Body - Sunroof Squeaks/Rattles
SI M 54 01 02Special Roofs
January 2003
Service Engineering
Advance Information
SUBJECT
Troubleshooting Sunroof Squeaks and Rattles
MODEL
R50 MINI Cooper, and R53 MINI Cooper S
SITUATION
In case of a customer complaint of hearing squeaks or rattles from the area of the sunroof please use the following guide when locating and repairing these noises.
PROCEDURE
If a rattle is heard from the area of the headliner above the driver or passenger's head, it may be coming from contact between the headliner panel and the sunroof cassette.
Remove the sunroof opening trims and center interior light, and drop the headliner panel far enough to gain access to the upper side of the headliner. Apply two strips of felt tape, part number 61 31 0 301 534, approximately 100 mm long to the two ridges on the headliner that contact the sunroof cassette. The illustration shows the area on top of the left side of the headliner where the tape should be applied. The right side of the headliner should also have the tape applied.
If there is a creak or squeak coming from the front area of the sunroof when the roof is closed, it may be caused by the wind deflectors pressing on the sunroof panel. This can be checked by placing a thin piece of cardboard on the backside of the wind deflectors, and testing to see if the noise is still present.
If insulating the deflectors from the sunroof panel stops the noise, remove the deflectors by folding them forward and sliding them toward the center of the car.
Remove the coil spring from the deflector, hold both ends of the spring, and twist spring as if you were trying to unwind it. Twist it so that the straight end (1) comes to rest out 1/2 turn back from the hooked end, as in the following illustration.
Reinstall the spring and check the operation of the deflector. The pressure on the deflector should be greatly reduced while in the folded forward position, but there should still be slight pressure on the deflector while in the upright position.
More than one attempt to adjust the spring may be necessary to get the adjustment correct.