My car has just over 15K and turned one year old two days ago. I am feeling a slight trimmer right at the end of the release on the clutch. I have never felt this before so it is causing a concern. It comes in mostly in the lower gears, but will sometimes do it in 5th and 6th. Sometimes 1st is fine, feel it in 2nd and 3rd then nothing in 5th or 6th. It skips around. Sometimes it seems to come in as I am applying gas at the end of the release. This is new and I am not driving any differently.

Any thoughts?

Jim

 

Look through NAM and you will find numerous posts on this phenomenon. Here is a recap of my experience about a month ago with my dealer.

With similar symptoms as you describe, I brought the Cooper to the dealer for a look see. It had about 12k miles, and 39 months old. A couple of days later, the dealer calls to tell me:

1. the clutch is shot and the car needs a replacement.
2. I am informed that normally replacing the clutch runs about $3,000, and they may find additional problems after they get the transmission out and do their inspection.
3. However, I am in luck. They will sell me extended maintenance coverage, 100k miles/72 mos. for $1,599, as "an exception", since the car is well past the 36 mo. benchmark to purchase the extended maintenance coverage. I am informed that will cover the new clutch.

So I ask them to inform me what the clutch looks like when they have it out, and the dealer calls me the next day to inform me that sure enough the clutch is worn out and needs to be replaced.

My office is 10 minutes from the dealer, so I tell the dealer to not dispose of the old clutch or install a new one until I can take a look. I hop into the loaner and beat it down to the Bimmer shop, and wander into the service area and to my Cooper, seven feet above the garage floor. They basically have take the front of the car apart to remove the clutch.

There on the bench is the worn out clutch, and the flywheel! Only thing is, the clutch looks like it actually has zero wear! It looks almost new. On the other hand the flywheel is badly glazed.

At about that moment, I am joined by the service rep and shop manager, and with a quick inspection of the clutch we agree that there is, in fact, really no wear at all. We also agree that the flywheel is glazed, and the shop manager also shows me where there is some play in it.

So I say, "I think you should replace the flywheel and put the old clutch back in". There is no argument at all, and he says that in fact, they have already replaced the flywheel.

A quick look under the elevated Cooper confirms that a flywheel has
been installed, but I can't see it because he has also installed a new clutch.

I say, "so you replaced the clutch already? I don't want to pay for it, can you take it out and replace the original?"

He says, 'No, don't worry about it, we want to develop a lasting relationship with good customers, so there is no charge. You really should buy the extended maintenance though."

So I used my standard stall tactic, "I would have to check with my wife". Happens to be the truth.

So here is what happened:

The flywheel became glazed. Apparently this is common with Coopers. The only way for the dealer to get at the flywheel is to remove the transmission and then the clutch. Takes all day. The flywheel is covered by the 4 yr. warrantee, but the clutch is not and in my case, I would have to pay for a new one, if I accepted the story that I needed one. By the way, the clutch replacement is closer to $1,500, not the $3,000 I was originally quoted.

But after all that, here is what I learned. MINI's protocol for replacing the flywheel requires that the dealer also replace the clutch. If it is not worn out, it is supposed to be FREE! So the story about "a lasting relationship with good customers", was, well, just another story.

In the end, after all the lies and basic bull I didn't see the point in signing up for a long term maintenance program with this dealer, but it turner out that with all the delays, they couldn't return the extended maintenance they bought from MINI. So we came to a fair price and terms.

I actually like the service and shop managers, but only time will tell if I should trust them again.

Be careful, and do your homework before you end up with parts and labor you don't need.

 

I'd simply take it to your dealer for warranty work. 1 year is way too soon to have any clutch problems without either a workmanship/parts problem, or extreme wear caused by improper use. Don't be afraid to ask questions and see the parts they're taking out; it's in the shop's best intererst that you understand the work being done. If it's a bad clutch, then you'll know it. If it was bad technique, then you'll learn how to use it better.

BTW: it's standard practice to replace both the clutch and flywheel whenever the engine is separated from the transmission. But that doesn't make the dealer a liar when he said he did it to maintain good customer relations. Good customer relations includes fixing the problem the right way the first time.