Hey,
I went to my MINI service center the other day, because I was hearing a kind of squeaking sound when starting out in first gear, and reverse. I had no idea what it was, so I asked our service department. We took it out so they could hear it, and they said that they had never heard that noise before. After a few calls and a few days, they think they figured it out, they are saying that it is the Pilot Bearing. I asked if it is under warrante, and no, it is not, $1700. I asked how important it is to fix and they are saying not to do it for that price, because it is not going to hurt anything, and the noise may dissapear. Is this true? They are saying that the Price of the Pilot Bearing is about $37 and the rest is the near 12 hrs. of labor. Anyone have any ideas, thanks for all of the help.

 

the 12 hours for labor is TOTAL CRAP, tell them to severely smooch your booty for that joke of a quote! I changed a pilot bearing on my (now sold) '93 Mustang Cobra in about 30 minutes once upon a time, and although I know a front-drive car's tranny is harder to access, it would never take TWENTY FOUR TIMES the labor!

I'm embarrassed that MINI would try to put this over on you, tisk tisk, tisk. Since when is the dealership charging $138.58 per hour for labor?
$1700 - $37
-------------
$12 hours

equals $138.583333/hr

 

They are saying that the clutch is contained within the inside of the transmition, and they would have to take out the transmition to change the bearing, is this true, because I am not mechanically inclined. Thanks for the help.

 

Why won't this be covered under warranty ?

 

Hey if my MINI dealer can quote me $385 to put down my bonnet stripes, the quote you mentioned doesn't surprise me. :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

One would think the clutch is a wearable item just like the brakes. :???:

 

I'm having the exact same problem! but I get the squeak mostly from 2nd to 3rd and have a hard time getting into reverse. I mentioned it when I took it for service but they were unable to really do anything about it because I needed the car back and they did not have a loaner avaialable. My dealer did say that they lubed the pilot bearing, but this was a week/almost 1K miles ago and the squeak is still there. I'm going to make another appointment to get that looked at (and the sunroof rattle that they couldn't fix because it wasn't cold enough to duplicate the problem.

 

Sounds to me like a call to MINIUSA is in order. They might be able to help you.

 

Interesting... this could be a factory defective bearing, or could be related to
driving technique. (sitting at red lights with car in gear and foot depressing clutch
for long periods of time.) Bearing is a relativly cheap part, but the labor is the big thing in these cases. The avg. mechanic will charge you at least 500 dollars labor
for this job. Tranny must be moved to access bearing.
If your mini dealer said they greased it, they are feeding you a line of bull. It is a sealed unit that can't be greased. Is is true however,that it may stop squealing at some point. But probably not. How many miles on car? Is this your 1st standard trans?

 

Should be covered under warranty. How many miles on the car????

 

I have about 21,500 or so, they said that it would only be under warranty in the first 3-4K miles.

 

>>I have about 21,500 or so, they said that it would only be under warranty in the first 3-4K miles.

Get with MINI USA!

Some wear and tear parts are covered for less than the full car warranty, but I am not sure that applies to the pilot bearing. Clutch plates and brake pads typically yes, but bearings I would say no. Have it checked out by MINI USA.
IMHO any bearing, and I mean ANY, should be covered under warranty during the normal warranty cycle!

Definitely talk to MINI USA about this, and please let us know!

Hope you get this sorted out!

Markus

 

Definatly call MINI USA.... the pilot bearing should last the life of the clutch... and the clutch should last 50k to near 100k miles...... As stated before holding in the clutch for long periods of time is the only thing that will kill the pilot bearing (heat) so at long lights slap it into Neutral and give the clutch foot a break.... Good luck let us know how it goes....

_________________
Jason