My 2003 S has been making the screeching sound when starting off cold in 1st for 2 years. My dealer won't repair it under warranty. I see posts by people that have had theirs fixed by the dealer. Please send me your name and the name and location of the dealer that has fixed yours under warranty. I need to reference others to get them to do something. Thanks.

 

why dont you post your dealers name.

 

I'm in New Jersey. Morristown Mini refused to do the work under warranty even though they knew the problem. When I spoke to Mini about it they said it was the dealer that makes the decision. The best I could get out of Morristown was that if they took it apart and it looked like it was the flywheel, they then would decide. I felt that was too big a gamble to take and took it to Prestige Mini.

A tech came out and in one stop and start they said they too were well aware of the problem and were certain it was the dual-mass flywheel. They fixed it the next day under warranty. I did decide to pay for a new clutch and friction plate since it was cheap and labor was covered as they had to be there anyway. The car had 35,000 miles BTW and now that it has 55,000 it has not made a squeak since.

Don't back down. The screach is from the flywheel and not a worn out clutch and they know that. Keep them honest by posting the name of the dealer as they simply are bullying you and since their ratings are all important to them, if they are following NAM then perhaps they'll change their mind.

Rich

PS-When the clutch comes out there is NO WAY to tell it is bad so don't give in to them looking before they commit to paying.

 

Can't you contact Mini USA and talk to a regional rep about it? If your dealer is going to pull stunts like that, Mini USA needs to know about it.

 

I did that and spoke directly to a regional rep. And don't forget MINI USA headquarters is here in NJ. He was clear that it is the dealership that decides. Actually what he said to me is "that is what we pay them for". I was really angry to say the least and again, the other local dealer (Prestige) did it with no problem what-so-ever.

Rich