Hesitation at startup

[calbear]

I have a new Cooper S (500 miles on it now). When starting out in 1st gear or reverse for the first time after starting the engine, the car will hesitate and almost buck when the clutch is about 2/3 of the way out. If I immediately stop the car and then start rolling again without killing the engine, the hesitation/buck goes away and will not come back unless the car is shut off for more than about 10 minutes. Has anyone else had this problem? I thought it had to do with the engine being cold, but warming up the engine seems to make no difference, and it will only do this 1 time after getting the car rolling from a stop after initial startup. My impression is that this is a software problem. Any thoughts/suggestions? Thanks

[Nosdrovni]

I have exactly the same problem. My Cooper S also has 500 miles on it. My dealer says it will go away after break-in, but I don't believe him. Some people here say a software upgrade (cd 32.x or cd 33) will cure it, but some people had the software upgrade and it didn't solve their problem.

Maybe your dealer can help you more then mine did. Tell us if they solved it.

cheers,
Nos

[gedster]

Only had my MCS a week, March 2003 build.
I'm really happy with it - a good choice.
I've done about 350 miles so far but I've noticed that
sometimes from standstill in 1st gear and from 3rd to 4th, there seems to be a flat-spot where the car will hesitate then jerk forward and accelerate as normal. I thought it was the difference in biting point from my old car and the fact that the clutch may not be bedded-in yet. Could this be the reason??
I've tried maintaining an even throttle pressure and letting out the clutch progressively but its hit or miss whether it 'jerks' or not.
I would think that being such a new build, it would have
the latest version of software on the ECU so maybe thats
not the issue here.
I think that I'll live with it while the miles rack up and if its still there up to the first service, then I'll let the dealership know.

Let me know if this has happened in anyone else's MCS.

[GTmini]

New MCS, same problems, end of Feb 2003 build. I originally thought I was rustier at driving a manual than I thought, but after awhile it finally clicked that it was these two issues that everyone had always been discussing. I'm living in a super hilly area right now so I thought that was it, but then I realized it didn't explain the stumbling when starting off downhill.

I was also hoping my build would have had the latest software, but I'm guessing that it was still just a *bit* too early to get the 33.1 software. Unfortunately, I think the only way to figure out your software version without going to the dealer requires having the OBC.

[Lizard]

Getting to be quite a few threads on this subject... Gotta believe that MINI will come up with a fix soon.

[Restyle]

Just a thought, But have you made sure the A/C is OFF.
I switched mine on this week for the first time in 7 months & promptly suffered a Similar power-loss.

[GTmini]

nah, I (not sure about everyone else) almost always have my A/C off and it happens, so I'm pretty sure that's not it.

[GBMINI]

Also check with DSC/ASC off in case it is a wheel spin issue.

[mfeidler]

I have the same problem on my 1 month old MCS. It still has not gone away after 1100 miles. I have it the first time I release the clutch after starting the car. It doesn't matter if the A/C or ASC is on or off. It always seems to happen at the worse time for me too. I hope there is a confirmed fix for this soon!

still loving my car!
Mike