I found this service bulletin from Valeo!

http://www.valeoservice.com/data/mas...78.pdf?rnd=102

 

Yeah. These dual mass flywheels go out often.

 

I also found this Mini Service Bulletin

http://www.soopercooperinfo.com/noisyclutch.html

 

Well I got the dreaded call from my SA today. They are saying the clutch is shot and it is do to driver error. I have a meeting scheduled for 9am tomorrow with the SA, Head Service Tech and Head Service Manager so they can show me why they came to this conclusion. $4,000 is a lot of money I don't have!

I am literally sick! I can't sleep or eat. I am devastated! I loved my Mini and now I am unsure if I will be able to keep her.

Please send good wishes this way.

Thanks AXO....

 

I sent the SA the Valeo service bulletin and he advised I don't have a Valeo DMF in my vehicle.... I am at a loss....

 

I'd suggest getting a second opinion. $4,000 for a clutch is insane!

A quick internet research showed:

• $1400 Mini Cooper Clutch Replace in Kansas City
• $1750 - $1200 R53 Clutch here on NAM
• $2000 Random Yahoo Question

I'm sure I could keep researching, but $4,000 sounds crazy. I can understand paying a little more for a dealer to work on your car but I'm sure you can find a second place to do the work for you. Luckily you now know the problem and hopefully didn't do too much damage on your wallet, but I'd get another company involved and see what you can do on that price.

Hell you could even buy the parts online and probably get all the necessary parts way cheaper...but I'm suspecting the cost is mostly labor / gross overcharges at your dealer.

Best of luck, I would tell them to drop the price significantly or take a hike, I wouldn't even be afraid to tell them that this hurts their chances of selling a MINI in the future to you, use the sales guys to your advantage.

 

Mini North Scottsdale had a flat rate of $1700 for a Gen 2 clutch replacement, which included parts and labor. I'd ask for a very detailed breakdown of the costs, and get a Mini USA rep involved in the discussion.

 

Couldn't agree more with this!

 

Wouldnt be surprised if a spring retainer broke, that or broken hub are the only two things that could cause that symptom.

 

sooooooooo?

 

As the driver of a MT MCS, I was also curious as to where things ended up.

 

Axo, sorry to hear all the problems you're having with your Mini. During this day and age we can't be spending money frivorously. I suppose that your Mini is still at the dealers, so you can't really have a third party to examine if the clutch is really the problem. My 2 cents advice would be to tow the car to another (trusted) shop or home where you can have some one examine it. $4000 is a lot of money without a second opinion. If a clutch goes out all of a sudden with no warning it would be fiction disk that came apart. With the engine running there would be a rattling noise from the bell housing cause by all the loose particles from the exploded friction disk. Depessing the clutch would cause additional noises becauses the friction disk would be unloaded probably a howling noise due to the loose parts rubbing.

From your symptoms, if it is not the clutch the only only other problems that can cause this is a tranny, tranny linkage or the clutch linkage jammed in the engage position. On the latter problem I've seen brakes stay locked up because the master cylinder fluid return path to from the piston to the resevoir blocked to the contaminates causing a permanent pressure in the brake line. In this case the clutch slave line.

I hope all works out well for you. My '04 MCS has 96K w/ no major problems, "knock on wood".

 

Thanks.

 

Three days worth of posts were deleted! Whats up with that? No freedom of speech.........

 

Axo, I think the dealer is giving a two-step. I done a little more investigation on your issue I'am pretty sure that all MSC models came with DMF (Dual Mass Flywheel) dispite what the dealer has stated. Apparently there is a rubber isolator between the pressure plate portion of the flywheel and the crankshaft mounting plate. If that rubber isolator goes (breaks) the engine crank would not drive the flywheel therefore the clutch and tranny. See the video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nshzl...yer_detailpage
This would definitely explain the blown clutch symptom you are expriencing. No burning clutch smell, able to shift the tranny while the engine in running, no noise from the bell housing. It all fits.....

This is NOT caused by a driver but is a part failure and should be covered by your warranty.

Good Luck......

 

i have a 2008 mini cooper s and the clutch failed recently. Carmax is fixing it under warranty though. But i will let you know the price would have been when get it back hopefully thursday. Anyways, my symptoms did not match yours so i don't think it is your clutch. First of all you would know. You would of smelled it, and feel it gone. When you hit the accelerator you would feel not a lot of power and it would rev high every time you accelerated then rev down. You would know before hand if your clutch was dying it is not a part that just randomly goes. kaneguy is probably right, i don't think it is your clutch.

 

So between the Valeo bulletin and the video showing the DMF free play it appears that there is a way to inspect a clutch on my MINI. If I remove the starter and try to move the flywheel with the tranny in neutral I should see full resistance from the engine compression right? If I can move it practically by hand then that rubber isolator is likely going to fail.

I am never going to pay a dealer for this defect, they obviously have a conflict of interest as they are a high profit item.

 

Wow thanks!

 

I believe only MCS models has the DMF (Dual Mass Flywheel). And yes I think that would be a vaild test. I don't know the tolerances are but I would guess no more than 1/2" movement of the flywheel.