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Stock Problems/IssuesDiscussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs.
On the way home from the gym today, I noticed a heavy vibration in the clutch pedal. Got home and thought "I have a clutch job in my future". Turns out, I was closer than I thought. I got back in the car about an hour later to go to work, started it up and heard a loud "howling" noise and the clutch was extremely difficult to depress. I tried pressing the pedal several times and the pedal would not return. Then I felt a heavy "pop". At this point, I shut it off and pushed it back in the garage. I looked underneath and see nothing obviously broken, so I'm guessing clutch/pressure plate. Local independent quoted me 1800-3000 depending on what they find. I'm going to tackle it myself, but before I pull everything apart, is there anything else I should check? The slave cylinder could be guilty, but I doubt it. 78000 on the car with very few mods.
My bet is your throwout bearing blew up, but you may as well replace the friction parts while you're in there. Depending on how it's driven these clutches can last a long time. I got over 150k miles out of one and I wasn't particularly gentle on it (I went through a phase of tearing off the line at lights)
If they would have quoted me anything south of $1200, they would have had a job. I don't have a problem with the mechanical part of the repair, it's more of a time issue. But I have another car to drive so I'll take my time and do it right. I need to change leaky power steering lines and will maybe service the supercharger while I'm at it. Not going to be a lot of fun, but $1000+ in labor is just a little more than I'm willing to pay to save time.
Doesn't sound like the slave cylinder to me either.
Just take the bottom shield under the car off first to make sure.
Wonder what has to happen to the clutch to make it a $3000 job lol
$800 is an awesome price from a garage bav, it's a lot of hours no matter how fast you are.
I did pull the shield off and unfortunately, the slave cylinder looks brand new. Probably be the only time I'll wish it was broken. Without knowing exactly what the problem is, they told me to budget $2-3000. I know my luck. It would be $3000. I think $2000 is too much.
Ouch yea. My shop did it in 10 hours, only the second mini clutch he had done. Older guy, best people to do it sometimes. 1200 is pretty fair for labor, it's said to be a 12 hour job. Let's us know how you make out.
I'm in NW Florida as well.. Fort Walton Beach. I just replaced my clutch over the weekend.. Wasn't quite as much fun as I'd hoped, but it wasn't too bad... It's about a 12 hour job. I'd suggest a couple harbor freight transmission jacks (one for subframe and one for tranny) and top side engine support. Everything else was pretty simple... just very time consuming.
I would much rather use a jack and a block of wood under the engine. I think it makes it easier to line up the engine and transmission that way.
Thats the way I did it. Took me about 30-45 minutes to get it lined up. The granny has a little dog ear loop that's great to hang fro. The engine hanger bar. It can "float" from the support bar.
If you determine your clutch is bad, we have some really great clutch super kits HERE that you should consider. If you are spending the time and effort to do this job, you might as well make sure that you are replacing and fixing every piece that might need attention, while you have access to it. That's where those kits come in handy as they have everything you'll need while you're in there for the job. We also have a great tech article on our site under MINI > Tech Info (tab at top) > Transmission & Axles > Clutch Replacement that can help you tackle this job yourself. Let me know if you have any questions.
That's the plan. I figure now is a perfectly good time to do a lot of stuff that's it tranny related but is accessible. I'm thinking of servicing the supercharger and am on the fence about the starter. Opinions?
I'm in NW Florida as well.. Fort Walton Beach. I just replaced my clutch over the weekend.. Wasn't quite as much fun as I'd hoped, but it wasn't too bad... It's about a 12 hour job. I'd suggest a couple harbor freight transmission jacks (one for subframe and one for tranny) and top side engine support. Everything else was pretty simple... just very time consuming.
Too bad there isn't a reasonable German car specialist on the Gulf Coast, or at least one that I could find that was willing to quote me something closer to what I was comfortable paying. I've got it halfway apart already but it will likely take a couple of weeks to get the parts in and on the car with my work schedule.
Great time to do ball joints or control arm bushings if they haven't been done. Rear main seal a good one to do too. Drive axle boots, power steering lines if rusty are possibilities too
Doing a clutch doesn't really make getting at the supercharger any easier. The one same step is taking off the bumper, otherwise not much more. Unless you take the radiator out too I guess, but I left mine on. Most of the intake stays on, intercooler stays on, belt stays on.
I didn't do the starter when I did my clutch. Although I haven't done one yet, I don't think it's too hard to get out if it dies.
A lot of people also get new shifter bushings and guide tube, so check those out too
My bet is your throwout bearing blew up, but you may as well replace the friction parts while you're in there. Depending on how it's driven these clutches can last a long time. I got over 150k miles out of one and I wasn't particularly gentle on it (I went through a phase of tearing off the line at lights)
+1 , goo time to go to a valeo conversion kit, also listed are the guide tube and seal that will need replaced. Our kit is free ship also.
That's the plan. I figure now is a perfectly good time to do a lot of stuff that's it tranny related but is accessible. I'm thinking of servicing the supercharger and am on the fence about the starter. Opinions?
Unless your starter is exhibiting signs of it going bad, I'd spend the money on doing the essentials that are accessible while you're in there. You could, however, do it as a preventative measure if you feel like it. It's always a good idea to replace the rear main seal on the engine at the same time and also replace the throw-out bearing, flywheel bolts and etc. You should also replace the clutch release fork and the master cylinder/slave cylinder at the same time for added insurance. All of these are included in our clutch super kits. Also, use this site HERE to help you find an indy shop for the future.
Ok, making good progress but ran into an issue. While removing the black supercharger intake tube, I broke the black vacuum line that I think runs to the brake booster. I also broke the little red insert/clip that holds the line in the intake. Anyone know where I can get both of these parts?
