mine is very smooth from 1 thru 5, up or downshifting but 5 into 6 is not, 6 to 5 is smooth

scott

 

I wonder if it just needs to be broken in or if it's something they could grease up to smooth out?

 

Weird... Mine is the exact opposite...

 

my 5-->6 shift is notchy all the time, warm weather or cold, warm engine or cold, 6-->5 is fine, as are all other shift combinations

it was like this from new and has not changed in 9,000 miles

scott

 

peanut gallery: I find that sliding my seat back 1-2 notches allows my ankle to bend more easily and helps me more progressively release the clutch instead of fighting the resistance in my ankle joint and slipping it until it stinks up the whole block.

now I just can't see stop lights.

 

I agree that seating further back in the driver’s seat does help when releasing the clutch

 

with that work around the clutch won't be a problem much longer.

 

Would you say it feels like it doesn't go all the way in until you give it a little bit more force?

 

no, not more force, it just does not feel smooth like the rest of the shift gates

1 thru 5 are like shifting a sports car

5 to 6 is like shifting a truck

scott

 

Wow, we got about 40-50cm of snow in Toronto over 2 days. The side streets were not ploughed. The clutch on the mini STINKS when you stop in a snow drift and try to get moving again. Our old Subaru legacy had a stinky clutch when new, but this is just rediculous.

Anyone managed to get it changed to the '13 clutch?

 

It's standard fare here in Northern Virginia. They hang the lights about 10 feet beyond the crosswalk so high I can't see them without ducking.

It's the same in all 3 of my cars. The exception is that if I drop the top on my miata, I can see the light OVER the windshield header.

 

Almost embarrassed to write again... Does anyone get a strange old broccoli type of smell when reversing? Has to be related to the clutch. I have been getting it for some time now as I back into my garage. Over the weekend, got stuck in the snow and had to try to rock the car free. The clutch burn smell and this broccoli fumes were awful. My daughter just could not bear the smell in the cabin. Think the clutch is going/gone again (replaced at less than 4000km). Now, less than 8500km. I cannot believe the experience I am having with this car!

I just checked - my clutch was replaced with the original 21-21-7-603-025 part number :-( So, I am back to square one! Have to go back to the dealer. As I understand I should be asking for the 21-20-8-606-067 part number? That will be an interesting discussion.

 

Yes. My shift from 1st to second is very "clunky" as well. Not so much for the higher gears.

 

Didn't read the whole thread but has anyone replaced their clutch with an aftermarket one? I haven't replaced a clutch on anything for years but I know the last one I did was in my Toyota truck and it was fairly cheap and not to hard to do

 

I have not read on here about anyone who has replaced with an aftermarket product. The stealership wants over $3k to replace it out of warranty!

 

Why so much? Anyone gone to a local mechanic for an estimate?

 

according to my MINI tech buddy it is a very labor intensive job. The part is only 350 dollars but it requires taking apart ALOT of stuff to get to the clutch itself, hence the high labor cost and high total cost of the repair

 

A clutch job on a MINI essentially requires removing the entire front end of the car - hence the high labor cost for a clutch replacement...

Yes it can definitely be done for less at an independent shop - but it's still going to be a very expensive job...

 

I still have not smelled the burnt Asparagus smell in mine at all so far.

 

That's not good news. Most of the CM's I've been looking at are 2011's so its likely that they have this issue

 

My Service Manager has been very supportive in my clutch inquiries. When I was able to give him the new clutch part number (21-20-8-606-067), he immediately had one ordered for Fenton.

"We have the clutch available to order. ETA is a few days (6 in country, east coast)."

But, almost immediately, I got this revised response:

"MINI N.A. now has 0 in the country and has blocked the part from being ordered at this time.
We are unsure why the blocked it, as there are 142 in Germany."

 

Oh wow George, hope Fenton gets a new clutch! Is that Stevens Creek MINI? Keep us up to date.

 

Probably the 142 were quickly spoken for, and now there's another 2000 on backorder

 

[QUOTE=FredoinSF;3678833...Is that Stevens Creek MINI?...[/QUOTE]

Yep!

 

Fenton has just returned from MoSC with a '2013' clutch (part number 21-20-8-606-067) installed (after 28000 miles on a 2011), The old clutch wasn't worn out - the replacement is an experiment to see if the new design solves the long-reported problems.

The description from another NAM thread is: "The new heavier duty clutches should be made available to MINI dealers soon for the A4's built before 11/2012, and have an additional spring plate not in the original. After that build date the new clutch assembly is already in."

The description is pretty good - different shaped friction elements (more pointy), thicker friction material, harder friction material, different support structure.

I'll break it in for a couple of hundred miles then find out if it solves my 2011 problem. Early feel is very promising...

The 2011 clutch misbehaved from the beginning, so this will be interesting