Have taped up the holes as prescribed in referred thread and I must say it significantly minimized the yo-yo or surging problem further. By the way, I already had my ECU updated about 6 weeks ago.

Since ambient temperature here in Vancouver is down to about 9 degrees Celsius during the day; I cannot quantify exactly how much improvement is attributed to taping the specified holes under the hood and how much to the lower temperatures, but definitely the improvement is worth the effort.

Try it out and see for yourself! :D

I've got it, although it does seem to increase and decrease depending on exterior temperature and engine running time...

I used to think it was just me, since this is the first time I've ever owned a manual transmission car, I just though it was my lack of experience... now with the large number of complaints, I don't feel so bad!

I've done the duct tape mod as well, with no results in this area...

I at first thought it may have been some sort of throttle pedal issue - starts when the clutch is let off, the car lurches a bit, causing your foot to come off the throttle ever so slightly, but as you continue to give the car gas, the car lurches again, causing your foot to press a little bit further, and so on all happening rapidly to cause the next pulse... perhaps if some adjustment was done to the throttle pedal itself, requiring a bit more pressure... that might do the trick.... I dunno, just thinking out loud...

Well, I just realized the other day that my surging is gone. It's either gone or so minimal I can barely notice. Dunno if it is my mileage, now over 6,000, or the cold weather in PA. My MCS is a late June 02 build. Dunno - maybe it will come back. Knock on wood...

Perhaps related, not sure if MTBE is still in the gas here anymore. In addition, I noticed on the highway yesterday that I got over 30mpg average according to the computer, with cruise set at 75mph for about an hour. This is better that I recall seeing perhaps 3 months ago.

Jason

Originally posted by jlivingood
Well, I just realized the other day that my surging is gone. It's either gone or so minimal I can barely notice. Dunno if it is my mileage, now over 6,000, or the cold weather in PA. My MCS is a late June 02 build. Dunno - maybe it will come back. Knock on wood...

Perhaps related, not sure if MTBE is still in the gas here anymore. In addition, I noticed on the highway yesterday that I got over 30mpg average according to the computer, with cruise set at 75mph for about an hour. This is better that I recall seeing perhaps 3 months ago.

Jason
Curiously, my experience seems to be much the same. JF now has 7700 miles on the clock and I live in the same area Jason does. I don't have cruise control but I did an extended trip over New Years and was pleasantly surprised at the increased mileage (mostly Interstate driving) which matches Jason's. FWIW, my MCS is a mid-late May '02.

Guys has anyone noticed that there fuel consumption has gotten worse since the computer upgrade. I know mine has

Cheers


Nick

FWIW, my MCS hasn't had any software changes since the "cold start" patch was installed; after this update yo-yoing was hard to miss. Since then the problem has abated and it's basically gone or hard to spot. Whether this is due to more miles (JF now has about 8300 miles on the clock) or a change in temperatures (we're currently moving between high 20's to low 30's during the day and the high teens to low 20's at night) is unclear. Mileage is currently between 24 and 28 MPG in suburban driving with an occasional sprint down a couple of local twisty roads.:D :D :D

Originally posted by obehave
After a couple days of driving to make sure my yoyo/surging is gone.
How you say, did this miracle occur?
Been gone since I installed the agnaFlow exhaust system.

I had the software update done a couple of months ago and the cold weather seems to have minimized the "yo-yo" surging, but it is still there when accelerating moderately hard through 3,000RPM! :mad:

I like to hear from those who have eliminated this syndrome as to what mods they have done so far. Most irritating!

As others have mentioned, I just put in a BMP intake, and the yo-yo is gone. gone also is the slight hesitation from standstill.

Originally posted by lotoole3
As others have mentioned, I just put in a BMP intake, and the yo-yo is gone. gone also is the slight hesitation from standstill.

Thanks. Maybe I should seriously consider the upgrade. Do you persoanlly feel the BMP intake was worth the money? I understand there is really hardly any power increase. How about seat-of-the-pants feel?

As a long time K&N guy I was hesitant to buy this filter kit too until I read a review from someone on this list who spoke of the hesitation loss... he also described the seat of the pants feeling best by saying "the car feels like it's a lot lighter".

That's what did it for me. I must say I agree. There is no huge power gain - your head won't snap back after to you bolt it on... the car just feels stronger, lighter, more willing to pull at lower RPMs and throughout... it gets out of its own way. Plus you have seen some people have reported the yo-yo effect subsiding.

