First post... don't you just hate that?

A few weeks back, I started to hear a small screeching sound when pulling away from a start, just as I released the clutch. I made a note of that, and planned to get the car in to the dealer for a look-see as soon as reasonably possible. (Then came the holidays, kids, family, etc, etc.)

FYI, this is a 16-month old car with 10,500 miles.

This last weekend, the first time the car has been taken out for any sort of lengthy highway drive, I noticed that the problem had become considerably worse! For the first time, I noticed the noise was happening in all gears. Then, I noticed that I could make it happen w/o the clutch at all: At 55 mph in 4th gear I could make the sound happen by just trying to accelerate. As soon as I get back, I make plans for an immediate trip to the dealer.

Fast forward to 2 hours ago: I just got a call from the dealer. They've not opened up the transmission yet, but they looked at the slave cylinder and said they see "clutch material" and could smell hot/burning metal.

They say this looks like "driver error." I ask what sort of error might cause this. This said, "something like dropping the clutch at 4k rpms." That's not the sort of thing I'd ever do. I guess if I did I'd have to take the two kids' seats out of the back first.

Seriously: My wife and I have had nothing but manual transmission. We didn't change our habits when we got the Mini. The only time I've ever had a clutch burn out on me so quickly was when there was another part which broke, causing the clutch not to fully engage.

They want me to "authorize" $3,800 for them to open up the transmission.

(This is Mini Manhattan, in case you were curious.)

Anyway, I've called Mini USA, who called the service manager at MM. I hope to get a call back from the SM today.

Any suggestions?

Thanks, all! Sorry to be such a bummer on my first post.

Jesse

 

Sorry to hear about the bad luck. It should be covered under the 36k mile maintenance plan as the clutch is a consumable. Unfortunately it will not be covered under the 50k mile warranty.

 

I read that on another thread here. Though... *sigh*... I don't know how much luck I'm going to have convincing them of that.

Edit: I should also add, the dealer is adding in the cost of new flywheel, which they anticipate is worn, too.

 

I really hope this has been rectified on the 2011 or Im going to flip if it happens to mine.

 

Does anyone know:

1. Would a bad throwout bearing cause the clutch / flywheel to wear out

2. Is it possible to tell if a throwout bearing was the root cause of a clutch problem?


Seems that that is going to be the root of whether this is a warranty repair or not.

 

No,

A TB bearing would make lots of noise. The only situation where the TB can not engage/disengae the clutch fully is if the shaft that it is on is heavily scored and it could not slide back and forth.

A pressure plate would more likely cause that situation

 

The dealer came back to me and said they'd fix this on a one-time basis. Truly, truly appreciated!

I hope they do find some root cause. It's scary to think that something in my driving style might have anything to do with this.

I will, of course, post up if there is any more information!

Thanks to all for their advice & input!

Jesse

 

BTW, The dealer is Mini Manhattan.

 

Make sure you actually find or see the root cause, they will replace the whole unit most likely, plate, TB, flywheel and clutch. See if you can take a pic.

 

I will certainly try. I feel a bit ashamed to ask them to hold the parts for me. It's a bit like looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Nonetheless, I'm also concerned about this recurring in a year! I'll do what I can.

 

Not to actually hold parts but so they can explain the "break"

 

This is almost certainly a faulty part, not your driving style. It really hacks me off when the dealer says they won't honor your warranty (which you paid for) for a clutch that's obviously coming unglued, and fast. It means they're dishonest. The fact that they quickly "did you a favor" and agreed to fix it "one time only" tells you all you need to know about their honesty and policy. I'd get 'er fixed and never come back if you have another one to use.

 

Unglued


friction disks are held on by rivets

 

Hello everyone,

I've been having issues with my clutch. When pulling out in first gear or reverse, I get the "howling" many people have been talking about. For me the car has to get hot (1hr or driving) and then I start hearing it. Basically any time the clutch is put under load, you hear it (up hills, aggressive launch, etc).

I've taken it to the dealer twice who said it's the design of the clutch. If I want them to look at it, there might be a charge for me if its not a "warranty fix". I wrote to BMW Canada who stated to try a different dealer to see if they are able to fix. The car has only 13,000 KM's on it....and I'm getting the run around from the dealer.

I have spoken to the other dealer who sound a little more responsive to my issues as I've contacted BMW Canada. They have told me to make the "sound" and bring it in.

Does anyone have the same issue on a 2010?? I thought this "clutch issue" was dealt with in the 2010's?


Any information or experience would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

I have a 2010 Clubman S with about 31K mileage. Starting hearing the noise that sounds like a chair being slid across a wood floor about 3 weeks ago. Same issue as so many post about. Last week the clutch slipped very badly and the smell was horrible, so I took the car to the dealership on Monday. After a couple hours I got called by the dealership and told they are 90 percent sure it is the clutch, but I need to put $1500 dollars up for them to "diagnose" the issue and determine if it is driver error or not. I have been driving manual shift cars for 35 years. I have never had a clutch fail. Looking at the number of posts, this is a definite design flaw.

