The Paint Rub Issue: An Update

I don't have it yet, but I always wipe down that area along the rubber strip whenever I wash the car.
I have also added weatherstrip moulding on the hood side of the wheel arches to minimize dirt and grime in the engine bay

For some reason over the weekend I was reading Graham Robson's book on the MINI and came across a passage where the engineers had to add a second hood latch as the engine vibrated the one-piece bonnet too much on the prototype. Perhaps it wasn't enough as the engine vibration along with the grit trapped on the rubber strip is basically grinding the paint away. The only long-term solution is to redesign the engine bay not to have the bonnet significantly touch the radiator. I have wear already on my MCS on the paint and the fiber padding on the underside of the bonnet after only 5000 miles so this must be a common problem and will unfortunately require an expensive solution in the long-term for BMW & MINI.

What about attaching something to the inside of the hood where it makes contact with the plastic? I seem to remember you saying that you were going to try that, Steve.

Now, I haven't checked my bonnet (if the front area is a bonnet, then are we talking about a bonnet or a bonnet cover?) recently, but I “think” that I have a large insulation pad attached. (I have a '03 S.) I “think” this takes care of the rubbing.

If anyone's curious about the weatherstripping that Steve talks about, there are some photos at http://revorg.org/cleanengine.html. Adding this weatherstripping has virtually eliminated sand and mud in the engine bay.

I did check my bonnet last night, and most of the underside is covered with an insulating mat that covers all the places where rubber gaskets contact the underside. I'll post a photo of the mat as soon as I can. The mat has a hard but textured surface.

The weatherstripping project takes about five minutes – most of that to clean the arches. I also added some silicone sealing at the area where two body panels meet in the engine bay (just to the inside of the wheel wells). I'll get a photo of that, too.

As a result of these two fixes, my engine bay remains completely clean.

I bought a used 2003 “S” with 13,000 miles on it, now 16,000. Drove it from Florida to California (home). I have no rubbing or paint loss detectable. But I do have a strange, sometimes, creaking noise coming from the rear area. It seems like the rear hatch. I also have a major stumble at launce. Love the car.

Hello from Canada,

We have, among other vehicles, a 2003 Velvet Red Mini Cooper with 16,000 KM on it. After reading the hood rub issue we took the article into our “local” (150 Km away) Mini dealer to show them what the UK and the USA was doing about the issue and although they had not recieved any warranty issues up until our Mini(strange) they had also heard of your article! The service manager contacted Mini Canada, brought up the issue with them and we now have hood protectors installed!

Thanks a million! And thanks’ have to go out to Budd’s (Mini Oakville in Ontario, Canada) and to Mini Canada. No waffle, no issue, just great service and great people.

The New Mini is just as much fun as the original (maybe more), only better – the new one has heat(!)and air(!) and the parts don’t fall off! Mind you, with the original Mini you could see the quality in every part that fell off as you held them in your hand – very satisfying.

Thanks again for your assistance and that of your readers.