So the 03 EB/WH MCS has been making a howling sound when it's cold, when you let first let the clutch out from a dead stop. It will do this for the first 15 min or so then it will go away. :impatient It's almost or rather it is like a metal on metal sound. I don't have any MINI shops around and the local Merc Mechanics that I go to are as stumped as I am. It's been doing it for months... everything seems to be fine outside of the howl. Has anyone else had this problem???

 

My'04 did it from the second I pulled it off the showroom floor. They warrantied me a new clutch.

 

Ouch! I was affraid that replacing it might be the only answere... and of course the warranty ran out a few months back.

 

throwout bearing?

 

My 03' MCS "howls" when going from a deadstop until you let the clutch out ~half way. I asked the dealer and they said it was because the clutch was just getting to the "wear" point in it's life. My MINI has 48k miles on it, with the original tranny (stock everything also).

Sorry, that's all I can offer.
-Cody

 

i have the same thing with my mcs 05 . only happens in first gear when its cold.

mikie

 

Mine makes this exact noise, also only when cold, but my car has only 6k on it! I've had quite a few manual cars that have always made well over 100k before needing a clutch.

I'm having the car looked at when I can get it into the dealer, so hopefully they will hear the noise.

 

Mine started doing it too. also in the morning. 1st gear only once or twice, then not untill the car is at ambient temp again. It seems like a glazed flywheel/diaphram/clutch disc EERK as opposed to a throwout bearing noise which would most likely make noise when depressing the clutch pedal rather than when releasing.

 

That's it exactly! No one seems to now what it is... Funny how so many of us are having the same problem . Let's rally for a recall!

 

Hurry up, I only have ~1,500miles left on my warrenty!

-Cody

 

I actually have the exact issue you guys are all having and mine is a 2k3 Cooper S with approximately 44k miles (the problem is often referred to as the notorious "oooorrrttt" sound). According to what the dealership said when I brought my car in, the issue was with the pressure plate and since that's considered a "wear-and-tear" part, I would have to eat the cost of the parts and labor. I suppose the strange thing here is the fact so many people seem to be getting different responses from various dealerships. If you search through past posts, some people said the dealership notified them the part that was causing the issue was the flywheel and others have said the clutch. Seems to me nobody really has a firm grasp on the issue and since the labor is so intensive to replace any of these components, they try to make the customer eat the cost. Course, everyone's experience varies, this is just my feeling on the matter. Just make sure you don't attempt to bring your car in if you have any type of mod done, as my dealership attempted to void my warranty when I brought my car in. Ironic considering my dealership is also the one who installed my aftermarket components and never notified me that my warranty could be voided if I brought my car in for warranty work. Nonetheless, I still enjoy my MINI and I'm not gonna let the poor customer satisfaction change how I feel about my experience with the car. I'm simply gonna reconsider ever owning another MINI again after dealing with the hassle I've had to go through.

 

I also had the same problem on my used 2003 MCS at 15K. The sound started a couple of months after I bought the car whick worried me. I had to bug the Mini service department many times but they finally fixed it. The clutch, flywheel, and throwout bearing were replaced. I was told that this was a one time customer courtesy clutch replace, and it was not a normal warranty fix. They claimed that the problem was caused by driving habits, but I don't believe them. They said that if you rest your foot on the clutch (without depressing it) while at a stop light it would cause this. Sounds funny to me but at least they fixed it for free. Good luck and be persistent.

 

my 2005 MCS with 5000 miles is making the same noise, i'll have the local store look at it this week and let everyone hear about my experience.

 

Add me to the "howling" club. 2003 MC. I DON'T EVER rest my foot on the clutch, I NEVER missed a gear or done anything to deem this to "Driver mis-use" at 50k the howling began....exact symptoms. dead-stop to first. And only in the morning, or whenever I start my car for the first time that day. I got new clutch sitting on the floor of my bedroom ready to go if need be. My car NOW has 56k, that problem HASN'T gotten worse, just the same howling sound 6k back!!! I'm WAY outta warrenty and don't wanna pay MINI the $90+ an hour labor for something I can do on my neighbors lift!!!

 

I don't rest my foot on the clutch either. It felt like the dealer was trying to say it was my fault. Here is more information about my experience.

