I think I have what seems to be the infamous stumble associated with our cars, at least the earlier ones. I have an '02 MCS, and last night when shifting quickly from 1st to second, i got quite a noticeable stumble, basically no power at all for about half a second. Today, when shifting from 1st to second again, although not quite as quickly, I got a small stumble as well. I've had the car since monday, and noticed it twice. I assume this is an ECU update that I can get from the dealer? Will I be charged since my car is out of warranty?

 

Yeah, definetely you need to get an ECU software update. Since your car is out of warranty, it is likely you'll be charged for it. How much? I have no idea as I never dealt with that problem ('04 MCS and '05 MCS).

The stumble was an issue well documented in '02 and '03 MCS.

Question: Does the car has the original ECU factory programming?

 

In my '02 I never had the stumble until they upgraded my ECU for some sort of EPA upgrade that they said I absolutley had to have installed. After that I was really pi55ed with the dealer for messing up my great little car.

I think it was finally fixed with the latest upgrade prior to my trading it in. IT would be worth a try anyway. They can tell you which version of software you have installed before they upgrade it. A best guess for the cost would be $150.00. If they have records for your Vin number the info about which version might be there also. Maybe a phone call will get you an answer.

 

Well, for $150 they can keep their upgraded software. I do not know what version the car has, I just bought it on monday.

 

You may want to re-consider not doing the update. The stumble is not only annoying but can also become a potentially dangerous problem with the car. $150 is a little price to pay for reliability and peace of mind.

Any MINI dealer can hook up the GT-1 computer to your car and determine whether the update is needed or not.

 

If you just bought it then ask them to upgrade the software for free (assuming you got it from a dealership... did you?) Honestly, you bought the car on the expectation that it wouldn't do stuff like that, and as a recent customer you almost certainly have leverage - nobody wants a customer that's dissapointed in their purchase and who will be bad-mouthing the product.

Even if they won't do it for free (assuming you bought it from a non-MINI dealer or private party), I agree that you might want to pay to have it done anyway - the last thing you need when, say, trying to accelerate out of a potential crash situation is a hesitation in the throttle...

Good luck and sorry about your issue...

 

100+ dollars seems a small price to pay to get rid of any issues that old software might cause.

Call around some local dealers and see if one of them will hook you up. I'd think a more customer service minded one might because it might generate more business for them down the line.

 

Click off the ASC or DSC and try it again and see if it goes away before you do anything.

 

Yep. ASC. I had the same deal and I still spanked some cocky ricer. A few days later I was farting around with/without ASC and it definitely improved the lull in power when shifting into second.

 

My car had the stumble for alittle bit. I got the ecu upgraded for free from my dealer. The problem went away and the car seamed to accelerate better.

 

If I bought the car pre-owned on Friday, and I seem to be having this problem, will the Mini-dealer help me? I have 47000 miles, had a check engine light, replaced spark plugs, but I'm still getting the loss of power.

 

they can do the update. mine is running v42 and it rid the infamous
stumble. not sure which version they are on now a days.

 

Software updates are not the "be all, end all" solution. Sometimes they make things worse. Try running a bottle of good injector cleaner through the system, make sure you are using high-grade fuel, check your plugs for fouling, make sure your air filter is clean.......
Oh, and the dealer shouldn't charge you for a re-flash if you present it as an emissions issue (100k mile warranty on that one).
Miniturtle, mileage is only half of the warranty equation; find out your MINI's in-service date to see if you still have warranty remaining. (4 years/ or 50K miles).

 

it also sounds like traction control shut down. try turning it of and do the same thing. the stumble was always at take off. good luck.

 

Thanks. I'm still in warranty with 47000 miles and an '05, but I don't know if any of the work the previous owner is going to void the warranty ... all i can SEE is an aftermarket intercooler and some piping .. but more may have been done. We've used fuel injector cleaner, changed the spark plugs ... I'll have my husband clean the air filter today and we'll cross our fingers that MINI or the dealership I bought the car from will foot the bill when we taken her in for service in Thursday, whatever the problem is. I hope I didn't just buy someone else's nightmare