Apologies if this has been dealt with elsewhere, but a quick search on 'rattle' didn't provide any appropriate response, so here goes. Tiny has developed a kind of intermittent chattering rattle from somewhere in her driver's side door region, exacerbated by driving over any surface rougher than a billiard table. Dropping the window a fraction quietens things: wind it up a again and the problem returns. (Normal dropping and lifting of the window on opening and closing the door seems to be working fine). Has anybody else's Mini been similarly afflicted, or is it just me being picky (or unlucky, or both!)?

My Cooper had an internal door rattle from new.

I took it round some bumpy twisty 'B' roads and that sorted it.

Might settle it down?

If you find out what is the cause, let me know.
my dealer thinks its just my imagination
regards
pjs

A car rattle will NEVER exist when the dealer drives/pokes/prods/shakes the car.

Strange but true.

Originally posted by fearofmanc
(Normal dropping and lifting of the window on opening and closing the door seems to be working fine). Has anybody else's Mini been similarly afflicted, or is it just me being picky (or unlucky, or both!)?

My September build ONE has developed the same rattle after 7K miles on the clock. Rattles at low revs and on anything as bumpy as loose chippings on the road..:(

No idea where it's coming from though (sounds like the speaker housing as my stereo seems to sound a little different too?..)

Are you sure that the rattle goes when you wind the window down or is it could it be drowned out by wind noise?..

As for a fix, I can't really help you there..my car is geting replaced in a few weeks, so I'm going to grin and bear it for now...

When I had the speakers changed in my doors I noticed a rattle, it was audible at low volumes and extremely loud with the volume turned up. I took it back to BMW to get some other things fixed and asked them to take a look which they did but then said they wouldn't sort it as I had different speakers fitted. After this the rattle became apparent when the radio wasn't on, it was okay on smooth surfaces but on a rough surface it would return. I then took my car to the car audio shop where I had the speakers fitted and they took it for a day, when they returned it they said it was something to do with the movement of air inside the panel and they padded it out with foam. This appeared to stop it but recently it start to occur again. In frustration I hit the panel a few times and slammed the door fairly hard a couple of time and haven't heard it since! :D

Jon

Originally posted by Dogger


Are you sure that the rattle goes when you wind the window down or is it could it be drowned out by wind noise?



Did some bad science testing driving home today, and even lowering the window a fraction of an inch with a quick down/up flick on the switch quietens it, if not completely, then certainly a great deal, which makes me think it's not being drowned out by wind noise. (I can hear the rattling over the hi-fi...it being close to my right ear!) Pressing on the window doesn't seem to help, which makes me wonder if it's actually coming from the door. Severity seems to vary from journey to journey as well. Tiny's booked in to have her left pull looked at in a fortnight, so I'll try and get it added to the list.

Originally posted by J.N.


I took it round some bumpy twisty 'B' roads and that sorted it.



Probably the bumpy twisty 'B' roads around here that caused it, knowing my luck!

Thanks to you all for your response (it's brilliant to find somewhere that rattles are actually taken seriously!). Will post again if and when I have something to add.

I originally thought it was the seat belt slider on the column just behind my head but further lirstening and proding lead me to the top corner of the door - just behind the red reflective disc.

When i push the door just there (whilst driving etc.) the noise does go away. I reckon it is something that is loose and needs packing etc. Problem is, have you seen all the seals and screws etc. you'd have to reomve first ??

My second car has developed a little annoying rattle on the passenger door.

I think i might have found it.

By winding the window down half inch it dissappeared.
On close inspection on the outside, there is a glass like looking plastic strip which runs down the side of the rear window. Here this appears to have perhaps a 5/8ths of an inch drop where it hasnt been fitted correctly. On pressing this it makes a noise.

I reckon that when driving along the wind pushes this piece and therefore rattles against the window and door seal.

It doesnt bother me too much, just the annoyance factor, but i will take it back at some point and get them to fix the rear wiper sweep at the same time.

Worth investigating this park on your car to see if its the same problem.

Cheers,

lol

Originally posted by lol
Worth investigating this park on your car to see if its the same problem.


Thanks, will do. Haven't yet reported the fault to my dealer as the troublesome window was quiet as a church mouse all yesterday and on my outward bound journey this morning...only to start rattling again as soon as I headed back home.

