Check:
http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8399
and
http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8534

 

I had a look at these threads previously and they aren't really connected to the problem i'm having. There is no problem with the locking mechanism or shutting the boot etc....

Just that there is a loud sqeaking noise coming from the back seats, boot, parcel shelf area. I wish i could be more specific but I honestly can't find the problem. Short of sitting in the back of the car and driving with my feet i can't get close enough to locate the sound.

I know all cars squeak to some degree....but it is really loud. Obviously, mine is the only car to exhibit this 'feature' judging from the lack of responses. Strange.

 

Those threads mention some height-adjustable stoppers by the boot which people have moved to stop clunking sounds. I thought you could adjust those stoppers in hopes of making the trunk more secure to reduce the squeaking. Do you have runflats or the jack or the goo can? If you don't have runflats, could the spare, jack, goo can or something else be rubbing on something? Just thoughts -- I have run flats and my boot doesn't squeak, though it did clunk a bit when I first got it (went away as it settled in).

Harry

 

I also have a squeaky boot and runflats

I already tried completely enmptying the boot and the sound is still there. I have runflats and no spare. I have no idea qhere the sound comes from, but it gets louder with torsion intensive movements (eg. pitched turns, steep hills, etc.)

Cheers!

 

Boot noise / rattle

I also have what I would call more of a rattle in the boot area as well. It is only noticable at low speed and it is very pronounced on bumpy roads. I was driving around several sub-divisions at slow speed and the noise was driving me nuts. Stopped about 5 times to close the boot as it seemed it was loose. Did not help. Turned up the stereo to drown it out. Suggestions welcome. When I rummaged around back there looking for something loose I could not find anything.

 

boot rattle

I had a rattle that I thought was coming from the boot hatch but turned out to be the rear seat backrest latches. I've sorted it temporarily by wedging a small block of foam (a car wash sponge would do) between the two backrests in the upright position.

To check if it's your backrests, try driving your bumpiest road with them folded forward.

Hope this helps.

 

d post fins?

Try giving the D post finishers a wiggle.
They are the white plastic finishers that have the rear seat belts coming from them. Maybe it's them. If they dont squeek when you wiggle them try putting tape over the line where they meet the big plastic back panels (quarter cases).
Then drive a bit with the tape on and see if the squeek goes or changes it's sound. If any of those two happens then it's a D post finisher fitment "fault".
Also check the quarter cases are not squeeking against the windows.
Could also be the rear seat bench isn't properly secured. Pull upwards on the seat in the middle. Not too hard, just a general tug. If it lifts up then that's it. If it stays put then it's fitted fine.
Maybe there is a small rodent stuck under the tool kit?
There is more but see if this helps.

 

Another one, which my dealer told me about today is to check the lugs where the parcel shelf slots in......late cars have a rubber pad around the lugs to prevent squeaking and rattling.......a roll of electrical insulating tape can help if wrapped around the lugs a few times.....

 

boot rattles and squeaks...

We too had terrible rattles and squeaks coming from the boot. The MINI dealer said it is a known problem and they put Gumi Pledge (a BMW product) on the top seal where the hatch rubs on it, until MINI comes up with a fix. It worked for a few days. In the meantime, some of the fellas from the "other board" came up with a temporary fix for the same problem in their MINIs. They put two go-rounds of black electrical tape on the hasp, the "U-shaped" catch on the latch, the part that engages the latch on the body. This stopped the metal-to-metal rattle. They said the latch catches the tape, and the tape would probably have to be replaced every few months. IT WORKED! This horrible rattle is gone...for the meantime.

 

boot

Boot squeeks, and boot rattles are caused through seperate reasons.
To stop rattles by taping the hasp/catch indicates the need for latch adjustment.It's Something which takes about 2 minutes to do, so the tape is really a waste of time in the long run.
Katherine - your post was interesting to me, especially The "known" problem with the boot seal squeeking you mention.
I know the boot seal has changed in the last 6 months - to a softer more pliable type rubber. If the car you mention is older, then it looks like that problem has indeed been adressed by BMW with the seal change.
I did always wonder why it changed.

Just realised thats your first post Katherine, so Hi by the way !!

 

Hello MiNiGuy and thanks for the welcome.

I have a 2002 MINI Cooper. Took it in last week because the latch to the bonnet broke and the leather boot on the gearshift came unglued...and of course...the ongoing rattle in the back. They ordered parts for the latch and the boot/shift, they put the Gumi Pledge on the seal on the hatch because they said MINI was aware the rubber seal rubbing against the metal was making this noise. They also adjusted the latch to the hatch all the way back, but said it was almost all the way back when they adjusted it. They also adjusted the rubber stoppers. This worked for about three days then started again. So, I used the electrical tape round the "U" ring twice and the rattle is completely gone. I'm going in again tomorrow and will tell them about it. So...do you think the seal I have on the car is the new rubber or the old? The car was built 3/9/02. Well, you are correct about the tape, if it stopped the rattle, then the problem is the "U" ring rattling in there.

