$195/hour! ridiculous

 

makin another thread about what clutch to get

 

Your clutch is wearing out. It will start to slip at some point and you will need to replace it at that time. How many miles do you have on that clutch?

 

Keep using it until it starts to slip. For some reason ClubmanS thinks that clutches should last a couple hundred thousand miles, but they won't if you drive the MINI the way it's supposed to be driven. At 70k mine is starting to get stiff and feel a little creaky. Even so, it's the longest lasting clutch I've ever had. I'll keep using it until it slips.

 

So, my May build '05 JCW went into the shop last Thursday, for among other things, multiple clutch noises/issues. Basically, I am experiencing the following:

1. When depressing/releasing the clutch, regardless of gear, the clutch feels like rubbing your finger against wet rubber, and makes a similar rusty/rubbing wet rubber sound. It is especially bad when the car is warm, and is also more pronounced when the car has been sitting in the sun/warm weather for an hour or more.

2. Especially when cold, at various times in neutral, and when the car is on an incline, there is a rattle. At first I thought it was like a heat shield hitting the exhaust manifold or something, but it goes away when I depress the clutch.

3. When I let out the clutch, mainly in first gear, and the RPM dips below 700-1000 RPM, the 'heat shield' type rattle starts up again until the car passes 1000 RPM. It mainly does it when the car is cold.

4. When first starting the car in the morning (especially when cold, and climbing up out of our hilly driveway, it sounds like the clutch is chattering, or kind of like a helicopter sound. It does not do it after the car has warmed up.

So, basically the dealership has had my car for a week (in also for 9 other warranty issues) and according to the service manager and their 'warranty technician,' they have replicated #1 problem, but only slightly and not enough to warrant a repair. They have been unable to replicate #2-4, which is insane as I can get the clutch to at least rattle easily.

To say the least, a week is awfully long to have a car, for any repair (the more major issues they are looking at are sunroof creaks, LCA bushings, A/C noises), but at least I got a Cooper loaner. I am not happy with the run around they have given me, but I will try and duplicate the problems tomorrow. Hopefully they will not have turned on the car so that I can replicate it in the correct conditions. I'll keep you posted as events unfold.

 

Is it possible for YOU to replicate it for THEM?

 

How long are clutches suppose to last?

BTW, I'm itsdaydrmer. Changed my SN.

 

That is exactly what I plan to do tomorrow. I just hope the car hasn't been turned on for several hours. At least it will be raining/cold...should help out a bit as far as conditions go.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, my car has @43k right now. Warranty runs out at the end of June.

 

dang that worries me. every clutch ive ever seen has lasted at least 100k and still has some material left on it when i pulled it out.

was this ever resolved? i am planning to buy a MINI this summer and would like to know what models this will probably effect.

 

These OEM clutches are caca. Pretty much hit and miss quality. I doesn't seem that MINI has addressed the clutch durability issues, hence my next MINI will be auto.

 

FWIW, my OEM "caca" clutch has 90k very hard miles on it (with a few track days a year) and is still going strong.

 

Tazio, you are part of an immense minority of problem free OEM clutch owners. Based on what I have seen here and conversations with tech dealer personnel, attest to a much less favorable rating of the LuK components.

 

this is good information. with the cars I am coming from Luk clutches are bullet proof. so knowing that they suck on these cars is a good thing in advance.

what is the average mileage that issues are arising with the clutch. from what i have read it looks like around 50-60K on the clock. sound about right?

i am looking for a 05-06 cooper S with low miles but am wondering if it is worth getting an 07. I like the look of the R53 more than the new one, however, I need something that is going to be reliable.

 

im1hapa's description of his clutch noise is exactly how i would describe my clutch. Two mechanics I took it to, felt the clutch and immediately said it was the pressure plate pressing unevenly. They both seemed very confident thats what it is. So to fix the problem I have to have the clutch replaced.

 

48K New Clutch Assembly and Flywheel.

 

I have 62k on my clutch. It only is a little stiffer and creaky in REALLY hot weather. No doubt about it that I will be replacing it eventually but its still going strong and never a hint of any slipage. Some people are probably just REALLY hard on their clutches...

 

that is comforting to know that it isnt an every mini thing

 

That was exactly my diagnosis on both clutch replacement instances

It is a defect in either the design or materials used in these LuK clutches.

 

The grass isn't greener on the R56 side of the equation. Same exact clutch problems have made into the second generation MINIs, plus some reported "3rd gear to 2nd gear" squeals on the R56 6 speed gearboxes.

If anything, you'll be better off sticking with the original plan of a 2005 or 2006 R53 S.

BTW, the R53 S can also be bought with a rock solid 6 speed automatic AISIN automatic. Look for a January 2005 onwards build date if you would like to go down that route.

 

Negative Capitan. I have owned several Hondas and all of their factory clutches lasted in the 150K mile range, with very hard use.

Been driving manuals for 25 years, I never had a car requiring 2 brand new clutches and flywheels under 100K miles until I got to the MINI


People like to issue mindless comments and snide remarks.... "Oh you don't know how to drive a manual, blah, blah, blah".

