Hi, the main seal of my 2005 Mini Cooper S -16,00 miles on it - was just replaced by the local Mini dealer. Initially, they diagnosed the oil leak as coming from the oil pan and the oil pan gasket was replaced twice. Before they replaced gasket for the second time, I did a little research and urged the dealer to inspect the main seal, but they promised me that it was not the ms and finally after the second oil pan gasket replacement didn't fix the problem, they identified it as the ms leak. Needless to say that I have lost confidence in this dealer, but since it was a Mini dealer, I figured they were the experts.

After a week at the shop (which seems unreasonable), I went to pick up the car and the clutch had little resistance when pressed, very spongy. I've owned six cars with manual transmission over the years, so I noticed the difference since the clutch pedal was firm and responsive when I dropped it off. I insisted that they fix it before I would come back to pick it up. They said it might have air in the hydraulic lines and they would look into it.

After having the car for another day, they said that the hydraulic lines have no air in them and that it is normal for the pedal to be spongy and that it will gain pressure over time. I think it's a bunch of b.s. and I have not picked up the car. I am not a mechanic, but I would think that the clutch should perform as it did prior to the main seal replacement - or that a Mini dealer would know how to fix it. Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Mike

 

Sounds like there's still air in the hydraulic lines. Insist they repair it properly.

 

A week for a clutch....ouch...
One days work...actually more like 70% of a pro's day...and it SHOULD be done...
I would complain loudly about a bad/spongy pedal....it can be a nightmare, even for a pro to bleed....but to kick it out the door with an issue...ouch. Premium prices demand premium results....
I might cut an independent shop some slack if they charged me $90 an hr vs the prevailing dealer rate of $140-180 an hour....

 

Thanks for the feedback! I talked to an independent Mini shop in my area. After a long conversation, the owner told me that there's still a chance that the clutch needs to be fixed, but that there is a possibility that it could tighten up - he actually encountered this once. So, after a few calls with the service manager at the dealership, I reluctantly decided to pick up my car and will drive it for a few days. We'll see how it goes.