Back in August of 2005 I leased a new 2005 Mini S and before it hit 10,000 it started making a strange squeeky sound when I would take off when I took it in for its first mainentance I told service about it but when I picked up the car they said they did not hear the noise, but they would note it down. Well now the car has 22,000 miles and I took it to the same place because the coolant was leaking and I mentioned that it was still making the squeeky noise and sometines it smelt like burning. After fixing the coolant problem they told me they had good and bad news. The good news is they heard it and the bad news is it's the clutch and they will take it apart and determine if I was the cause. Also, to put it back together would be $1500 alone not including service. I have never had this problem with any other car that was a stick. Has anyone had this problem?

 

Wrong forum. 2nd Generation is 2007- (coupes)
If the car is a 2005 and has 22,000 miles on it, diagnosing (taking apart) the clutch "squeeking" should be covered under warranty (i.e.: free).

If they're already trying to charge you $1500 just to take it apart and check it... they're probably going to charge you for the repair, and tell you that a clutch is a wear item. Depending on what's wrong with it, that could be the case... that you are the cause of the problem. $1500 is way to high IMHO though, and I would talk to the service manager or find a different dealer before I let them work on the car.

 

Thanks,

I'll re-write it in the right forum.

 

Do you know that to "check" the clutch, you have to drop the whole front subframe and pull out the transmission? That's a 6 hour job - and another 6 to reassemble?

Clutch discs or linings are considered a wear item, and NOT covered under a MINI warranty, just like tires.

Most clutch problems do stem from owner abuse, sorry, that's a fact.

 

Fact? Maybe, but not all.

 

my clutch squeaks and its at the shop now...

The SA said it may be the clutch fork. Its under warranty. dropped it off monday at 830... suppose to be done maybe tomorrow or thursday..

They are also fixing my rattling sunroof though so that may be part of it.

 

Actually, the brakes and clutch are covered under your 3/36000 part of the service coverage/warranty. If you have a record of your first occurence of this problem at 10,000 miles, you should not have any problems getting the clutch replaced under warranty. I would contact MINI directly if I were you if they give you a hassel. Furthermore, a replaced clutch should cost $1700 with labor. Flywheel should be an extra $500. These numbers were given to me from a New York area delearship.

 

Didn't say "all". Most.

papafoxtrot - read your owner's manual. Clutch discs and linings are NOT COVERED under full maintenance , warranty, or any other program.

 

I've had three clutches and a flywheel replaced in the past year (10,150 miles), and I sure haven't paid a dime for repairs. Can't believe their repairing it out of kindness. Unfortunately, it started the 'ol 3-2 squeal within a week again! SO... I'm going through a buy-back process, and am considering an automatic. Love the car; hate the problem.

 

The clutch IS covered under the maintenance plan.

Perhaps you should read your service and warranty manual. It specifically says it covers the clutch on page "1".

George or Duke should be able to tell ya


I have a hard time believing a MA didn't know that.

 

Very interesting!! I dunno why this thread didn't come up when I did my search but I am glad I found it because I am experiencing some major issue with my clutch!!

 

Hah?? Say again???

This is one of the biggest lines of total complete BS Ive ever read on this forum. The first gen cars have documented records of throwout bearing issues (after all they are plastic), defective master and slave cylinders, and DM flywheel glazing, among other problems, all of which are covered under the OEM warranty--like when my dealer replaced my glazed DM flywheel and clutch under warranty NQA about 3 months ago, along with my clutch master cylinder.

Yes on third party extended warranties clutches and flywheels, like brake linings and wiper blades, are considered wear items and NOT covered, but they are under the MINI 4/50K OEM warranty, which is bumper-to-bumper.

yours is the kind of uninformed statement that perpetuate further misunderstandings between customers and the dealers. I think a retraction is in order.

 

My MCS is an '05 and I noticed my squeeky clutch issue (feels like rubbing your finger against wet rubber) arise a few months ago at 35K. As it's more of an annoyance at this point (even though the squeek is becoming more pronounced), I will probably hold off on getting it into the shop until my next scheduled service, which should hit @ 42K. Luckily I purchased the original extended service contract which extends the maintenance plan to 4 years/ 50K. Otherwise I would have demanded the issue be addressed fully at 35K when I first noticed the issue.

Perhaps for greater clarification, the brakes & clutch are covered under the service contract (which covers pretty much all items, except things related to the tires), not the warranty (which covers all things that are not wear & tear items). I've read of a number of people being stuck with an expensive clutch bill when they've had clutch work done after 36K and their service contract ran out.

I was wondering if anyone knows if the replacement clutch has been changed in any way for better durability...such as cutting down on the use of plastics in places where plastics have no place being? Are people with who purchased '07/'08 MCSCs having clutch issues as well? Inquiring minds wanna know! It would absolutely suck if the replacement clutch parts are the exact same thing as the things that went south in the first place. Can we say thermostat gasket/housing failure?

 

the flywheel glazing is still evident on R56, but owners can self-repair that problem themselves due to the engine's much increased torque, something the iron block blown Tritec lump simply doesnt have.

Except for tires, ALL drivetrain components, clutch and flywheel included, are covered for 4 years or 50,000 miles, which ever occurs first, under the bumper-to-bumper mfgr OEM warranty, which is a different animal that the (extended) scheduled maintenence warranty that you (and I too) bought when we purchased our cars. That mtce is determined by the service level indicator in the car's computer. I just confirmed this with my SA.

 

sequence WTF I dont openly bash motards Seriously grow up. Both gens have a great car..
Hows that tune on your car wait you cant have it done hahahaha

 

I have no idea what y're attempting to say here. My posts were correcting the misstatement that clutches and flywheels are not covered under the OEM BTB warranty, which they are, and pointing out that the new cars still have the same clutch and flywheel issues as the older cars.

Me grow up?? Why dont you *read* the posts before making such a moronic comment. Dude.

 

Ooo! A p*ssing contest! W00t! Can I watch? Huh? Can I?
C'mon, guys. This isn't helping anybody.

 

the flywheel glazing is still evident on R56, but owners can self-repair that problem themselves due to the engine's much increased torque, something the iron block blown Tritec lump simply does'nt have.

the tritec comment was pointless.
Btw I read just fine.

 

Well i collected my 2006 today after having the clutch and T/O bearing and collar replaced under warrantee at 17,500 miles.

Quite a big job with the engine out and a week off the road.

peter

 

Well, there ya go then. Warranty and everything. Glad to hear the great outcome, Peter.
Happy motoring!

 

Well, now I'm in a similar boat. 2005 MCS driving the other night, a lotta noise, wouldn't go into gear without turning engine off, shifting, then restarting. Dealer just called me and said I'd be on the hook for 22 hours labor at 110.00 to find out if it was the clutch or the trans, and that if it was the clutch, it would be on me because my maintenance ran out three weeks ago but the car is still on the 4 year/48k. I told them I'd get back to them next week. I'm inclined to call Mini corporate on Monday. It just seems wrong. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Who has had positive experiences with Mini dealers in NJ? I won't mention the one I'm dealing with....yet. Alternately, if I'm really not covered, who knows of a non-dealer in NJ that they think highly of? Many thanks in advance.