Hi all,

My 03 MCS has 125K on it. My wife has been driving it for the last year, and about 6 months ago she mentioned a rattle. It's audible when letting the clutch go while taking off, as well as going from 1st to 2nd. After the gear engages, you can still hear it for a few seconds and it goes away. I listened to it again couple of days ago and it's gotten quite loud and noticeable.

It sounds like throw out bearing to me. Another data point is that the clutch starts out smooth in the morning, but after 10-15 minutes in traffic, it feels very crunchy when depressing it.

It looks like a clutch replacement is in the cards. Can I wait until it dies completely and get it replaced? If I wait, does it hurt any other components (e.g., transmission)?

Thanks!

 

I recommend replacing it now. If you wait for it to explode you risk damaging the tran housing and you'll have $100 in towing the car and a mad wife because she'll be stranded. It's not going to get any better...bite the bullet

Are you doing the work yourself?

 

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I won't be doing the work myself. There are few MINI shops around me, so I'll be taking the car to one of them.