So I thought I'd share - my car is now due for its first service. I'll have just a tad over 15k miles on it by the time it makes it in.

Aside from whatever normal maintenance they need to do this is my list of things to look at:

2 different rattles in the dash - one buzzing vibration when accelerating right behind the radio. Another more clunky vibration in the dash on rough roads. This one sounds more like near the passenger A pillar.

Both the door sills are peeling up off the sticky tape.

I have the trunk latch rattle

And just recently right around 60-70mph I get a rythmic vibration - I think from the passenger front wheel. You can barely feel it through the accelerator and you can hear it very slightly as well. Not sure - could this just be a tire out of balance?

Want to have my washer jets checks - I think they are aimed a little high.

I get the wind noise in the doors so I'll ask a about that but it doesn't really bother me. I'll let ya know how it goes.

 

Whew! I feel lucky, 6.5k on my JCW and zero issues (same as my 2006

R53). I hope all is taken care of, it is a great car!!!

 

Well I don't really consider any of these to be big issues. I drive on some pretty rough roads to and from work - I figure rattles will come and go.

Other than the wheel/tire think I'm extremely happy with the state of the car If the vibration is just a balance issue then I have no complaints either. Its soooo subtle but I guess I'll see what it is

 

I think a 30K car made by robots with tight tolerances shouldn't be rattling. Especially if some cars can apparently be made without any rattles.

 

You are dead on Snek , I am currently waiting on a 2013 JCW coupe that is at the Brunswick Ga. port and these things worry me , I am a former 2002 justa Mini and 2004 S owner and I did not have the rattles I see on these posts.
Then again we have an exellent tech. at our dealer I am positive if something crops up he can get it corrected.

 

I had the trunk latch rattle too. It was replaced, but still wasn't perfect. I wrapped some electrical tape around the fixed part on the lid and haven't heard anything from it ever since.

 

rattles may not affect the car's performance but sure degrades its value.

constant rattle that seem to come from the rear area make it seem like the car is very cheaply built.
it's so bad to a point where i can't handle driving the car without music/radio on loudly.

i feel like im driving a $3,000 used car when in fact it's more like $40,000.

 

I am taking mine in for 15k maintenance this week as well and have many of the same issues...

Trunk rattle
Speedo rattle under 5mph when starting/stopping
Vents won't stay in place
Rattle in headliner near rear
Vibration at 60-65 mph

I have already had the car in for the vibration issue.. It started at 7500 miles. After 4 different visits, they told me it was just the harmonics of the car and it was normal. Yea right! They balanced all the tires and even swapped them with another new coupe just to see. I asked them to replace the rotors since that was the only other spinning part but they refused.

This time I am not taking the car back until they get it fixed. It is a very minor vibration, but it drives me crazy since much of my commute is at 60mph.

 

So the results of my visit :

They did a lot of work with that padding tape stuff all around the trunk. It does seem to not make as much noise as before. They are ordering a 'better' tape from Germany they say works better and will put it in later.

The rattles in the front - this was disappointing. The tech was reluctant to take my dash apart - I have the JCW leather/suede dash and he said they have never taken a Coupe dash apart and that they didn't want to mess it up. Well - I thank them for their concern but I wanted it fixed.

Their suggesting was to order a new steering rack and replace that. They said they have fixed a number of dash rattles recently by doing this. Any thoughts on that? I'm currently waiting on this part to come in to take it back in for work.

I could not be there myself when the car went in - my wife took it in for me. She is actually pretty tough and I doubt they were just dismissing her.

The 60mph vibration wasn't really looked at either but it got lost in them driving around listening to rattles.

Love this car but wish I had more resolutions to rattle and vibration in this visit.