A quick question i'd like to ask...Are all the minis that are coming out now suffering from the infamous "stumble' or are those coming of the assembly line now OK...ie Are the ones coming of the production line now already have the ecu upgrade / and what do the dealers say is the problem as in How many cars are really affected ?......I asked my dealer if he had some (i live in the south) issues and his answer is that most people don't know how to drive the mini and they have to get used to it...What an answer !!.....
I get it...It's all our fault...Perhaps Mini should add a supplement to it's manual called.....How To Really Drive A Mini ..................

Anyway all ideas would be greatly appreciated........Regards

 

That's funny. How to drive a MINI?! I have a '03 automatic with major stumbling issues that cannot yet be solved by the software or anything else for that matter. Is there a way to correctly drive an automatic? I don't think so.
"MINI- the Ultimate Stalling Machine!"

_________________
Miss Missy

 

I thought the stumble (hiccup, yo-yo) only affected the Cooper S model. One reason I am going regular Cooper is because of all the issues I have heard about with the S engine.
Where there is smoke, there is fire...



>>That's funny. How to drive a MINI?! I have a '03 automatic with major stumbling issues that cannot yet be solved by the software or anything else for that matter. Is there a way to correctly drive an automatic? I don't think so.
>> "MINI- the Ultimate Stalling Machine!"
>>
>>_________________
>>Miss Missy

 

7-29-03 11:51am . . .

Here's a very interesting update on some of the software issues that a few of us have been experiencing. It was sent in by Phobol who was lucky enough to meet with engineers at the BMW Eastern Division Research Center:

I met with engineers today again, at their work place (more about it below) and they took my MCS for a drive, came back and said that, "yes, it's there" but they can't fix it for several reasons:

1. DMI is self adjusting and adapting, and to fix this problem they would have to change the adaptation logarithms.

2. They can't change software code, only versions because the software is owned by Siemens who in turn subcontracts Recarro to develop it. Neither of these companies want to lose full control of the software, so they won't let BMW group play with it.

3. It may have something to do with the "anti-jerk" feature designed specifically for front wheel cars, that adjusts the throttle to avoid the yank of the wheel. It kicks in just when you accelerate. What apparently happened is that Recarro only tested the software in England and Germany and figured that if it's good enough fo London and Munich, it's good for the rest of the world. WRONG!!! The heat factor plays a big role in when that "anti-jerk" kicks in and how much.

4. This is why the two engineers are going to Arizona next week. They will collect all the data they can and then relay it to Recarro who in turn is supposed to make changes to software.

This is a lot of info to absorb in half an hour, so I MAY be wrong about exact details (i.e. company names)

I was very impressed and surprised by the hospitality. Wonderful people making wonderful products. MINI is just one of them, and I am positive that all of the problems will be fixed soon, because they are aware of them and are working hard to get the fixes out to us."


For the latest articles about the MINI go to BRIDGER.US/MINI

 

Hmm... sounds like a Cooper without DSC may be the most hassle-free driving experience. Too bad... I would have really liked an S.

 

i had a cvt cooper and it drove great. now i have an S and it drives great as well.. i think it could be an issue with learning how to drive it correctly. there are times when i don't let out the clutch right.. i stumble. its not the engine, its me.

 

Flangi--

To respond to your original question:

That's why I started the survey for new MCS owners. It looks to me like people with June builds by and large have NO stumble whatsoever. April and May builds seem to be either/or (I have a May build that stumbles AWFULLY, but I've driven a friend's April build that doesn't even have a hint of stumble--both of us are running stock).

That's all I know...just watch my survey and watch the main STUMBLE thread and you should know as much as anyone...

 

>>i had a cvt cooper and it drove great. now i have an S and it drives great as well.. i think it could be an issue with learning how to drive it correctly. there are times when i don't let out the clutch right.. i stumble. its not the engine, its me.

The stumble we speak of is definitely not an issue with driver technique. There are plenty of documented cases where people had great running MINIs, received a software update during a service visit, and then had the stumble.

The stumble is present only in certain software revisions. It appeared after attempts were made at revising the software to alliviate cold-start issues from what I can gather.

