So I was just in for a service call because of some noises coming out of 1st gear on my 2010 Cooper S and they tell me the clutch is bad. At 20,000 miles!!! Seems awfully weird, is this a known problem on these models?

I've been driving manual cars for some time and never had a clutch fail, even after 50K miles.

The new clutch feels a lot looser too.

 

I assume it was covered under warranty. I'd go back and drive a different car to see how that clutch feels. Then you could ask the service department why does my clutch feel so different from the car I just drove. I have driven manuals for years and I too have never had a clutch fail. I have 63k on my 08s so far no problems but I don't expect it to last 150k + miles I have gotten out of my other vehicles. BTW did the dealeship say why your clutch failed?

 

Yes they covered it under warranty. The service manager told me the clutch is rated for 60K miles but most people don't get that much out of it anymore. He seemed to think it was the dual flywheel that makes these more susceptible to wear and tear.

 

You got lucky for the warranty coverage. They told me to stuff it when I complained about the clutch before it was out of warranty.

 

Now THIS I have never heard. Since the clutch is not covered by the 4yr/48,000mile warranty, if this were true and known, I would think there would be an uproar in the MINI community.

 

Not under warranty but rated for 60K miles. And yes a clutch is covered under the mini maintenance contract but I think its only 1.

 

This is why there is so much confusion because some dealers are saying yes and others are saying no.