[mrdudley]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

It is very possible OP's driving style, and riding the clutch in/out of his garage every day as well as around his tight parking lot could've led to the excessive wear. My very first car was a manual Mitsubishi Eclipse. I learned how to drive manual on it, by myself (not very well). At 10k mi, driving up a hill, clutch went to the floor & car wouldn't move. After a tow to the dealership, yep burned the clutch up & it needed replaced. If I'm not mistaken the M2 has hill assist, so there shouldn't be any reason to "feather" the clutch into the garage or around the parking lot?

I have to park deep in a narrow garage with 3 other cars (in SF) with a very aggressive and tight turn into my spot. No way I could get out without feathering. If I dropped the clutch in reverse I’d slam into a wall.

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by mrdudley

I have to park deep in a narrow garage with 3 other cars (in SF) with a very aggressive and tight turn into my spot. No way I could get out without feathering. If I dropped the clutch in reverse I’d slam into a wall.

There's a difference between feathering and riding. My third garage is a standard single door & my Z06 is very wide. I maybe have 2 inches either side between the mirrors and the opening. I back in, so I, like you, have to feather the clutch. I suspect what OP described as "feathering" may be more riding it based on the description of his garage, parking lot & limited manual driving experience. But I could be wrong.

[gondolafanclub]

this is making me nervous with my coming m2 being my first manual lol do they still offer some kind of wear parts agreement that covers clutch replacement?

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

There's a difference between feathering and riding. My third garage is a standard single door & my Z06 is very wide. I maybe have 2 inches either side between the mirrors and the opening. I back in, so I, like you, have to feather the clutch. I suspect what OP described as "feathering" may be more riding it based on the description of his garage, parking lot & limited manual driving experience. But I could be wrong.

Face a similar situation with my M2 and my garage. Can't get the car straight in front of the open garage but have to come in at an angle. And this requires a full lock turn.

I feather/slip the clutch because fully engaged the car's speed would be just a bit too fast for my comfort level as I back into the garage.

(Even backing into a parking space requires I use less than full clutch engagement to keep the backing speed at a safe/sane level.)

I slip the clutch with no extra throttle. The clutch being eased into some level of engagement needs -- at least in my experience -- no additional throttle. The engine controller will counter the bit of load and the engine maintains idle RPMs.

The process of backing in takes just a a few seconds and the clutch slippage is minimal. After never any odor from the clutch.

And the outside mirrors clear the garage and the car is centered in the garage.

[mrdudley]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

There's a difference between feathering and riding. My third garage is a standard single door & my Z06 is very wide. I maybe have 2 inches either side between the mirrors and the opening. I back in, so I, like you, have to feather the clutch. I suspect what OP described as "feathering" may be more riding it based on the description of his garage, parking lot & limited manual driving experience. But I could be wrong.

Fair point. I certainly don’t hold at the friction point. Get a bit of momentum and clutch back in.

[RobM2]

Don't we all feather the clutch all the time and our cars are fine?

I don't think that's the problem here.

[thathazelkid]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

It appears BMW determined the excessive clutch wear & subsequent failure was not a manufacturing defect, thus warranty was denied. If the only manual driving experience for OP was a 2014 Fiat 500L, that is quite a bit different than an M2. Having owned a 2012 Fiat 500 Sport, that was one of the easiest and effortless manuals I've ever owned.

It is very possible OP's driving style, and riding the clutch in/out of his garage every day as well as around his tight parking lot could've led to the excessive wear. My very first car was a manual Mitsubishi Eclipse. I learned how to drive manual on it, by myself (not very well). At 10k mi, driving up a hill, clutch went to the floor & car wouldn't move. After a tow to the dealership, yep burned the clutch up & it needed replaced. If I'm not mistaken the M2 has hill assist, so there shouldn't be any reason to "feather" the clutch into the garage or around the parking lot?

Also no reason to pay $8,600 in case of potential future issues. If an independent shop quoted you $4,500, and they have a good reputation, that's where you should've taken it.

Whoa! Thank you for the comparison to The Fiat and the Mitsu, adds some clarity. My M2 has hill assist but I've never felt it kick in on this incline (and I know it functions on others). I smelled a burning smell twice in my garage, I just assumed it was my parking (as that was the only time i had ever smelled a clutch burn, in this or any car).

Coming from a Fiat into an M2, my assumption was the Fiat would have failed much faster, M2 more durable, etc., especially because the car was 1/3 the price of the M2. I did my best to shift carefully as I knew a repair would be expensive, clearly I was not shifting carefully enough.

[ajchoi]

Originally Posted by thathazelkid

Whoa! Thank you for the comparison to The Fiat and the Mitsu, adds some clarity. My M2 has hill assist but I've never felt it kick in on this incline (and I know it functions on others). I smelled a burning smell twice in my garage, I just assumed it was my parking (as that was the only time i had ever smelled a clutch burn, in this or any car).

