Hey All,

I am hoping someone out there can confirm something for me---I have a 2006 mcs with 3k miles, 6 speed. when i am sitting at a stoplight, in neutral, clutch out, i hear a major 'knocking' coming from the engine. as soon as i put the clutch in, it stops. I only run super unleaded in her. Is this normal?

Second question, upon first starting the car, if i don't rev the pedal it sounds like the car is going to die--almost like it needs a choke or something. I live in deep south texas, so it being 'cold' isn't a factor (it was 99 degress here on friday)., is this normal?

thought i would get your comments before calling my service advisor.

thanks!

Samantha

 

Hello Samantha & welcome to NAM.

None of what you describe is normal. Your knock sound seems to me to be coming from your clutch or flywheel. As far as the starting & then almost dieing goes I haven't a clue. Take your car into the dealer asap & have them check it out. I'm sure they'll get the bugs out of it for you.

 

Welcome to NAM.

I have the same knocking at idle that disappear when I put in the clutch I've had the almost dying stumble at idle a few times now, it supposed to be a software issue. Its something I'd mention to the dealer,in the mean time I'm just giving a tad bit of gas to smooth out the start and that seems to be working fine for me. I'm in FL as well and I know its not the cold cause I've had it happen more oftena 95+ than when I visited Chicago at -4.

 

Go to dealer. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200....

And good luck, keep us all posted.

Matt

 

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Re: Your first question...
I don't know where all these "definitely not normal" quotes are coming from!!

The knocking/tapping sound in neutral with clutch engaged (pedal out) is "normal" for this clutch/flywheel. There is a service bulletin for pre 08/04 builds if you want the flywheel/clutch replaced (no service bulletin for most '05 or '06's yet). Based only on customer complaint...not a recall. Some of those who have had the flywheel/clutch replaced see no change!! Not every MCS has this "problem" but MANY do. If you let the clutch pedal out slowly in neutral the tapping sound usually is very minimal or absent.

This recent thread has some links you may find useful...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?p=903824

The idle problem, I can't comment on.

 

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thanks everyone---trying to get a hold of my service advisor right now--i am not too fond of the service department here in san antonio--can't ever talk to a human and my service advisor has changed 3 times in 3 months! what is up with that???

 

That knocking is your engine telling you WHY HAVE WE STOPPED

JK!!! haha ok sry sry this is nothing to joke about!

I hope everything gets fixed soon!

 

so my new advisor calls me back. I tell him what Viv is experiencing and he says to me, "it is probably one of three things---1. clutch, 2. the flywheel, or 3. the transmission. If it is the transmission it will take us about 4-5 days to get a new one shipped; can you bring it in this afternoon?" "TRANSMISSION??!!?? EGADS!!! the car is freakin brand new!!" is my response.

i am sitting at my desk thinking, "holy crap, i just spent $32,000 on a car that is going to be in the shop constantly(this will be Viv's second trip to the dealer--first time was because the radio mysteriously quit working after they installed the ipod adapter).

My anxiety level is rising as i sit here and ponder what the advisor has just said to me. The whole reason we got a new car was because my other new car (2003 Jetta GLI Sport Edition) had spent over 104 days in the shop in the first 1 1/2 years i owned it--bought it brand new in August of 2003.

even if it is the transmission, i will love her and plan on keeping her for a very long time--has anyone else had any major problems with their brand new Mini's???

 

We have 2 '04 MCSs. They're identical engine and package way, the color and interiors are different. The 1st one, Audrey, has had lots of visits to the dealer. A lot of the problems came AFTER they "fixed" a little thing. Worst among the service calls is steering: rack and pinion replaced at 5K and again at 30K, also a new power steering pump after they realized that it wasn't a problem with the rack at all...it was the ps pump. With all the screwups I got them to install my iPod cable no charge.

The 2nd one, Bagheera, has had 2 service calls. The first one was a pinched brake fluid hose that leaked into the driver footwell. They had to replace all the carpet because brake fluid is corrosive. The 2nd fix was the clutch/throw out bearing. They said it was "OK" and "within tolerance" but we said NO, replace it, and they did. That's all for Bagheera. If I didn't think that these annoyances were acceptable, we never would have ordered a 3rd MINI. The 3year 36,000 warranty is such a great safety net. I think if we find that Audrey continues to have "issues" after here warranty is up, she might get traded in before we end up paying too much out of our pocket. My only lingering concern is the windshield issue. I'm anxious to see how the '06's windshield holds up. Both of the other MINIs have had windshields replaced, Bagheera is on his 2nd and Audrey is on her 3rd

SkateMom

 

If you're really worried be sure to research the lemon laws in your state...

 

yea, right--Viv is mine for awhile, problems and all.

--just an fyi though regarding the lemon law---the lemon law was created by car manufactures for car manufacturers ( i was in the car business for quite some time and my best friend owns the honda dealership in Slidell, Louisiana)--you never ever want to sue under the lemon law--always sue a manufacturer under the 'deceptive trade practices' law. i sued VW over the issues i had with my jetta. it took over a year, a couple thousand dollars, we settled, i kept the car and signed a doc saying i couldn't sue them again--weird thing was after we settled i had the car for another 7 months--never had another problem with it (murphy's law maybe)--i would have kept it but i had already ordered Viv. in fact, the vw just sold three weeks ago. if it hadn't sold, we were probably going to hold on to it since it was nearly paid off.

anywho, under the lemon law--if they rule it to be a 'lemon', the title will be branded with this title (not actually the word lemon, but you get the gist) and will be very difficult to sell, trade, etc--the title will no longer be a 'clean' title.

