Hey guys--I'm fighting this issue, as well.

I tracked it down to the clutch 'arm' that sticks out of the transmission (don't know the proper terminology). There's a bearing or bushing on the end of it (the side external of the transmission) that the clutch cable stuff hooks into.

Dealer checked it out & said only way to fix it is to replace the whole clutch assembly, so that's getting done under warranty.

What's the flywheel TSB? (guess i could just search NAM)

And, what's the proper break-in for a new clutch?

Thanks guys.


ZM

 

there was an issue with 05 and newer mcs dual mass flywheels being to weak and smack each other or even locking together.

good to hear your getting a new clutch but the fork has nothing to do with them needing to replace the clutch.

 

Ok, so the piece I'm talking about w/ the bad bearing/bushing on one end that sticks out of the transmission is one side of the fork? If it really is the prob, then they needed to replace the fork w/ the clutch, it would seem.

Picking her up later today, so time will soon tell.

Can't say I've had any flywheel issues. Guess they'll just tear it all apart again if I have those probs down the road.

Thanks.


ZM

 

the fork and the clutch are 2 different pieces that dont need to be changed together.

 

The fork is attached to the arm sticking out of the tranny that the slave cylinder pushes on. My fork was bent almost a half inch and one side was 1/8th of an inch off from the other. My situation was much worse than a squeak, but it did start out as a squeak. After replacing the fork, it was very obvious that the bearing moved smoothly and quietly. With the old fork, it was binding up really bad.

If they are going to change the clutch to fix the noise, make sure that they change the fork at the same time. The part costs about $70 from the dealership. Changing the release bearing and clutch will make it less noisy for a while, but it will still come back if you don't fix the fork.

 

right....the fork is #7 and the shaft is #4 which goes to the slave cylinder

 

10-4.

You guys & NAM rock.

On a different note, I have the LSD groan noise (which I just found is common). So, I call them up & say, hey did you guys look at TSB 'xxx..' about changing the fluid?

"Oh, ok, we'll do that for you now..."

WTF? That & BMW removing TSB access from AllData really gets me going....

Still haven't found a good current list of TSB's. Thanks to all those that have contributed, though.


ZM

 

Oh, no! I've got the squeak! I first noticed it a few months ago and thought it was the particular shoes I was wearing. It is very intermittant without any binding or crunching or other functional abnormalities, so I haven't really taken much notice of it. Since I saw this thread today I threw my shoes off on the way home and realized that it still squeaks even with bare feet, and I can "feel" the squeak a little through the pedal. I live an hour away from my dealer so I am going to have to call them and see if I should bring it in right away. I'm not very mechanically inclined, so I'm glad I've seen this thread to sort of give me an idea of what to expect.

 

If you push the clutch all the way to the floor and let it in and out withing an inch or so you def feel and hear it

 

Just got my car back & it's a million times better.

The tech said he replaced the clutch, but he must have replaced the fork, as well, b/c I told him I was 100% sure the bearing on the end of it was where my squeak was coming from.

When I tracked the squeak I got under the car while someone else moved the clutch, found the squeak, pulled off the rubber boot, and heard it coming directly from the bearing on the end of the arm (that sticks 3-4 inches out of the tranny). Sounded like it needed some grease, so I sprayed some high quality stuff I had in the garage--no effect.

I don't know enough about the cars to tell you if we're all hearing diff squeaks. My squeak was mid-pedal, and could accentuate it with really slow movement--just like a creaking door. And, I could 'feel' the squeak, too.

They also changed my flywheel b/c I was complaining about a rattle in the driveline or exhaust at low rpm. The rattle is now gone.

Also had them put diff trans fluid in (per TSB) to resolve my LSD growl.

I'm glad they resolved the issues--you don't realize how much all those little problems get on your nerves until you get the car back fixed.

Let me know if you guys need more info & I'll talk to the tech.


ZM

 

I haven't tried this yet, but mine definitely seems to closely match Zack's description below. It is not very loud, and didn't squeak at all this morning until I was about halfway through my 8 mile commute - and even then it only squeaked a few times and was very faint compared to yesterday afternoon.

Also, I don't know if it makes a huge difference or not, but I have an '06 MC with the 5-spd Getrag.

 

When it happened to me, it was only when the car was hot. After driving for 10 or 15 minutes, it would get really bad. They probably won't tell you to rush to the dealership though. They will likely say that it is a normal noise. If you notice the pedal getting worse or start feeling like it is binding or rubbing more, then you should rush to the dealership.

