I dropped by my dealership today to discuss what's happening to car with my MA and the technician working on my car. They gave me the warm fuzzy I was looking for . The clutch release fork is already on the way from Germany and should arrive mid next week. The technician described what they've done and what the engineers want them to do once they have all the parts. They plan on replacing most of the parts associated with the clutch whether they need replacing or not, this is what I wanted to hear, I was hoping they wouldn't be going in there and then say everything was good and put it back together only to have the same problem. They also plan on checking the engine mounts and stabilizer bushings just in case. I was very impressed with the technician working on my car, I can tell he's taking car of my baby and now I can sleep better at night knowing they'll do what it takes to fix my car!

 

Well good news, just before they were scheduled to drop the transmission and start replacing parts they decided to replace the driver's side (left) axle and it fixed the problem! I picked up the car, drove to work and drove over bumps that I knew use to cause the knocking sound and nothing, just a good solid feel. There's a PUMA case # 18073816. Strangely the battery was dead and they had to replace it too. You guys having similar problems take note and good luck with your cars! It feels so good to drive my Mini again!

 

Awesome! I was without my Mini for almost a week and it drove me nuts. I know how you feel!

 

Yeah, it sucks having such a fun car sitting in the shop for so long. The good thing is once you get it back you realize what a great car it is. This whole issue does make me wonder if I'll keep the car once the warranty is over, it could get really expensive.

 

I know what you mean. My plan is to keep the car past warranty only until things start to break. Should that happen, then I'll replace it.

 

Well bad news, the noise is back and I'm not too sure it was ever really gone, I think I just didn't want to hear it, avoiding the usual bumps and driving with the stereo turned up. This morning on the way to work I heard the knocking sound with all it's glory on all the usual bumps. I contemplated just living with it but I can't, the noise just turns a "10" car to "3" or "2" car... I called the service dept again and broke the bad news, I also had them verify all the parts that were ordered previously were still there and scheduled an appointment for this Friday. They'll start from where they left off, they'll drop the transmission and see what they find. I also called the Service Manager and basically told him my story and told him this is the 3rd time the car was going in for the same thing. I told him my expectation is to have my car fully repaired. He agreed to do everything possible to fix it and if they can't they'll explore other avenues to satisfy me. The SA, the Tech and the Shop Foreman have all been great and I told him that. It's just the car, it's defective and must be repaired or else........

 

Ok guys my car was in the shop again for 2 days and this time they really fixed the problem. The problem was a defective duel mass flywheel. They showed me the old one; if you look at the flywheel, it has a clutch plate attached to it and it was this part that wasn't secured properly to the flywheel and causing the knocking sound. They replaced the whole flywheel, re-torqued everything to specifications, changed the transmission fluid and it was good to go. If you have a knocking sound coming from the left front of the car only on irregular bumps usually at slow speeds and if you go over the same bumps with the clutch depressed or in neutral and don't hear the sound, then you probably have a bad flywheel. My car feels great! I also use to feel a slight vibration when letting out the clutch while changing gears, that's gone too, it was that loose clutch plate causing that as well. I have to say I'm really impressed with Mini of Hawaii and and their service dept, they were determined to find and fix the problem. Well done!

In case anyone wants to know how a duel mass clutch works, here's a video: http://www.zf.com/multimedia/zmsFunk...nglisch_V3.wmv

 

Can you guys post a picture of the exact location of the hill assist mechanism so I can check mine as well? Thanks and cheers.

 

Benibiker:

Would it be too much of a hassle to ask you to get me a copy of the diagnosis? Maybe have your tech make a quick diagram and/or a short explanation so I can talk to my dealership? I am going nuts here, going on a year with the sound and does not go away! Thanks buddy.

 

I'm sorry to hear you're still suffering with that sound, once you tune into the sound it drives you crazy, I know it drove me up the wall!

Well basically what the PUMA told them was to check the engine and sway bar mounts, those were good, then to check the transmission fluid for metal shavings burnt odor or dark color, no problems there, then they decided to change the drive axles just in case, no fix. They then decided to drop the transmission and check the shift linkage, the clutch, the clutch release fork and the flywheel. The only thing they found out of the ordinary was that the dual mass flywheel had more play than normal between the clutch plate and the flywheel. They decided to change the flywheel and re-torque everything to specs and change the transmission oil. I thought I heard the sound again a couple of times afterwards but it seems to have settled down once the flywheel was broken-in. I drove the car all day yesterday and didn't hear the knocking sound at all. The whole time they were working on my car it sounded like they just shooting in the dark and didn't have a good diagnosis and even after the flywheel change they weren't too convinced they had fixed it, but I think they did.

