My '06 MCS (got it with 350 demo miles from dealer, now 43k/ still under warranty) with stock suspension, just the mods listed in my signature, has a really bad vibration... REALLY BAD!
It started as a small vibration like wheel balancing issue type... BUT... after almost a year and after replacing tires (thinking they were defective), re-aligning, balancing wheels, wheels and tires like 12 times, I decided to buy a set of OEM 16" S-winders w/ Goodyear runflat tires (new take-offs). I installed them hoping the vibration problem was over... BUT it got Worse! I had to stop in the middle of the Turnpike to remove them and install the aftermaket ones (I just picked the OEM ones, had the other ones in the trunk) and drove to a Firestone shop to get the OEM wheels re-balanced... They did it twice and could not figured out where the vibration came from! I ended up leaving frustraded, wasting MORE money, with no answeres, so I after spending over $1000 trying to fix this vibration over a year, I decided to go to the dealer... with stock wheels and tires, there is no excuse for the problem.with the OEM wheels/tires the vibration is so bad the car cannot be driven. The car is like pulling apart! not kidding! I have never seen anything like that!
After many issues with the dealer because they didn't want to believe me at the beggining, they were excusing themselves saying the problem was my aftermarket wheels and all that **** they always say to avoid working on the car...so I ended up arguing with them pretty bad... The guys there told me they would charge me like $60 to install the stock w/t and about $100 to re-balance them... That really pissed me off, but after arguing so bad I told them I would agree to pay that ONLY if the problem came from the wheels/tires, otherwise they would not charge me a penny... so they started working on the car a week ago and it is driving them crazy too... They cannot figure out what the problem is. They re-balanced the OEM wheels, replaced one axle, clutch, flywheel and now they are saying they will replace transmission too!!
At this point I am relieved is still under warranty and they must fixed, but I am also worried that this cannot be solved or I may have the same issue later when the warranty is over and then I could be screwed up...
The funny part is that the vibration is worse with the 16" OEM wheels/ RF tires than the 17" aftermarket wheels/tires...
So I need some feedback, anyone experiencing the same? Anyone knows what could be? (not even Mini technicians know!)...

Thanks

 

Did they try replacing the hubs or brake rotors?

I think the vibration was exacerbated by the OEM wheels because there was more mass being thrown about than with the lighter aftermarket wheels.

 

I wonder if your wheels are simply not exactly centered on the hubs.

Are you using hub-centric rings with your aftermarket wheels?

To quote Discount Tire Direct: "Hub-centric rings ensure that the wheels are perfectly centered on the vehicle’s hub. These rings do not offer any increase in safety, nor do they affect structural integrity, but they do assist in providing a vibration-free ride."

How about the bolts/lug nuts, and their corresponding holes in the wheels? Are they tapered, to force the wheel to be centered when they're tightened?

 

Yes, they replaced the rotors a month ago. It is really weird and scary. I already asked them about the bushing, they told me they replaced one and still having vibration... I think they are now waiting for MINI USA to authorize replacement of the whole transmission

 

Yes, I even changed them twice thinking that was the problem, but no... I tried the aluminum ones and the plastic ones too... And like I said, what is really weird is that the vibration gets insane with the factory wheels/tires... So the problem is not the wheels or tires... It is something else, but nobody knows...

 

More on the hub-centric rings issue:

Often times, the inner diameter of the hub indentation on aftermarket wheels is larger than the outer diameter of a car's hub. That extra space allows the wheel to move/float, even if it is just a millimeter or two, before you completely tighten all the bolts. That is enough to make a massive vibration.

That is why when using aftermarket wheels, it is really important to get some hub-centric rings, to help center that wheel on your smaller hub.

Nobody tells you that when you purchase aftermarket wheels; you're left to just wonder why your car vibrates like crazy...


You may have already known this, but I thought your problem sounds like it may be because you're not using these rings.

Discount tire sells them for 15 bucks for a set of four. You just need to know the outer diameter of your MINI's hub, and the inner diameter of your wheels hub indentation.

 

Well, if it isn't the rings, can it be the bolts? Are they tapered, (v-shaped)?

Are the holes for the bolts, (in your wheels) also tapered too?

They should be...

 

Yeah I know. Like I said I tried both, the ones I am running now are aluminum which fit tight both the wheel and the car. I have had these wheels for more than year and a half, but started having that vibration like a year ago... Believe me, I have checked everything, but haven't found where the issue is coming from... Not even MINI knows...

 

Yes, lug nuts are fine. They fit fine... I have not had any problems with that. And again, now after installing OEM wheels and OEM RF tires the vibration is even worst, so now I know the problem doesn't come from wheels or tires...

 

Sorry; just trying to give some ideas. You already tried all these things already.

I'm tapped out of ideas. I wish you good luck in figuring this one out!

 

I know my friend... I appreciate your help!
Unfortunately it looks like is something more complex... Thanks God the dealer is working on that... they have to fix it anyway.
It has been a week already and I am already missing it! LOL... We'll see what happens after they replace the the whole transmission

Thanks!

 

I spoke to the dealer today... This is issue is just ridiculous... They have just replaced the whole Transmission! and the vibration is still there! =S
They are now waiting for Mini USA to tell them what is the next step (hopefully they give me a new R56! LOL, if not I'll still get my R53 with almost all parts new!)

 

Did they check any of the suspension bushings? If the lower control arm bushings are worn out, it could throw things out of alignment at speed - possibly enough to induce a kind of "death wobble" like you have described.

Heavier (stock) wheels and tires would make this problem worse, which is why the vibration wasn't quite as bad with your aftermarket wheels.

Other things I'd check (that haven't already been mentioned) - axleshafts, wheel bearings/hubs, and engine mounts.

Please let us know if you get this issue resolved, I'm really curious what it could be!

