I just drove a 2005 MCS that belongs to a buddy of mine. I own a 2003 MCS and there is no comparison between the clutch effort required in the two cars. Mine is much stiffer than his, to the point that I'll get a sore foot driving in stop and gpo traffic. Any idea of what's wrong? Could there have been an engineering change between the two model years or is there something wrong with mine? Any ideas are welcome.
Thanks
Warren

 

I have a friend that has the same issue with his clutch.
His is extremely hard to push down on but he says he's gotten used to it.
My understanding is the clutch in the MINI is hydraulic and can be adjusted.
But that is the extent of my mechanical knowledge.

 

I have a 2003 Cooper S, I had the clutch changed recently with another OEM clutch which I presume is from the facelifted R53's. It's much softer than my old one for sure.

 

My 03 is much harder than an 05. I have been told they were stiffer in 02 and 03. Also told that pressure plate wear and release bearing wear make them harder to push.

 

I also had my clutch replaced under warranty recently on my 06, there was significant pressure plate wear and the clutch feels A LOT softer than before.

 

I've asked a lot of people this question--from BMW Techs to MINI mechanics, and I've never gotten a satisfactory response--other than--that's just the way they are.

My '03 Cooper's clutch was decently stiff, after a clutch change at 43,000 miles it was very soft. The dealer said is was perfectly normal.

I got an '05 Cooper S and the clutch is very stiff--but driving a friend's '05 Cooper S, her clutch was about half as soft. Same with an '05 Cooper. I've driven '02, '03, '04, '05, and '07 Cooper and Cooper S and none of them had a clutch that felt the same--they all varied dramatically.

 

Honestly, until you pull it apart and look at it, you would be just guessing. I would suggest replacing the flywheel/clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing/ cleaning the inside of the tranny of all the clutch dust and bleeding the line completely. It's not an inexpensive proposition, but it is a high wear part of your vehicle and needs maintaince. How many miles are on your 03?

 

My 03 MCS clutch is fairly stiff too.

I used to drive a 240sx/sr20 with an ACT HD/SS clutch, and a swapped civic with a unsprung 3 puck clutch and when I picked up the MINI the first thing I noticed was the clutch was actually stiffer than both of those combinations.

However it grabs very hard, and I like that in a clutch personally.

 

My second OE clutch ened up as stiff as my melted SPEC clutch, although compared to that, the OE clutch slips like there is no tomorrow and can't grab to save it's life. That is it's normal operation though, sevral mechanics and test drives of other MINIs has proven that.

 

My neighbor karl has an 04 that clutch is like stepping on a rubber puck.
I have an 06 its firm and light very smooth.
I think it varys on how the car was broken in and the years of clutch

 

My '02 clutch was creaky and stiff....until I replaced the clutch fork and fork guide bushings. No joke, that made the clutch buttah-smoove and light again, just like how my '04 was when brand new. Of course, you have to remove the tranny to get to 'em, but that's what fixes the "my clutch has gotten heavier or groaning over time" disorder.