http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J55zPz5vL4I

So my new to me 06 MCS has been making this sound ever since I got it a few hundred miles ago (currently has 10,700 miles). As you can see/hear in the video, it is a noise similar to a horse trotting and is proportional to engine speed. The noise goes away completely once the clutch pedal is pushed. The noise also occurs when in gear and driving when the engine load is very low (example: let off the gas while in gear and as the car coasts to a stop it can be heard slightly before the engine starts to shudder due to too low of rpms). The noise is barely noticeable when the engine is cold, however once the engine is fully warmed up, the sound gets to be VERY loud. The video really did not do a great job of recording how loud the sound is.

Prior to buying this car, I drove my girlfriends 04 R50 with the midlands 5-speed quite often and I recall hearing a very faint noise identical to this, however it was not nearly as loud. From my experience, (correct me if I am wrong) it is not unlikely to hear a slight noise or difference in sound when depressing and letting go of the clutch on a manual transmission car, but the sound my car is making is way too loud to be normal.

The car is still under warranty until the end of April, however, I am hesitant to take it in because every time I take any MINI to the dealer, the car comes back with more problems than it came in with (1 step forward, 3-4 steps back). I can sit here and tell stories all day.

Any ideas on diagnosis or experience with similar sounds? I am hoping it is just the throw-out bearing and not the dual mass flywheel as that cost of that part is pretty significant. Is the dual mass flywheel something that goes fails often? And what exactly constitutes a failure?

If I remove the tranny, I will be replacing (at a minimum) the throw-out bearing, clutch, pressure plate, guide tube, and fork tube bushings. These parts are all relatively cheap (especially when compared to the time invested in removing the tranny).

Sorry for the long read but any help is definitely appreciated!

 

Sounds like the fly wheel to me. I would have it looked at by the dealer to see what they say (warranty)