We decided to have the Valeo clutch and single mass flywheel set-up done by the professionals at BMW, since it sounded like too hard of a DIY job for us. That, unfortunately, has turned out poorly, which leads me to some questions.

What happened when I picked up the car:

At first, the clutch felt like it was bogging down. I figured I wasn't used to it yet.

Next, it was NOISY. When moving, it sounded like the engine, the power steering pump, the supercharger, everything sounded like it was going to jump into my lap. It also sounded like a diesel truck. Perhaps the AC not reinstalled correctly? Not sure - sounded like the noise was coming through the vents.

Next thing I noticed about 3/4 of a mile down the road was that my temperature gage was MAXED out HOT. Got pulled over about 1/4 mile further, thankfully near a Wal-Mart to get some coolant. Called BMW and they said to put the coolant in and bring it back. We put nearly a gallon of coolant into it, and burped the lines the best we could. The car was very hot.

Next, the clutch got worse, and fast. With the clutch pedal pressed to the floor, the car would choke and almost die when put into gear. It started grinding gears during the 1 mile back to BMW, and by the end it was almost refusing to go into gear.

Later, BMW said that the pressure plate "fell apart" (defective) and they would reinstall a new clutch under warranty.

My concerns:
-The car overheated pretty badly. Supposedly it already had a 2 mile test drive by a BMW tech - how bad did it overheat then? Should I be concerned about future problems? It was not leaking coolant, which means it had not been filled or burped appropriately.

- What damaged could have been caused from driving it with a pressure plate that "fell apart?" Also, the gear grinding issues on the 1 mile drive back to the dealership?

- What was all that noise coming from?

- I have gently pressed for a warranty over the transmission and engine due to the overheating and clutch issues, but it doesn't sound like they are going to give me one. They "aren't concerned" because it was driven only a short distance.

 

Sorry you had issues...
The moral of the story is factory trained techs are trained, and experanced in installing OEM parts ONLY....anything elses may not be in the techs comfortzone. Hopefully they find a way to make it right....
Obviously....the install was done half azzed....lets face it...not adding coolant to finish a job tells me it was not given a once over, or even a testdrive, or they would have caught it.
The valeo clutch kit is well liked, good $$ saver....and the only added vibration should be at idle.
i really hope the dealer did not cost you a headgasket and a waterpump...
Both very likly from running without coolant.
As to what they messed up on the install....sounds like basic incompetence imo...start to finish.

 

PS
Gear grinding makes it sound like the throwout bearing failed....

 

Why was the coolant loop disturbed for a simple clutch R&R? Doesn't make sense.

 

I think I'd be calling my oily-haired, $1000-suit-wearin', ambulance-chasing lawyer tomorrow.

He's a much more effective professional that the so-called "techs" that screwed up your baby!

 

@ Jab - the dealership pulled the engine and tranny to do the clutch, so they drained the coolant.

@ Zippy - since they are going to be pulling the engine and tranny out again to install the new clutch (they are still waiting on parts), should I push for some sort of inspection of the waterpump? Would damage show now or would it be down the road?

I'm doubtful they will give me a warranty on the engine, tranny, and waterpump.... not sure what I should push for though.

 

Why are they pulling the engine out? You definitely need to have them do a once over on the whole job this time.

 

If they forgot to add coolant and my motor over heated I would sure be on them for some warranty work down the line forsure.. Over heating a engine once like that can raise all sorts of hidden problems down the road.. bottom line is people may make mistakes but you paid them for a service that was done wrong..that makes them totally liable for damages.. At this point also I would make sure they change your trans oil as well... Good luck.. and hold your ground..lol

 

Sorry to hear this and hope all gets sorted soon!

 

Pushed them harder on the phone yesterday for a warranty. All they will do is fix something if it breaks during their "thorough" test drive (not so sure what this means now, since they supposedly gave it a "thorough" test drive last time).

The guy even had the ***** to tell me that Minis are unreliable, and they thoroughly test drove it and it was fine, so it broke/overheated AFTER I picked it up (in under a mile? Really?) because they are just unreliable cars.

Looks like I will be trading in the Mini for a new car after this experience. I can't stomach selling it to a private party because I'm so worried about its reliability. At least through a dealer the new owners would have a warranty.

I'm thinking Hyundai Veloster (awesome warranty! That sounds nice about now!), Mazda 3 Hatch, or VW Golf.

Ugh. I REALLY liked my Mini! Now, I won't touch BMW or Mini ever again!

 

It's not the cars fault you got the worst tech at the dealership. You should be raising all kinds of hell with your service writer as well as get MINI USA involved.

And they told you to add coolant and drive it back with those symptoms?!?! That car should have been on a flatbed back to the dealer, not struggling to shift gears and doing further damage to VERY expensive parts because they were being lazy.

 

I hate to say it....
but after hearing this story, I would STRONGLY HESITATE bringing a GEN1 MINI to a NEWER dealer that never really sold many gen1 hardtops...then again...with them being 5+ years old, many of the typical techs at a MINI dealership shop have only seen vids on gen1 repairs...sure they might have "touched" them a bit...but sounds like the mechanic was "repairing by the numbers" rather than doing it by experience....heck...not sure WHY they would DROP the whole motor.....dropping the subframe is what most shops do....
And 100%, the SHOULD have been flat-bedded back to the shop!! At the dealers expenses. But I guess they figured it is a 10 year old car....so to tell you they are junk is them just trying to get you to buy a "new" MINI.
Lets face it....getting a clutch job at a MINI dealer is about an extra $600...they should have treated you MUCH better!!

 

Holy smokes, they yanked an engine for a clutch job

 

Yup....
Kinda scary!!
Heck...a good mechanic can do a clutch in a MINI while you wait (think about 4-5 hrs)!!
An S is harder than a just-a cooper......but yanking a motor!!

 

When Artoo had his clutch replaced, 2003 R53, I brought it in at 8:00 AM and I was driving home at 1:00. The tech did work through lunch.

He definitely did not pull the engine.

///Me