How does this sound to you? I have my 06 MCS in to replace the flywheel at about 7000 miles for the known issue of rattling while idling. I am told the car should be ready around 5. I get a call back saying that as the tech was putting together the transmission, he noticed I have a cracked transmission mount. When I ask my MA if it happened during the repair she said no it's normal wear on the transmission. Can this be true? I don't drive this car hard, I may push the speed but I don't beat on the tranny.

 

Well every dealer I've been to insists my flywheel issue is normal so you're one step ahead of me.

It was the mount not he tranny so for all you know it could have happened during assembly, I'd just be glad that it is getting fixed, and if you think your driving was the culprit change your driving if not don't worry too much and keep an eye on it for the next few thousand miles.

 

A cracked mount is "normal wear"? That does NOT sound right... But, if they're covering it, then all is well.

 

such thing as normal wear when addressing a cracked tranny mount at such low mileage. You are correct to question it. [quote=o4amini]he noticed I have a cracked transmission mount. When I ask my MA if it happened during the repair she said no it's normal wear on the transmission. Can this be true?quote]

 

Nothing like this should be breaking at such low mileage. This is definitely not the sort of thing that most of us replace every 7000 miles.

 

That's what we thought too. Somebody has some splain'in to do

 

Absolutely should not have cracked at 7000 miles. Is there the possibility that the "rattling flywheel" (read out of balance) could have caused it to crack?

 

I have the same "rattling while idling" and when I push the clutch in it goes away... letting it out slowly will prevent the "noise". Does this sound the same as the condition that led to the flywheel change?

 

Exactly

 

Nothing normal about a cracked tranny housing.......that is what warranty is for...... should never happen again...... "don't worry...be happy"

 

Can someone explain how the flywheel gets out of balance? My 05 has a rattle (kind of a dull rattle) at idle with clutch depressed. It only happens sometimes. I plan to have it looked at when I go in for service next, and I want some info here before going.

-How does the flywheel get out of balance?

-How does being out of balance make a noise?

Maybe there is something else at work here? This is not something I have ever heard of on any other car.

This has been discussed a lot on other threads but I have never seen an explanation. Help me understand please.

Thanks

 

Nothing that !cracks! during normal use on a fairly new car can be said to be "normal wear." If such cracks are common, they are the result of an engineering error or manufacturer's defect. Parts are not designed to crack under normal conditions. If they do, something's wrong.

 

This is the explaination I got after having my second flywheel replaced. I had one done in an 03 MCS before she was totalled :( According to my MA we have dual-mass (two-piece) flywheels in our cars. The rattle occurs when it loosens. When the car is at an idle we get the vibration (loosened flywheel) when we push in the clutch the vibration stops b/c of the pressure exerted on the loosened flywheel. He says that this will not cause a mechanical problem, it's just a noise problem. This guy was a mechanic before he was an MA so I trust he knows his stuff. The explaination I got about the normal wear on the tranny housing causing the crack was faulty (different MA). He said there most likely was a stress fracture in the housing and removing the tranny to replace the flywheel was what cracked it. Anyway, as always I appreciate the input I get from other NAMer's when trying to understand the workings of my beloved MINI. Thanks BTW:the new flywheel is not OEM but an updated one. I had to wait two weeks b/c they were on backorder from Germany.

 

Awesome thanks for the good response 04amini...two piece makes a lot more sense now.

 

You're welcome!

 

I have an '06 with 5k on it. Had both this problem (rattle at idle, quiet w/clutch pressed) and the Infamous "Orrttt" problem.

After a reasonably huge back-and-forth hassle of "can-not-replicate," to SA agreeing there's a problem, to SMgr saying "normal," shop finally agreed to replace the clutch (which includes the throwout bearing) but NOT the dual mass flywheel. 1k later and no more rattle at idle or "Orrrttt" problem.

However, if I have this much hassle with service again, I'm not coming back to Mini, don't care how fun it is to drive .

 

So here's a question for ya, my dealer insists the noise is normal I've got less than 900 miles left under warranty, what's it goin to cost me to replace the clutch and or flywheel and or tranny mounts?

 

Don't quite recall the posts I've searched but I thought in the neighborhood of >1k, <3k...

I honestly didn't care about idle rattle issue, that truly felt like a sound-only issue, but the ooorrttt problem felt like something really wrong. The clutch wouldn't slip properly when ooorrrtting, it was like an on/off switch. Really made my favorite car feel like a POS, not to mention a potential safe issue.

At minimum, I'd make sure you've well documented on the service records that you repeatedly complained about a problem and the shop refused to repair it. Then if something blows soon after, you'll probably stand a pretty good chance of some recovery, if not from that dealer, maybe MINI USA.

 

I think I have the complaint in writing 3 times all ethier given "sound was normal" or "could not replicate" Just asking cause the nosie no longer goes away with clutch depression (it used to) and the car has felt much heavier under acceleration (despite rear seat removal) so I suspect something related to this will buck its ugly head fairly soon.

 

motor on,

just came across THIS thread...

 

Thanks it may be worth it to pay my other dealer a visit (I'll be there for a meet this weekend anyway) and have them take a look at it.