I'll PM you my MA's email address if that helps.

 

Thanks! That would be great. I will drive around tomorrow to double check if we have the exact same situations. How did your's use to sound? Loud clunck? Lound clanck? Mine sounds like clackclackclack, you get 2-5 in a row, really fast ones, like when you slap your hands together really fast; it is not a very loud noise, like coming from a major heavy part, like engine mounts, but loud enough for me to hear it inside the car with windows rolled up or down. They looked at everything they did in yours, just not sure about the clutch, I will talk to the service manager in my dealership tomorrow.

 

Mine sounded about the same, like a double or triple metallic knocking sound from the front driver's side, like someone was lightly knocking on the frame with a hammer. I was lucky in that I found the perfect bump directly in front of the dealership. I could drive over that bump all day and it would make the sound every time. Find a good bump around your dealer that will cause the sound and take a tech with you so he can hear it too. They showed me the old flywheel and I could see how the looseness in it was making the knocking sound. One thing to remember, on mine, if I drove over that same bump with the clutch depressed it wouldn't make the sound. That's something else to check with yours. Good luck!

 

I will check that part later today, I have a great place to test, which is the same place the dealer used. It is very sad. The tech manager for Mini Mexico was involved in the issue, the could reproduce the sound whenever they wanted, but they gave up telling me the rattle or knocking was normal!

 

Just tested the car on a very VERY bumpy road and from what I can tell I am in your situation! Car rattles like a baby toy but as soon as I press the clutch pedal or go in neutral the sound is no longer there! I am just waiting for your MA's response to my mail!

 

Sounds like we have the exact same problem. Just so the know, my MA won't be there until July 9th, found that out when I dropped off my car this afternoon so they can fix a broken hood latch. I can't open my hood! This car better straighten up really quick or I'm getting rid of it I've been to the service dept 4 times within a month !! I'm trying to love the car but I can't put up with this stress forever.

 

WOW! we are in the same emotional/psychological situation as well! Honestly, this has been the worst car I have ever had, along with the service I have gotten. My car has been up for sale for 1 month already, and a couple of people have come in to check it out and after I leave I feel guilty and all emotional and when I go out and drive around I love it; until all the noises come out including the one we have been talking about and a new one that just popped out on my windows, it rubs against the door rubber seal and it is like having a bunch of loud mice in the car!

 

This is sorta off topic but I thought maybe one of you guys might know something.

I've been having trouble with my rear suspenion on the drivers side. My car doesn't sit level at times. It is slightly lower on the drivers rear and I can tell while i'm driving. More body roll ect.

Could their be a problem with the sway bar bushings are strut tower bushings? has there been any bulletins from mini about this? The dealer did an alignment but that didn't fix it. They said they couldn't find anything.

I have the standard suspension on my 2008 S model.

 

I read you original post, and did not post because I am out of ideas. You may try to get them to check the springs compression ratio on each side and check if they are similar, one bay me stiffer than the other one and cause the lower height, other than that, there is not much involved back there to cause a noticeable difference.

 

Yeah, I agree, I'm very unhappy with this car. If I have to take the car to the service dept one more time I'm getting rid of it. If this is what the Mini experience is all about I want nothing to do with it. Even if I keep it longer I will definitely get rid of it before the warranty expires! Maybe we just got stuck with lemons, I don't know...

 

Go to the dealership and drive another car similar to yours and see how it feels. Might just be "normal", lot's of things are so called "normal" in a Mini...

 

That's right Benibiker! I just hope that your MA gets back to me today so I can take my car to the shop and get it repaired! I furthermore, I hope that yours is the fix to mine!

 

I have the same symptoms and the clacking sound goes away only when the clutch is depressed. crap!

 

Benibiker. Just talked to the MA. She was not able to disclose much info due to privacy laws, but she explained to me what we know about the noise. She also told me about the clutch change and she finally commented ""In this particular situation we were unable to "fix" the vehicle because according to the engineers after we gave them the final report, the noise is normal."" Did the noise persist after all these changes?

 

It's too bad they can't share more info, I think some of the communications between the engineers and the dealer are kept secret. I don't know the whole scope of what is said either. I drove the car all week and I may have heard the sound again a couple of times but nowhere near the amount of times I'd hear before and not as loud, it was very faint and may have been just some of the other noises you normally hear in a Mini. Maybe after some more miles it'll come back to its original condition but so far I'm happy with the outcome.