i am a new mini owner..i bought a used 07 cooper, which i love..occaisionally i step on the gas and it hesitates for about 1 or 2 seconds, which is scary when you are moving into traffic..it doesnt stall out but it seems like it wants to..but catches again.... i took it to hassel under warrantee and they kept it 2 days and it never happened while they test drove it..yet it happens with me every day at least 8 to 10 times....does anyone know what this is???

bill k 516 859 4540

 

If the dealer wasn't able to duplicate the problem, maybe next time you need to be the one driving it since it's happening so often when you drive.

Try turning on the Sport mode for now though. It may help with the throttle response.

 

i drove it WITH the service mgr for a half hour, and would you believe it didnt happen then...i'll try sports mode although i dont quite understand what that does..does anyone drive in sports mode all the time???if so, how does that effect mileage?

 

The very same thing happened when I first started driving my MINI. I found that using high octane fuel and just basically learning how to drive the MINI (can't just coast like most cars, careful timing with brake/gas, etc.) makes that hesitation go away. It certainly takes some getting used to, though.

And driving in Sport mode will effect your MPG because it adds about 1000rpms.

 

thanks for your response...i find it strange that such a sophisticated car has that problem but..........sh.. happens!

 

My 04 has a terrible hesitation. It's so much worse when it's hot out. When the weather is temperate, he zips right along. It is scary pulling out into traffic. In my case it has nothing at all to do with knowing how to drive it. It is clearly weather related. I am very careful pulling out into traffic in the summer months.

 

Sorry but that is incorrect. The sport button only increases throttle response and makes the steering a bit heavier.

 

This is the solution for anyne who is experiencing this problem!! Try it, you won't be sorry............

 

Well, I've noticed it does what I described on my car. I'm not talking about the button, but the option on the gear shift (on a justacooper).

 

What do you mean? I've test driven the MINI several times but don't have mine in my possession yet so I have minimal experience in everyday driving conditions. No coasting in neutral? What happens if you do?

 

I've never coasted in neutral, so not sure about that one. But I found if I try to coast along with my foot on the break (say in bumper to bumper) my MINI doesn't like that and it starts to jerk around. I know I failed to mention the brake aspect.

I'm not an expert or anything, just what I've noticed.

 

Hi Expo,
Has your CVT been serviced recently? I do not experience any "jerkiness" with mine but I did notice that engine braking is more pronounced as opposed to a torque converter trans. It definitley has a different feel.
After the recent fluid change my CVT has operated a bit smoother but it seemed good to me from the get-go.

BillK has an 07 MC but I did not notice the type of trans listed. No CVT in 07 except for the Cabrio. Does the car just fall on its face? Could be fuel, electrical, tough to say if its intermittent.

I will occasionally shift to SD (Sport Drive) with my CVT to quicken acceleration but it is more to enhance low power from the engine (not a V8 afterall) and not to overcome any hesitation.

Useless info: my MINI was originally delivered from Hassels when it was new. I got it used so I've had no experience with them but I did "drive-by" on my way to a meeting in Valley Stream a few months ago.

 

Nope. Never had it serviced since I've owned it. Like I said, it only jerks a bit during bumper to bumper traffic. It used to be slow to accelerate, but using 93 octane made that dissapear. But getting a fluid change is never a bad idea. Maybe I'll mention it today during the oil change.

 

How many miles are on it?? I don't know if it affects the '06s but there was an ECU flash that improved transmission performance, too. The fluid change is not cheap but it is a necessary evil and something (IMO) that should be done at MINI because of the way the fluid is pumped into the trans and some special way they bleed out the air.

I was creeping along in traffic today at 3mph with my foot lightly on the brake and this thing is smooth as silk...

 

It has about 27.5K.
Hmmmm... OK. Thanks for all the info.

 

I just got my new MCS-A, and I noticed this problem immediately. Because it's an automatic, the response time when I tap the accelerator should be even less, because there's no idle time when the clutch is disengaged. I called my MINI dealership, and also the customer care center.

