My 2006 MINI S is doing something that I am sure you all can diagnose. It is a 6 speed manual transmission. When I accelerate in higher grears, the engine revs to higher rpm before the car speeds up. At that point, it feels like an auto transmission shifting and the rpm's come down.

When I shift, I think I also feel a lag in power while hearing a higher engine rev than usual during the lag time.

I have about 45,000 miles on it. Can I wait awhile to have it serviced if it does not seem to get worse?

Thanks,

dumb S

 

You need a clutch, and it will not get better the longer you drive it, in fact, pretty soon now it will stop moving under it's own power completely.

Might as well make the appointment, and get prepared - a clutch job on one of these is a major undertaking and expensive.

 

Should the clutch be done at the dealer or can transmission places, etc. do it correctly? I think dealer charges about $2300.

 

It's a debatable toss-up. The dealership will definitely know how to do it (because they specialize in it!), and will charge you a lot. Bring it to a transmission shop, there might be hiccups because it's not a common car, but generally it will be cheaper.

Personally, if I didn't have 100,000 mile warranty, I would find a trust-worthy shop. Luckily I have Greasy Pete's in MA for when the warranty is up. Check your local club to see if there is a garage that most of them trust!

 

One major reason you might consider having the dealer do it is the 2 year warranty on parts and labor that comes with their work.

 

Sounds like the clutch is slipping under heavier load. Common to happen when the clutch is almost worn out

 

+1 to slipping clutch.

 

I have a 2007 Mini S that i bought used last year. It is now in San Antonio getting a new clutch....quoted $3100. Gave me a break to $2600. My car has the extended 100,000 mile warranty but clutch is a wear and tear. I had my car towed to the dealer...200 miles away. Mini USA were less than supportive. After doing some research during this past week while my mini is in the shop I have read many many complaints about the 2007 clutch issue. I still have my 2000 Ford Focus with 150,000 original clutch. I drove a Toyota with 130,000 one clutch and the mini goes out at 50K? Not very happy at all. I asked how long will the new clutch be covered, they said technically 2 years but only if it is a failure not a wear.

 

I will go with dealer who charges $2400 for clutch repair.

Anyone have an idea how long the clutch will last once it is slipping? I am scheduled for the repair in about 4 weeks.

dumb S

 

If it's only slipping under hard acceleration with a load, then it should last a while if you take it easy...

I noticed this on my MINI when the clutch gets hot... I was quoted $2800 for the replacement at my local stealership... Been driving it that way for months...

 

drive it slowly and no heavy acceleration and you should be ok for a while. Remember starting on hills loads the clutch assembley up a lot and every time it slips under that heavy load it wears more

 

I have been concentrating on being careful with my clutch. I am surprised at how some bad habits have become second nature. I did not realize it, but when I slow down to make a turn, I step on the clutch, shift to 2nd and as I round the turn, I let out the clutch part way, and use the clutch to tweak my speed. I stay on and off the friction point for 3-4 seconds, before releasing the clutch fully in second gear. And I was blaming my 16 yr old son for the clutch wear!

 

Ah ha!

But I wouldn't discount the effect a 16yo boy can have on accelerating clutch wear either......

After all, we all were 16 yo boys once, weren't we? And we know how we used to drive!

 

^ Part of the reason why I don't have kids...

 

I think many MINI's have their clutches fail early for a few different reasons....
MINI's have a pretty HIGH power to weight ratio...not as much as some Italian cars, but high enough to cause wear, since the clutch is adequate for a stock car, driven "normally", but just ok for a Modded car, driven with spirit.
Also driving a car with a clutch is becoming a bit of a lost art....lets face it, the MINI is often the first car with a clutch some people have ever drivern or driven ina number of years...
Some of the MINI clutch components are, by their nature, a compromise.....the Throw-out-bearing is all plastic...and can melt or Gaul...and the factory clutch is a compromise for long life, holding power, and smoothness....all while MINI was trying to penny pinch to keep costs down...so they could include goodies like the dual-mass flywheel, to give the car a smoother idle...but it is a big $$ item....
To the OP....You clutch has/is failing....get it to a shop while you can...you are causing damage to the flywheel...the slipping is making heat....it will slip, and as it heats up, may grab a bit....
Look at an aftermarket shop that works on MINI's...it will save you big $$. As to whuch clutch....the OEM/OEM equivalent is good for 90% of folks (people even use them on cars to race!!)....aftermarket may save a buck or two, but remember, greater holding power=shorter life, and not as smooth operation.....

