dsgerman, I guess you have two questions that are difficult to answer then.
You bought your mini with 4k miles on it. So, I guess you don't know how the previous owner drove her.
Second, and to me the more interesting question is, what about the smell?
You said in an earlier post that the car always had the burning smell. Is there an underlying problem with the clutch control system causing the clutch to fail.
Maybe a discussion with the dealer & SA is in order.

 

gregsmini
mini was dealer car driven by salesman and prostective buyers for first 4000
clutch was replaced last week. Dealer said defective and replaced under warranty. Back in shop this week as bonnet cable needed adjustment as bonnet would not open. They smelled the clutch smell when dropped off but could not reproduce. One guy at mini said it may take several weeks for smell to completely resolve. Advisor wonders about our driving habits but we all drive slowly. No race car drivers or problem drivers with a stick. I hope the smell is residual and goes away. If it continues then ??? is there something more than clutch wrong here. Advisor alluded that mini will question if clutch goes bad again so soon. Guess I will drive for a while and see if smell goes away.

 

did they replace the dual-mass flywheel along with the clutch components? A smart dealer will. What Im thinking is that yours did not, and the odor y're smelling could be glaze on the flywheel. check and see.

 

Another sad clucth story. Where are all those Mini defenders saying it's abuse or lack of proper maintance, I of course have no idea how to maintain my clucth. I have a 2009 and am already preparing my dealer argument for the clucth falling apart.

 

Sequence. The invoice states that the clutch friction disc failed. Ruined flywheel. Replaced clutch kit. Flywheel replaced. After 47 miles still have smell. They say clutch is "grabby" in 1st and 2nd gear indicitive that friction disc has some flat spotsand is being overheated. Says we need to change driving habits-we do not drive fast, downshift or drive the car hard. Can the disc at 47 miles already have problems like they say. Makes me worry about disc. Called today to ask what this means but never got a return call.

 

It would be interesting to know about the people/cars with clutch problems.

- Cooper S only?
- Did you have tuning done to increase power?
- Did you have the Mini JCW engine tuning kit installed?
- Anything else that could point to a "trend"...

:-)

p.s. As another side to the story, what's the longest you have run with your original clutch?

 

Clutches are wear items and do take a while to seat. Be as easy as you can on the clutch for about the first 1000 miles. As it seats it can be a little grabby and the engagement point for the pedal can gradually mover over time.

If you are slipping the clutch a lot (like in traffic) and the engagement point is gradually moving towards the floor then the clutch is heating up (this is also what leads to a strong burning smell). If this happens then let the clutch all the way out either in gear if you are moving or in neutral if you are stopped, let it sit on the flywheel and cool. Over 4 manual cars and 5 clutches I don't think I've ever had one that wouldn't heat if I sat with the pedal down for a long time.

Also - and this is very important for the break in period - Keep your foot off the clutch when it is engaged. After you let it out move your foot to the dead pedal (the metal plate all the way over on the left) and leave it there until you need to shift.

I have no idea if you are doing any of this but I've neen numerous manual drivers doing these things even though they've been driving a manual for years and it may help anyone who is. You can destroy a clutch very quickly if you're hard on it and have one last 100,000 miles if you aren't.

 

Dodge Dakota 2wd - 110k on original clutch when I sold it. No sign of clutch problems.

The parking brake handle snapped off though. I head to reach all the way into the dash and poke the release mechanism with my finger...

 

Dodge Dakota 2wd - 110k on original clutch when I sold it. No sign of clutch problems.

The parking brake handle snapped off though. I head to reach all the way into the dash and poke the release mechanism with my finger...

 

I too have gotten over 100,000 miles on clutches in other vehicles. But I believe the question is, How many miles have you gotten on your Mini clutch?

I currently have 19,600 miles on my original Mini clutch and expect at least another 100,000 miles on the original clutch.

I hear the clutch issues on this site and, possibly, the Mini clutches are problematic and often require early replacement. Remember, the complaints are from people who have had clutch problems and, people like me who have not had any problems obviously do not post my clutch is great and I love it! On the other hand, I have been observing my driving habits regarding my clutch and shifting habits.

First though, I'd like to say that I have been driving manual transmission vehicles for 36 years and never have had a clutch problem. That said, I have never driven a vehicle quite like a Mini. The Ford and GM products over the years have not been as easy to over rev when taking off from a stop. I find matching the speed of the engine to the transmission at times challenging. And quite honestly, that is the purpose of the clutch. But you can over do it.

