Hi - I'm sure this topic has been covered a lot, but I'm not finding it by searching…

I'm 4 days into buying a CPO 2011 Cooper S and I'm reading lots of posts about the terrible clutches on the R56's. (I had a 2006 Cooper S and the clutch had to be replaced under warranty with less than 20,000 miles on it.)

So a couple of questions:

1) if my clutch fails will it be covered in CPO warranty or is it considered wear and tear?
2) how much does the clutch cost to replace?
3) any driving tips to reduce wear and tear (or burning out the clutch)?
4) should I stop worrying and just enjoy my fun new car? I do love it so far...
5) anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks!

 

Dealer told me $3K if not under warranty. Way from WMW says he will do it for $2k. I don't know the rest of the answers for your questions but my clutch is fine after 31k miles. Oh yeah... Go for number 4!

 

Thanks Melangell!

 

Congrats on the new ride, your's is a favorite color combination of mine.

Generally, clutch replacement is not covered by warranties. The clutch disc, covered with friction material, does wear out over time and will need renewing, so it's considered a maintenance item. You'd have to check the language of your CPO warranty to be absolutely certain, of course.

All the things you'd think to try to let your clutch live longer probably apply to MINIs also. Don't hold it on a hill with the clutch, don't do drag-race starts, etc. If you're sitting at a stoplight, put it in neutral and let out the clutch pedal to take the load off the throwout bearing so it can live as long as possible.

Plenty of posts here about what would be considered premature clutch replacements, I've read those too. At 48k miles on my 2012 I think I'm past the "failed from a manufacturing defect" or something point, and mine should last till it wears out. How long will that be? Dunno, exactly. I'm motoring and having fun in the meantime. :-)

 

3)
I have 50K+ on my '07 MCS. No trouble with MY clutch, and I have about 60+ autocross runs on it a year. So... take it for what it is worth.

- Driving a MINI hard does not mean burning out from a standing start. I go faster if the wheels don't spin. Getting the clutch out quickly and then increasing throttle quickly is the way I go. I drive my MINI hard around corners, not drag racing.
- Changing gears is a rev match game. I am familiar with the sound of my engine and do my best to engage the clutch when the engine revs match the transmission rotation/vehicle speed. I use the clutch to engage / disengage and not for slippage engagement.
- The torque of the MCS is great starting at low RPMs. Use that torque after engagement rather than using the clutch to bring the vehicle speed up to a higher engine RPM.
- NEVER ride the clutch. It is my belief that lots of clutch wear is from "inching" in traffic. Get the clutch fully engaged and disengaged quickly. Don't ride it somewhere in the middle to move slowly up.




You probably do most of this naturally if drive a manual. It just may be more important in a MINI.

 

My 2011 has been fine so far up to 34k miles. Got it at 14k miles. The dealer will not replace your clutch even under CPO warranty unless it was proved to be defective.....which means you'd have to pay for their labor to remove the clutch to determine this, which is expensive as is.

When starting from a stop don't rev higher than 1500 to get going, in fact the lower the rpm the better. Try to fully release the clutch pedal within 1 to 1.5 seconds, riding it longer than that will heat it up quick.


Don't rest your foot on the clutch pedal when already in gear, and don't hold the clutch down for extended period of time. At red lights, go into neutral and release clutch.


The clutch replacement parts itself is about $8-900, it's the labor that rapes you.

 

Not 60 runs per year at this point...just getting started :-) Apologies for the minor hijack, no harm intended.

 

You bring up many good points. One in particular is how much torque these little cars crank out. I have an 08s with 86,000 on the original clutch. Shortly after I got my car I was on a straight road stopped at a light and could smell my clutch. And no recent stops. Since that time I try to make sure my foot is totally off the gas when I shift. It takes little pressure on the gas pedal with the clutch engaged to make the rpms soar.I think most premature clutch failures occur during the shifting process not the starting. Take a look at the tach during a few shifts. As you pointed out so well about not to ride the clutch and to engage and disengage quickly hopefully it helps someone out there. Just thought I would share my theory.

 

Thanks for all of the replies. These are really helpful. I'm trying to enjoy the car and not worry too much about the clutch, but 2-3K is a bit of a worry in the back of my mind. Hopefully I won't have to replace it anytime soon.

 

Listen for a little screech when you let out the clutch. Mine only did it in sport mode, but the clutch was gone. The noise is from the rivets on the clutch hitting the flywheel or the pressure plate. Unfortunately, my flywheel was toast, too. These cars will take a lot of abuse, but if the PO smoked the clutch, you're gonna pay.