It's a good bang for the buck, considering the price of some of the other filter kits out there. Whether this filter is the best one or not, or if the filter and the yo-yo effect are related or not is anyone's guess. I like it.

Thank you lotoole3 for your input. Much appreciated. Any discounts or suggestion on where to get the best deal? :D TIA.

Sorry, no discounts that I know of. I went directly through BMP. Their $170 price isn't all that bad though. Give it a while and it may come down, or they may have a sale...

My MCS has the problem that you all describe so well.

Thing is, HASN'T BMW ISSUED A STATEMENT SHOWING THEIR INTENT TO RESOLVE THIS RIDICULOUS UNREFINED FEATURE OF OUR MINIS?

crikey, I've owned two new BMW's before this MCS and never have I had such a problem with them. BMW not solving this is sickening, I just hope their reading this thread, because I fear sooner or later I'll be handing back my keys and asking for a refund - or a new car.

There's no excuse for this taking so long to solve BMW.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Mine was in yesterday for the AirBag problem, seat belt tensioner. Anyway, I asked to have the latest SW loaded. They did, it did not fix the yoyo problem. I a follow up email I got this reply from the service advisor:

"If I’m not mistaken that issue is still under investigation with the Mini Engineering Dept. Apparently they don’t have a solution for this problem at this time. "

Bummer.

Originally posted by cpeters1
Mine was in yesterday for the AirBag problem, seat belt tensioner. Anyway, I asked to have the latest SW loaded. They did, it did not fix the yoyo problem. I a follow up email I got this reply from the service advisor:

"If I’m not mistaken that issue is still under investigation with the Mini Engineering Dept. Apparently they don’t have a solution for this problem at this time. "

Bummer.

What version of the software did they download onto your car?

What dealer in South Florida did you take it to?

I highly recommend you getting in touch with Jay Gelfand, MINI service advisor at Lauderdale MINI in Ft Lauderdale, FL.

Jay's number there is (954)763-4777 Ext 22453

Good luck.

Mine went in for the 10000 service a Mon & Today, a couple of months ago the regional guy came out for a spin with me in my car at my request, he suggested that this problem was due to the supercharger seals. It had new ones put on and the problem seems to have gone on the way home this evening. I'll have to do some more driving to confirm, but dare I say it....looks like it's fixed :D

I'll post again tomorrow with further impressions of whether I'm sure or not.

Andy

I took it to Lauderdale MINI and spoke with Max. I'll forward him these replies. Thanks.

You could try also getting in touch with John Crews, MINI service advisor at South Motors MINI in Miami. See if they give you the same response as Max Cabrera from Lauderdale MINI. I personally prefer to work with Jay Gelfand than Max...he seems to have a more customer service oriented attitude.

Just my opinion.

YEP!! The new seals have done the trick, try as I might this morning, I couldn't get it to yo-yo! It's nice to be able to drive under gentle acceleration without looking like a nodding dog!

Andy

:D :D :D :dark:

So what's the scoop? It seems like there have been about 5 different fixes that have worked for this problem. Varius fixes are: 1)Software upgrade, 2)New Intake, 3) New Exhaust, 4) Taping up holes on underside of hood, and now 5) Supercharger seals.

Is it really fixed or not? What percent of people have experienced this problem? I haven't been pushing my dealer on my MCS which is due in May hoping this issue gets resolved..... I don't know what to think now. Thanks in advance!

Motor on.

As an update to this, see my new post,

New SW, 1st Gear Stutter?????????

Anyone else have this issue. I can live with the yoyo, but this is very annoying.

Put it this way 10500 miles of yo-yoing I was pretty fed up with it and knew it pretty well, I also know that whatever they did yesterday fixed it to the point where I can't even detect it slightly, they said they'd replaced the supercharger seals, maybe they did an s/w update, but if you've got this problem, it's definately worth a pop because my car's so much nicer and more satisfying to drive now.

Andy

Originally posted by Goul
Guys has anyone noticed that there fuel consumption has gotten worse since the computer upgrade. I know mine has

Cheers


Nick

Mine got better & the drive "feels" better.

