Perhaps I bragged on my dealership too much. Perhaps I smiled a bit too much at the autocross when I told them, “The dealer is going to replace my clutch for free!”
But, they’re not.
Did some reasearch; apparently both clutches in the MC + MCS are total crap, and have been expiring at an alarming rate as the fleet of ‘02 and ‘03 coopers approaches 50k-75k miles.
Found a clutch, pressure plate, and throwout bearing that look nice and sturdy
at MiniMania.com
Only problem is, that’s $450 BEFORE installation. On the bright side, the car should never need another clutch.