Hi...I am new to this site and I am in need of some help...

So here is the story...My 2006 S was sent to Classic Mini for some work...I got a new belt, new power steering pump, radiator flushed, and something near the the oil pan was cracked...Anyways, left Class Mini (east of Cleveland) and was driving home. As I was sitting at a red light, I put the car into first and it wasnt going very smoothly...so I fought it...finally, getting it in to first. As I turned the corner, accelerated and put it into second, it died (on a railroad track, YIKES) and the clutch pedal without any tension went to the floor and never came back up. It didnt just die and keep rolling it turned off, every light came on and it was stuck in second. I tried to get it into neutral to coast off the tracks but it would not...so I got out and pushed it then tried for neutral again, and it went when and after I turned the key a bunch...So, I called for help...my father came and rescued me and called Classic...I mean this is less than an hour after I left Mini, where they had my car for a week... He was pretty upset and when he told them the situation, they claimed my car needed a new clutch. My father explained that this is not what happens, they continued to argue then claimed it was a pressure plate...my dad disagreed still...After hanging up the phone and calling a tow, my dad pushed the car a little to find a giant puddle of brake, hydraulic, and transmission fluid spillin out of the car...He called back and Mini continued to say that were not responsible and that I needed a whole new clutch and that was the one and only problem...Anyways, to make a super long story short, my car is sitting at the Mini dealer and they continue to say the only thing wrong with this car is that it needs a new clutch...What do you guys think? Could it be that the motor mounts were not fully tightened when the motor was removed to replace the belts and the engine torqued and caused the lines to break? Is it a pressure plate? A hydraulic line? Is it something they could have caused when they did the maintence and repairs on it? The clutch has no tension and there is no spring to it...My car has only 54k miles on it, Mini refuses to warranty it, even after I bought the extended warranty...They are giving me an estimate of 3k. Please help...

Also after reading another thread that started to appear similar, it was different in that there was a major fluid leakage and no weird sounds...but could it still be a fried release bearing?

Please help....Thanks, Kristi

 

Even if it was the pressure plate the fluid would not leak out for the clutch problem- it just would not work. You need to find the leak then you will know if it was something they did at the shop or not.

 

[FONT=Arial]The symptoms are classic clutch slave cylinder failure: hard to shift, fluid leakage and pedal to the floor. Check the level of the hydraulic fluid in the brake cylinder/clutch slave cylinder reservoir; it should be very low. Not sure why Mini thinks it's the clutch assembly, maybe they need the $3K.[/FONT]

 

You most likely have a dead slave cyl. A bad clutch doesn't dump fluid on the ground, but a bad slave sure can. What Classic worked on should have had no effect on the clutch. Just strange timing though. Most likely your clutch is fine. If you are still under warranty this should be a no cost fix.

Good luck & let us know what the outcome is.

 

well, just talked to my dad...he said that mini replaced the master slave cylinder when it arrived (i didnt know that) but they are claiming the clutch is seized, my dad says thats BS because i drove it all that way without incident...could this be? oh and the master slave cylinder was NOT covered!

 

ooppps...i mean the SLAVE CYLINDER*

 

As Cashton said it could be a very bad luck but I also would not be happy if my car was in for service and failed within an hour.

You or your dad may want to see if the dealer will simply cut you some slack based on the failure so soon after service.

 

so do you recommend doing an aftermarket clutch and if so, what one? thanks so much for your help!

 

oh and as far as Classic offering me slack....they arent charging me for the $250 tow...how sweet, lol!

 

That is something. I think it is generous considering the clutch slave failure isn't their fault. If you think it is fill us in on just how it is.

I'd be surprised if the dealer would install an aftermarket clutch. How many miles on your MINI?

You might want to buy a membership in AAA. If you get the AAA+ you get something like 150 miles of towing for free.

 

Remember, that is what they have offered so far.
Mileage and age of the car are big factors about what they are likely thinking. If it is low miles you should stay after the dealer to give assistance on the repair. They have a good mark-up on parts and labor they could cut that some to keep a happy customer.

Good luck.

 

I am about to replace the clutch salave cylinder on my '06 mini s. I noticed a strange(to me that is) connector that connects the hydraulic line to the slave cylinder. I removed the keeper pin but don't see anything else and it seems too fragile to tug on. I've seen lots of infor on bleeding the line but not on this connection.

Thanks