Still in the honeymoon phase - only 3 weeks in my new/used '07 MCS - an upgrade from my '03 MC. Could not wait to get an S but it took 5 years to get around to it and I am not disappointed. I am also enjoying many of the other advances in the 2nd gen platform.

But one thing seems odd - when accelerating fairly heavily (not dragstrip heavy, but hard) the car leaps forward, then seems to sag - hard to know if I want to call it a loss of power or what. I guess it may not be a drop off of power more than it is that the rate of acceleration slows or even stops, making it feel like a sag

I notice it especially in 2nd gear. It seems to happen around 3k on the tach. First time it happened I thought I had hit the redline or something, but not even close.

I can not say yet with certainty if it is the same with the fast (sport) button engaged or not. Maybe I will try that tomorrow.

But I usually drive without the sport engaged and when I pull away from a light with not traffic around, I like to be a little more spirited in my departure and this lag/sag seems wrong.

Any thoughts? Perhaps this is just one of those Mini idiosyncrasies?

and yup - time to change my profile!

thanks!

 

With having a 2007 without knowing any prior history or maintenance record, time to dig and see what you come up with.

First, scan the ECU to see what OBDII fault codes are present; evaluate based on such.
Second, has basic maintenance been completed like the checking air filter, or the spark plugs been checked / replaced?
Thirdly, you could possibly have a carbon build-up problem on the intake valves; search the archives as there's heavy details on such.

Without having any known previous details, the cause of poor performance could be almost anything.
Try to narrow down what's been done and what hasn't to get a clearer picture of why you're getting a power lag issue.

- Erik

 

Carbon Build Up is a probably cause. but other things like air filter or MAF could cause this type of issue.

 

You could also be experiencing turbo-lag. It is annoying, but you get used to it.
If you do have carbon build up, don't fall for the chemical treatments, they are not meant for heavy build up. You will have to clean them manually or fork over the $ for the walnut blasting.

 

thanks - great starting points, I'll begin by scanning for codes - great excuse to finally go out and install my scangauge.

 

Congratulations on graduating to the next gen! And getting an S! How exciting.

Let me know how it turns out... I am curious because I recently have added an '07 MCS to the arsenal (46k miles) and it definitely seems a lot slower than my '10 MCS and both are stick shift. It would be good to know what ended up being the culprit in your case, so I can start there when the time comes to check into it. How many miles do you have on yours?

 

It has 64000 on it. My 03 was around 95000 and I had just done some repairs to it; I drove from the service side to the sales side and told them that the car was now in tip top shape so let's talk trade.

The 07 had just come in, in fact had only been through the service but not cleaning or detailing. We struck what I felt was a great deal, they ran it through detailing while I did the paperwork and I drove home with my new S.

It was so sudden that I never got to remove my custom engraved Whalen ****; didn't even realize it until the next day. I was bumming until I read on this forum that the **** would not have fit my new ride anyway.....

The sag is really not that bad - and I really think its only when its cold. Problem is, I work too much and haven't had the chance to really explore it. I don't have the chance to drive with any vigor when I leave for work because of the roads I travel. At work, its 10mph on site - the only chance I have to goose it is when I drive from one part of the site to another on a open road. That's when I always notice it - leaving one gate and jumping on it for the 1/4 mile drive to the other gate. Of course its basically cold (ambient) and never has the chance to really warm up at all. And I do not have the sport button on either.

When I leave at night there's too much traffic to have the chance to try it, aside from leaving the gate and of course its cold then. By the time its warmed up, I'm in traffic and no chance to play.....vexing.

I got the Scangauge II in tonight but did not have the chance to do any more than install it and set up the display. I'll run it for codes tomorrow.....

Aside from this little quirk, the car is awesome. Sooooo much faster than my 03 was; a huge difference - day and night! A lot of other great upgrade as well from the 1st gen. Like my first, it has the cold weather package (love the heated seats on the 4:30 AM drive to work on those 5-degree New England mornings!) The overall interior is much improved in my opinion. Love being able to play my iPod on the stereo, a little bummed that bluetooth is not part of the package, but don't use the phone in the car much at all anyway.

Sorry to ramble - just loving my new ride!