Mini John Cooper Works (R56) - Clutch Replacement - Dual Mass Flywheel too???? | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

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Tue 20 May 2014 13:45

Mini John Cooper Works (R56) - Clutch Replacement - Dual Mass Flywheel too???? - technik21

My clutch has been shuddering slightly on take off. No clutch slip, but the pedal has been quite stiff too. It's done 68,000 miles. (5,000 of which are mine, having owned it for a year now)
When I bought the car last year, there was no sign of any shuddering, but in the last 6 months I'm now aware of it.
So it seems this is an early sign of clutch wear. As confirmed by my dealer.

My question is, if the DMFlywheel looks to be ok (after the garage has had a look at it), should I be happy at just getting the clutch replaced alone?

I was told by the tech that if the DMF isn't damaged, then there's no point in spending the £600 or so for the part alone to replacie it, as it should be fine.

I just thought that due to the high cost of labour to get to the DMF, is it false economy not to replace it as a matter of course, or are they reliable if the clutch hasn't affected it?
Sure, I'd sooner save £600, but don't want to be paying large for another strip down to replace the DMF in a short while.

I'm not sure if the flywheels "wear out" natrually or not, if there is no damaged caused to them otherwise?

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Tue 20 May 2014 14:14

Mini John Cooper Works (R56) - Clutch Replacement - Dual Mass Flywheel too???? - gordonbennet

Movement of the DMF can be measured when its out, and a sensible decision made.

Depending on who is doing the job and how much the labour charges are will help you make your mind up whether to change it.

As it's juddering, and we assume thats due to clutch wear only and not other reasons such as a weak engine/gearbox mounting, sticking or worn clucth operating/release mechanism, then you should get this job done as quickly as possible, if the clutch plate wears down too far then the flywheel friction surface will be damaged, and the choice whether it needs changing or not taken for you.

If the juddering has been pronounced it won't have done the DMF any good.

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Tue 20 May 2014 14:39

Mini John Cooper Works (R56) - Clutch Replacement - Dual Mass Flywheel too???? - MrEckerslikefromRamsbottom

My own personal thoughts - unclouded by technical facts --

Dual Mass Flywheels fail, as far as I can gather, when the springs between the two halves start to break, and the chances of the springs snapping are greater, I would assume, in a higher-powered engine or one that is driven with clumsy use of the clutch pedal. Just as both my front suspension springs broke on the coldest winter day a couple of years ago, then the springs in the DMF could fail earlier if subjected to extremes of temperature, and if you keep the car in a garage rather than on the drive, then all its bits should last longer.

And if you do replace the flywheel, then like suspension springs, the springs in the lower-priced replacements will be of a lower quality.

So my thoughts are - if you drive in a sedate and mature manner, the flywheel should last much longer than 70K miles. But then again, the clutch has failed in less than 70K miles, which could show that the previous owner is someone who drives a car hard then trades it in for a new one and lets the next owner inherit the problems which he has caused!

You just don't know, do you? Is the Mini clutch known for early failure (that is, is the clutch too small for the car?) or was the previous owner heavy-footed?

Clutch judder, in my experience, occurs when the clutch plate is down to its rivets.

If you ask the dealer to do the clutch change, try to have a dash-cam fitted first, because when you run through the video afterwards, you will most likely find that the dealer has driven the car to the local clutch and transmission specialist and got them to do the job.. but they won't tell you that! That, again, is in my experience! A Roadhawk or similar can be so useful. Surprisingly, the garage didn't notice it and left it plugged in... So you'll end up paying more than you need to 'cause the dealer will want his handling fee on top of whan the specialist charges.

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Tue 20 May 2014 15:02

Mini John Cooper Works (R56) - Clutch Replacement - Dual Mass Flywheel too???? - technik21

Thanks for the replies.

The car is currently at the main BMW dealer for the clutch replacement, and until they strip it down, they can't comment on the condition of the DMF yet.

I know I'm going to be paying top dollar for this job, by taking it to the main dealer, but felt more confident in the fact that at least genuine parts will be used (with 2yr parts\labour warranty), and also technical knowledge of the car itself by the workshop techs is reassuring too.

I managed to get a bit of a deal with this job, as I'm also having the oil feed pipe to the turbo replaced too (which involves part of the same front end strip down for access)

My driving style isn't that of "flooring it" everywhere I go, so I don't abuse the clutch in this way. Yes, it maybe that the previous owners had more aggressive driving styles.

The juddering only occurs in first gear, and isn't that harsh, so hopefully I may have caught it in time before any damage to the DMF may have occurred.

Still in two minds to have the DMF replaced anyway....

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Wed 21 May 2014 14:42

Mini John Cooper Works (R56) - Clutch Replacement - Dual Mass Flywheel too???? - technik21

Just to finish this thread..

The DMF was damaged (signs of heat and tiny fine cracks), so it was replaced too.

From reading the horror stories on the Net about Mini's and clutches\DMF's failing at very low mileages, will see how long mine lasts for.

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