Hey all- I have a slightly modded 2010 MINI COOPER S. It has 14,000 miles exactly. 3 days ago, my clutch made a horrible grinding noise like tires screeching, but it was more or a metal on pavement sound instead of rubber. The clutch never one time slipped before this occurrence. Flashback to yesterday, about 20 miles after the initial grinding noise, and I am getting my car towed because the car was smoking horribly and let off the terrible smell of clutch, and would not even grab enough to move forward. Dealership looks at the clutch and says it is fried and the flywheel needs replaced as well. They are blaming it on user error and are not covering it under warranty- total bill: $2900.

I am hearing a lot of people on here have been in similar situations with their dealerships. With this low of miles, many people say that their dealerships cover it under warranty, yet my dealership is not. I am wondering what my next step should be as far as getting if covered under warranty. I have requested to come in tomorrow and get some pictures of the clutch so I could send it to MINI of USA and try to talk with them. Being inexperienced about the technicalities of the clutch and transmission in general, what are some things that I could say that will get this clutch covered under warranty? I appreciate stories that you might have about having to deal with this in the past. Thank you!!!