Just got off the phone with two local dealers looking to have my glazed flywheel replaced so that I don't have to listen to that squeal on launch anymore. I was told by both that they do not cover that under warranty any longer. If the flywheel rattles, they will replace it. But, if its just noisy, too bad.

Not what I wanted to hear.

I was also calling about a puddle of coolant I found in the garage on my return home last night. Back here at the office there is no puddle where I parked yesterday and it did not leak last night and is not leaking now.

Is it possible that this was a one shot occurrence, or should I have it looked at?

Thanks.

Dean.

Having done a bit of searching here it seems it is somewhat common for the coolant thermostat to leak. So, I'll take it in.

 

Why not just stop in at any local garage and tell them you had some sort of coolant leak and want it checked/estimate....I see no reason why they wouldn't give it a once over at no cost.

As far as the Flywheel goes, my plan is to replace any OEM wearable part such as this, which fail on my MINI with an aftermarket upgrade part from the likes of M7 or MiniMadness ect......(within reason....)

You may have some luck contacting MINI-USA via email complaint.

Keep us posted on your progress.

 

My clutch was replaced because of a squeak. Bad throw out bearing, but my dealer replaced the whole deal, clutch, pressure plate & TO bearing. The flywheel was not replaced. All is well & it is nice & quiet for the last 15,000 miles.

As far as the coolant leak goes, I'll bet it is a leaking thermostat housing. It's a very common problem. Have them fix it.

 

Can't you just get the flywheel resurfaced?

 

Its under warranty and my guess is you are right about it being the thermostat housing based on what I've read here. I will have them fix it.

About the glazed flywheel, I cannot be certain that is what is causing the squeal on launch, but suspect it is based on many threads here on NAM. It is very intermittent. Sometimes it will go a month without occurring and then it will happen a few days in a row.

When it does happen it is usually just the initial launch when cold ...but sometimes two or three launches. I'll have them drive it but I'm sure it won't misbehave for them. In any event, they made it clear that they won't fix a noise, they will only fix a problem that affects drive-ability. They admitted to previously covering the squeal issue under warranty, but after replacing a zillion of them I guess it just got too costly.

Naturally, my fear is the squeal will turn into a failure once I am out of warranty.

 

He has an S, which has a dual mass flywheel that cannot be turned. It has to be replaced whenever the clutch is replaced--like twice in 25K miles on my 2005 S due to glazing and other BS defects.

That's why I got an auto for my new S: no glazing, and the tranny is rock-solid reliable. Can't say that about BMWs primary clutch and DMF supplier LuK.

Good LuK (npi)

 

Yeah-huh, to the tune of anywhere between $2500-2900 depending on market, and if the clutch is replaced also. DMF by itself is about $1100-1300.

Oh and you can reproduce the squeal by taking yr car with SA into a parking lot, put the emer brake on, put it in first, and let the clutch out slowly. Guarantee the sound will return. Biatch loudly about it.

As far as Im concerned, it IS a driveability issue Fight the power!

 

Well at least you have your clutch complaints documented. If it does go after your warranty is up you should have a fighting chance.

I'll also say that your dealer doesn't sound like a very good one. They should go to bat for you on this with MINI. It is a know issue after all. Your dealer seems to not understand how a customer is treated in their service department will effect whether a customer will buy another car from them in the future. You might try & explain that point to them.

Good luck Dean.

 

Wow it seems very extreme to get an automatic because you had some clutch issues. Many MINI's are running around with their original clutches with no problems. I understand if it is your MINI or mine that is having a problem that makes it a bigger deal. But I'd have had them keep fixing the clutch until they got it right, but that is just me.

You may not have a clutch to worry about anymore, but I sure hope the cold start hammer of death doesn't effect your new one. With cars it is always something I guess.

Good luk with your new MINI.

 

Crash part of my decision to get an auto is physical: I have a degenerative (left) knee cap condition that will more than likely require surgery here in the near future, and I wanna be able to MOTOR while recovering. you have no idea how painful it is for me to have to work a clutch on a daily driving basis.

Besides I love my MCSa-- I swear it shifts faster and smoother than what I could accomplish on my own with a good, let alone bum left knee. No regrets here--and Im a die-hard stick guy!

(and my 2005 MCS was a problem child, multiple steering rack/CV joint/motor mount/fit and finish problems on top of the clutch and DMF issues. Warranty ran out, it was history. But my dealer treated me so well I decided to give the brand one more try.)

 

seq, had you mentioned the physical issues that you have I would never had bothered to post what I did. Switching over to an auto makes total sense in your case. If I was in your boat that is exactly what I would have done too. Sorry that I misunderstood your reasons for buying an auto, but if you re-read your post you may see why I made that mistake.

As far as that auto being able to shift faster than a manual, OK if you say so. I know that one has a lot more control of their car with a stick & that is what is important to me, not the nano second quicker an autobox shifts, if it is faster at all.

I hope you are doing well & wish you a speedy & complete recovery.

Motor on, automatically....

 

Here are some funny bits from my conversation with the service coordinator yesterday (paraphrased):

Him: What is you Vin #

Me: #######

Him: Okay, so you have an '07 Cabrio

Me: No, its an '06 MCS.

Him: Really?

Me: Yes, would you like me to go outside and check the color. I think its dark silver. (he'd already sufficiently pissed me off at this point and deserved the sarcasm).

