The other day my MCS clutch went out. I came to a stop light and took off the car accelerated but then, no matter how much I accelerated the car wouldn't go. When I parked the car I was able to shift gears, the clutch was moving normally, but the car wouldn't move. I was able to push he car even though it was in gear. It was as if it was stuck in neutral.

Took the car to a local mechanic who was recommended. Once he heard my experience he immediately recognized that it was the clutch. He said that my Mini was the 3rd car that has come into his garage with the similar experience.

Now I have to find the money to fix it. I was quouted $1500. After reading though ote MSC owners experiences, this seems to be a fair price. But I dont have the $$ get it done asap.

He asked me if I wanted OEM or after market. After reading though some of post initially I felt I should go after market. But after doing more research now I feel like may be I should go OEM.

I read many posts that said that OEM clutches fail too early. But I also found many posts recently that recommended OEM.

In short it seems that OEM will help me keep the smooth clutch feel that MCS have. This is true as long as I don't have or plan to go over 250bhp.

The aftermarket ones will be less smooth and can be noisy when cold or at idel. Also that they can affect my take off and wont shift smoothly unless I rave to 2500 rpm unless I have more than 250bhp. (of couse all these sytoms will vary based on which clutch manufacturer I use)

I know this has been asked many times. But I know parts get updated all the time. So my question is:

Should I go with OEM or aftermarket clutch and why?

What parts should I replace while I have the transmission out?

I will really appreciate your feedback.

 

I went Aftermarket with a Clutch Masters FX100 Street Performance Clutch Kit. It had a little more grab but felt close to stock, 20k later I'm now getting ready to replace it agian.

I don't know why but it slips intermittently. I've been hard on her this last year so it's probably just worn out, lots of stopping on hills... but I won't know until I take it apart.

I'm having some difficulty deciding whether to just keep getting the cheaper OEM part or maybe upgrading to the Kevlar... I'm surprised no-one's posted on this yet.

 

Just FYI, but I wouldn't be too quick to trust your mechanic's current diagnosis of the problem. Clutches typically don't fail like a light switch - working normally one minute and not transmitting any power the next. Instead, they tend to fail slowly, starting to slip under certain situations or under heaviest load. And they often make some bad noises or stink.

Are you sure you don't have a transmission issue - are you sure you're really getting the transmission in gear? Linkages can fail too. If it is the clutch, I'd suspect you've had a mechanical failure in the mechanism, not a worn out clutch. Another possibility is the clutch slave cylinder or linkage is jammed in the depressed state. I wouldn't be ordering any parts until you're in there and can see what happened.

I'd get a 2nd opinion before proceeding.

- Mark

 

Do you have plans for track or autocross?

 

A few thoughts...
Kevlar is not a common choice cause it has a few major issues...
If it is ever glazed, it will never recover....time for a new clutch.
get even a drop of oil/grease on the clutch surface....new clutch. Ever see any mini engine bay that is showroom clean all the time? And never had a leak?
While these issues can be an issue for regular clutches, they can normally "recover".
So if you look at regular material clutches, you have a choice...
if you like the stock feel, smoothness, etc, go stock. A gripperier clutch can make driving smooth hard....it is a performance clutch, and it does give up something to grip more...it is a compermise...many feel on/off, and be a challange to drive in trafic.

 

Thanks!
Well I did get a second opinion and found out that my new axel had popped out. So didn’t cost anything and got it replaced under warranty.
Which means the mechanic didn’t even diagnose the car properly . I asked for a refund since he diagnosed me wrong and he keeps avoiding me. So I'm going to file complaint with BBB. My warranty doesn’t cover for the wrong diagnostic.
So for the time being it gives me time to save up the money, since I know i will need it in a year or two. I guess I will just stick with the OEM.
Lesson is always get a second opinion!