I have spoken with the people out in the trenches and it is no secret that the LuK sourced clutches and flywheels in these cars are nothing but third world quality .

A clutch in a "premium" European car should last well north of 120K miles.

 

Clubman thank you for the info. I will probably be getting an 05-06 then now for the mushrooming issue. just gotta find one that doesnt have the issue and prevent it and ill be set to go.

I like the 1st gen better looks-wise anyway and so does my gf. after i took her to test drive a mini she is obsessed as well. so much so that she wants to learn to drive a manual just to drive my mini when i get it.

I currently drive a Ford Contour with a 3L swap in it (if anyone here knows what that is) and am just ready for something new. have always liked the mini but got a little concerned when i read about these 2 fairly major mechanical issues.

feeling better now. thank you

 

I dont know what to do now. ClubmanS and others say the LuK clutches are crap. The repair shop diagnosed the problem and said I need a new clutch. The owner talked very highly of the LuK clutch that he said he just put in another MINI. He seemed very confident in them and the guy has been working on clutches and transmissions for near 30 years. Ive heard nothing but good things from the shop too. So.. what to do...

 

go aftermarket. he probably has a gig with Luk so he makes money off of selling them whether they are good or not. Id get the one everyone is recommending

 

Update:

I just got my car back from San Francisco Mini today after spending a week in their service department for 9 warranty issues. My Mini is a May build ’05 JCW with 43k on the clock right now. They successfully fixed 6.5 out of the 9 issues (they worked on the door sill rust issue, but not to the point where I am satisfied, thus the .5), but they totally blew me off on my multiple clutch issues. Pretty much all the issues surrounding the R53 clutch has occurred on my Mini—rattling, chattering, squeaky/wet rubber feeling clutch pedal travel. The squeaky/wet rubber feeling only happens after the car has warmed up on warm days over 68-70 degrees.

Basically, they have been inconsistent in their response to me. My first SA was argumentative from the minute I walked in to drop off the car, and said that he and the shop foreman were able to replicate the squeaky wet rubber clutch pedal travel, but told me that it was not bad enough to warrant a fix. I even told them to stick it in the sun (it was in the upper 60s earlier this week), but I doubt they did that. Today, the Service Manger said that he was not able to replicate the wet clutch pedal feel/sound at all. Of course not, as today the temps are in the 50s and raining. For the rest of the week, the car has been in the service bay and out of the sun, which will also keep from activating the problem. On my invoice, they wrote down incorrect instructions on how to trigger the problem, and when I pointed this out to the Service Manager, he had no response.

Also today, the Service Manager rode in my car, which had been sitting cold for several hours. I replicated the chatter and the rattling while both at idle and when releasing the clutch, and he said he heard it. He heard the idle rattle for like 3-5 seconds before it went away. He then went to get the head shop foreman to listen in, by which time the car had already warmed up and the idle rattle had gone away. They heard the chatter and the rattling when releasing the clutch, but blamed me for letting the RPMs get too low. They also said that the rattling sound could also be the e-brake cables. The Service Manager argued to me that the service techs had to ‘replicate’ the problem before they could diagnose/fix it, and he didn’t just want to throw new parts at a problem that they couldn’t put a definite diagnosis on. I told him that there was in fact a problem if the car is rattling, but he was steadfast on telling me that he is going to release the car to me…as is and undiagnosed. This made me LIVID, and it was tough to maintain my composure!

I told him to document that he heard a metallic rattle, and he did, but he also said that he was unable to confirm and left it as ‘no repair necessary at this time.’ I got the distinct feeling that he was dismissing me and just didn’t want to deal with a big job such as the clutch.

I am a firm believer that your service experiences are 50% of the ownership experience, and if you get treated poorly, that really affects how you view your car. I hated even driving my car home, especially hearing the rattle when starting out of first gear. However, before I totally swear off my car and Mini/BMW forever, I feel it only fair to give another dealership a try (thank goodness there are multiple dealerships in the Bay Area).

To rub salt into the wound, when I was pulling my car into my garage, it was rattling strong and consistently, like a tin can rolling down the street…and in neutral! Geez!

 

Here are two MCS clutch discs, the disc on top has 1,000 miles on it, the one on the bottom 70,000; not much difference.


Moderate rattling noise is not a failure, neither is the groaning (Chewbacca) noise. I know that is of no consolation to those who find it annoying (the Chewbacca groan is embarrassing to me), but those are characteristics of a large percentage our MCS clutch & flywheels. A pulsating feel in the pedal, that’s indicative of a problem, so are grinding sounds, and failure to get out of gear. Most times unusual positions of engagement like at the top or right off the floor, are from failed slaves. A rubbery feel is unusual and sounds like air in the slave or lines, or a pedal mechanism. Clutch release bearings do fail but unhealthy noise is likely to accompany the failure. If the clutch isn’t slipping, pulsating through the pedal, making horrendous noise, or failing to engage or disengage, it’s not broken.