Hey everyone! So, I will be going into MINI on Friday for a checkup and I was hoping to be as specific as possible in order to get the best results. Perhaps some of you have some suggestions on what I should have them look at? Here are my concerns: First, and probably most prominent is the way the shift knob feels when shifting. Just a precursor, I am depressing the clutch pedal completely before shifting. Regardless of this fact, I am getting a very notchy, clunky, crunchy shift ... it is most noticeable in the lower gears, and very bad in the mornings when it has been sitting. It is a consistent issue, but not an every shift issue. I have even missed a shift or two because of this, and was stuck in neutral before being able to get into a gear. (this has only happened twice and may have been something I did, but I can't be sure). The second issue I am having is a knocking sound every time I use the clutch pedal. And almost a knocking/growling in the lower gears. I feel like this is affecting my driving and is taking a negative toll on the clutch (I hope not too bad). I'd like to seem fairly educated on any common MINI issues regarding tge clutch, so I can have them look at specific things. This will give me a good base for argument if I should need to do so. I don't know if this is just how MINIs sound, but mine almost sounds like it has a cold, if you know what I mean. Kind of like an upper respiratory infection haha And some minor things like a buzzing coming from my door (but you don't have to give me any suggestions for this one) Thank you very much in advance!
It almost sounds like the clutch slave cylinder is suspect. Brand new ones have been reported as bad right out of the box. Air in the line? Defective seal in the slave cylinder. The knocking growling sounds like it could be a bad clutch throw out bearing. Lastly, and maybe the best suggestion, be civil and don't scream and yell or pitch a fit, that tactic will work against you. MINI tends not to be understanding when it comes to clutch problems. Tending to put the blame on operator fault. Oh.... and good luck. Hopefully your warranty covers it Let us know how it worked out. You might even rate your experience here on the forum on how the dealer treated you.
Is this a new car or something older? Hard to tell from your description, but it does sound like it could be the slave cyl..... Could also be a failure of the flywheel, depending on the year. There was a thread on here that showed how some flywheels are failing at the rivets, causing exactly what you're experiencing, but IIRC they were newer cars, like '07, 08's... On an earlier car it could be a motor mount problem.
Minidave-This is a months old MINI if my memory serves me right. Hard to tell from your description what it is. One thing is for certain, there is an issue. What you are experiencing is not right. Let them have it for the day & tell them it is OK to drive it. That is the only way the shifting issue is going to be found out. Unless it is something that just jumps out at the tech. Like has been said before, be civil, but firm. The service dept is not the enemy. They want your MINI fixed & you happy. Our local dealer seems to have no problem replacing a clutch under warranty. I'd guess if it was abused to death that might be another story. Good luck & let us know what they find.
The buzzing from the door... you said not to suggest anything but, does the buzzing stop when you lock the doors?
Yeah, based on the handle, it's a 2011 Cooper. Most definitely under warranty unless of course they deem it was abused. If that's the case, hope they temper it with a "Good Will" approach. Once again how you handle yourself could pay dividends.
Thanks for the replies, I am certainly planning on being civil. I find that nothing ever gets done if you scream ... plus you end up being the bad guy. As for the door, the buzzing occurs when the doors are locked. I have my MINI set to lock the doors automatically. I am in an unfortunate position, because my fiance's new 2010 MINI has been back to this dealership 3 times without a fix. On one occasion, I happened to calmly mention in passing that he wasn't doing his job. I hope that doesn't hurt my chances of getting decent service. If anything, I would hope that the problems my fiance is having would make them want to make me as happy as they possibly can. A whole family of dissatisfied MINI customers can't be too good for them hehe Apart from these issues, I am completely happy with my car ... I will let you guys know how it all turns out! I'm going in on Friday.
Maybe there's another dealer you might try for service? There's nothing saying you have to take it to the selling dealer, especially if you're not happy with their service.
Okay everyone ... I brought my MINI to my dealer. I drove it first while the technician was in the passenger seat, and then he drove it while I rode shotgun. We spent about a half an hour together, talking about the car and I asked a bunch of questions. I didn't have any work done, but I decided that I wasn't going to push. He said that it seems all normal to him, but assured me that clutches were covered under warranty, should I need to bring it back in. He told me about a guy who went in earlier that day that totally abused his MINI ... the clutch was 100% worn down to the point that the car would not move in gear with the clutch all the way up. There were also a lot of heat damage cracks and everything was covered under warranty, even though it was his fault. So, I'm going to just drive my little MINI and enjoy it. If I need to bring it back, I will.
You've documented your concern about the shifting of your MINI. If something fails in the future you can point this visit out to them.
....had a similar situation with a BMW transmission a few years back. No problem we can't find anything wrong right now but we'll document it and it'll be covered. A year later and a couple thousand miles after the warranty ran out and it was just too late, the warranty had run out but we can fix it...$5,000.00 miniumum if we replace it. Took it somewhere else and got it fixed for half the price. Moral is: If you think something might be wrong with it, force the issue before the warranty runs out. Convenient memory loss is at epidemic levels at dealerships.... 2 cents
Well, the car is brand spankin' new, so I have 3 years to figure that one out. I always appreciate the input and will certainly hold the dealer to my warranty if anything elevates. Thank you so much for the messages.
I think we are lucky here in central Ohio. There have been 2 transmission replacements that I know of done after the warranty & covered by the warranty. Our dealer is a good one. I hope yours is too Rigby.