Dismantling of Dashboard

[sinunn]

A quick update......

Car went in on Monday as planned for 3 days. Got a call from the dealer after 2 days saying it was ready for collection. Ask a few questions and was amazed!

Here we go. The dealer is Halliwell Jones in Warrington. Car is 3 months old, and the rattle/creaking noise on passenger side of dash has been there since the second day of ownership. It’s been back 3 times without success.

They cannot locate the cause. Nor can (or won't!!) they solve it.

Technician can here the noise but cannot locate it, even after taking dash apart. To resolve it they have contacted BMW themselves. The same technician had looked at a similar problem on a similar spec age car several weeks prior. As a result of that, the BMW area manager attended to try to resolve.

I have been told that the dash is designed to flex/move (now as I have a degree in engineering I understand this). They can hear the noise and it is considered acceptable! Acceptable to whom???!! There is clearly some design fault if the required flexing causes this noise.

Basically top and bottom of it is that BMW will not investigate this further under Warranty it is considered an acceptable creaking noise (load enough to be heard over the radio in the mornings). Of course the area manager did not see or hear my car, but was going of his/her experience of the similar case several weeks prior.

After what started to become a heated exchange (on my part) I was left with no option other than to take the car as I had taken it in. Halliwells will not carry out any further work on it as BWM will not accept any the Warranty invoices they bill for it (this problem anyway). I have been given the number for BMW customer services. Halliwells said I now need to take the matter up with BWM!

I am disgusted that somebody can make the assessment without hearing it, plus tell me, the customer, what is acceptable or not.
Sorry...rant over!

I have not called BMW yet, as I wanted the dust to settle to allow me to put a more reasoned point to them.
Thoughts anybody?

Simon

[ALD0]

Certainly do not accept this!
Call MINI Customer services and escalate, also I would put it in writing to them also.
MINI Uk will take this up with you as the problem lies with the car/manufacturing not the service you have received.

[KenL]

Quote: Originally Posted by sinunn (original)

Thoughts anybody?

The dealer is incompetent!

[ONED]

I agree with Aldo, I also have issues to take up with MINI, and am drafting a letter - not the first time though!

[geoffers56]

My wife's March 07 MCS also exhibited the same creaking problem coming from the left hand side of the dashboard, almost from new.
It has been in to the supplying dealer on 4 occasions and to Halliwell Jones (Warrington) on 2 occasions.
Problem has not been fixed, whilst I have no complaint about the standard of service I am amazed that in this day and age, whatt appears to be a problem caused by plastic rubbing against metal or glass cannot be resolved by packing with felt tape.
I think the same technician from BMW who looked at sinnun's car must have looked at my wife's car as she to was informed that the level of noise experienced is acceptable.
This is my wife's 3rd MCS and is the worst of the lot for creaks and rattles.
BMW should realize that those three letters are synonymous with quality, but this appears to be sadly lacking in some aspects of the MIni.
They really do need to address these issues to make the car worthy of the BMW name.
My wife is now in the process of trading hers back in to the dealer and has ordered a 123d Coupe, which is a little more expensive than the Mini, but the quality is 100% better

[ALD0]

Quote: Originally Posted by geoffers56 (original)

My wife's March 07 MCS also exhibited the same creaking problem coming from the left hand side of the dashboard, almost from new.
It has been in to the supplying dealer on 4 occasions and to Halliwell Jones (Warrington) on 2 occasions.
Problem has not been fixed, whilst I have no complaint about the standard of service I am amazed that in this day and age, whatt appears to be a problem caused by plastic rubbing against metal or glass cannot be resolved by packing with felt tape.
I think the same technician from BMW who looked at sinnun's car must have looked at my wife's car as she to was informed that the level of noise experienced is acceptable.
This is my wife's 3rd MCS and is the worst of the lot for creaks and rattles.
BMW should realize that those three letters are synonymous with quality, but this appears to be sadly lacking in some aspects of the MIni.
They really do need to address these issues to make the car worthy of the BMW name.
My wife is now in the process of trading hers back in to the dealer and has ordered a 123d Coupe, which is a little more expensive than the Mini, but the quality is 100% better

Hope they offered you a good Part X price for her car seeming as you have taken the MINI in 4 times!

[geoffers56]

Yes, they did. We have only lost the VAT element of the original puchase, which is acceptable to us. (About £ 2500)

[airbusA346]

My mums R56 Cooper has just been in the stealers for a rattling dash and they have dismantled it and lined it with felt tape and most or nearly every rattle has disappeared and the service manager says one source of vibrations etc is the air vents but they won't replace them because it is a waste of time.

[J1JPE]

try putting a small piece of foam, rubber between the far edge of the dash and the windscreen ...

did this by chance on mine when fitting the traffic aerial from my Sat Nav along the edge of the screen ... it comes with clear plastic suckers which are just wide engough to fit between the dash & screen ... no rattles

took it out to prevent the attention of thieves being drawn to their being a sat nav in the car & rattles returned ... re-fit, no rattles ...

seems the pressure of pushing the dash back off the screen towards the rear of the car holds things tight so they don't rattle.

hardest part is finding a suitable bung - air on the larger side (be careful not to drop anything down the gap as it'll rattle around behind the dash !)

let me know if it works for you

[dave888]

sinunn
Did you get the dash rattles sorted have same problem with my cooper s sept 07 reg. been back to dealers twice, fist time top dash replaced result worst than ever second time foam tape applied to all plastic ducting, silent for about six weeks now as bad as ever want to have ago myself but don,t now how to remove top dash any info greatly appreciated.