I'm new to this board, so I hope this is posted in the right place.

I have an '08 Cooper S with an automatic. When I'm stopped and press the
accelerator, there's an extremely long hesitation before the car responds. I noticed the same problem on another '08 Cooper S automatic that I test drove before buying mine. Putting it in Sport mode doesn't seem to make a difference.

I asked the salesman where I bought it. He said he's never noticed a hesitation and that the car would "adjust itself" to my driving style. Not sure I'm buying that answer.

Anyone else out there having this problem? Anyone know how to fix it?

Anyone know if there's a Factory Service Manual available?

 

I wouldn't ask the salesman. I'd ask the Svc Advisor. Autos all have a lag, but hesitation isn't right.

 

The MINI will adjust to your driving style to a degree. I would disconnect the negative terminal,tap the brake and let it sit overnight. Reconnect in the morning and the ECU adaptations will be reset. I have the auto and also was sensitive to lag so I put a SprintBooster and fixed it. There is no factory service manual in book form for the R55,56,57.

 

Sprint Booster is the Call. Bought on due to lag...fixed the problem. You WILL be amazed!

 

Does the Sprint Booster make the throttle TOO sensitive? Does it feel like having the Sport Button on?

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I'll research the Sprint Booster.

OxyBlueCoop; You mention the factory service manual is not available in book form. Is it available digitally? If so, how can I get it?

 

Felt the same way,but whether I adjusted or the car adjusted, we've gotten used to each other.

 

Hey USA Ranger, I've got the same issue but not during sport mode. Funny (not really) but I got the same response from my service advisor and was told that "it will automatically adjust" I will attempt OXYBLUECOOP's suggestion and disconnect the neg terminal over night.

 

More information can be found here:
http://sprintboostersales.com/

 

My '08 MCS has the pronounced hesitation/lag that you are describing. And it is something I want checked out during it's stay in the shop. I am now driving an '09 MCS "loaner" (equipped basically the same as mine) while my car is in the shop and it does not have any objectionable lag. So I deduce that the '08's have something that was fixed in the '09. Just a guess.

 

Solution 1:
Sport-mode on (That's I use "Sport" all the time). Better still you should keep your auto in "DS" or "M"(manual) mode.

Solution 2:
Press the throttle quickly for more than 1/4, then the ECU will realize you really want some "power".

Basically none of these are "turbo-lag" from the engine, but they're simply some default "safe driving setting" from the factory.

 

Mine is also a 08 MCSa, but I really have no lag whenever it is in sport mode. But there is slightly difference between two 09 MCSa loaners: the first one is identical to mine which is very responsive, however the second one is still good but there is less "power" or less "willing to pull" between 1k-2k. Once it is over 2k they are all the same to me.

 

I am very interested in hearing what your dealer does about this problem and if they can fix it. Please post up when you get your car back.

 

I picked her up today after 2 1/2 weeks under the knife and things are better. The dealer nicely fixed a number of issues which I had been saving up for it's annual check. Number 1 problem: cold-start chatter/rattle was was addressed (as per SIM-11-02-07) and after that was done they could not duplicate the transmission lag (and I can't either). So what does this mean? You got me...except to say that there seems to be some connection between the two problems, at least in my car. Have you experienced any cold-start chatter?

Sidebar note: On my way back home today (it's a hard 3 hour drive) I stopped at a service station to get a bottle of water. When I came back to my car there was a young guy looking at my Mini. "Man that's a beautiful little car"..."who makes that?" he said. I get that all the time and it's always cool.

 

I'm still trying to find a solution to the hesitation problem described above. My local dealer setup an appointment with the Region Technical Engineer. The Engineer drove my car and reported that he couldn't find any hesitation. Two months later, the dealer arranged for me to be there when the Regional Technical Engineer visited. We went for a test drive and I demonstrated the hesitation. He came up with all kinds of excusses. He even went so far as to start talking about Toyota (I still don't know how Toyota relates to the hesitation problem I'm having with a Mini). At this point I stopped the car and told him to drive. Under the same conditions, he had the same hesitation. He finally acknowledged the hesitation, but then started telling me how this was a design FEATURE. It was done this way to give the driver the "Go cart" driving experience.

The Regional Technical Engineer told me that he would submit his report to "someone in Germany", but that I shouldn't expect anything. He stated that the people in Germany will not act on this report since I am the only one reporting this problem. REALLY?????? No one else has reported this problem????

Has anyone else encounter this much BULL S?*&^ from Mini or is this unique to my Regional Technical Engineer??

Has anyone resolved the hesitation problem through their dealer? If so, please post up.

I just ordered a Sprint Booster. Once installed and tested, I'll write again.

 

I'm convinced this is simply a throttle-mapping issue on the base MCSs. JCWs, even Stage-1, have not reported this problem to my knowledge. In my experience, romping on the throttle may even make things worse as one triggers the over-boost function and this just seems to confuse the ECU even more.

Known work-arounds include:
Keep it in "Sport" mode
Feather the clutch at take-off (pretty hard on the clutch)
Get a tune (JCW, RMW, Mynes, etc.)
Sprint Booster

I wonder if this is at all related to the other intermittent joy: "A Hiccup and a Puff of Smoke" ?

 

Nope, mines an '09 and its pretty bad, gonna have it looked at at its first service.

 

Mine is an 09 and they told me nothing was wrong, it is the way it was designed. I wonder if the delay has something to do with the slop in the torque arm bushing. They might have designed one to compensate for the other. At any rate, the slop in the torque arm is now gone (NM bushing), so I ordered a Sprint Booster an hour ago and it is already one its way.

Jim

 

It's all down to throttle mapping. MCS's engine has so much torque at low rpms - it can be quite a handful when the road condition is not ideal/the driver is not familiar with the car.

Try a E90 328i Automatic next time : that's what I call throttle hesitation - i can barely move in the first 2-3 secs at the traffic light when the same amount of throttle on a MCS will get me to 30mph+ easily. I was repeatedly overtaken by delivery vans or buses at the traffic light (very scary!) simply because the car didn't response to anything other than 70%+ throttle. Either I was not moving or the car jumped off the light like a boy racer. But as soon as I put the shifter to DS (+/-), the engine is very responsive and never ever has any delay in action.

 

I notice the hesitation as well in my 08 MCSa. Once in a while when I head off to work in the morning i'll pull out of the driveway and hit the gas and it feels sooooo bogged down all the way through 3rd. After about a minute or two the engine starts to warm up and this bogged down routine goes away. Does not happen often, maybe once a month.

 

07 MCS automatic.
I have had the timing chain just replaced and the water pump recall taken care of at 40k.

I still have the crazy lag when I press the gas or am going up hill and a rattle sound like the engine is about to stall, then something kicks in and the car starts to go again.

did I pay for a timing chain for nothing? Could it be the trani?