I brought my Mini S into my local BMW dealer here is So Florida and he told me that the clutch and flywheel have to be replaced at a cost of $4,000. Is this crazy or am I crazy?
What should it cost? He told me that the parts were $1600 and the rest was labor.
I would appreciate a quick answer since the Mini is our "family" car (we're only two people)

 

ridiculous call an independent shop. should be around or under 1500. including labor
clutch kit is less than 250 on pelican and 470 for a dual mass flywheel on parts geek.

Myself I would get a light weight flywheel

Ps you should be able to find better prices those were some the first ones i could pull up.

JD

 

I would call a different dealer (if you want to go that route). I just got a quote at our local dealer for roughly 2200-2400.

 

my friend was quoted from a dealer at 2200-2400 as well... but that was for parts... the final bill was $3862.19... WTF?!

 

A clutch + flywheel job is 10 hours by the book. And this is one of those jobs that everyone dreads, because it really would take nearly 10 hours non-stop. But still, the dealership charges way too much for labor. Find a good, reliable mechanic and see if you can get under $100 an hour.

You can source OEM clutch and flywheels for a cheaper price than from the dealership, but not by very much. For the money your paying, you may as well upgrade to a aftermarket clutch and flywheel. The dualmass OEM flywheel cannot be resurfaced so you would need to look into replacing that as well if your doing a clutch job. A lot of people recommend ClutchMasters, Spec, and ACT around NAM. Do a bit of research and see what fits you. Also, it's been going around lately that it's also wise to change the master and slave cylinder.

With a aftermarket clutch and flywheel you can have a lighter flywheel for better rev matching. You can upgrade to more power without worrying about slip. A aftermarket clutch and flywheel can increase performance on the track or auto-x. Some kits can last even longer than the OEM kits if driven with care. Some of the cons of a aftermarket kit is that some of the lighter flywheels can cause chatter. The more powerful aftermarket kits may not be good for a daily driver because of the strong bite they may have.

Things you want to get:
-Clutch + Flywheel + Throw out bearing (Kit - $850 to $1000)
-Input Shaft Sleeve (can get from dealer for under $40)
-Transmission Fluid (can get anywhere for under $40)
-Master and Slave Cylinder (You'd have to check this out yourself)
-LSD (optional for $1500?)

Parts would probably run you around $850 to $1100 without the LSD. Labor should be around another $1000 if you can find the right mechanic. Overall you should be spending no more than $2200. Which is a much better deal than the dealership.

My recommendation would be the Clutchmasters Fx2oo and flywheel. Yes there is a bit of clutch chatter, but you won't notice it after a while. It's good for a daily driver, and it bites hard when you feel like driving hard. It's rated to last 2 to 3 times longer than the Fx1oo kit for about $100 bucks more. My review of it can be found here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...el-review.html

 

I had my dual-mass flywheel and clutch replaced on Artoo (2003 R53W11) under warranty. The mechanic at Prestige Mini started first thing in the morning and had it finished soon after lunch. More like 5 hours then 10. This guy was good, Vasilli. Mini paid for the flywheel and labor, I wanted the clutch done too so I paid for that and it was less than $400. I should have done the LSD then too but there was not an OEM one then.

So clearly there would be good tech at indy shops that can do it for MUCH less than 4 grand.

Rich

 

A lotta people don't realize that service reps can make commission like sales guys so the more you take it up the butt, the more they make too.

 

Just for comparison, Steve's Auto here in the L.A area told me that when the time comes, that they would do the clutch for $950. This is a LOT less than dealer price and they have a reputation for doing good work!

Shop around and you can do MUCH better than what they offered.

Good luck!

Jim

 

5 Hours! Wow! Very impressive. I don't think anybody is beating that anytime soon.

 

5 hours at a dealership... it better be done.. sorry but it can be on the ground in 1hr and a half.. no reason someone with a lift and proper tools cant have it done in 4-5 hours.

 

Thank you all for the great advise. I found another BMW dealer that gave me a price of approx $2500 for the whole job (including the flywheel if needed).

Great forum and great bunch of guys!

 

That's really high. I know clutches cost quite a bit to put in because you have to take everything out, but I paid about that much to replace the clutch, flywheel AND transmission last spring.

 

I got a clutch and flywheel installed for $1,800. Run don't walk from the dealer and find an independant. Ask the shop how many clutches they have done. Should be 50 or more, it is a common repair.

 

I finally found a dealer in Coconut Creek Fl to replace the clutch and they found that the flywheel was fine. Cost $1700 and the car shifts as smooth as silk now.

 

Mini has had a Technical Service Bulletin out on the defective flywheel since last September. It is TSB M21 04 08 (the year). It covers R53 Mini S's with the Getrag 6 speed. Mini dealers are apparently instructed to fix it for free on customer request. I don't know if this can be done off-warranty, but I know Mini will do a free replacement with a new flywheel (a different part number) on warranty and extended warranty. Don't let anybody tell you that its just clutch wear and therefore not covered by warranty.

Mine just went this week in my '05 S at 67k. I've heard of them going as early as 12k. One of the symptoms is an ugly chattering sound (not the same as the standard chattering of a light-weight aluminum performance clutch like the Ft200).

Anybody who has paid for this repair at a dealer should definitely go back and raise the issue.