I want to say that I love my car but im having a hard time driving a car that wont move when trying to take off from a stop w AC on.Im taking my car back for the third time for the same issue the first time I was told that I had possibly some bad gas ha ha thats a good one. Any how I changed brands to humer them 300 miles it stalled 4 times ans was towed in to the dealer mind you at 1400 miles less than a month old. They put a new DME computer on per the BMW rep seemed a bit better exept on first gear take offs it does not want to move w AC on. also when I come to a stop the motor shakes. Today I was told by mini we know their is a problem but we dont have a fix wrong answer for me. Im going to give them one more try if they cant make my car run properly I told them I dont want it give me one that runs. I was also told that not all cars are running this way great get me one of those. Im so ready to lemon this car but I dont really want to wait for another cant they fix it any body else have any suggestions on this issue. Im in calif lemons are 4 trys and their out,,,,, help I love my car but maybe getting a MCS is the answer :evil:

 

There's a few threads around here on "stumble." Do a search and check it out...maybe your MINI has this. If so, there's a lot of interest and discussion on this and also, hopefully, a software fix in the works. Check this out 'cause there's so much good info on it and it might get you some good ammo to go at your dealer with. On my MINI, AC does eat some power...the car is much more fun with the AC off...but I'm definitely holding on for a fix 'cause there's not another car on the road I want to drive...regardless of cost!!!!! Stumble has been a BIG topic around here this summer!!!!

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'03 IB/W Cooper

 

This is a VERY known problem. I have it in my '03 MCS also. I compensate by revving the engine up quite a bit before letting off the clutch. Not great for the car, but better than stalling. It doesn't fix the problem completely, but it does help a little. You can find more info here, one of many many threads on this issue.

 

Well before I even got my car I'd read the same thing here and in other MINI forums: starting from a dead stop in first gear requires higher revs. So I wasn't surprised to find it so. I also found that reverse gear needs the same. I don't consider it a big deal.

But mine's not stalling either, so I guess that's why it's not a big deal to me. I will say that occasionally when I have the AC on and come to a stop, the RPMs will dip a little too low and the engine will shake for a second, but then it jumps back up to a normal idle.

You'd think they could adjust the idle for you somehow...

 

the way i look at it , until they get a fix, it is part of the cars personality.
Just turn off the A/C for a few seconds when you really want to pull out in a hurry with out worries of stumble. Trust me pulling out into traffic and having no power is not fun. But if you know it is coming you have 3 choices.
1, More RPM's
2, Turn off the A/C
3, Pull out only when it is really really clear..
ok #3 is pushing it. If you do that buy a Buick

Stay with it and don't give up yet.

 

I find that the combo of the power steering and A/C at the same time is really killer - when I'm turning, I've had it happen more than once. I basically do exactly what bignose13 suggests...turn it off when I'm doing a hard left or right turn

 

I have also found that switching off the DSC also helps just a little bit, but if you really gotta go, kill the A/C.

I'm calling in to my service guy tomorrow to ask about this. I just got the ECU update week before last, but I've been reading that it isn't taking well. More after I call.

>>the way i look at it , until they get a fix, it is part of the cars personality.
>>Just turn off the A/C for a few seconds when you really want to pull out in a hurry with out worries of stumble. Trust me pulling out into traffic and having no power is not fun. But if you know it is coming you have 3 choices.
>>1, More RPM's
>>2, Turn off the A/C
>>3, Pull out only when it is really really clear..
>>ok #3 is pushing it. If you do that buy a Buick
>>
>>Stay with it and don't give up yet.
>>
>>

 

I'm going to be devil's advocate here with this one...

I don't think it's the car at all, moreover, it's your expectiations on how you're supposed to drive the car versus your previous experience.

A). push the gas, alot
B). release the clutch, slowly
C). push the gas much more.
....and away you go, A/C on or not

dumping the clutch at 800rpm of course won't give you any power; it's unreasonable to expect the torque of a big-block V-8. The MINI responds best to an easy clutch slip until you're rev matched at about 2000rpm. Yes, this is not traditional; Yes, this may wear the clutch faster than you're accustommed to (but only "may", not "will); Yes, you can launch the car without the stumble or bog-down. Pay attention to what you're doing and how you have to drive the car to get it to do what you want.

I can guarantee that if Randy drove your MINI, you wouldn't even be able to tell if the A/C was on or not!

Ryan

 

Ryephile - the Cooper definitely has issues at low rpm's with the A/C on. I've been driving a stick for over 10 years - Honda Accord, VW GTI and now the MINI. All 4 cylinder engines, similar size. NEVER had a problem with any of the previous cars stalling like the MINI. I don't think the driver is a pertinent issue here at all - the car gets bogged down in certain situations. In my case, it's very pronounced when I'm on a slight incline -turning left or right with the A/C on. Of course, the dealer said it wasn't a software issue.