What about the infamous Mini rattles and creaks?

Just hitting my 1-year anniversary of getting my SE and also just about to hit 20,000 miles, and it drives like I drove it off the lot yesterday. No rattles, and the SE is very quiet so they'd be more noticeable than in an ICE vehicle.

 

This is the first I've ever read of any complaints re. squeaks and rattles in the SE. Can you point to some of these reports? I tried searching Google with "Mini Cooper SE rattles", but nothing shows up in the first 10 pages of results (and the only reference to rattles of an ICE Mini is >5 y old).

I currently drive a decade-plus year old Mazda 3 w/ >130,000 miles on it, and except for the occasional groan from the suspension (despite new shocks, antisway bar links, etc.), it's just as quiet - or, actually, just as loud, since the car is known for admitting a lot of road/tire noise - as when it was new. I would like (require?) the same of any replacement, hence the reason your comment caught my attention.

 

I've had (5) Mini's since 2003 (currently a 2022 SE), and the only rattle I've experienced is the shade on the sunroof. That was easily solved by not opening it all the way. And a lot of the roads in my area are pretty rough.

 

Mine has occasional creaks when the weather changes dramatically. It would bother me if they were persistent since there is nothing to mask the sound.

I'm also nearing the one year mark (though just 5,000 pretty hard city miles). Everything is exactly the same as day one. It's a very well-built vehicle.

 

I believe you, but all I can say is I don't have rattles. I am overly sensitive to noise and would definitely be complaining.
It's common for automakers to approach NVH mitigation differently with electric cars. They have a whole new set of problems to overcome, including interior noises which become more noticeable.

I have to take issue with the french article that laments the lack of a range-extender gasoline generator in the two-door hardtop SE. That would add an additional 265 lbs, for a grand total of 566 lbs over a Cooper S. Makes no sense!

 

First, thanks!

Second, is there something in the video about "et quelques craquements"? Google Translate of the text doesn't mention any creaks (in fact, it isn't entirely clear from the article that they even drove the car).

 

3,600 miles here - and my SE is tight. The only noise I experience is a squeak when the driver's side window lowers/raises slightly with the door opening/closing. The rubber trim in the top right corner gives a squeak. It goes away for a few weeks when I 'lubricate' it with some Rain X window cleaner. I'm sure I could use something better, but it's what I have on hand.

 

After 2000 miles the only squeal I get in the mini se is from my wife in the passenger seat when I hit the accelerator in the sport mode.

 

I was going to suggest that perhaps annoying noises was an "old" Mini thing, but then found this long-term review of an S from 2020 (although they didn't indicate just how long long-term was):

https://www.drive.com.au/reviews/mini-cooper-s-long-term-review-farewell/

("while I didn’t encounter any major mechanical or technical issues in my time with the car, it did develop two separate and distinct rattles")

Next naive question: where are Minis sold in Australia made?

 

Despite the terrible condition of Ann Arbor's roads, there isn't a single rattle in my year-old (in 5 days) MINI Cooper SE (~6,000 miles). In contrast, my Japan-built Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid with 12,000 miles on the odo has many small, but irritating, rattles.

 

I expect others will back me up on the quality of their MINIs' construction. I'm not surprised you don't see many complaints on this admittedly pro-MINI forum. However, people aren't loathe to complain on this forum if they believe they have a valid gripe.

Reviewers often get early-production cars that may be more prone to quality problems. Also, reviewers are notoriously abusive so if a car has been through a few reviews, it's older than its years.

If you choose not to get a MINI Cooper SE, you'll be missing out on the most fun you can have in an EV. This level of fun is worth a rattle or two. You're probably holding out for Tesla quality, eh?

 

As I said, I had to rely on Google Translate, which didn't seem to pick up anything in the text about any noises (although perhaps I missed it).

Similarly, I didn't see anything in the translated text clearly indicating that the writer had actually driven the car for any appreciable period of time.

As for my mention of a video, I mistook the > symbol on the picture at the top for a play button. That, plus the above, made me think that perhaps I'd missed something.

ETA: Reverting to French, searching the text for the term you mentioned, and translating back to English, here's what I read:

"Relatively silent, it only suggests in town the rubberized footsteps of its tires and, on the highway, only aerodynamic rustling. And some crackles too."

Is that wind noise? Tire noise? Electrical static? Not clear to me, but of course, I'm relying on a translation, whereas you're French Canadian.

 

I translated using Safari's translation on macOS, which is really quite readable. Pretty much the same quote (I believe cracks/crackles should be "creaks"):

Relatively silent, it only suggests in the city the rubberized steps of its tires and, on the highway, only aerodynamic rustles. And some cracks too.​

But the overall article was quite favorable to the SE, and basically that's the only sentence about noise. The piece pointed out the tried-and-true i3 heritage, the MINI-ness of the car, while pointing out the size and shorter range (but notes the lighter weight compared to other EVs). My favorite translated bit is this:

Vivid, practically free of sensations of inertia, and its engine delivers vigorous and immediate accelerations. Magic of the electricity fairy!​

 

Longer range, 115 more horsepower, 100 kph higher top speed, almost a second quicker to 100 kph. That GTI may be as much fun as a MINI Cooper SE, but it's a lot noisier (some consider that a plus). More expensive, too (no one considers that a plus).