I called Mini USA for assistance, but they were completely worthless. Told me they would log my issue, but it was up to the dealership to determine if the vehicle would be covered under maintenance. I am not risking $1500 for some arbitrary determination? I have since picked up the car and I am driving it until it completely breaks down. The service rep told me if it gets towed in with a complete failure, then it will be covered.

So now I am driving a vehicle that is dangerous because I can barely pull out in traffic. It growns shifting in every gear and slips if I accellerate at all. This is what Mini calls service. Once the thing does fail and I get the clutch fixed. I am trading the car in. I have owned this car for about 18 months and it has now been in the shop 4 times for various reasons. The car may be cute, but it is completely unreliable and Mini is not backing it up very well with their warranty programs.

 

I bought a used clubman s with 37,000 miles on it. Now at 48,000 I'm in the midst of having the clutch replaced. The pittsburgh dealership wanted 2,000 for the clutch replacement and they felt it wouldn't need a fly wheel at that time. I decided to get a local shop to do it for less but neither of us realized what a job it would be. After getting the clutch out we found that the fly wheel has cracks and moves by hand so we are going to order one. Ouch. My 99 miata with 150,000 miles still has it's original clutch. I'm hoping the new one lasts a bit longer on my beloved mini.

 

My 2011 Clubman S that has only 18,000 miles just had to get a new clutch that the dealership refused to cover under warranty because they are claiming that it went out due to driver misuse. THe clutch was fine going out of one light but at the next light the clutch pedal fell to the floor and was stuck. The clutch refused to fully disengage for the short limp home. $3200 down the drain on a car that the dealership is saying will have to be paid again in another 25,000 miles because that is all the clutch in the new minis are good for.

Looks like I will be selling the car and getting a ford explorer.

 

Bought my 2009 Clubman back in April with 60k on it. At a little over 75k, it started making noise when pulling out. Just 1st and occasionally reverse. Independent mechanic said it's the clutch. Of course I found it hard to believe a clutch could go this quickly. Then I remembered that I bought a MINI. Oh, well. My first experience with the cost of enjoyable (not aggressive) driving.

I think I'll save up until it starts slipping. Then I drive the 2000 Silverado with 263k while the Clubman is in the shop. The engine and tranny on that thing has only needed fluids, filters, and plugs.

 

UPDATE

So I went to pick up the car and the clutch felt wierd. There was no resistance to push down but the clutch pedal would slowly come back up after taking your foot off the pedal. Come to find out the Tech that was supposed to do the road test never did it. I was called anyway and told that the car was ready. So I get there and after paying the $3200 to get the car I find out that the clutch pedal did not seem right and now it is back in the shop for a clutch master cylinder. Which may or may not have been installed incorrectly at the factory. Now I am stuck paying for that too. Just another reason to get rid of the mini. It was fun for the 3 years it took it to empty my wallet out for bad parts having to be replaced.

 

Bumping this thread... My 2009 Clubman S just started making that screeching sound again.

Service scheduled. Plus, I'm going to do my best to warn Mini that if they don't find the root cause, and the clutch fails again, don't tell me it's my driving.

 

How many miles do you have now, Wiseblood? I ask, because my '09 Clubbie S has 72k miles and I'm just now getting some squealing when going into 1st, and a feeling it's not grabbing correctly (sorry, I don't speak "car" - doing the best I can). Last time I complained about it (when in for a regular service), they tightened everything up and I was good for a while. But I put LOTS of miles on my car on a weekly basis, with lots of clutch use/wear... Anyway, I'm just interested in what's going on with your car, as it's the same year/model as mine-
oh and mine is definitely a squeal, not a screech...
Good luck and hope it all turns out well for you.

 

Only 38k miles.

So, Mini again agreed to replace the clutch. They did not tell me what the problem was. I asked, and they said that determining the root cause was the job of Mini engineers -- not the mechanics in the shop.

Anyway... I'm sad to say that this is it for me and Mini. I'm gonna sell the car while the clutch is brand new. Whatever is going on is going to happen again, and probably after the warranty expires.

 

I would be friendly with the mechanics... a tray of biscuits and sausage in the morning goes a LONG way...
Ask them to get photos of the clutch for you so you can see what's going on- and ask THEM what they think might be happening...
I'm guessing you purchased this vehicle new?
I don't blame you for wanting to sell, but not all MINIs have this problem. There is no such thing as a perfect car. <sigh>
Good luck.

 

"Mechanic?" I don't get to see a mechanic. I see a "Service Advisor."

Mechanics are hidden in the back, far away from the customers.

 

I guess I'm lucky. I have spoken to the actual mechanic who works on my car... I have a pretty great service adviser who will pull a mechanic if he needs to get questions answered. And I do bring in breakfast for everyone (or bake cookies). A little sweetness goes a long way.

Good luck.