 

Okay, I do have this problem for a fact. But I only have exactly one month left on a my 4 warranty. I took it in this morning and they said I most likely need a new clutch and it's not under warranty. He said the labor alone was going to be around $1,900!!! I actually thought about getting rid of the car at that point, but I love the car and want to keep it.

So I probably need the fork and release bearing changed, not necessarily the clutch? 35K miles on my car. How difficult is this process? Changing the clutch out is a monster job that involves partially pulling the motor right? That is why the labor charge is so much?

I don't know....I've thought about tackling it myself, but have never done this...mainly just suspension mods on all my cars. But I have the clutch crunch with the squeak coming from the tranny area (but not inside the car). And the pedal is definitely more difficult to press towards the end.

Thank God for this thread...it's Friday the 13th and hearing at 8:30am that you're gonna need to spend over $2K to keep your car on the road is not good news

 

$1900!!!! I am wondering if anyone else reading this has had the same problem and got an estimate from BMW/MINI on the repair cost. I have the same squeeky clutch and don't have $2K laying around, especially considering I was just quoted $1400 to repair my small coolant leak. Also, what happens if I ignore it? I definitely feel some friction, but there's absolutely no impact on it's function and it's really mostly noticeable when moving it slowly.

 

3600 from Mini of Concord CA for new clutch and flywheel.

 

Took mine in for its first service today and had them address my squeaky clutch pedal while I was there. My SA said that it was just the pedal and they lubed the spring. It isn't squeaking anymore for the time being and everything feels nice and smooth. Hopefully that's all it was...

 

why does my dealer suck so bad. I just had to have my car flatbedded out to Towne MINI of NY. This is the 4th time ive had my car taken out there for service on this issue. The other day a spring from under my clutch pedal broke right off of the housing.

1st trip to Towne MINI they said nothing was wrong
2nd trip they said they cleaned out the clutch
3rd trip they said they lubed up the throw out bearing and cleaned the clutch (they said they lubed up something else too i dont know)
4th trip - i dont have my car back and they said i would get it back yesterday and they never called.

 

i highly doubt they took the trans out just to lube a throw out bearing which doesnt need to be lubed in the first place.

 

i think i have this exact same problem.. it's been going on for a while (couple months) now. My car has 39k miles and it's an '06.

I thought maybe it's just in need of some lubricant or something (feels like and sounds like pushing down on a rusty spring). It definitely engages ok and shifting is fine, but it feels harder to press to the floor than it used to.

The noise / pedal friction is most noticeable when the car is off, and I press the clutch in while parked. It's definitely coming from outside the cabin (not the floor pedal).

I haven't done anything with it yet, but now I'm wondering if this is critical to fix soon. My wife and I are going on a 1000 mile road trip next week (!) and I defintely don't want the clutch failing on me during the trip.

Thoughts?

 

Hmm, I think i'm having the same problem at 37K on my MCS. Just bought the car two days ago, but I can definitely notice the noise and feel it when it's depressed.

But you guys are exactly right, if you go back and forth on the clutch it does sound like a squeaky door. I'm going to call my dealer and see what they have to say.

 

Add me to the club. 43,000 with 9 months left for the 5 year warranty. Mine is more like the grown while depressing. If does not happen all the time. Maybe next week I'll take it in.

 

just got back from our road trip and the clutch is still the same. it still goes into gear with no problems at all (although have to be a bit smoother on the starts to keep it from shuddering a little).

HOWEVER, the last couple mornings that have been cooler and misty, the clutch has been really smooth and creak-free. Could this mean it's expanding with heat? It also seems that even when it is smooth like this, an hour of driving later and it will be back to creaking again.

I'll be contacting my dealer soon to see what could be the matter. I'll keep you posted.

 

My MINI exhibited the same symptoms. Took it to the dealer at about 32,000 miles. What I expected was that they would lube something in the release mechanism & that would be it. What I got was a new clutch, pressure plate & throw out bearing all replaced under warranty. I was told the faulty throw out bearing was the problem. Very nice of my dealer to replace the clutch also. If you guys still have warranty left get your car in asap.

 

I have the same issue on my 06 MCS w/37K miles. I have pointed it out to my SA and made him make note of it. Car shifts fine no issues just makes a squeaky noise. I will def take it in before warranty is up. What Crashton has pointed out seems to be the issue. If your dealer is good they should do the exact same fix.

 

Update Aug 5

MINI Roadside trucked my MINI into the dealer and the dealer is going to replace the clutch under some TSB. NC