When I brought my car in and told the dealer about it, they said they were going to go on a test drive with me. The service agent just talked to me and never even went on a test drive. I complained about the problem again the next time I was there. I finally was able to get him in the car but needed to show him the problem. I drove him to a street with a steep hill and was able to repeat the problem. The Service Agent was watching me very closely as if he was trying to see if I was doing anything wrong. He mentioned about my foot resting on the clutch once. I just had it there because I was trying to repeat the problem. He got in the drive seat and was able to repeat the problem every time he released the clutch. He said he had never heard this before and would drive some other Mini's on the lot to see if they did the same thing. After a week or two of not hearing from him I gave them a call and was told that this was normal. I was told to give them a call if the problem got any worse. About a week later the movement of my shifter seemed to be very stiff. I called them up and up and he seemed to be very concerned and asked me to bring it in. A week and a half later I got my car back with a new clutch, flywheel, and throwout bearing. I was told that this was a one time customer courtesy clutch replace, and it was not a normal warranty fix. They mentioned the foot on the clutch thing to me and it made it like it was actually my fault. It just seemed to me like they were looking for something so they could say it was a user wear issue instead of an actual defect. I bought my car used at about 14k and had old put about a thousand miles before the problem started. My car has been working great ever since. Many people have had this problem and hope you get your cars fixed for free. I hope this helps.



https://www.northamericanmotoring.com...t=clutch+sound

 

I get that noise and it's happened since new. It only happens after I don't drive for a couple of days.

 

How much does a new clutch cost? Should I go for an upgrade, if so, how much would it cost?

 

never heard this noise, but my clutch just went out completely last saturday. The dealership qouted me $2200!!!!! I don't really know too much about cars, but this sounds pretty shady to me. Anyone replaced their clutch already? How much?
btw- I'm a little over 61K.

 

$2800 and 68k miles. The dealership is right. I called around and it is cheaper other places but you need to make sure the person knows MINI's. Luckily in Denver, there are some great choices of MINI mechanics. Good luck.

 

My car finally got into the dealer last week for the clutch noise I wrote about months ago.

They replaced the clutch assembly, throw out bearing, flywheel and other related parts and pieces. MCM told me they could not find anything wrong with the parts that were pulled from the car. All under warranty. I suspect a manufacturing defect that has not been announced by BMW.

I should have the car back this afternoon.

RR

 

^^ good to hear. depending on how loud the howling is it is normal
on most MT's. my MCS makes some noise and so does my G35C...and
my previous MT cars. they all made some noise when clutch-out in
neutral.

but you get new free parts, so that's good news.

 

I have teh same problem on my 02 MCS. It seems that the noise is caused by the clutch plate lining, when cold. Once it heats up it goes away. Even if you are out of warranty, I would call 1800 ASK MINI - they are normally very responsive, and I have had good luck with them in the past. Most service advisors will blow you off as a wear and tear item.

 

That's what I'm thinking. I can't think of anything in the clutch assembly that could howl except for that.

 

well, you know your gears are actually spinning in the tranny box
when you clutch-out, right? even when in N. that makes a little
noise too... especially audible if you're in a garage.

 

ugh... after having my flywheel, pressure plate, clutch and throw-out bearing replaced with the M7 segmented flywheel, matched pressure plate, and new OEM clutch/throw-out bearing, my car still exhibits the same behavior (clutch howl) it did prior to having the parts replaced. :( It's so aggravating cause I spent so much time and money on replacing these components to resolve one problem and I'm still at square one. I've just grown to live with it now, but it always irks me cause I'm worried how it's going to affect the resale value of the car. The sad thing is the day I removed all those parts, I examined the clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel and they appeared to have hardly ANY wear-and-tear. Comparing the clutch with the new one, it had only worn down about 30% compared to new. As a matter of fact, all the parts seemed fine. I suppose the throw-out bearing was causing the issues I had before, but even after replacing it with a new one, I'm doubting it had anything to do with it now. Unless, of course, the throw-out bearing I installed was defective in some way; certainly seemed fine by the naked eye. I just don't understand it cause the car works perfectly fine except when leaving from a stop in first. The problem also never seems to appear from a rolling start in first, just happens from a stop. If anyone has another idea they might can throw my way, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

GotMINI