Not what I wanted my first post to be on this forum but thats the luck of the draw. Just a 2008 R56 S about two weeks ago. Still hasnt hit 30k miles. Today i was on the highway and i exited and took the ramp. I pulled up to the light and went to accelerate and nothing. Basically the car just reved like it was in neutral. I was able to get every gear into the gate with no issues but i couldnt actually drive away. Because I havent learned the correct terminology im going to describe it like this. The pedal still has pressure, and there is no resistance to put it into gear regardless on what posistion the pedal is in. In other words i was able to move the shifter into all gears without pressing the clutch pedal. Nothing would happen of course but all these symptoms feel like the clutch got stuck open. We tried turning off the car and listening for the sound of the clutch as we pumped the pedal and didnt hear anything that sounded like the clutch disengaging/ engaging. Tommorow the car will be towed, but we havent decided where yet. The local dealership is way too far to even consider. My question is does anyone have anyidea what went wrong or where to start. Ive read so many mixed answers and Im not sure whats the best bet. Also the pedal still feels like it has pressure but since its spring loaded I couldnt really tell. Any help you can offer would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

Actually, if your clutch went out you would hear all types of noises when the clutch is engaged. The clutch pressure plate would engage the fiction disk and if something was broken their would all kinds of noises, rattling, vibrations, banging, screeching, etc. You quoted that "The pedal still has pressure, and there is no resistance to put it into gear regardless on what position the pedal is in. In other words i was able to move the shifter into all gears without pressing the clutch pedal", this sounds like the shifting mechanism may have gone bad and you are stuck in neutral. Mini uses 2 shifting cable linkages that connects the shifter to the transmission. Have someone shift through the gears and look in the engine compartment, about center a little towards the back, look straight down. On top of the tranny there are the 2 shifter cables, you should see them moving one a time as your partner shifts through the gears. If the cables are moving then the problem "MAY" be in the tranny. If no movement is seen then that could mean it could be a broken or loose (disconnected) cable links or the shifter itself. From my experience it would guess the linkage.


This is my two cents from the information you have provided.

 

That does match up with what I've read on other posts and in praying its the linkage and not the tranny otherwise that's terrible luck for not having the car so long.

 

My guess is the clutch is worn out and needs to be replaced. Sometimes they go out slowly, other times quickly like you described..

 

If you have a conventional "open" diff, you may have also broken an axle. An open diff will send all of the power to the axle with less resistance, which means if one lets go it will just spin and you won't go anywhere.

 

SO an update as to whats going on: It was for sure the clutch. The mechanic got it off and said there was no tread left. Pure metal on metal. He same the front brakes were the same. Obviously theres evidence that the previous owners didnt care for it like it seemed. But as we wait for parts I dont think I would sell the car because I love it all too much.

 

A clutch and the front brakes at 30k miles? That mini was driven hard..

 

Well that is new one to me, I've never experienced a silent "metal to metal" clutch or brake failure. Any rotating "metal to metal" failure would have all kinds of grinding, squealing, etc, etc noises. As for the brakes the brake pads wear sensors should have also given you a warning light "before" the pads were full worn out. I still think something is amiss with both diagnosis. Have mechanic show you the failures and take some pictures, the evidence would be clearly obvious. If it failed as the mechanic stated then I'm putting it in my archives for future reference. But honestly, I don't think so... my 2 cents

 

Just as a data point, my front brake pads were replaced well before 30K miles. I do drive hard on occasion, but I'm a whole lot harder on tires than on brakes.

Mine were replaced by the dealer, as part of the regular "free" (pre-paid) service, because the sensor showed that they needed it.

 

Just got the car back yesterday, clutch feels great. Still waiting on brakes because we ordered the brakes for the convertible and turns out theyre not the same size.