Driving a car fast, normal up shifting and down shifting, when done properly, will not harm your clutch. The problem to me would lie in not matching your engine speed to your transmission and not completely disengaging your clutch when not shifting. This would be caused by "riding" your clutch pedal when not shifting. Another thing I hear mentioned is driving in stop and go traffic. In that situation, you have to drive "smart". Do your best to drive steady, keeping your Mini in gear without shifting as much as possible or keep the transmission in neutral with your foot off the clutch pedal whenever you can.

I must admit I do try to treat my clutch with as much care as possible after reading of the problems on this site. Are the problems any more than any other manual transmission automobile? Only Mini has enough data to know!

 

The clucth and flywheel are crap, They have had pleanty of time and complaints to fix it by now.In this day and age you should see 100,000miles on a clucth. It may be a little glazed from heat but still uasble. These people have me gun shy, everytime I start my 2009 factory JCW i"m waitihg for a clucth problem. Only has 3'000. mi When I was a boy dragracer that's how you got off the line fast, slipping the clucth and holdin RPM till the flagdrooped Granted this was a ford flathead but I never blew up an assembly

 

Right on :-)

That's why I asked

Sounds like me, but with 23 years under my belt and mostly driving Mazda cars. Never changed a clutch

 

Jerry Fikar -

I believe the JCW has an upgraded clutch to better handle the power... has anyone had issues with the factory JCW clutch or just the MCS clutches?

 

I cannot say whether 99.9 percent of Mini's will get 100,000 miles on their clutch or not. You cannot either. We have very unscientific information based on comments from this site. I agree it appears to be more problems than I would expect or like, but really no way to measure the reliability of the clutch.

Also, I bought my Mini for economical, reliable transportation that is fun to drive. So far, it fits my needs. When and if I have clutch problems, I will post it here for all to see. I hope you do likewise.

 

My Clutch just went out at 56K it's in the shop now and its not cheap. 12 hours worth of labor to get to it. need to take engine out. OUCH in my pocket.
its an 05' cooper S.

 

48,000 miles on my '07 Cooper S, and so far, knock on wood, no issues.
I will say though that reading about clutch issues on this site makes me nervous. I drive my Mini the same way I've driven all of my manual transmission vehicles.
I personally think the worst habit to develop with a manual tranny is to hold the vehicle on a hill with the clutch, and to use the clutch to catch the vehicle on a steep hill. The E-brake trick might be kind of sissy pants, but it saves on clutch life in my experience..

Other vehicles I've had and their clutch life for perspective;
89 Toyota T4WD P/U 320,000.
95 Saab Turbo 130,000 on original clutch 150,000 on replacement clutch.
2001 Toyota Tacoma 204,000 miles as of this week.

 

I hate to be the latest to add to this thread but my '07 MCS w/ 30k miles died this past weekend. Towed to the dealer, my SA calls me yesterday and says it is a clutch and flywheel issue and unfortunately it is on me. I called him back and referenced the numerous people on this thread whose car has been fixed under warranty and he said to me that at 30k a clutch that fails isn't consider normal usage under the maintenance program nor is it a defect under the vehicle warranty. I told him I have been driving clutch since I was 16, never had any one go on me and that is insane. On top, he said I am looking at $3500 to fix it! It is a lease that I am turning in in September. After talking with him for 5-10 minutes he finally said he would try and make a call to see if he could do anything. I am hoping this will fall under the "one time goodwill" scenario (which is insane, I drive my vehicle normally, don't race it and always engine match) but fear the worst. I don't want to post the dealer and service rep yet hoping this will be resolved, but I am in the PA tri-state area. Any help???

 

Try to find out what on the clutch failed. If it is just worn out then you may be in trouble but if it is something else then you may be able to get it covered.

Did you have any noticable slipping before the car died? If a clutch is wearing out it usually doesn't go suddenly but begins to slip under load first (like when you suddenly go from no throttle to full throttle while heading up a hill). This slipping gradually gets worse until it wont properly engage at all.

It surprises me that these failures come as a shock and suggests that without the slipping period then there is something inside the clutch that is causing a catastrophic failure rather than a gradual wear that normal use (or, frankly, excessive hard/over use) would cause.

