Rattles

[indimc]

My two month old Mini Cooper has developed a rattle in the cabin on both the drivers' and passenger side. I think that it's coming from the B pillar or possibly where the speakers are located by the back seats? Can anyone help? The car has been back to the dealer but the one day they looked at it the rattle had stopped - how frustrating!

[bentley/cooper]

Are you sure it's not just the seat belt clasp banging against te plastic trim on the inside of the b-piller? It took me a few days to figure this one out when I first got the car. Both the front & back ones do it when going over a bump or some other sudden movement. Also the little rubber balls that pull up the boot cover clunk on the rear shock tower covers. Hope this helps.

[indimc]

Thanks for that. I did think it was that to start with, but i've tried allsorts, seat belts fastened, front seat pushed forward, the list goes on! I've been out in it again tonight and i think it is somewhere by the rear speaker. It's just a shame really because it takes the shine off an other than that perfect car.

[grafiksguy]

These rattles can be maddening. I had a similar problem (more of a buzzing actually) and mine were coming from the back of the door panel (both sides). It was particularly evident with heavy bass notes from the stereo (I've got the HK) so I too thought the back speaker areas were the culprits, and let's face it the cockpit is so compact it's frankly hard to locate specifically. The back of the door panels around the reflector area seem to be a particluarly problematic area for the Mini and the door panels are MUCH easier to take off than the rear panels that house the speakers so it's advisable to start there.

So, remove the door panels off (there are numerous threads here about how to do this) and you'll see why. BMW could've done a much better job cushioning the connections between the interior panel and the door frame. The plastic connectors that run around the perimeter can be real buggers (and buzzers). The solution is to get adhesive felt tape and tape up all of the various connection areas and anything that seems like it might be a noise maker. The black styrofoam that is located in the offending area seems to be rather loosely attached as well so I'd take the time to attach that more soundly as well (duct tape works well for this). Periodically stand the panel up and rap it with your hand and listen for buzzes and rattles. One more thing, the small plastic insert that the door lock goes through also fits rather loosly a small piece of felt tape here won't hurt either. When you're happy that you've got 'em all, stop and consider the following: How do you like your stereo's bass? I installed Dynamat sound insulation primarily to dull the noise from the road, but it significantly improved the already great HK system. You may want to consider this while you've got the door off, takes about 1-1.5 hrs. per door, but well worth the time, if you've got it. If not, hopefully you'll at least have gotten rid of the rattles.

Good luck.

[indimc]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. The car has been back to BMW and they assured me that they had removed the front door panels and had a good rummage around but could find nothing wrong with the car. I drive quite a distance to and from work so it's really starting to grate on me. I have managed to find one source of buzzing - the passenger seat head rest! Apart from that it seems to come from here, there and everywhere. I am quite cautious with regards removing door panels, etc, so any further suggestions or similar experiences would be appreciated.

[grafiksguy]

Not too sure about your specifics as we each seem to have our own little particular "issues". However, before you abandon the doors, not finding anything wrong could mean to a Mini mechanic that nothing was out of the ordinary or broken as opposed to compensating for what I really feel is a poor design. The door panel attachment points are noises waiting to happen. Removing them is actually simple (I too was cautious) and worth a try. One other way to pinpoint the noise is to take a passenger in the backseat and while you traverse the offending lane, have them try to isolate the source(s) as you'll never be able to do it effectively yourself. Good luck.

--GG

[indimc]

Thanks again, I think we are both using the same thought process as i've already lined up one of my mates to act as a "noise detecting" guinea pig! Hopefully with the info you've provided and my trusty pal i'll be somewhat closer to identifying the annoying buzzing and rattling sounds!!

Thanks for your help!

[xtian]

I too am suffering from door rattles and also an irratic sunroof rattle. Two trips to the deal have resulted in zero change and their response has been "can't reproduce therefore no fix".
It is such a shame as I love my Mini Cooper S so much but the rattles are persistant and annoying and pain me every time I am in the car.

I have removed both panels and the rattles are gone so it is clearly a door panel issue. Mine appears to be centered around the rear join between the armrest and rest of the door. If I just push a finger into the screw hole that is there the noise goes away - but obviously not a long term solution ;-)

I am ready to start a letter writing campagin to Mini/BMW to get them to pay attention to this all to common complaint.