Hey,
i have a Pilot bearing problem and my dealer says that it is not covered under warranty. I have about 23,000 Miles on my 02' MCS, and I now have this problem. They said it would be under warranty within the 3-4,000 miles. They told me that the fix would be about $1,700. They said that the part is about $34 and with about 12hrs of labor, I would be paying $1,700. That is like what, 180 somthing dollars an hour? Thanks for your help MINI USA.

 

Help me out here, what's a 'Pilot bearing problem:?

 

It is a bearing that is in the clutch, I don't know what it does or anything, but they are saying that it is 12hrs of labor, because the clutch is somwhere in the tranny.

 

Yes the clutch is there in the tranny but it shouldn't take 12 hours of labor! It doesnt take that long to remove the tranny and replace one part does it? 12 hours, you could probably install the JCW kits in about that time.

 

The pilot bearing is on the engine side of the clutch. It's a tiny thing, and is often a bushing instead of a bearing (I am not sure what the MINI has). It supports the end of the transmission input shaft, and comes into play only when the clutch is disengaged. Problem is, you have to separate the engine and transmission (no easy thing in most cars, much less a MINI), remove the clutch pressure plate and clutch disc just to get to the pilot bearing.

Pilot bearing problems manifest themselves in only a few cases. Mostly the complaint would be noise when the clutch pedal is pressed or a difficulty in getting the car in gear if the bearing is binding. Other than that, during normal driving, the engine and trans are turning at the same speed, and the pilot bearing is not in use.

What was the problem you were having that they decided it's not covered under the warranty? This is a pure powertrain warranty issue. A dead pilot bearing seems unlikely in such a short time!

 

My car is making a funny kind of sqeak when I start to move in first gear or reverse.

 

I just thought that maybe thi post shold go under beneath the bonnet. :???:

 

as requested, this thread has been moved.

Good luck with getting this warrantied. Keep me posted.

 

A pilot bearing problem would have your car making noise in any gear sitting still with the clutch in. If the car makes noise as you begin to move, it can be clutch, transmission or driveline related.

Why are they not covering this under warranty?


PS: Someone snatched this topic from under me as I was replying!

 

It is total bull-cakes that this isn't covered. I'd like to know how your 'horrible' driving somehow caused a part in the tranny to fail. BS...

Rocketboy_X

 

Good luck and thanks for sharing...but I think you'd be better served by actually CALLING MINIUSA (use the 800#) than posting for them here. Yeah, they scan the board, but this is only periodic and maybe only one person does it. Call 'em....they have a whole room of people who might answer the phone!

 

The pilot bearing should be covered under warranty, just as the clutch should be if it failed rather than just wearing out. By not covering the bearing under warranty, they are saying that it is normal to wear out at this mileage. It may not be unusual for them to tell you that there may be charges if they remove the part for inspection and find the clutch is worn out from abuse.