct tape) around the tabs to thicken them up.

Just after-midnight off-the-cuff ideas...

 

I've had the same problem since I drove it off the lot. I am going to pick up my plates this afternoon and have them look at it. Sometimes it stays put for days, other times I can go around the block and have it fall out.

 

dbhouston, please let us know what your dealer does to fix it.

This is where not having a dealer in town becomes an issue. I'd like to get the flap fixed but a 70 mile drive each way is a bit much for it. I'm just accumulating issues in my Mini right now, so I can take it in just once to get everything fixed.

 

Same issue here. Noted it to my MA on first test drive of my car. I've since bent the overstressed tab back and it hasn't popped out once since but like the tabs holding the battery cover it's not a quality exuding fastener.

 

The service guy said he couldn't see that my cover was any different than the others on the lot, but is going to order a new part and paint it to match as a replacement. It may be that the part is the right size and the hole is ever-so-slightly larger. Beats me. It is not a pressing issue, but one they are looking at for me.

 

Thanks TrboKrt. I tried this and it seems to have fixed the problem - the flap hasn't come open for about a 100 miles now and counting

 

I just picked up my MC today and while driving home from the dealer, someone pulled up next to me and told me that a piece of plastic was hanging from my bumper. It was the tow cover. I put it back in place but by the time I came home, it was off again. I called the dealer and he said this is a problem they've been having. He said he could use a special non permanent adhesive to hold it in, unfortunately, I didn't get the name of it. But I used "Handi-Tak", which is a rubbery kind of non-permanent adhesive. You break off a piece and roll it into a ball and place it between the two surfaces that need to be held together. It seems to have worked as the tow hook cover doesn't wobble when I press on it like it did before, but the real test will be my 25 mile drive to work tomorrow. I'm optimistic, though, as this is good stuff...completely resuable and doesn't leave a residue.

 

Is that something from an auto parts store, craft store? I could use it. I'm getting tired of people asking why there is a piece hanging on my bumper. I'd rather they stare at my car in admiration.

 

A little dab of clear silicone sealer works great! It won't harden like glue does, so if you need to use your hook you can.
Cover your hole, it's a tough out there!

 

Since I followed TrboKrt's suggestion, the flap has stayed put for 900 miles now. A NAM success story...lol

 

Handi-Tak can be bought at one of those chain drug stores, like Walgreens. This is what the package says, "The reusable adhesive that replaces tape. Won't dry out, works on all surfaces, competely reusable, non toxic". I think it comes in different colors but I'm not sure; mine is yellow. Cost $1.99 for about six strips. For the tow cover, I used about 1/4 -1/2 a strip. And it's still holding nicely. Edited to add that you could probably buy it at Office Depot or Staples too.

 

Good to hear. I think that some transport trucks are not as gentle with the load/unload process or the inspection terminals are training new workers or something. These covers dont need a lot to pop out.

 

My Mini dealership called me the other day. They had a replacement cover in stock and I went to see them. They replaced it in about two minutes. Drove it on a several hundred mile trip yesterday and today. Held firm with no problems.

 

For what its worth, I think every MINI deserves a little added "bling" so I added a tow/toe ring for the front. I have asked before and done the requisite search for a spot in the rear to attach one, and this is the first reference to what I've looked for. Thanks, now Sgt Pepper can have two tow/toe rings and next winter I won't have to wrap a tow/toe strap around the rear axle hardware to get pulled out of a side ditch!

 

My R56 has the same problem. It actually felt out before I could take the car out of the dealer parking lot. If some one pries it open with more than the minimum force, the little tooth that sticks out will get bent.

The car's battery cover is made of the same cheap plastic. After opening it once, I immediately noticed the white line (result of material fatigue) appearing. Now I am really concerned that if I had to open it a few more times, it might just break off. Why does BMW use so many badly designed cheap parts?!!!

 

My rear tow hook cover fell off, anybody know where I can get a British Racing Green one... 2003 cooper S

 

My front cover just went missing. Since it's tethered, I don't think it just fell off,
I think it was stolen (cue dramatic music). Oh, well there goes another $15
for a replacement.