The reason for hesitation is the result of the "drive-by-wire" electronic throttle. Rather than immediately dumping gas into the injectors, the movement of the pedal is instead interpreted first through a computer that seeks to optimize air/fuel ratio and provide a steady acceleration curve, as measured by torque. It's not considered by MINI to be a problem, unfortunately- I guess "instantaneous" response, as read by a computer, means something different to BMW than to you and me. You can turn off the ASC/DSC, but you'll still experience a noticeable delay. One solution is to spend money and get performance chip upgrade. For slightly less, a throttle remap cable is available commercially and easier to DIY install.

 

So, the bottom line is that this issue with hesitation and jerking in "neutral" is specific to the automatic transmission CVT?

 

Hi Expo,
I had mine done at the end of July at 32K miles. Your good for a fluid change now.
As far as the fly by wire delay excuse I find that highly suspect. Seeing as my '04 is FBW I would think it, too would experience this annoying tendency, but it doesn't. I will attempt a couple of throttle "blips" to try it out though. My CTD Dodge Cummins is fly by wire PLUS turbo and there is no hesitation. Its pretty fast for a 7500 pound truck, too. Try to just MASH IT and see what happens!!!! I wonder if it would fart out the intake due to a lean condition.
The CVTs can experience the hesitation and jerking but not in neutral, generally at very low creeping speeds and during initial acceleration.

ON EDIT> OK, I just went out and fired up the MINI and let the idle settle down. I gave the throttle a few quick BLIPS and the little engine responded immediately. No hesitation at all. It is an MC though, no turbo. A 2nd Gen TURBO equipped MCS could suffer from turbo lag but a slight "powerbrake" at a dead stop should get the turbo spooled up enough to enjoy some tire smokin' good fun!

BillK, Did you get anything figured out yet w/ your problem?

 

I thought that you were referring to the sport button on R56's. From what you are describing, it sounds like your shifter version (I've never seen one myself) drops you out of overdrive or otherwise downshifts the car by one gear.

 

Warped,
The CVT shifter can be pushed to the right when in DRIVE. This puts it in SD (Sports Drive). Basically it reconfigures the "SNO WIZ" pulleys in the trans to simulate a lower gear ratio. I believe it increases cruising RPM by about 1/3. Don't hold me to that, though. You can also ratchet the shifter back and forth to "shift" through virtual gears while it is in SD mode. Mine does 5 gears.

 

What you describe is exactly what I experienced when I test drove both the MCS & MCSa. For this reason, I didn't consider the auto. Once you get going it is AMAZING though. I just like instant response of the 6spd.

 

I've been experiencing a similar hesitation with a recently purchased 05 auto MC (non-S). It can be pretty touchy at times and I have to be very careful when applying the gas in either forward or reverse. It's very finicky with the initial acceleration but once it gets going it's extremely smooth and drives like a charm. I forgot to mention this to the dealer when I had it in for an 02 sensor malfunction code. However, they did not mention anything upon their test drive. With me the hesitation happens all the time (less if I'm very careful) so I was under the impression that this may be normal for the CVT's, considering the dealer did not mention anything? However, I'd likely have to drive with them and point it out to the mechanic just to be sure.

My trans fluid could likely be replaced but a home town mechanic that works on BMW's seem to think the fluid did not need to be changed yet. I can see why other drivers would be concerned will coasting in heavy traffic.

I've recently had the chance to drive a 2008 MC auto (non-S) and noticed a very mild hesitation, but not as noticeable as my 05. I no there was a lot of changes with the 07/08's but I'm not sure on whether there was any changes to the automatic transmission.

BILL K, anymore news on your issue?

 

i, too, have an '05 non-s automatic, purchased last april. love it except the herky-jerky thing. it did it once or twice this summer while pulling out into traffic after it's first stop out of the garage ... which caused me to be a bit cautious after that.

but the real problem is in reverse, especially after it's been sitting all night or all day. seems i read somewhere this could be a computer fix(?). taking it in for final dealer check before warranty expires in dec. this is definitely on my list.

 

I have a 2003 MCS and recently installed a 15% pulley and new plugs. Since then I'm having the exact same problem. I'd floor it and my car sounds like it's really struggling until I reach 3.5k rpm, then it pulls like it should. Any advice?

 

Hey Zippee...i was wondering if you were able to get this issue corrected? I have an '05 MCS stock (as far as I know) and throttle response in first under 3K is down right crappy! I can punch it, but really no difference. I think I may need to change the air filter by now, but not sure it should be doing this. I have nearly 30K miles on it.....any thoughts?