As a totally unrelated aside, my dealer posted my TLC voucher book to me...without a stamp! Cost me 59p to get it out of hock from the post office. Is this standard practice?!

I read with interest all of your comments on this rattle which has a habit of disappearing as soon as you lower the window a fraction and returns with the window up as I have had this myself, asked the dealer to cure it and despite being told they secured a loose panel it was still there.

So......what is the cure.....well, it is oh so very simple or at least in my case it was......

this is going to sound so stupid and simple I know but seriously.....give it a try as it has cured what sounds like the exact same rattle on my car !!! :D

The windows on the MINI are sitting in pillarless doors and when closed they butt up to a rubber seal. Rubber weathers and dries out quickly. I have managed to cure the rattle and have had 500 rattle free miles just by cleaning the rubbers the glass seals to on the body aperture.

By cleaning I don't mean wiping it over with a damp cloth either. I used "Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber Care" which I use only as I prepare my other car to concours standards using Autoglym. Just apply this on a cloth to both seals and rub it in. I also used this cure very successfully over 4 years whilst working in a Chrysler Dealership on the Chrysler Neon which also had pillarless doors

It didn't go straight away, but within 10 or so miles.

As I have said, I know it sounds a daft solution adn you are probably reading this and thinking "get real" but it cured this for me......so what have you got to lose when you are next cleaning your cars. Just get a good quality rubber care product and see ! :cool:

Chip,

Tried some Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care (mmm...lemon fresh!) on Tiny's errant driver's door window seals last weekend, but it doesn't seem to have improved things (which seem to be highly weather-dependent: quiet during rainstorms, like a bag of bones on hot days). However, being over-cautious, I only treated Tiny to a light application of the stuff, certainly nowhere near the "Re-apply if coating is absorbed" quantity mentioned in the instructions. How many applications did you use? Will some major situation result from using too much?

Cheers!

There are a few things that spring to mind as to what this could be.
The glass regulator mechanism or the door lock pin connecting rods are most likely to rattle but there are other things it could be.
However all of them require disassembly of the door case to fix and it's possible to end up causing more damage.
It's best to see your dealer to avoid all the hasstle!!

fearofmanc,

I gave it 2 otr 3 applications and it has never returned since although I use it regularly now when I polish the car, mine was very weather sensitive too but I don't think you will cause any damage by over use to be honest as what it doesn't absorb you will end up wiping off anyway. If it doesn't cure the problem though I guess you are looking at something else in the door causing the rattle

Thanks again, I'll give it another go. The weather sensitivity was demonstrated quite convincingly today when a rainstorm halfway through my journey home quietened things down considerably! Another question, probably on the wrong forum, but since you mentioned polish, has anybody else found (body-coloured) T-Cut leaving a kind of haze over the bodywork? Or am I not applying enough elbow grease?!

slight deviation from the original topic there fearofmanc :p

I have no experience of body coloured tcut but if it is leaving a haze then I am guessing it needs more rubbing. When I have used normal tcut in the past I have rubbed it off but then always follow up with a wax polish anyway. I have always used Autoglym products which I have no complaints about

Thanks again Chip. More rubbing it shall get!

(Me and potions and stout little cars a dangerous combination!)

Has anyone successfully resolved the window rattle problem?

I have the same symptoms as described by fearofmanc - rattles when closed, open slightly - no rattles. My dealer made "some adjustments" but the rattles are still present.

Thanks in advance.

Follow Chip's suggestion...it might sound unlikely but it really does work! It's not an instant or permanent fix, but a generous helping of Autoglym's "Vinyl & Rubber Care" over the rubber seals where the window meets the door does the trick. (I wipe them with the Autoglym potion three times once a fortnight or so.)

Now, if Kas has a solution to the red reflective disc rattle that Tiny is currently developing...

Originally posted by fearofmanc
Now, if Kas has a solution to the red reflective disc rattle that Tiny is currently developing...

An observation: one day I came back to my car and the red reflector looked weird -- it is in two pieces and the top one had popped off. I popped it back on. Anyways, if it is rattling you may be able to pop the top off and then put it back on using some glue, or perhaps just popping it off and back on will help the rattle.

