Done some reading on the loss of clutch pedal pressure on right turns. Supposedly crankshaft endplay. And engine replacement.
My question is what "deals" have people made in this situation? Who got a new car? Did you get an extended warranty on MINI's dime? Was there any upside in this situation. Oh, and does replacing the engine on warranty hurt resale value?
Thanks!

 

Never heard of this- can you post some info? Link? TSB?

 

Here you go...
It's official... I'm getting a new engine. 😕
http://www.minif56.com/forum/361-min...&postid=300434

 

This would be done on a case by case basis. And I have never seen anything else given as a freebie.

 

It is official for me too, a new engine is on order and should arrive in a few days.
Are there any other updates on how folks have dealt with this issue (extended warranties, upgrades, trade-ins, etc.). I have had our 2014 S for 16 months, and it only has 6,800 miles on it. What are your thoughts on possible issues after an engine replacement?

 

I wish there was some sort of paperwork/document on this. My dealer said they're unaware of this problem. My car is a 2014 S stick with only 4200 mi. manufactured June 2014. Most common symptom I have is hard right turns causes the clutch to feel softer. There is one place 15 mi. from dealer that I notice the worst. It's exiting off the freeway with a hard bank right turn 3/4 circle that ends immediately at a signal light. If the light is green its pretty much a soft feeling clutch going through, but if I stop at the light my clutch either becomes very sticky just barely coming off the floorboard which I sometimes stall the engine, or after passing into neutral I can't get it immediately into any gear, or clutch pedal returns half way and needs nudging up. After I do get rolling again, everything is back to normal. I can almost live with it because I don't use that exit any more, but my main concern is if there's crankshaft play will it cause engine wear and major problems later.

 

Have your dealer contact the main MINI office, they are evidently quite aware of the issue. I don't have any service bulletin number, but it's important that you get this resolved before any damage gets worse.

 

Took my mini in yesterday for the side impact fix and told the service manager about the above clutch mishaps. He contacted mini main office and they told him to check axle endplay. When he called me and told me this, I ask, didn't they mean crankshaft endplay, he said no. He's instructed to do what they suggest, get back to them on the results and then go to the next step.
I don't understand how axle endplay would effect clutch operation?
I feel like my car is going to be a guinea pig with try this next.

 

My previous comment was wrong. The service manager corrected himself the next day saying the crankshaft endplay was being checked. They had to order a special part/tool to make the measurement. They did find excessive endplay and Mini said replace the engine which is now on order. Mini told them to check engine oil for any metal particles, verify turbo and transmission are in good order and replace if necessary. This is all new to the San Diego dealership as they're documenting and photographing it. This maybe the first but won't be the last one they'll run across.

 

That makes more sense. I got my car back the other day, it's purring nicely. I intend to write to MINI and ask about any options on extending the warranty.

Prestige MINI did a fine job. They said they had to photograph and video record some of the process. Also, they did not find any issues with the clutch or turbos, so they were not replaced.

 

Had to change my user name; was bksullivan2
Got word today that my mini service department is changing my engine, turbo, clutch, and transmission. Right now they have received everything except for some sort of torque bolts (one time use according to their manual). The service manager said mini ran my VIN and said it was one of the ones affected. Design defect of the crankshaft thrust bearing. They're are also refunding me 2 months of finance payments.

 

Sounds like they came through on the fix, nice on the 2 month refund. Well done.

 

This is an older post I made in another thread but figured it would be good here also.

In August, I had the same thing happen to my 14' MCS 6 speed with 14k miles. I got the car from Mini of Baltimore so they did the service/engine replacement. They said my car was the first they've seen with this issue so it took a little longer to get sorted out than what they expected.

Once they figured out it was a crankshaft defect, with the help of Mini Corporate, they also found it caused damage to the transmission, clutch, flywheel, and turbo (due to metal shavings getting in the oil from the crankshaft). I might be missing a part or two but they ended up replacing everything along with my engine. I would definitely talk to the Mini dealership you're working with about looking into those parts along with anything else the crankshaft might effect. I was lucky that my Motoring Advisor heard of the problem before and he made sure the service department looked into all the other parts for damage. That definitely saved me a TON of future issues.

 

If this is a design defect affecting multiple VINs -- I wonder if Mini has any plans to be proactive with those vehicles, and what happens to people whose affected cars experience this failure after the defect warranty period expires.