Put my S in to have the hiccup and yoyo addressed today. The service center told me they couldn't/won't diagnose the problem as I have a pulley upgrade. Even though they acknowledge the problems where there before and after the upgrade.... CRAP ... I hate BMW and all their phone calls for service report surveys.... Just fix the freekin car

Originally posted by Zulu
Put my S in to have the hiccup and yoyo addressed today. The service center told me they couldn't/won't diagnose the problem as I have a pulley upgrade. Even though they acknowledge the problems where there before and after the upgrade.... CRAP ... I hate BMW and all their phone calls for service report surveys.... Just fix the freekin car
I hate to say it but I agree with the dealer. Maybe all you did is change the pulley and maybe you did all sorts of stuff inside the engine. How can they tell? If they work on the car and then Something Bad happens, it's a sure thing it's all going to come back in their faces. They're being asked to warranty your engine mods and, wisely, they're saying "no".

Put another way, once you tweak the engine, you're saying, in effect, "I know enough to go beyond what the factory did". The upside is you've got a stronger motor. The downside is you're now responsible for maintaining the motor because you said "I know enough to go beyond what the factory did".

What about those of us without engine mods?

Originally posted by ashley adam
What about those of us without engine mods?

Well, if it's a stock motor, of course they should support the vehicle. But if you changed the pulley, as I understood your earlier note to read, you've got engine mods (the smaller pulley) and you're no longer covered. I don't know the English warranty and laws relating to warranty but I'll bet a dollar to a donut that somewhere it says, in effect, "if it isn't stock, it isn't under warranty or support".

Keep in mind the pulley gives more boost, you get a stronger motor but the motor is stressed by the extra boost and that means shorter component lifetimes. I can't see MINI saying "well, yes, by all means beat the motor up; we'll cover it." Now, if you buy the 200 hp kit from MINI, they're saying "we did the work, we know what we did, and here's what we'll cover." But warranty "shade tree mechanic" work? Not gonna happen, friend. :)

Living in the US you should be aware of the Magnuson-Moss Act. Basically it is a consumer protection Act enforced by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) The jist of it is that it is up to the manufacturer of the product (in this case Mini) to prove that whatever you added or modded on the car has caused the problem you now have. In my case BMW/Minis stance is that they won't touch the car with the pulley upgrade on it. I had the service manager drive the car before the pulley mod @ 240 miles on the odo and acknowledge there is a problem. At that time I told him my intent to mod the pulley. The problem was witnessed by the service manager with no mods to the car... the very same problem exists after the mod... Now you could say that I have changed the performance characteristics of the car...NO ... the same outstanding performance characteristics still exist as they did before... the "hiccup and the yoyo"
Now then I was told by the service agent that they couldn't do diagnostics on the car because they would now have different values and to get service I would have to re-install the original pulley. CRAP It's not like I turned the car upside down and changed their diagnostics port so they can't plug in... and any tech worth his salt would be able to work the problem out with slightly higher boost pressure... after all I assume BMW will be servicing the JCW cars with the same reduction pulley. No one is disputing that the pulley has caused the problem with the car. It hasn't. They're just saying they can't perform "proper diagnostics on the car. Magnusom-Moss Act - PROVE IT!!!
Now here is what I really think - BMW have absolutely no idea how to fix the problem (yet) otherwise there wouldn't be these thousands of threads on surge/hiccup and yoyo. BMW know that they have sold me and many of you a car that doesn't work even by definition a "motor car" should "motor" not hiccup and splutter. This is why there has been no official acknowledgment of the problem. I have made all of the sales people where I bought my car aware of the problems I and many of you are having. They are now knowingly selling defective cars that they know there is no present fix for. I hate to say it but someone is going to get hurt when their car is rammed by a truck because their Mini hiccupped. This is a serious safety issue and not being treated as such by Mini/BMW. Another reason there is no acknowledgment by them. A cooper S is supposed to GO not hiccup.
Bottom line for my predicament is BMW/Mini will do anything they can not to do any warrantee on my one month old 1200 mile car that I paid $27,000 for. I also have previously bought and serviced a BMW 540 from the same dealership. Talk about looking after your customers. #$@%%$$#@
On the Mini USA home page there is a link called "trick your own Mini" I think this should read "Trick you into buying a LEMON"
I now say FTC more that DSC.

Good luck to you all and may you not be rear ended while huccupping.


Sorry for the vent but this all STINKS :mad:

Originally posted by Sashadog
I too, have felt a slight surging under acceleration. It seems independant of the a/c and load. I would say at about half or more throttle and around 3.5k on the tach.

same here....:(

I could take it to another dealer but it's Mini USAs decision not to touch the car. The SE area tech rep made the decision. Don't understand why they just don't own up and say we sold you a dud and have no fix for it - instead of ****ing me around to take off the pulley. I think they are buying time as a fix may be close.