Coming from a Fiat into an M2, my assumption was the Fiat would have failed much faster, M2 more durable, etc., especially because the car was 1/3 the price of the M2. I did my best to shift carefully as I knew a repair would be expensive, clearly I was not shifting carefully enough.

Where do you leave your foot when you’re cruising? And how does taking off from 1st sound when your car was driving normally? Does it sound like it’s hesitating a bit? These BMW clutches have a different catch point than most other manuals I’ve driven - and that took a couple drives to get used to taking off in first. And I’ve driven manuals most of the cars I’ve owned for the 20 years I’ve had my license. Not saying you’re driving wrong but if you are I’d love to make sure you don’t burn another clutch! No judgement haha

One final note is some cars are just much more forgiving to beat on the clutch with. That said, I had a Honda that would take an absolute beating but saw the same Honda with a burned out clutch because it turned out the owner was resting his foot on the clutch when cruising

[DSTR]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

Having owned a 2012 Fiat 500 Sport, that was one of the easiest and effortless manuals I've ever owned.

My 2010 Abarth 500 was a superb fun machine. Effortless fun. Clutch/ gearbox silky smooth!

[Ravenseal]

Buying a used manual car is always a risk, and the clutch is always one of the biggest factors. Sorry you're going through this OP. Almost all manufacturers are hard pinned on clutch and flywheel components being a wear item and refuse any coverage. Your best bet is always to work with a highly regarded performance shop, specially if its one that works on track cars, for clutch replacement. You should be able to buy a replacement clutch online from a BMW dealership at a significant discount than your local parts department, unless they'll price match. The mark up is always insane through the dealership.

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

Buying a used manual car is always a risk, and the clutch is always one of the biggest factors.

Totally agree. I got my current Z06 home with 17k mi and the next morning the clutch pedal went to the floor pulling out of my garage. Thankfully, having owned another C6 Corvette, I knew there was a known issue with the clutch master cylinder. I was able to order the updated part for $100 and swap it out myself, then get reimbursed from GM for the cost of the part & my labor because they had issues a TSB for that issue.

Learned that the previous owner hadn't changed any of the fluids except oil because he thought he didn't have to due to the low mileage. I probably wouldn't buy a used manual sports car unless I knew the owner, it had complete service/maintenance records, or I could fix any potential issues myself.

[two_three_two]

Originally Posted by JABCAT

I probably wouldn't buy a used manual sports car unless I knew the owner, it had complete service/maintenance records, or I could fix any potential issues myself.

...or its a mass production japanese car with ample parts supply that i know won't mug me every time it touches a lift

[rk95]

Originally Posted by gondolafanclub

this is making me nervous with my coming m2 being my first manual lol do they still offer some kind of wear parts agreement that covers clutch replacement?

Buy the $900 upgraded BMW care and it covers the clutch

[NorCalAthlete]

If the clutch already had issues at 300 miles it shouldn't have lasted to 11,000 to begin with IMO. If the first owner was drifting it and beating on it THAT hard, I imagine it would have already been obvious and failed / had significant issues by the first couple of thousand miles. Additionally, if the oil change at 11k is the first service OP brought it in for, it means he too skipped the break in 1200 mile service. Though that's more of an engine thing than a clutch thing.

I'm highly skeptical here that the issue is on BMW vs OP. And I've been driving manuals for almost 30 years, including motorcycles. The fastest I've ever seen someone burn out a clutch was from doing rolling burnouts for a photoshoot. Toasted a brand new clutch in 1 weekend (and I was there for the purchase + subsequent riding + photoshoots). 2nd fastest was a motorcycle where a buddy was learning to stunt on it and burned out his clutch trying to do burnouts and wheelies. Even that took about a month of weekly effort though. So for OP's to last to 11k, it doesn't sound like he was doing drifting / sideshow / burnouts excessively, but I have a hard time believing his driving style / habits didn't come into play more than anything else.

Point is, if it lasted till 11k, it most likely wasn't the first owner and wasn't BMW's fault. BMW overall has a pretty great manual transmission. Ford / Chevy have pretty mushy clutches, Porsche has extremely stiff clutches, VW/BMW tend to be a nice balance of smooth + precise. Haven't driven a manual Ferrari or Lambo so I can't speak to those. I've only driven manual Ford/Chevy/Honda/Acura/VW/BMW/Mercedes.

[ajchoi]

Originally Posted by NorCalAthlete

If the clutch already had issues at 300 miles it shouldn't have lasted to 11,000 to begin with IMO.

This is why I thought OP might be resting their foot on the clutch when cruising. My dad’s been working on cars for 50 years now and he’s seen that many times. Aaaand I officially reminded myself I’m now old too lol