My car had the stumble from day one. I have an April'03 build MCS. I was just in for service and was updated to the latest software (34), and it had no effect on my stumble/hiccup, as I expected. I'll be back when they have a fix. I'm sure you'll see a flury of activity on the Faults/Beneath the Bonnet forums when the fix is available.


See ya,
JS

 

Most impartant question I have is, " Does anyone who has chipped their car have this problem? If so or if not please post. Do aftermarket chips stumble?" This strange to me. I have a 06/2002 S that in Nov. 02 had the original cold start ecu upgrade. No I don't no the software up grade code like 3.1.1 or some such thing. And I have no stumble problem. On level ground I can engage the clutch at idle with my foot off the accelerator and drive away at 800 rpm. From ther it will pull to 7000rpm ... no problem. At low speeds after I'm moving, I can engage sixth gear (or any gear for that mater) take the car under 1000rpm and slam the accelerator to the floor, WOT and Pepper just startes pulling away until I lift. No fuss, no muss, no stumble, just pull. The car has 18,000+ miles and never a problem. If somebody has a problem, why can't they get a 'back-grade' to software like I have? This sounds to simple an answer, but would it work? If anybody knows how I can find my 'software code' pm me, I ould like to know.

But I'm an old man what do I know?

Motor on.

 

I still haven't come up with anything conclusive on this whole phenomenon. My 33.2 MCS had only a slight hesitation after the first clutch engagement of every startup, that's it. I've heard stories ranging from no problem, to major whiplash, and everything in between.

Weird Voo-Doo? I am confident that the ECU relatively sucks, however there seems to be a degree of suck per MINI, and not holistically. Inconsistencies like this make diagnosis VERY difficult, and solutions even harder.

I'm not sure what else to say, I'm at a loss for words now. Um...good luck?

 

>>i had a cvt cooper and it drove great. now i have an S and it drives great as well.. i think it could be an issue with learning how to drive it correctly. there are times when i don't let out the clutch right.. i stumble. its not the engine, its me.


I have to disagree, there is definitely a stumble/yoyo/jerking problem in 1st gear. I have owned ten cars in 25 years with 8 of them being manual transmission and 2 being automatic. To say, "it could be an issue with learning to drive it correctly" might be correct for a novice.

GiGi

 

>>Most impartant question I have is, " Does anyone who has chipped their car have this problem?

"Chipped" cars are cars that have had their ECU software altered--if they had a stumble before the remap (alteration of software) then they most likely still have it after the remap.

>>On level ground I can engage the clutch at idle with my foot off the accelerator and drive away at 800 rpm.

Also, I don't get any stumbling if I slip the clutch from a standstill, i.e. engage the clutch at very low RPMs (like 800). It stumbles when I engage the clutch in a *normal* fashion, i.e. between about 1000 and 2500 RPM it is most prominent...super-low RPM engagement doesn't cause it, but that's more of an end-run around the whole issue....maybe if I never had to quickly jump into/out of an intersection and could always do a turtle-start then I wouldn't think I had the stumble....dunno.

 

>>>>i had a cvt cooper and it drove great. now i have an S and it drives great as well.. i think it could be an issue with learning how to drive it correctly. there are times when i don't let out the clutch right.. i stumble. its not the engine, its me.
>>
>>The stumble we speak of is definitely not an issue with driver technique.


Agreed. Pull out into the street, with the clutch engaged fully, floor the gas and the car sort of dribbles onward. Eventually it kicks in, but there is a lag.

This is not the 'clutch' technique. Please see my site for a very detailed review of that method of driving...
Bringing Home First Gear, or, stumble, but not the type we are talking about

 

Ducttape,
You might be speaking of a different issue? Or maybe I am about to. I notice two problems in my May '03 MCS w/ 33.2 loaded. 1) Pulling away in first gear, just as the clutch is about to fully engage the car lurches. I think most folks here are referring to this as the stumble? It used to happen only the first cold start/pull away of the day, but now it happens about 70% of the time. 2) Also pulling away in first gear, with the clutch fully engaged, the car slowly "dribbles forward" for 2-3 seconds then decides to take off. Sometimes I've noticed the DSC light flashing. Other times it doesn't flash. This happens about 5% of the time but is very scary because it is so unpredictable...