I have a '02 MCS, 08/02 build, don't believe I have the stumble, perhaps a very, very, very rare "yo-yo", and possibly the "bog". Had the cold start issue for a week then spontaneously disappeared. I've always been underwhelmed with my milage 20-22, (99% city driving), but happy with overall performace of the vehicle, both before and after mods. (see mods below).

Now I've been reading about the "silver bullet" V.36 as a fix for various problems.

Question, should I consider upgrading to this version? I tend to follow the theory, "If it aint broke, don't fix it".

Anyone experiencing my same dilema or in the same position?.

Anyone with minimal "stumble, yo-yo or bog" issues, who has upgraded? And what are your thoughts?

Thanks.


His, Chile RED all over, Madness intake, Magnaflow exhaust, Helix 15% pulley, RDR swaybar
Hers, EB UJ on top and bone stock.

 

If it ain't broken, don't fix it

 

Unless you have a severe stumble...I don't see the need.

 

I have not upgraded either car yet. I can not give you a feel for what to do based on experience. However I did talk directly with the tech at MINI/NJ He seemed confident that both my july 02 Cooper and March 03 S would benefit from the upgraded software. I will be upgrading both within the next month.

 

I had a moderate stumble going from 1st-2nd, occassional bog and no yo-yo......v36 has completely eliminated my problems and they have not returned after 1,600 miles. Why put up with even a slight stumble if you don't have to? Given the results reported here, V36 is a low risk proposition with everything to gain.....just my personal opinion.

 

I'm in the same position as TwoMINIs. And like TwoMINIs, I have the 15% pulley, intake and exhaust. In fact, I never drove MY S in hot weather. In stock form I thought I had a slight-moderate stumble. I thought of it as more of a bog when you let the clutch out in first gear starting from a standstill. And this was in OCtober weather in NJ when I first got the car. By the time spring came, I had an intake and the 15% pulley. The intake helped the stumble a bit and the pulley helped a lot. I don't really feel I have one now, but in hot humid weather I do. My MCS is currently at the dealer having some minor work done and I am also wondering if I should get upgraded while I'm there. I'm driving a Cooper right now and I'm VERY impressed with the clutch feel and how the NA engine responds from a standstill in first gear. There's no hesitation and it is silky smooth (the Cooper has 19k miles on it). If I let the clutch out at similar RPMs on my S, I would bog for a split sec and then it would take off. Now my modified S is MUCH faster than a base Cooper. But there's a great feeling taking off in the Cooper and I'd say for that first second, it's faster and definitely smoother - much, much smoother.

I always thought too - "if it ain't broke..." but now I don't know. I've got to think about this...

 

greatgro- From what you described, "its broke" I think I would get v36 with hopes it solves the problem. My 2004 MCS has always been very smooth on take off in first gear. Did develope yoyo after about 600 miles. Have since added Alta Intake and Magnaflow Exhaust.... result more power.... still smooth in 1st. gear, still have yoyo. Hope to get the 15% pulley early this spring.

 

Thanks apexer. I'm still on the fence though. I was leaning towards not getting it, now you say I should. I'll have to decide by morning.

 

If you check the V36 thread in this forum, I think you'll notice that just about everyone that's getting v36 is raving about it, even after several hundred miles. It reads like a performance mod thread: vastly improved throttle response! It's so much smoother! This is the way the car should have run to begin with! Unless you have a really great running MINI (and most of us who have gotten an S during calendar year 2003 have SOME gripe about it), I don't think you have any reason to fear. Bear in mind, there hasn't been a major software release for six months. I'm sure that there are a whole host of issues that 36 repairs, some certainly quite minor. Also: if you're ever planning on getting aftermarket software, you should go ahead and get the latest greatest software, because most systems use your base software and then alter certain parameters of it to make it perform better. Wouldn't you want to tweak the best software out there, rather than have improved performance of your rusty old yo-yo/stumble software?

Regardless of what you folks end up doing, I really do hope that you'll let us know what happens! I would really like to hear from somewhat that doesn't have any major problems getting a software upgrade, and what his or her opinion is of 36. I think that a non-stumbling review of 36 would be much more unbiased than our fixed-the-stumble reviews.

 

Thats it... i'm getting it.. going to call the dealer morrow and confirm thats what the appoitment they set up for me is for.