I had a clutch go on my first car less than a week after we bought it. We were able to continue to drive the car for about 3 weeks on the slipping clutch (carefully) before the dealer got the new part in and we had it changed. It was a very gradual shift from somewhat annoying to not being able to accelerate up hill.

 

I agree with what Guitarfrk wrote, it seems odd that so many of these fail "without warning", but then are found to be hot spotted from slipping. I'd also like to know exactly what failed. If it were me, I'd want to be there when they tear it down so I could see the old parts immediately as they are removed from the car......

 

Thanks for the quick response. The clutch slipped for ~ 5 miles of driving before it failed. No prolonged period of slipping. Once it started to slip (mile 1) it expoentially got worse to mile 5 when it died. I am still waiting to hear back from my SA. And no they didnt tell me what went wrong other then it is a clutch and flywheel issue that isn't covered. They haven't torn it down to determine exactly what went wrong, and I don't know if they can determine what exactly went wrong until they tear it apart.

It sucks because I was actually planning on buying two Mini's once my lease was up. That won't be the case if I have to shell out $3500.

 

They probably can't tell what broke until they are in the process of tearing down the vehicle. They should be looking at each part for failure, not just tearing it down, tossing in a new pressure plate and then building it again.

Did the clutch make any noise before it went? I know people have had trouble with the throw out bearing? You'd want to be listening for a bearing whine that went away when you pressed (disengaged) the clutch. That would be a warranty issue since it is not the "wear" part of the clutch. You probably also want to make sure that nothing leaked onto the clutch plate, causing it to slip and fail. Since the seal went this could also be a warranty issue.

Take some time to google some sites about clutch failure and how clutches work. It will give you a good idea of what wil/will not be covered under the wannanty. Unfortunately, if it is just wear and you can't show that a failure caused it then you may end up being out the money.

Having said that 30k is a VERY short life for a clutch but unfortunately it is long enough that sustained bad driving could have worn it by now. Not saying that it has by any means, but saying that it COULD have which makes the argument with the dealer a little more difficult.

Two things to try though - 1. Bust out the AAA and tow it to a different dealer.

2. Leave it on the lot and drive their loaner until the lease is up and then hand them back the keys.

Stay positive buddy, a lot of the stories on here have had happy endings if you're willing to push back a little.

 

Cars are mechanical and things break. How many Mini clutches fail prematurely is only know to Mini. That said, I do NOT understand how the dealer automatically can tell you that it is not a defect under warranty!

I would expect them to investigate and attempt to find a way to cover it under warranty. This issue is and will continue to create bad will toward the customer and cost them sales.

I have had no problems so far, but at this point I am certain I won't own another Mini. I like the car but the BS I hear attempting to blame the owner's for mechanical issues is ridiculous. I've owned many vehicles personally and through businesses that I've owned and managed and have never experienced anything like I've heard about Mini.

 

30k miles and they are saying the maintenance (wear parts) program and the warranty (non-wear parts) are both not going to work for you? I have a good feeling they will "cave" and warranty/goodwill it. Fingers crossed!

 

Yes to your bearing whine!!! A couple weeks ago I noticed a whine shifting at around 3000 RPM's. I didn't think much of it since I just had my chain tensioner replaced three weeks ago and thought it was that breaking in (A whole other story, terrible engine rattle!!!). This is the most logical explanation I have heard of yet. I talked to a guy at work and he also suggested the throw out bearing due to the nature of how fast it went and his experience with plastic throw out bearings.

As to the lease issue, I thought you had to turn in an operational car? Maybe I missed the joke? I have another car at my disposal, but I would find it hard to believe they'd accept it in that state. Like you said, I am hoping for a happy resolution. I really love the Mini's, just can't handle all the downtime I have had on mine due to different issues.

 

Sounds like you have two opinions that it was the throwout bearing that failed. I would mention that to your service advisor and see if he can get it covered under warranty that way. The dealership gets paid for the work by either you or MINI USA so you have to make it easier for them to get paid by MINI USA than you

I think you have a pretty solid argument that you shouldn't have to pay for it since it was not a "wear" part of the clutch that failed.

Also - I was kidding about just leaving it there until the lease was up. I don't think they would be too happy to get back a non-running MINI even if they are responsible for the problem!!