I have babied my 2010 Cooper S. I am not the boy racer that I used to be!
This is my second Mini Cooper - first was a 2002 straight Cooper which I sold with 95,000 km on it. I have driven only standard cars for 35 years, including cars which are heavier and have more weight. Audi A4 V6, Alfa v6 etc...
My MCS has 28,000 km on it and the clutch is done. I am taking it in on Tuesday for replacement that could be as high as $3,000! ...if they have to replace the flywheel.
I have slipped the clutch a couple of times but not more than any other car I have driven. What is with this? It seems that a car of this power should have a clutch that you don't have to baby...it is a sports car after all.
I am going after Mini Canada on the issue. I don't care what they say about it...if they pull it appart and find it is just worn out and don't replace it for free I will sell the car and bad mouth BMW to whoever will listen!
It is bad design plain and simple.
Anyone else have similar problems?

 

Yeah, had the same issue on a 2009 Cooper D (diesel-engined version). It's got the same clutch setup as the S models. The problem is the size of the clutch kit - it's quite small and if you're not on and off the clutch like a light switch it's easy to burn through a clutch pretty quickly. The flywheel and friction disk are small in comparison to the power output of the engine and don't dissapate heat well. Slipping the clutch even briefly causes a rapid rise in temperature on the flywheel surface and so you can easily develop heat spots. Over time this ruins the surface of the flywheel and it doesn't take long for the clutch to go after that.

In my case, the clutch and DMF went at about 55,000km. I got the usual "it's driver wear and tear" from the dealer, but I offered to show them my driving technique to prove I wasn't abusing the car and that I did, indeed, know how to drive stick.

I wrote a letter to Mini corporate explaining the situation. In the end, I had to pay full cost of labour and clutch kit, but Mini agreed to reimburse/goodwill the flywheel replacement (part only, not labour - worth about 600 dollars Canadian). The repair cost me approximately €2000 at the dealer including tax. After flywheel reimbursement I was in the €1400 range. Job cost is all labour - standard charge is between 6-8 hours labour + parts. Depending on your warranty status you can get much cheaper at a reputable independent that's used to working on Minis.

One piece of advice. You'll be wasting your time badmouthing them, you'll get better results if you lodge a polite and formal complaint explaining that you feel this is premature wear and the reasons you believe so.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the advice. The dealership are now saying that in most cases that they don't have to replace the flywheel/s if that is so it will be less than $1200. Just dropped the car off so we will see whats happens....
Either way it seems like it is a substandard clutch so I will go after Mini Canada if the dealership charge me a penny!

 

If your clutch was, in fact, slipping then the dealer is lying to you about not having to replace the flywheel. The stock setup is a DMF which cannot be resurface if it's got hot spots/or blue-ing from heat damage on it. I think they're just trying to suck you into the repair.

Stick to your guns and don't let them give you the run-around. This is an expensive and uncommon repair for a car that isn't exactly what I'd call old or high mileage.

Let us know how you make out!

 

Interesting that you say that. As I have never had to replace a clutch on any car I have driven. How does one know that your clutch is worn...if it is not for the fact that it is slipping? As you don't have a cable so the pedal does not get higher off the floor how else would you know?

I'll keep you posted.

 

Couple of things you can do. Try accelerating hard in a high gear uphill - the car should lug. If the rpms instead "jump", you've got slippage.

The other test is to sit the car on a level surface with the parking break on. Start the engine. From neutral, put the car into 3rd gear. Start to let up the clutch to the friction point, give it a tiny bit of gas and keep letting the clutch up. Car should stall immediately. If the rpms go up or car doesn't stall immediately, then the clutch is surely done.

Minis use a hydraulic clutch and the clutch and brake fluid are shared between the two systems. The brake fluid reservoir is also for the clutch fluid. The clutches on these cars are self adjusting.

Still, if you are familiar with the car you can start to sense the subtle signs of a slipping clutch, the pedal engagement does change. Take my word on it. I had to drive mine with a slipping clutch for 9 days because the dealer had no free service spots or loaner cars.


