My 2007 R-56 MINI S auto is experiencing idle surge when I come to a stop. After I stop, if my foot is not ready at the brake the car will try to jump forward as the engine surges a couple of times B4 straightening out to a normal idle. I took it to my MINI dealer and they said I got some bad gas. Apparently there was too much ethanol in the gas. They had to drain the tank and replace the fuel filter and fuel pump. I turned the claim in to my insurance company and they paid for the repair. I am still experiencing the same issue as before their repair. I advised them of the issue and they said it may be the floor matt sliding forward and hitting on the gas pedal. They applied velcro to the matt bottom but still the same issue. It's been a year now and still the same thing... I researched online and found that MINI and BMW recommend top tier fuels such as Shell, Texaco etc. I've been using Shell gasoline and still the same issue. Has anyone out there experienced this issue with their R-56 MINI?
I'm out of patience and ideas! The dealer is no help...

 

I have a similar issue as well and I've heard the "bad petrol" solution before however 98% of the time I use Shell fuel. I'm going to ask the dealer next time I take it in for service but I refuse to pay for them to drain the tank, especially when I use the fuel they recommend.

I'd be curious to see what other members say about this, and I have a MC auto.

 

I think it's a design problem and they are using it to make money. There were two other MINI S autos in for the same problem when mine was there. I really don't see how fuel can be that sensitive as long as the proper octane is being used. Let me know what happens with yours.
Thanks!
mig

 

I just picked up my new 09 MCSa on Friday. I've been getting used to the very sensitive gas pedal, and today while stopping, I noticed it revs up and down a few times, depending on how hard I brake. I just got home and searched the forum when I found this thread.

I have the S rubber floor mats( I just checked, it doesnt seem to be touching the pedal) and I'm driving on the original tank of gas from the dealer. Im going to mention it to my MA tomorrow. I also noticed that when I am completely stopped, the needle does throttle a small bit up and down. The strange revving seems to happen under only 1000 rpms, mostly around 800 for me.

 

Yup, sounds like the same problem I have... When you're driving down the road it's fine. Soon as you go to stop at a light it will surge. If I had a manual trans it wouldn't be an issue because the clutch would be disengaged when I stop. It's kind of strange.
Let me know what your dealer says.
Thanks for responding...
mig

 

Yeah I have the same thing on my brand new 2009. I posted about it here. I was told everybody's does it and just to get used to it. I might mention something when I bring it in for service.

 

Is it as you're slowing down or when you're stopped? I know the automatic transmissions in our other cars will downshift as we're coming to a stop, and the downshift will sometimes cause the cars to jerk a bit.

If it's while you're stopped... well that's not normal, and I'd ask for it to be fixed, especially since auto cars stop in gear and if you don't have your foot on the brake securely enough it could "surge" forward.

 

I called my SA today, he said the auto will rev up (as much as 500 rpm) for a down shifts while braking to a stop. After driving it a bit more, I think it is just the auto shifting. I think the multiple blips are the car getting going from 2 to 1 and then 1 back to 2 if I dont come to a standstill stop right away. He said it would be no problem to have a tech drive it, but if it was a real problem, the car would be throwing a light or chiming. I guess I just need to get used to the car and adjust my driving a bit. I usually brake to a few mph, let off a bit, then then slowly continue to brake before coming to a complete stop (I try to minimize jerky stops where the backend drops). Coming to a complete stop in one smooth braking motion seems to minimize the issue. My previous car was a merc Sable with bad brakes and crap suspension, so my driving habits might be less than ideal.

 

I've noticed it when idling downhill slowly in 2nd, it's not from a downshift, at least in my case, I drive it in manual mode all the time. The lowest the car goes automatically in that mode is 2nd unless you shift it down yourself to 1st. It also doesn't have the same feel as a shift.

I haven't felt or noticed it happening in any other situation, just that slow downhill idle creep (which happens since that's right outside my neighborhood). In traffic or at a stop I don't recall it acting like that, but it just might not be affecting it enough for me to notice in those situations. Like when it does happen, it's more of an audio and visual cue than actually feeling the car doing anything different, it's nothing like a surge/lunge/jump type of thing some people are describing. If your car is doing the former I think it's just a quirk of the car, if you have the latter I'd consider it a problem.

 

My '09 Clubby does it too, and when I mentioned it on our local forum, a number of auto trans R56 and R55 owners spoke up to say theirs did the exact same thing.

My thinking, it's just they way it's built - we'll just have to get used to it. Curiously, the 15K mile demo I drove prior to ordering my car did not seem to do this, but it was an '08 and mine's an '09, FWIW.

Mine also idle surges some when stopped in gear and I am definitely going to have them look at that.

 

Yep, mine does the same thing.. there's a little surge to it every once in a while. The idle of mine almost sounds like the motor has a slightly more-lopey-than-normal cam in it sometimes too. It's kinda odd, but in a good way, heh.

 

Any updates on this problem or should I just learn to live with it? I've taken my car to a few shops and never got an answer about what it is. I did notice that this happens a lot more often when my tank is full.

 

I have a 2009 clubman that was doing the same thing . I believe the gas cap was not venting. I popped the black plastic part off of it and cleaned it with carb and choke cleaner then lubed the vent and made sure it moved freely by pulling the plunger with needle nose pliers. So far the surge has gone.