Once we straighten that out I went back to the flywheel issue.

Him: We have determined that the squeal is normal, so we no longer cover it under warranty.

Me: How can it be normal if only some cars do it? The majority do not do it. Commonsense says that not doing it would then be normal.

Him: I am sorry, they have determined it is normal.

Me: Look, I don't want to get snippy or sound like a jerk, but I've owned about ten cars with clutches and have driven dozens more ...none squealed. Are you telling me MINI has discovered that squealing is normal and that all these other makers have been doing it wrong?

Him: No, it's just normal for a MINI, many of them do it.

Me: But, if its normal, why don't they all do it? Are you taking cars with no squeal and installing glazed flywheels so that they can squeal and be normal?

Him: Of course not.

Me: So, which is normal; squeal or no squeal? Pick one. Both can't be normal. One is normal the other abnormal. It's as simple as that.

We went on for a while longer and I'll go to bat again on Monday when I bring my car in to have the coolant leak repaired. I have lots of time (warranty) left and plan on being a major PITA until I get my way.

 

Dean you just made me spit coffee on my keyboard.

Your service coordinator sounds like a royal pain in the flywheel. As you & I both know he is full of carp.

You may need to find a better dealer to have your MINI serviced at. Sad, but true.

 

Nope. Those days are over as our flywheels are actually made of two pieces attached with a rubber coupling. The problem is where both surfaces slip on each other. Inside.

Rich

 

Prestige in New Jersey replaced mine with no questions asked when another dealer refused. Depending on where you live in CT, it may be worth the trip.

Rich

 

No prob, crash. but check out motoringfile: stock R56s tend to post slightly faster times in the quarter mile and stock class auto-x than their manual peers. Strange, yet true. We are a force to be reckoned with, esp if we have JCW Stage 1s bolted on

 

Gotta love that Stage 1. It's craptastic.

I have a few JCW bits on my slow R53 so I can say that.

 

I brought my '05 in a couple weeks ago for the annual oil change. They asked if I were having any other issues, and I told them that my clutch was both rattling and squealing upon release. My SA told me that there was a TSB out on both of these issues and that the flywheel/clutch assembly would be taken care of under either of these issues. They also told me that my front control arm bushings were worn and needed replacing...which they said they would do under warranty, as there weren't any other suspension related problems that may be associated with road hazard/abuse! I'm gonna wait til January to get it done, after my Christmas roadtrip. Hopefully they will not change their tune between now & then.

I've noticed that lately, San Francisco Mini seems to be treating me better and actually been helpful and informative instead of argumentative and dumb. Hopefully this is the new norm for them! Now if only they just lowered their $195/hour labor rate just a bit!

If possible, I would try a third dealership for another opinion.

 

Yeah! Team Craptastic lives on (now if I could find a grill badge.)

 

Now THIS is the way you should be treated, reelsmith. NQA.

($195.00/hour? Holy cow! )

 

Same here. The LuK clutches and flywheels are CACA

My next MINI will also be auto. I am diggin' the AISIN 6-speed slushbox in my Clubman S. Rock solid Japanese transmission.

While I believe the Getrag manual gearbox in my '05 R53 is superb, the OEM clutch and flywheel does not measure up with the rest of the gear in the car.

Auto is the better way to go in the MINI for better reliability. Same problems seem to plague the R56 manual versions.

 

Amazing! BTW, I am also having the squeal on cold launches. Not everyday, but it is there. I have almost 51K on the car and on the second clutch. Out of warranty but the 6 year/100K mile MINI extended service plan covers the entire clutch assembly, plus I have a new flywheel in the history of the car, never installed.

Otherwise the car drives perfectly fine. Unless the squeal gets worse, I will wait for the 60K mile pit stop to have the dealer take a look at it.

 

OK I understand. Clutches can be problematic so switch to an automatic. If you guys have engine problems are you going to switch to a MINI E electric? I bet that electric motor has no cold start death rattle.

 

I love my manual. But I don't love the 9 labor hours required to replace a clutch in the R53 (Pull the engine out and the whole jazz).

In 23 years of driving I have owned several manual stick cars. By far the MINI is one of my favorites. But my Honda/Acura clutches never gave me any problems...Ever. I just don't understand the huge quality inconsistencies with the MINI OEM Luk clutches. Some are great and most are utter crap. Some folks abuse them and never have problems. Others drive the car normally and yet every 25K-30K miles they need a new clutch replacement.

This gets old. I put up with a lot of things as the rewards are far greater, but this is not one of them. When you have warranty, this is somewhat acceptable. But when you plan to keep a car 9-10 years, bad quality clutch parts can become a never ending money pit.

I am really pleased othewise with the solid Getrag transmission. But I am equally impressed with the Toyota sourced AISIN automatic in my Clubman S.

I don't really want to get into another manual vs automatic tirade. People need to learn to respect other choices and the slushbox in the MINI is one heck of a respectable choice and does the car enough justice for me to consider it again in the future.

Unless MINI and LuK get their act together with the clutch components, no more manuals for me.

 

I am not disrespecting your choice to drive a MINI with an automatic. Your choice not mine. I do find it odd that someone would choose an auto when they love manuals because they may have a clutch replacement in the cars future, but like you said that is your choice not mine.

Motor on automatically...