 

I completely agree with this...get it checked out.

Apart from the service bulletin which replaces the dual-mass flywheel with an "improved part" (no details given!) there seems to be no definitive evidence on this forum as to whether the original flywheel/throw-out bearing is actually defective or whether the sound is normal for the stock flywheel.

So, since in my '05 MCS the tapping noise is completely eliminated by slow engagement of the clutch while in neutral, I don't think there is a problem worth bothering with. In other words, I need a "more convincing argument" that there is a defect in the original flywheel. Since many MINI owners (see Mini2 forum) have exactly same noise return with the "new and improved" flywheel, I have my doubts about the service bulletin's suggested solution.

 

mini 2 forum? where is the link for this one---i didn't see a forum called 'mini 2'

 

Not on NAM. A British MINI site. You can search the forums for "clutch noise" or "throw-out bearing" or "flywheel".

http://www.mini2.com/

 

My '06 MINI now has a little over 4000 miles and I just noticed the same noise yesterday. I did not just now notice it....it just now started ....or it started becoming loud enough to notice. I would not call my noise "MAJOR" just yet but it is most definitely there. You have to have the radio turned down, windows up & paying attention right now to hear it.

I have paid attention to every aspect of noise the car makes since I got it and the only other thing I hear is the independent power steering motor at VERY LOW turning speeds.

I am not a certified MINI mechanic but it sounds like the flywheel and I am paying close attention to see if it gets louder or any more noticeable than it is. It does not sound or feel like a throw out bearing. If it gets ANY louder than it is now then it will definitely not be "normal" anymore.

Either way, if it does get worse, I will be going to the dealer with it very soon & I don't take NO for an answer very well at all. Purchased mine in Arlington. Let me know what you find out with yours!

No problems like that. 3 times in almost 6 months now I have started it, driven it just a few miles, got out & back in and started it again and it does not start with just a slight turn of the key like it normally does. I have had to turn the key off & back on or hold the key just a little longer than normal to get it to start.

 

dude!!! i have had the same problem when it starts---thought is was just me. when i pick Viv up on monday or tuesday, i will ask about that one for you and me both.

the major knocking---i can hear it over the radio, windows up--i have the HK radio system and it bumps pretty good--husband is a musician so he has all the settings set for the stereo to sound like i am at a concert---the first time i heard it, the radio was rather loud and i thought it was the car next me, but when he went through the light and i still heard it, i turned down the radio and sure enough, it was me---i then rolled down the window to hear how loud it was, and BAM! sounded like some woodpeckers were trying to get through a 5ft wide tree!! i immediately put in the clutch and it stopped---eased it out again; the noise was still there, but not as loud.

my husband dropped Viv off this morning.

I have a rather a slight peeve with the service advisor--i had a lengthy conversation with him yesterday about three problems with the car--it was probably a 20 minuted conversation. husband meets with the advisor this morning and has to call me because the advisor has no idea why we are bringing her in!! there is only ONE advisor for mini here in San Antonio. I was like, 'what do you mean? he didn't write it down yesterday? does he remember talking to me? is he going to have a car available to you?' turned out the guy didn't remember talking to me. HELLO???!!!

our previous advisor, Danny, was superb!!! very detail oriented, very 'on top' of things--this guy Robert doesn't seem to have a clue.

 

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Definitely let me know!

OMG! ...I don't hear it like that but I sure would like to know what they say in case mine gets any worse.

 

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but this caught my eye...and I've seem some reference to windshield issues in other threads.

Are the windshields covered under the MINI warranty (I would expect) or do you have additional coverage on your own insurance that took care of it?
-gary

 

The reason this tapping noise does not bother me (in my '05 MCS) is that I can make it completely disappear by letting the clutch pedal out slowly. I would be less happy if the sound remained no matter how slowly I engaged the clutch (in neutral). Hope you get a satisfactory solution from your dealer.

 

What was the fault in the W/S or was it from road debris/damage?

 

Wow...I tried that tonight when I heard the noise again....pushed the clutch back in & released it "slowly" and it was gone....push it in & back out fast again and it started....went back & forth a few times doing this & got the same result each time....release fast=noise...release slow=no noise

VERY interested to hear what they say about yours.

 

I'm in the same boat, and was giving this whole clutch speed thing some thought, it sounds almost like a desgin issue but its not wide spread enough to have its own TSB yet, so now I'm thinking it could be a part assembly thing because it has been there for a long time and it has to do with how the parts are settling in when moved (this theory may also explain why a replacement doesn't always fix the issue). I'd like to see the removed parts to see if and where any physical damaged occured to the clutch and make sure no other parts were harmed. Since this sounds like a multi day job I'm going to contact my original dealer and have them cover a dozen other things (oil change, LSD fluid, airbag needs connections replaced, etc.) in addition to this.