 

(A little bump for the most appropriate thread for my situation...)

Started noticing the same about 6 weeks ago, but not in higher gears (at first): when accelerating in 3rd at about 40 mph (car pulls nice, traffic - why downshift? ) I detected what I thought might be some slippage. OK, begin paying more attention to that potential "wallet-sucker". (FWIW, I rarely have the radio on - I never tire of the soundtrack of the car.) Then last night, 2 lane highway, stuck behind a mommy-van. Down to 5th to pass, and the revs came up w/out the push in the seat. Uh, huh. Was feathering the throttle, trying to get it to hook up, (just like exiting a tight turn on the track w/ no LSD) and took about 3 tries before I could actually get the car to accelerate. This seemingly rapid deterioration has my full attention ... and here I am.

Now to the search function for "Clutch D-I-Y", but if someone already knows a link it would be a welcome post - the search function here being what it is. (Have a Haynes, not a Bentley.) Just recently picked up a Fidenza/MM L/W flywheel from a fellow NAM'er for that time "when", not realizing it would quickly change to "now". Alternating clutch shopping in between searches...

Got a heated HUGE garage of a buddy's to work in w/ a 'picker'; had in my mind that the way to go would be to drop the subframe and lift the car (sanz powertrain) to pull it out; guess I anticipated right. I've done clutches in the past in V8's (Nova, GTO) and a Colt 'Twin Stick' I had in the mid 80's, and changed my LCA bushings, so I've at least had my MINI's subframe out. Thought it wise to have an extra set of hands, so I talked an old friend into it who, btw, is an ex- modified-dirt-track driver/builder. (He believes he's going to be teaching me something about cars - I believe it'll end up the other way around .)

Oh, and for the record, when it slipped last night, I glanced at the odo: 82,222 (really!)...

 

Definitely pick up a Bentley manual when you get a chance: http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/...ek+Google+Base. The retail is around $100 (that site quote for retail is wrong), and this is the best bang-for-the-buck I've ever seen in terms of getting a deal. Most of the pictures are of clean parts/sections on MINIs, and it's very well laid out. The wiring diagrams are great, too; they just take some getting used to in terms of tracing out what you are looking for.

Get the manual and then re-evaluate whether you want to DIY for the clutch. At a minimum, at least buy the parts and have them on hand. If you decide to go to a shop, then all you would have to pay for is labor.

 

Wow, that's a good price! Yeah, I've used a Bentley, never bought one of my own (a MINI friend had one when I lived in VT, just few and far between in rural NNY). I have the Haynes guide from a Christmas present right after I got the MINI; asked for a Bentley, but well-meaning relatives have budgets, too

And, as I posted previously, not my first clutch change (not even my first front-wheel-drive clutch change). I've spent most of my life around hi-perf and custom cars - from back in the mid-60's when my Dad's best friend owned a drag strip, to "coming of age" hanging around at a 24 hr service station / tow service, to my own run of muscle cars (still have extra parts left over from rebuilding a 389 GTO w/ Tri-power in the late 80's) and on and on, so I guess I'm not the typical D-I-Y'er ...

 

Ah, almost got me with that one, JJF!

The link you posted is for the diagnosis manual, not the repair manual (here's both): http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/200...ir_manual.html

 

Amazon was cheapest when I needed one...

 

Last week I bought a hard cover bentley that includes the "diagnostic manual" for $88 on amazon.

 

You want the pages out of my Bentley Service Manual?

 

Thanks, but have already emailed a fellow VT MINI buddy for a copy of his - appreciate the offer!

p.s. - great user name

 

Thanks for the correction. If I see a cheaper price, I will post.

 

At the bottom of the subforums menu there is a how-to section, browse through to find something appropriate, perhaps this one. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-overview.html