 

Thanks for your reply. They told me yesterday that they have already checked the bushings, changed the two front axles, checked the rotors, then replaced clutch, flywheel and transmission =S... I was reading yesterday about wheel bearings...it sounds like the solution... we'll see.
Even though I think they must have checked those things already, I am going to tell them on Monday.
I'll keep you posted. Thanks!

 

Please tell me that they did not replace the transmission before they replaced the hubs. The bearings should be the first thing checked if the tires are balanced and there is still vibration. If the wheel bearings are bad, it could definitely cause an intense vibration. It would get worse with runflats because they don't absorb forces as well as non runflats. If they went through the trouble of replacing the axles and transmission without at least checking the hubs, then they are retarded.

 

I should get an update tomorrow, I'll let you know...
(I am really missing my Mini!)

 

I've been having the same vibration with my 04 MCS for a few months. I hope they find the problem, maybe it will help me too!

 

UPDATE: After replacing axles, clutch, flywheel and transmission...without fixing the vibration... they called me yesterday to tell me that MINI USA told them they would not cover any more repairs on the car now with the excuse of aftermarket stuff (so why they have been doing service the past two years?...), so if I want to keep trying to find the issue and fix it I'd have to pay for that!!! They told me that they could TRY replacing the bushings, but I'll have to pay for that... And what really **** me off is that I asked the technician last week if they had replaced the bushings and he told me they were fine... now they want to charge me for their mistake!
The car is still under warranty, so I would not accept that! I'd prefer to return the car before accepting that kind of BS. So I called directly MINI USA and they are supposed to call me back tomorrow... My car has been there for two weeks already and going for a third! so I am also paying for a car in a shop... sucks!
This is really frustrating! Does anyone know any legal way I could use to have them fix my car? I know about Lemon Law here in Florida, but not sure if applies to my case.

 

Did they even mention anything about the hubs/wheel bearings?

I don't know what to tell you other than to stand your ground and make sure MINI USA and/or the dealer do not walk all over you.

Sounds to me like the service department is incapable if diagnosing the vibration problem - really, there isn't THAT much in there that could cause it! Are there any other dealers that you can take the car to?

The car is under warranty, and unless they can prove that your aftermarket mods *directly* caused the vibration issue - they are obligated to get your car fixed.

You may even want to consult a lawyer if MINI USA is not responsive (I had VERY bad experiences w/ their response time and 'solutions'...).

Good luck and keep us posted. I hope you can get this issue resolved.

 

This is a real bad headache! They keep excusing themselves on aftermarket stuff to avoid doing repairs... but like you said, they have to prove it. The big problem is that I am doing service in a Downtown Mini (Orlando) and I purchased the car in Lauderdale Mini (Ft. Lauderdale).... Unfortunately, this is the only dealer like in 200 miles around..
The most stupid thing I heard was yesterdey when the guy told me after all that, that ALSO because of my aftermarket pulley, the warranty was voided! So ridiculous after they were the ones who told me to do it and gave me the info of where to do it! ????????
I love Minis, but honestly... I am now thinking it twice before buying another one...

 

MINI USA called me today...
The guy told me that somebody from corporate already checked the car and have determined that they "think" the problem could be solved by replacing the front bushings... BUT according to them, that is not covered under warranty, so I'd have to pay for that because they will not pay anymore repairs on the car!!! What really sucks is that on the other hand, they say they cannot assure that would solve the vibration!! Does anyone knows if this is true? If so, does anyone knows how much could cost to replace those bushings including labor?
This situation is really complicated, but I will not tolerate this abuse! The car is still under warranty! and I've been dealing with this vibration for almost a year and Never got a word from their technicians telling me that the problem was the bushings... they always excuse themselves from doing the job by saying this and that about my aftermarket wheels/tires... BS!

 

I see there are 2 threads about the exact same thing. Please pick on and we will close the other.

Thanks

 

Yes, I just need this problem solved... So need urgent advice for now

 

Wow. Sounds like things are getting ugly! Ok, so they want to blame the aftermarket wheels/tires. Do you happen to have the stock wheels/tires somewhere?

And as far as the warranty - I thought these warranties were bumper-to-bumper?? Prior to mine running out, they even replaced things like the air bag (blemish developed on the MINI emblem), repaired a rattle/creak noise in the dash, and other non-mechanical issues.

Without looking at your car, I can't tell you exactly what might be causing the vibrations. Worn suspension bushings can certainly do it, likewise with wheel bearings, or anything else attached to those systems.

I would talk to MINI USA (hopefully they gave you a direct line to your representative), and make it clear to them that you want the problem resolved, under the warranty.

I'd seriously consider talking to a lawyer as well. I'm not sure if there are any lemon laws or other things that may help you in this case...

Good luck!

 

Dude, you are going to have to endure the 3-4 hour drive back from Orlando and drive straight to Precision Autowerks in Miami. Let Luis Sanchez go over the car. He is a brilliant MINI tech and he'll tell you like it is

Your case is one of the reasons why modding a car still under warranty is such a risky idea. The Magnuson-Moss act is a worthless piece of paper that has no bearing in the real world. MINIUSA can use that stick against you because they can afford the expensive lawyers at their disposal

Aftermarket mods simply out you in a bad position against the dealer. I don't care what other people say... If you mod, be prepared to pay and put up with all kinds of garbage while still under warranty

If I were you, I would drive the car back to Miami and let Luis fix it. Bite the bullet, get the car repaired and move on. Let this bad experience be a learning lesson for you.

Luis is much more cheaper than the dealership and he has the tools and expertise to track down the cause of the vibration and make your car drive and feel like new again.

Besides, you are almost at the tail end of the warranty. I would not hire a lawyer because you are goign to be broke eventually and neither you or your car would have been properly repaired.