[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

HI all,
Had the revised clutch fitted to my 05 Cooper a month or so ago and all was peachy at first, a vastly smoother drive train and less idle bearing noise..
Aprox 1,000 miles later though I'm experiencing a severe case of the dreaded clutch "judder" and it's beginning to send me cross-eyed..

Symptoms are as follows:
Car will move forward smoothly from a stationary position in first gear with no application of the accelerator pedal or with gentle application of the accelerator pedal - aprox 1000Rpm.

Car will also move forward smoothly from a stationary position in 2nd gear with gentle application of the accelerator pedal - aprox 1500Rpm.

However, in first gear, releasing the clutch whilst the engine is doing anything between 1000 - 3000Rpm results in the car attempting to hop like a bunny unless you ride the friction point and release the clutch fully once the car is moving (extreme clutch wear here we come)..
Above 3000Rpm is generally ok, but I'm not trying to jump off the grid at Le Mans..

It seems to be worse when the car has warmed up.......and strangely enough can be quite temperamental - some days it seems to have gone back to its old reasonably smooth self..

Any ideas on what could be causing this?
I know all Mini's have a little bit of clutch judder (a characteristic ) if not given enough gas, but my Cooper was previously smoother than a hot knife through butter compared to how it is now..

Thanks, Geoff.

...if only everything on this car was as good as the handling and the heated seats it would have no equal

[PPE]

Hi Geoff,
Interesting you say this. I have an 06 Cooper S. My clutch wore out after 2 weeks (6208kms) and I paid $1500 to get it replaced. It would always stall if I didn't rev it above 3000rpms. After they replaced it, everything seemed so much better, even down to not having to struggle to put the car into gear. Now though I'm having troubles putting it into 5th gear. This gear is extremely stiff. I'm wondering if it's maybe another fault with clutch plates or whether it's just that some techies don't know how to fit a clutch assembly properly.

Cheers
Rich

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

HI all,
Well I guess I must be unique in having a clutch that "judders".
Strange thing is the dealership initially replied with "they all do that".

A few weeks further down the line and the "judder" comes and goes when it pleases - never happens when the car is cold and maybe 70% of the time once warmed up.
Occasionally it will go a day without doing it at all.

I'm starting to think it might be engine management software related due to the slightly intermittent and always "once warmed up" nature of the problem, but it doesn't feel like an engine issue, more like a component of the clutch assembly is vibrating as it is released.

Oh well...
Another visit to the dealership - I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't have spent my money elsewhere......sure I think the Mini is a great car......what they got right is pure genius.
The parts they got wrong however are pure c**p and it's beginning to make the ownership of this "new" and "expensive" (lets face it for what it is......it's expensive) car a rather tedious experience.

Cheers Geoff.

[SF2001]

I tried a couple of 2006 Coopers, and both had good smooth gear changes. The 2004 car I drove before ordering my Cooper was also very good, so I am convinced there is a lot of variation between cars.

[Richy777]

I ve got a new Mini with 300 miles on it and today when I was out for my Saturday drive ( I normally drive a Golf through the week) I have found the car hard to get into 1st and 2nd gear. It feels as though the cluch is not pressed all the way down (even though it is). I have also found that the clutch is or seems to be lower to the floor. It is hard to drive the car smoth, I guss I will have to take it back to the dealers and see what they fob me off with. It was definatly not like that when new. Has anyone else had simular problems?

[SF2001]

Quote: Originally Posted by drainaudio

HI all,
Had the revised clutch fitted to my 05 Cooper a month or so ago and all was peachy at first, a vastly smoother drive train and less idle bearing noise...
...if only everything on this car was as good as the handling and the heated seats it would have no equal

Agreed!

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

Groooooooooaaaaannnnnn!!

So after a few weeks of nothing short of 3000Rpm and a very quick drop of the clutch being the only way to avoid the horrible "juddering" (or taking off in second gear......sure you can stall the car and it isn't a quick take-off, but no "juddering" of any kind) the last 3 days the clutch has been smooth as pie......
No "juddering" and the throttle feels much lighter and more responsive..

Do I have some sort of software issue happening here?
Surely if it was a warped pressure or clutch plate there is no way it would fix itself..

No doubt the "juddering" will be back in a day or two..
Guess I'll just enjoy my car driving like it should for £18,000 for a few days

Cheers, Geoff.

[Tubby]

I also have an annoying juddering clutch. I notice mine after I've done a long drive. Last week I was in London two evenings on the trot, and by Friday the clutch was playing hell, juddering both on take off, and occassionally when changing between 1st and 2nd gears.

Mine is an Aug '04 build 54 plate Cooper, and has 23k miles on the clock. I have just booked it in for it's Inspection 1 service this coming Friday, and have asked them to look at the clutch problem while it's in.

The girl on the service desk told me that she's just had hers done too (she obviouisly drives a MINI!) and that hers needed a new 'coil pack' (or back?) No idea what this is, but she seemed to think that this would be the cure, and it was a fairly known problem. I also checked that this should be covered under warranty, and at my mileage she said 'yes, it should be. No problem'.

I'll let you all know what the outcome is, but mine is certainly similar to that you are all describing.

Rgds,
M

[ButtonIt]

Mine does it too

[BRG/Blk Cooper S]

HI Tubby,
Please be sure to get in touch when you have the outcome on this, either in this thread or by PM.

Thanks, Geoff.

[ButtonIt]

In this thread if possible

[Tubby]

Will reply in this thread.

Rgds,
M

[camini]

02 cooper here - I had a clutch replaced (1year ago) because I found it juddering (esp when cold and not used for a while > 1 or 2 days).
The replacement clutch is slightly better, but this winter I noticed slight juddering again..
Had BMW tech drive it and they said - it ain't broken, don't fix it..

So, I have a clutch that is below industry standards for sure (compared to driving any other car from that generation) - and worse than any loaner Coop or One I got..

Anyway, I learned to live with it; it's a very light judder and the clutch is still under warranty if it really becomes too bad..

Clearly not the MINI's best characteristic..
Your judder seems really worse - keep complaining - go to another dealer!

[[MMS]Phil]

Howdy,
I've joined the forum to reply to this thred.

I too had the above mentioned 'judder' on set off. Had it back to the garage, who replaced the clutch with the 'revised' version - unable to tell me what the revisions were - and it is now (touch wood) sorted. All done under warrantly.

Still a little clunky some days, but cetainly lost its judder.

Mini Cooper 54 Plate.

[Tubby]

Well my trip to the dealer last week was less than satisfactory from the clutch point of view...

Apparently they can find nothing wrong with it, and do not agree that there is a judder.

I'm wondering how they can say that when the trip comp told me that they'd driven virtually nowhere (av spd = 2.4mph, consumption = 7.3mpg).

This suggests to me that they just drove it into the works bay and back out again...

Certainly no road testing done from those figures, (which even according to the Inspection 1 regime there should have been?)

Not a happy bunny, and I told them so, and will now have to book the car in for this especially. Interested in the comments about a 'revised clutch' though [MMS]Phil - I'll mention it when I book it for test drive with an engineer...

Disgruntled MC owner...
M

[Mufassa]

This sounds like: "Clutch Shudder" This normally happens when the clutch is released slowly without applying throttle / or applying throttle slowly. Make sure this is on an incline and you should feel the shudder. This is caused by high points in the clutch or the clutch plate. Remedy, take clutch and plate aout and inspect. Any high points replace