 

boot

Yeah, you will have the new seal. Hmm
I have to be honest - I don't believe it is a "known problem" like you are being told.
As for the latch there is more than enough adjustment available. If the car you mention is the same car that squeeks AND rattles I'm suspecting the "set" of the tailgate itself.

 

You know...that crossed my mind.

Could you please explain what you mean about the "set" of the tailgate? I want to know what I'm talking about when I ask them tomorrow. We bought the car 4/11 in Jacksonville, FL, the next day, drove 2700 miles to California on a transfer. The car didn't start rattling until about 3200 miles. Is it possible for the pneumatic closures on the tailgate to become out of sinc with each other? Or do you mean the actual hinges at the top of the hatch? I'm not thinking too clearly about the MINI right now. My whole front window and headlights are pitted from a sand storm in the desert on Saturday. No one else got a pitted window but me. I'm not sure if I'll replace it or leave it until it gets worse. People here say their windows frequently get injured in these sand and dust storms. I've threated to get an old military Humvee and drive it through these storms instead of the MINI.

 

tailgate

Wow, a sandstorm that does that. It's amazing when you hear these stories. We get nothing like that over here in Blighty!!

Anyway, tailgate set is the overall fitment of the tailgate. If you notice, the tailgate is bolted to the hinge, then thats fixed to something else and so on.
The fitment of all the related components is crucial.
A couple of mm awry somewhere and you will have a bad fit.
I'm assuming that your tailgate has a very minor "set" problem as your squeek has developed sometime after build and test so it was not evident at the factory.
Of course it could be latch,seal,wireloom boot,damper,damper fixing points,hinges,hinge fix points,glass fix or finishers,inner finisher (4 of them - lower upper left and right), grab handle and its components, wiper and components or any clash/combination of those!.
However, feel free to ask your dealer to check the panel set of the tailgate by all means. He will anyway, but at least if youv'e asked he knows to make sure he does a good job!!
I hope you recieve the service and result you should expect.
All the best.

 

Thank you MiNiGuy.....!

You are so smart! I've printed it out and will take it with me tomorrow.

 

Finally got around to taking my Mini into the dealers to have a look at the boot squeak...well, i had to really, it was due it's first oil change.

Probably through a combination of the fixes suggested here the problem has been sorted. The only visible fix that I can see is the old tape around the boot latch trick.

Cool

 

Is anyone else experiencing a squeaky boot....I can't figure out where the squeak is coming from exactly, but it sounds like it's coming from the actual boot lid...

Is it something you can take to the dealer and get them to have a look at ? Has anyone with a similar problem had it fixed ?

How come the 100's of journalists who have thrashed the new MINI to bits never ever reported a single shake rattle or roll!

Me thinks a conspiracy has taken place Ignore the crap build quality and bang on about the fun factor and how BMW like the MINI feels! Well we have currently 4 BMW's on our fleet all properly screwed together with decent designed trim etc and over the years we have probably had at a quick reckie about 40+ BMW's never any probs so the question is

 

Is anyone else experiencing a squeaky boot....I can't figure out where the squeak is coming from exactly, but it sounds like it's coming from the actual boot lid...

Is it something you can take to the dealer and get them to have a look at ? Has anyone with a similar problem had it fixed ?

How come the 100's of journalists who have thrashed the new MINI to bits never ever reported a single shake rattle or roll!

Me thinks a conspiracy has taken place Ignore the crap build quality and bang on about the fun factor and how BMW like the MINI feels! Well we have currently 4 BMW's on our fleet all properly screwed together with decent designed trim etc and over the years we have probably had at a quick reckie about 40+ BMW's never any probs so the question is
WHAT THE F*** IS GOING ON HERE?

 

Follow the money. Say you work for a magazine and test cars. If you bash them, you won't get any more to test. Why the glowing reports? Magazines survive on advertising. Piss off an auto maker and there goes the ad revenue. It's like that with everything. Look in a computer magazine and see which system they recommend, then look at the ads and see who has the biggest ones. Just coincidence, I'm sure. NOT!

Motorweek (on PBS in the States) tends to mention minor complaints, but they won't say too many bad things or they would not be invited to drive any more test cars. If you want a no-holds-barred evaluation, read Consumer Reports. They don't accept advertising and they go to the dealerships and buy the cars they test. The dealers don't know CU is buying them so they are just like the ones the average buyer would get. CU goes over them with a fine toothed come, even examine the paint for flaws and the glass for optical distortion. BMW had better hope the MINI CU buys isn't typical of those on the Faults and Fixes forum.