Bought our 3rd MINI last month, a 2012 CM S manual tranny with 29k miles. Sunday when stopping at a red light I would put the transmission in neutral. When the light would turn Green it would take numerous tries to shift back into gear and the clutch pedal felt spongy. Scheduled a service appointment for Tuesday to have the issue checked out along with a Thermostat code under warranty at Schomp MINI. On the way there I stopped for traffic and then made a left turn and as I shifted into third gear I hear a loud bang and then no gears. Pulled over and the shifter would move into each gear including reverse but no movement or noise. MINI roadside assistance sent a tow truck and off we went to the dealer. I was provided a 2016 Clubman as a loaner. It has a 3 cylinder turbo and is surprisingly quick. Waiting to hear what the issue is with our CM.

 

You must mean you got a Clubman loaner, I don't think the Countryman has the 3 cylinder turbo until 2017.

 

Correct it is a Clubman...

 

Received the bad news today. The clutch is not a warranty item and the dealer quoted $3,800. The thermostat will be covered, but 3 to 6 weeks to get the part in. 3rd MINI for us, but will be our last...
2002 MINI - sold with 120k, clutch strong
2010 Clubman - sold with 110k, clutch strong
2012 Countryman - clutch failed 30k

 

How is this not covered? Do you get the extended boot to bonnet warranty?

 

Dealer told me the clutch is a wear item not covered by the standard warranty. The dealer we bought the car from included a one year drivetrain warranty, but it excludes clutches too. I spoke with the dealer we bought the car from stating I was upset that the clutch failed within 30 days of purchase. The manager told me to get him a copy of the work estimate to replace the clutch and he would get with his service separtment and see if there is anything they can do. I guess I would except a 50% off of the bill if they do the work. An independent shop I spoke with yesterday that specializes in German brands gave me an estimate of $1,700 to $2,000. If the flywheel needs to be replaced that would be additional.

 

Spoke with the service rep at the dealer today. He said MINI did update the clutch with the 2013 model. Through our discussion about the clutch it is my opinion the clutch in the Countryman is not robust enough to handle the added weight and all wheel drive. We have a loaner while waiting on the new thermostat which is estimated at 3 to 6 weeks before the part comes in. I guess it gives me time to sort out how to repair the clutch. They will not tear it down unless I commit to the $3900 job. If they find a part broken it would be covered under warranty, if not I am on the hook. Right now I am leaning toward doing it myself with other than OEM and use a single mass flywheel.

 

I'm sure some of the problem could be the original owner's shifting skills. Either way, it stinks to get a bill like that within a month.

 

Sure not everyone knows how to drive a standard and that could shorten the life for sure. But it never slipped and total failure happened all at once.

 

you should just buy extended maintenance now so that it will be covered and extend till 6yr/100,000. it will be cheaper to get this enrolled then forking up $4000.

my 2011 s with 98000 miles on it has an appointment on tues to have the clutch replaced under extended maintenance. my sa suggested to bring the car in before 100,000 so that they will replace one time only under this maintenance coverage.

good luck

 

As mentioned the 100,000 extended maintenance warranty only covers one clutch. At 44,000 my clutch went. The flywheel was covered on the 50,000 miles MINI warranty and the clutch under the MINI ext maintenance warranty. For my second clutch replacement at 60,000 (my fault), it was not covered at all. If you have a clutch replaced and a brakes under the ext warranty it pays off.

The ALL4 really adds to the cost of replacement of the clutch since they need to remove the large nut attaching it.

 

The problems with the clutches on pre 2013 CM's are well documented here on the forum, especially with the All4's. The fact that BMW starting using a different clutch after only 2 model years is a strong indication that they knew very well there were issues.

There are an overwhelming number of reports here on the forum from owners with clutch problems who drove other cars with clutches for decades with no issues. Sure, no doubt there's a few owners who have abused their clutches, so BMW conveniently takes the approach that's what the problem is unless proven otherwise.

I think it's really criminal that they are not taking care of the customers who are suffering from this. If you look through the forum you'll see that BMW has quite a history of things like this (for example the power steering pump problem on the early first generation Mini's), and they take care of the customers only when confronted with a class action lawsuit or governmental action. I'm really surprised that we have not seen a class action lawsuit on the clutch issue by now.

Just make sure you save your receipt as there may be a chance for you to get reimbursed later on. We owned one of the very early 2003's with the power steering pump problems that required a $1500 repair after the car was out of warranty. It was many years later when BMW offered to reimburse us and extend the warranty on the pump, only after the government started taking action on the problem.