My tale of woe is here (with photos of the done clutch and flywheel):

http://www.mini2.com/forum/mini-club...seal-deal.html

 

So in other words the clutch has to display slippage or has to slip thereby damaging the DMF. Pretty hopeless design. I would say. My clutch is sliping when I hit the gas on a flat road.
My whole thing is that I compained at my last service ( mid July) about the a noise when I changed gears. The mechanic could not find anything wrong....so if the DMF is damaged by the clutch going down to the rivetts...not my fault.
I'll keep you posted expect to hear today from the dealership.

 

Received a call from the dealership saying that the clutch and flywheel was toast and that they could not figure out a way to cover it under warranty. The service adviser was totally on my side and told me to call Mini. Was doing this when my cell phone went off and it was the adviser saying that they were going to repalce the entire unit under warranty!!! Couldn't believe it...I am so happy because I would have to have sold the car if clutches only last 28,000km!
Thanks for your support MiniDeLux.
GregoryK

 

What warranty was this covered under?

I am having some "slippage" on my clutch not exactly sure if that is the case right now, but it's been making some kind of grind noise the past couple of days.

I have a 09' MCS a little over 39,000miles roughly 63,000km. I feel that it is still fairly new and should not be having these problems.

 

It is called goodwill, not part of warranty. The dealers have a slush fund they can use.

 

It is called goodwill, not part of warranty. The dealers mechanics have a slush fund they can use.

 

I had complained a couple of times about a vibration in the clutch but they couldn't find anything wrong....for sure the DMF was covered because of this.
My advice is to take it in and be nice.
Bottom line its a substandard clutch but the dealership have their hands tied. This was my second mini and they all know me so they were trying to help and figured out a way around the situation.

 

This is very perplexing. I recently stumbled upon a website where so many people posted about the same problem . . . clutch goes south with low mileage . . . some still under warrantee . . . dealer says that it was due to improper driving and refuses to honor the warrantee. One person posted that their car had only 19,000 miles, and they got the same treatment. The person mentioned that he had been driving a standard trans for 30+ years and was pretty sure he knew how to use a clutch.

I have owned 7 standard transmission cars in my life, and have taken 5 of them over 100,000 miles, and have never had to replace a clutch, EVER. And hey, I can slip a clutch with the best of 'em.



I sure hope they get this situation straightened out. It's just not right. And I hope you get a good result to your situation.

 

Hello, I am curious how common this issue is. I have just had my clutch repaired at under 23,000 KM !! 2010 Clubman S. they are trying to tell me it is user error, but i have driven standards since i was 16, all my cars have been standard and i have only had one clutch replacement in my 12 year old pathfinder.

They repaired it for free, after me talking about the mini websites mentioning premature failure but I still think they believe it was my driving. I have now read everything about clutch failure and I really don't think i do any of the things they are talking about. Have even driven with several friends to see if I am missing something I may be doing.

the clutch failure was odd, i was having squeaking noises from the transmission both in starting in first and when excelerating (Bad bad noise) not any slipping which was my only experience with clutch issues in the past.

Any links to other forums re early clutch/ transmission failure.

 

Any possible link between the sport button and riding the clutch. I read where a lot of people say they only drive in sport mode. The throttle is way to touchy in sport mode for generalized driving and I can see where it would be very easy to slip the clutch through the gears if used all the time. I have begun general driving in non-sport mode for this reason.

Honestly I wish I could have the heavier steering wheel in regular mode as the throttle touchyness is annoying but I prefer the steering change.

 

Possibly for some. But I think when you adjust to the sport button being on all the time, it's really no different when you're used to it. Also, I can't rev match as good without sport mode. You really have to mash the pedal rather than "blip" it, so I assume leaving it on works best for me.

 

When my old CRX squeaked while letting the clutch out (I always thought of it as a metallic-sounding "skeep" noise) the cause was the springs in the clutch disk. They had broken loose from the disk, and were rubbing on the flywheel and pressure plate.


Amen to that--though I think I am starting to get used to mashing the pedal for rev-matching on downshifts.

 

I'd only had my 2010 Cooper S for a month or so before I started noticing strange noises when starting out in first gear. Initially I didn't even consider that the clutch had gone bad since the car only has 23K on the odo.
Took it in to my Mini dealer and they not only replaced the clutch, they also changed the oil and replace my wipers...all at no charge.

I'm still a bit concerned about the early demise of my clutch but couldn't be happier with my dealer. Fixed it with no questions asked!