Also, for door rattles and such, also check the exterior chrome/rubber window molding at the bottoms. After some recent body work I had a new rattle that was caused by the molding not being put back on all the way. Went back to the shop and they popped it in properly (I tried but couldn't get it to stay) and it looks better and I haven't heard it rattling since.

Harry

Thanks for that reflector advice. I've also had problems with the rubber/chrome moulding - some of the section beneath the driver's side rear window 'deflated' whilst I was washing Tiny, leaving part of the bottom edge of the glass pane exposed, which doesn't seem fantastic from a security/weather-proofing point of view. My Pa managed to dig it back up with some deft craft knife work, but the moral seems to be that a gentle touch with sponge and chamois would be a virtue.

I have this window rattling problem, and it's driving me crazy. Is there a definitive fix from BMW now? Or is it still a case of rubbing loads of potion on?

I don't know of any definitive fix, but trust me, the magic potion really does work! I apply it every time I clean Tiny (about once a fortnight), and although I can recall being driven (quite literally) to distraction when I first noticed the problem...because it seems as if there's nothing you can do about it, and it's so close to your right ear...I can honestly say I notice it very rarely, if at all, these days.

Fearofmanc, thanks very much you are a star, it really does work the Autoglym stuff!! I can now drive without a veritable cacophony occurring just next to my ear! Thanx again :)

Pleasure! I know it seems like an odd no-hoper of a fix, but your glowing testimony speaks for itself!

I'm lost. How does Autoglym help fix a rattly door?

The problem is not the door so much as the frameless window of our Minis rattling against the rubber surface it closes on to. Apparently this rubber seal can dry out (even in our climate), causing an infuriating rattling noise inches from the driver's right ear on anything but the smoothest road surface. Wiping a few coats of Autoglym "Vinyl & Rubber Care" over the rubber seal every few weeks minimses the rattle, a suggestion Chip offered when I originally posted the problem.

The door rattling up by the reflector is not the reflector itself but apparantly a little clip up there that rattles. I've had three MINIs, mine and two courtesy cars. They've all suffered from this problem.


MINI - Are you out there? Surely this is an easy one to fix???


My dealer "fixed" mine (don;t know what they did) but it came back after a couple of weeks.

It has been discussed in here before on this thread http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13595&perpage=15&highlight=flies%20in%20my%20door&pagenumber=2 and other places.

It might be worth loosening (or tightening???) the torx bolts that hold the door panel on. There is one bolt under the reflector which prises out easily in two pieces. I did try this on my car without success so the only total fix may be to remove the panel and put rubber washers, felt or velcro under the clips.

I wouldn't remove the door panel myself but it can't be too difficult and indeed it may be described somewhere on MINI2 what exactly you need to do.

Originally posted by KenL
The door rattling up by the reflector is not the reflector itself but apparantly a little clip up there that rattles. I've had three MINIs, mine and two courtesy cars. They've all suffered from this problem.


MINI - Are you out there? Surely this is an easy one to fix???


My dealer "fixed" mine (don;t know what they did) but it came back after a couple of weeks.

It has been discussed in here before on this thread http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13595&perpage=15&highlight=flies%20in%20my%20door&pagenumber=2 and other places.

It might be worth loosening (or tightening???) the torx bolts that hold the door panel on. There is one bolt under the reflector which prises out easily in two pieces. I did try this on my car without success so the only total fix may be to remove the panel and put rubber washers, felt or velcro under the clips.

I wouldn't remove the door panel myself but it can't be too difficult and indeed it may be described somewhere on MINI2 what exactly you need to do.

This was fixed on my MC by the dealer (or the engineer to be more exact) fitting a sponge washer between the fixing that is known to rattle. This solved the problem.

In my new MCS I have not yet had this issue - there are other unknown rattles to contend with though...

After partaking in another thread to do with door rattles, I was told by one person that they took their door cover off to investigate further, only to find that MINI had failed to construct the door with all the screews etc. it required. i.e. there were empty fixing holes. Needless to say that this person completed these empty fixes and re-fitted the door panel - the rattle never came back.

Interesting...

damn, I am facing the same problem now. And its annoying because it dissapears and come back again as it wish. And that is why I didnt send it to the dealers and wouldnt know how to explain.!!!!