My 06 is having this problem, intermittantly. Unfortunately, so far, she appears to be shy about showing this flaw to the service folks so we've been to the dealership twice without getting it fixed.

She's there again today...they agreed to try to take her out a few times today to see if they could get it to happen. I don't understand this though...certainly there's got to be a particular two or three things that can cause the problem. Why not check them out and see if anything is wrong instead of just blowing me off because Clara's a little shy in front of strangers?

What has been the diagnosis of those who've experienced this issue (year and S or not too, please).

 

Hallelujah!

Using a different dealership this time was a PITA (farther away, although actually where I bought the car)...but it worked! They replaced the entire steering rack and the tech said he is 100% certain he fixed it.

 

Glad to hear that you got this taken care of. Haven't heard of the '05s or '06s having this issue. How many miles on your MINI?

 

28k-ish. We drive a lot

 

i take it that first dealer was momv and second was eastbay?
i occasionally get a clunk in my 05s. it is usually when hitting certain types of "bumps". glad to hear it is fixed. are you going to the event at east bay this sunday?

 

You are correct! MoMV tried to tell me the strut tower bolts were loose (which I'm sure they honed in on because of my STRPs), that they tightened them and that the sound was gone...except when I drove home there it was *clunk*. It was only doing it on really low-speed, slow turns...like cruising a parking lot or pulling into a space.

I'm not sure yet about Sunday yet. I didn't RSVP because I didn't know if I'd be able to go. Now I know I can, but it's like I was just there...ugh.

Are you going?

 

holy crap! my 03 is only 24.5K

 

Glad to hear your problem is fixed. Could you feel the problem in your steering wheel and hear it slightly as well?

I already had one steering rack replaced one last year and the fix lasted a while, but unfortunately it still comes back every now a again. I am almost out of warrany. I bought my car from East Bay Mini. Maybe I should give them a call. Was it acting up on the day you brought it in or were they able to fix with while it wasn't occuring. I am asking because my car does the same thing. It seems to stop acting up when I threaten to take it in ;-)

I live in Davis, so EB Mini is a long way, but they do know their stuff, so it may be worth a trip for me if they are able to fix it without actually acting up the day I take it in.

Anything you can let me know would be great! Thanks!!!!

 

Yeah they fixed it today without getting it to "duplicate" it for them. You and I seem to have the exact same thing...I could hear the thump and feel it through the wheel. When I described it to the tech (not the SA), he sounded like he knew exactly what it was. We drove around and I couldn't get it to do it...but it had done it last night when I got home. What can I say, she's moody

I was extremely frustrated when I went in though...so that might have swayed them in my favor to just fix it and get it over with.

 

I drive evvvvverywhere. In my one year of ownership so far this MINI has been to Vegas twice, LA 3 times, and Phoenix once. Plus probably a dozen times to Sacramento and back.

 

yes I will be there