Ask the expert
QUIET PLEASE
Q I’m putting the finishing touches to my 1984 Mayfair and I would like to make it as comfortable as a modern car. Ideally, I’d like it to be warm, dry and quiet but before I stripped it down for restoration it was not only noisy, but cold and damp in winter and had some particularly bad condensation problems.
I have wondered about the use of soundproofing inside the doors, under the roof lining, and under the carpets but I’m concerned that it may just act as a damp trap. Any advice?
Martin
“They use specialist materials like Dynamat to completely control sound levels...”
A The biggest reason for condensation inside a Mini is perished or poorly fitting weather seals around windows and doors, and rotten body panels, so hopefully you have dealt with these issues during the restoration.
Condensation occurs when water finds its way into the car, and then evaporates when the interior heats up, and condenses on the glass and metal surfaces. So the trick is not to allow any moisture to find its way in in the first place. Carefully check all seams are sealed, and all weather seals are either in perfect condition or brand new. It’s the only way.
There are several routes to making your Mini a lot quieter. Most specialists will stock some form of sound deadening kit, usually to original factory spec - which depending on the
