So i finally got my MINI back from chicago where my uncle had it (long story) and the first day back to school i dropped it off to get detailed while im at track practice,
everything seems perfectly clean so i pay and leave
about fifteen blocks from the detailing shop the getrag gave me a bit of a fight getting into first but nothing out of the orrdinary, the next red light i cant get it into gear AT ALL,
I tried two more times, then try reverse and im just holding up traffic so i turn on the flashers and get the car over to the side, that was done because when i pushed the **** far enough it would slightly engage the gears if the clutch wasnt being pressed, enough to roll
i called MINI roadside and shes being taken into MINI of Manhattan tomorrow morning, but im scared for her
i spoke to my advisor and he said the mods ive done so far should affect the warranty so it should be covered,
ill let you all know how it turns out, and maybe get a picture of whats left of my clutch

-Matt

 

I always thought wear items are not covered under warrenty. How many miles are on the clutch? Burnouts tend to be detrimental for clutch health. you are being carefull right? your uncle wasn't into street racing was he? is he ok with a manual transmission?

 

You have a very good dealer if they are turning a blind eye to your mods...

As stated though, the clutch is a wear and tear item and it sounds like your pilot bearing is gone so a clutch replacement will be needed. :(

 

Dupe post.... Sorry.

 

On the bright side, if you do have to pay for it as a wear item and do not have the factory LSD, this is a golden opportunity to install an aftermarket LSD.

 

and upgraded clutch parts!

 

yes it is so true (about the clutch wear, and occcccasional burnout),
my dealer quoted me $2900 for a clutch with install and $3500 for a clutch and flywheel depending on which it is, they got the car today at eleven so they didnt open her up today so we'll find out today which it is and based on that, how much an aftermarket clutch or clutch and flywheel cost with installation by my MINI mechanic then i might be getting an aftermarket set
any recommendations?

and yes my dealer is great for not minding my mods and he usually is okay with stretching the rules but he said he just couldnt put a clutch down as a wear item

 

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/

They make good stuff it seems, though I have the stock '02 flywheel and a Spec stage 2 lightened clutch.

 

thank you very much,
im kindve looking for a middle ground between performance and durability/life

 

Does the pedal go to the floor and not come back?

If so then it's the slave cylinder and it will be covered under warranty

If in fact you do need a new clutch check out Clutchmasters. RMW sells them. If you can swing another grand pup a Quaife in there at the same time, RMW again.

As a guide, local shop in Dallas, not a dealer, charges a flat $1K labor for a clutch R&R.

 

the pedal took a second to come back the first time, but then it was acting fine, and i talked to Mike at Tyrol Sport here in NY and he said it would be somewhere a little south of $1.5K for labor for a clutch and flywheel,
im still waiting to figure out whether or not it is a clutch or a clutch and flywheel
and would RMW have a flywheel if i needed one?

 

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST recommendation ever, I talked to Jan just now and wow is all i have to say,
thank you so so much gnatster,
looks like im going for a stage two Kevlar clutch kit, i'll do it even if i dont need a flyhweel

 

My dealer in LI does the same job for $2300 and their labor rate is $110, which includes clutch and flywheel, so $2900 is very high, most independent shops will charge $800 plus parts, and the fly wheel is like $700. Your dealer is not doing you any favors he is just ripping you off

 

yea apparently, accorind to my cousin who works at a dealer in Boston, theres a clause in the BMW warranty that gurantess a second clutch!!!!! WTF people how do we not know about this?!
Ima kill my SA

 

Before setting out on revenge, dig two graves.

 

Perhaps they read this thread?: Warranty is for failures; the 3yr/36k maintenance agreement (service plan) covers wear items, and even then the clutch is singled out as a case-by-case item. The clutch is only covered by the warranty if it burned up because something failed (like the slave cylinder).

 

oh oaky that makes sense to me,
im not mad now

and everyone, the update is this, my dealer can go shove his head up his *** b/c there three thousand dollar estimate went up to $4200 so i ordered a stage two Kevlar clutch and Flywheel kit from RMW
Jans even gonna eat the extra forty dollars for overniteing it to my mechanic by friday morning, best guy ever.
I'll get pics of the install and post em, let you all know how it all goes.

 

Jan sounds like a great guy. I need to talk with him about dyno tunes, headers, and cyclinder heads. Good to see your geting some nice goodies out of this.

Follow the break-in to the letter, unless you want to drop thousands more to do it again.

 

Yes Jan is a real stand-up and honest guy, I wish there were more of vendors for the MINI like Jan and Eric, someone should start a list of the real good and honest vendors out there. I named Jan and Eric as vendors and Habberstad as a Dealer as top quality organizations for the MINI community.

 

Okay so heres the update, Mike at Tyrol Sport in NY, had his guys start cranking on my MINI at 10AM friday morning, the had it disassembled that night, installed the new clutch and flywheel and had it all back together on saturday night at six, and then the car went through gears one and two, but going into third the wheels would stop moving (it was on a lift when we tried it out).
Apparently the mechanic thinks it might be a bent fork, Mike thinks it mightve been misalligned a little bit, and Jan's mechanic guy suggested that i have them pull up the air box and see if the transmission cables moving, if it isnt then thats the problem its either disconnected or snaped,
as well seeing if it'll go into fifth or sixth gear
All this testing to see is gonna happen on monday, so ill let you all know how it goes,

 

So could the cables have snapped or bent while you tried to get the car into gear when this issue first arose?

 

yea naveshin,
either that or thats what happened to the fork, i get to call in about an hour and see what it was, so ill let you all know

 

thats what he said couldve happened with the fork
they got the car completely dissasembled and the tranni out today,
the fork is fine, the cables
so far they cant figure it out, but my mechanics gonna work with Jan and ClutchMaster to try and solve the problem

 

WOOOOOO
the clutch is really amazing,
the revs come on so much quicker, and the car feels so much lighter,
its really senstive right now,
and i have to put 500 miles on it before i can see what she can really do now,
it still smells like clutch a little but that should go away, and there is so much more cabin noise from the motor and from the trani,
but i like noise
definetely a worth while mod,
thanks Jan if youre reading this

 

Do not go over 3,500 rpm untill you have at least 1,000 easy miles on the clutch. Don't floor it either, no hard launches. Unless you did already, that could be what the smell is. (._.)