I've owned my car for about 2 months now, it has 35k on it, and I have had this issue the entire time. I have already brought it to the dealer and they stated "your clutch and transmission are fine, we recommend not shifting into 1st gear while moving as this puts added stress on your transmission trying to match the engine speed."

These guys are good at treating me like an idiot.

Basically my problem is when I come to a full stop at a light or stop sign etc...
When going from a neutral point into 1st gear with the clutch pedal pushed completely down, I hear a decently loud crunch/click noise.

It doesn't happen every single time, and it's concerning me when it does happen. My car is still under warranty for the next 14k miles or until October 2015 - I want this issue fixed as to me it sounds like there may be some play in either the flywheel or TOB, maybe even a master cylinder issue.

A transmission should be a smooth engagement every single time, and the dealership telling me "Oh there's nothing wrong with your clutch or transmission." and then proceeding to treat me like a moron who's downshifting into 1st while moving...

Just curious if anyone else has experienced something similar to this, again it's not all the time, maybe 70% of the time I'd say.

Please help, I just want my car to be at 100% performance with no issues here and I feel like the dealership is purposely shrugging me off because they don't feel like shelling out the replacement cost under warranty. I bet if i went there with no warranty they'd try to replace the entire transmission and charge me $5,000... arggggghhhhh

 

For somebody concerned about 100% performance and operation of their vehicle why would you put the incorrect oil in it and then voice a concern about oil burning issue in another thread ? Down shifting to 1st is an unneeded operation. Going to second and brakes is MORE then enough for a quick decel epically if you heel and toe and rev match correctly. Rev match incorrectly and things can go bad. Down shift to 1st and RPMS still too high and you can surpass the rev limiter and do Damage. The rev limiter will not save you from mechanical forces going on Even on a slow roll to a stop sign let's say 5 mph. 1st still will be to short. It would have been better to stay in second and accelerate.
I'm all for driving defensively and like to stay in a gear at all times as oppose to coasting but there are limits.


Sent from my iPad using NAMotoring

 

Is the car moving? If so, what Drivehard said. If not, clutch.

 

So I'm not sure if you even read anything I've been posting at all, or if you're just skimming through and automatically replying to what you THINK you read.

My thread title says it all, I'm NOT MOVING when this happens. Hence why I even said the dealership is treating me like an idiot.

I have been driving manual transmissions for over 12 years! I wouldn't downshift into 1st gear while moving, that should seem somewhat obvious to anyone on this site, unless there are a lot of people new to standards here.

As for the burning smell and oil issue, again I'm not sure if you're even reading, I didn't physically put the oil in the car myself. I brought it to a Mobile 1 shop who's soul purpose is changing oil. One would think they would know exactly what to use. This is why I posted the question about mini oil.

I'm here for help, man. And honestly I feel like you're not trying to offer any...

 

Basically my problem is when I come to a full stop at a light or stop sign etc... When going from a neutral point into 1st gear with the clutch pedal pushed completely down, I hear a decently loud crunch/click noise. I am trying to help The above statement from your original post implies that the car did not stop moving Just because the " clutch pedal is completely down" and your trying to engage 1st may cause a problem. You never say you are a complete stop And I did read all you posts Sent from my iPad using NAMotoring

 

Thread is titled "while sitting" and the paragraph you just quoted me on starts with "basically my problem is when I come to a full stop"

 

I understood the OP post. Does indeed sound like some wrong, probably the clutch. If me, I'd keep pestering the dealer as it's under warranty.

One other point since the OP brought it up. Is not recommended to have the oil changed in a Mini at a oil changing place (ie Mobil 1 shop). Getting the oil out is fairly easy, but the oil filter is tricky. I don't want to change my oil myself, so I take it to a Mini independent garage or to the dealer when they have a special going on.

 

Yeah I really need to force them to notice this, it also makes this rubbing noise like if I'm taking a turn and shifting to 2nd, as I'm lifting off the clutch and giving it gas there's a noise... I guess I can only describe as the disc and flywheel material just rubbing up on each other... at least that's what it sound like to me.

As far as the oil goes, I've learned my lesson on that front. The place told me it would take roughly 15 minutes... 1.5 hours later & watching them remove the coolant reservoir and still being stumped... the process was complete.

The owner literally came out to meet me and said "Hey kid this thing is nice, I was going to buy one but I was looking at a GP... why didn't you go for one of those?" after having a slight "Mini" talk with the dude he said "So I'm going to recommend you don't being this car back here, you had my guys pretty stumped and it took a long time, you'd be better off taking this to a dealership"

So now I know, but the question he was speaking of was, should I be using Mini's own oil? Or would any 5W-30 Sythetic do...

Sorry this post just kinda went all over the place.

 

Look up the spec in the manual. I think it's BMW L3 or 4 or something. Lots of synthetic oils meet the spec.

 

^ this. You don't have to use Mini branded oil, as long as it meets spec in the manual you should be good to go. Might want to do a search on NAM, lots of threads on this subject..

 

For most of our cars, the dealer price on oil changes is a bargain. I'd stay away from anyplace else and stick with MINI oil.
You've obviously got a problem going on and I'd suggest you document it so the warranty doesn't run out while screwing with the dealer. If you are close enough to another dealer, I'd give that a shot as a simple solution.
As to dealer avoiding warranty work, they get paid from MINI so it wouldn't make sense for them to not want to deal with it unless they were so overbooked for service that they had no time - highly unlikely.

I've had those kinds of issues in the past with other cars and it was usually the clutch needing replacement.

 

Chunky 1st gear engagement from a stop is definitely something that would concern me. How long between complete clutch pedal depression and selecting 1st gear? It can take a half-second or so to stop all the spinning cogs. Have you looked at your clutch pedal and the floor under it? Maybe someone installed a "clutch-stop"? I have one installed, and it is adjustable. As far as engine oil goes, I am running Mobil 1 0w40 European Spec, and have very little oil burning. 3,000 miles into my 5k oil and filter change, I just added 1/2 quart today. About to turn 45k miles, so I am guessing that is not much oil usage for a high-strung turbo engine, that is frequently run to the redline.

 

Generally with transmissions it could a hub, strut key, slider, 1/2 synchronizer ring all possiblies. The effect could be from many different reasons, there are a number of dependencies within the transmission gear enagement for correct operation.

I would attempt to video the condition, take that to the dealer. The only real way to assess, once the condition is confirmed to pull the transmission, have it torn down and have it bench inspected.

I have no experience with the Mini Getrag specifically, others here likely have direct experience and can give you more strategic answers.

 

Either there's something wrong with the synchromesh mechanism in the trans (that's the hub/strut key/slider/synchro ring that Joe referred to above) or the clutch is not disengaging all the way. On a car with a cable clutch, I would suggest adjusting the clutch. I don't think we can on our cars.

How does the clutch pedal feel? If it's spongy at all, bleed it. Might be a good idea to flush all the fluid anyway and bleed the whole system. That might help if the clutch isn't disengaging.

Time for the dealer to stop blowing smoke up your posterior. See if you can demo the problem to them in person, that it isn't happening when the car is moving. (BTW, downshifting into 1st while moving is not a crime; any modern car should be able to do that for a good while.)

 

To paraphrase the OP, "while sitting motionless at a stop, I often hear a 'crunch' sound when moving the shift level into first gear on my 2012 MCS. Has anyone else experienced this?".


I have 75000 miles on my 2012 MCS, owned since new. Nope. It never does this, never has.


The symptoms you describe are the same you'd get if the clutch slave cylinder was failing, and the clutch isn't disengaging fully.

 

There's no clutch stop under the pedal or on the floor - Today for the first time it did it in 2nd. I came to a full stop and shifted to 2nd and i heard the noise. I'm not sure what the deal is but i'm also hearing a very quite grind while letting off the clutch and giving gas. Something definitely isn't right here, and I need the dealer to recognize this - If they do nothing and my warranty expires in a couple months THEN something major happens? I will not be a happy camper - I asked them to check the clutch the last time I brought it in (to check A/C & blower motor as once in awhile the fan speed decreases and my A/C goes from cold to not cold at all, which they said is normal operation for my model year + for interior panels vibrating constantly, which they blamed my aftermarket exhaust for and did nothing about) and they literally wrote on their service sheet " Check operation of clutch & transmission, no problems found: Part operating to factory specifications."

If this is factory specification, I'd hate to see what ISN'T!

 

Their blowing BS up your skirt, you need to go with them in your Mini and let them hear the crunch noise your clutch is making because as mechanics their trained for checking codes stored in the ECU, not actual troubleshooting. Most mechanics at Mini dealers are a far cry from a real mechanic capable of properly diagnosing problems.

They love to play the blame game, I got panels rattling in my Mini long before I installed an aftermarket exhaust, and most of that panel rattle was gone after I installed my Ohlins Road & Track coilovers. Its really the types of plastics used in the first and second Gen Mini Coopers. Are you sure it's not a bad half shaft? Those have bearings in them that can grind.

 

If the car is stationary, the half-shafts wouldn't be moving. Bearings have to move in order to make noise.

 

...If I would guess, it would be a spring from the clutch plate popped out of place....or ... the synchronizer for your 1st gear is damaged (chipped or broken tooth) but these are only guesses.

The first one can be checked simply by pulling the transmission and inspecting the clutch assembly, the second you would have to get inside the transmission and that isn't for the faint at heart.

The real issue is using donuts to lure the Service Manager into your car and have them drive it around until they experience the clunking noise several times, so it can be documented.

best of luck.

Motor on!

 

Sounds to me like you have clutch problems. Try this: when at a stop light and in neutral, press the clutch pedal in twice in quick succession before putting the car in 1st. Does that make it smoother? If so, I think you need a clutch kit. If the gear engagement is cranky when the car is cold but gets better when it warms up, you might be low on trans oil.

 

This does happen as well, but not to an extreme. Shifting can be really stiff within my first couple miles. I start my car in the morning and i let it run for about 5 minutes prior to actually setting off. For the first couple miles shifting can be stiffer (not by much) than when it's completely warmed up.

Half shaft might make sense about the other issue I mentioned, while pulling off and shifting from 1st to 2nd - As I'm letting off the clutch pedal and giving it gas, there is a very quiet light grinding noise.

Either way, I have called my dealer and have an appointment scheduled for Friday 14th 7am - Service loaner reserved. Last time they gave me a 2015 MCS Hardtop with that new transmission that rev matches for you! That was a fun 48 hours 8-)

So hopefully when I take it in this time they will test drive it and consistently hear what I am talking about. If they say there is no problem and everything is working to factory specification, I'm going to lose my damn mind.

 

Oh and one more question. Does anyone experience the "jolting" of the transmission (A/C off)??

If i'm in gear on the freeway, there is a bucking that occurs by touching the pedal little maybe a millimeter. Letting off the gas as SLOWLY AS POSSIBLE it with buck/jerk back and forth again. There is no way to make it smooth! You;d think i was slamming the gas pedal on/off but I literally tap it soooo lightly.

Anyone else have this? Or would this as well be my transmission...

Gahhh, thing is so messed up man lol.