Author Topic: Mini Cooper Tranny talk (Read 6285 times)

inco · « **on:** May 18, 2009, 11:51:54 am »

The owner of a 2006 Mini Cooper is not very happy with hers and is just a little upset with BMW. It made the news the other night - $10,700 for a new transmission!

The car has a little over 120k on it and out of warranty. BMW doesn't rebuild the transmissions though - only replace them so the bill was something like $7,400 for the new box, $2,100 to install it and the rest are taxes for a total of just over $10,700.

She is refusing to pay and the car has been sitting at the dealers for six weeks. BMW countered with an offer to reduce the bill by $2,000 as a goodwill gesture, but she won't bite. One would think a transmission should last a lot longer than that, but there, IIRC, may also be service issues that she missed that led to it's failure.

1TSX · « **Reply #1 on:** May 18, 2009, 11:54:12 am »

CVT? They had major issues with the CVT for the previous gen Mini.

http://newmini.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/mini-cooper-transmission-problems/

I believe the current gen Mini uses an Aisin built transmission from Japan.

sailor723 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 18, 2009, 12:42:01 pm »

Hard to say without knowing all the facts but it seems like a pretty stupid move on BMW's part. If it made the news it's probably already cost them more than 10K.

articsteve · « **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2009, 06:57:37 pm »

I knew the clutches were made out of cardboard, but I'm shocked to read that the manual trannies were garbage as well. Problems with the CVT can only be expected. I hate those things.

carsncars · « **Reply #4 on:** May 25, 2009, 04:07:04 pm »

There are two MINI transmissions to steer clear of. The CVT transmission and the 5-speed British Midlands transmission in the first-generation MINI.

Both have been replaced--an Aisin automatic which seems rock-solid, and a 6-speed Getrag which is solid other than some shaky dual-mass flywheels and clutch setups in earlier second-generation builds (I had the clutch taken care of under a service bulletin).

I suppose that's one of the caveats of buying an all-new model. The second generation MINI overall is a more reliable proposition (they've now fixed the cold-start rattle in the S).

johngenx · « **Reply #5 on:** May 25, 2009, 04:39:02 pm »

Sheesh, that's a LOT of dough for a transmission. Early in the life of the Mercedes 722.6 five speed automatic, they had some defects and were failure prone. The cost of a new transmission, converter and ECU was close to $8K, with parts, labour, etc. I thought that was outrageous.

BUT, if you were unfortunate enough to have it last until the warranty was out, Mercedes would sell you a rebuilt (and updated/upgraded) transmission for ~$2500 installed.

articsteve · « **Reply #6 on:** May 25, 2009, 04:51:29 pm »

Both have been replaced--an Aisin automatic which seems rock-solid, and a 6-speed Getrag which is solid other than some shaky dual-mass flywheels and clutch setups in earlier second-generation builds (I had the clutch taken care of under a service bulletin).

Well that is good to know. That makes the 2009 base Mini in manual a very attractive car.

carsncars · « **Reply #7 on:** May 25, 2009, 08:34:04 pm »

Quote from: articsteve on May 25, 2009, 04:51:29 pm

Both have been replaced--an Aisin automatic which seems rock-solid, and a 6-speed Getrag which is solid other than some shaky dual-mass flywheels and clutch setups in earlier second-generation builds (I had the clutch taken care of under a service bulletin).

Well that is good to know. That makes the 2009 base Mini in manual a very attractive car.

Be warned though... a clutch job isn't cheap with the MINI. The "compactness" of the engine/transmission bay means it's even more labour intensive than usual. The invoice I got for the warranty service pegged it at about $1,800 to replace the clutch and pressure plate. Granted, that was at dealership rates.

I have to say, though, MINI Yaletown provided exemplary service. When they identified that the service bulletin applied to my car, they came to pick the car up while I was at school, and left the loaner MINI with me.

carsncars · « **Reply #8 on:** May 25, 2009, 08:38:32 pm »

Quote from: carsncars on May 25, 2009, 08:34:04 pm

Quote from: articsteve on May 25, 2009, 04:51:29 pm
Both have been replaced--an Aisin automatic which seems rock-solid, and a 6-speed Getrag which is solid other than some shaky dual-mass flywheels and clutch setups in earlier second-generation builds (I had the clutch taken care of under a service bulletin).

Well that is good to know. That makes the 2009 base Mini in manual a very attractive car.

Be warned though... a clutch job isn't cheap with the MINI. The "compactness" of the engine/transmission bay means it's even more labour intensive than usual. The invoice I got for the warranty service pegged it at about $1,800 to replace the clutch and pressure plate. Granted, that was at dealership rates.

EDIT: Checked again and it looks like they replaced the flywheel as well. That's slightly more reasonable, then.

I have to say, though, MINI Yaletown provided exemplary service. When they identified that the service bulletin applied to my car, they came to pick the car up while I was at school, and left the loaner MINI with me.

bmorton · « **Reply #9 on:** May 27, 2009, 10:42:14 am »

Quote from: carsncars on May 25, 2009, 08:34:04 pm

Be warned though... a clutch job isn't cheap with the MINI. The "compactness" of the engine/transmission bay means it's even more labour intensive than usual. The invoice I got for the warranty service pegged it at about $1,800 to replace the clutch and pressure plate. Granted, that was at dealership rates.

Do you remember the details of the TSB or what specific symptoms your Mini was exhibiting? I have an '08 Cooper 6M.

articsteve · « **Reply #10 on:** May 27, 2009, 08:33:58 pm »

The Canadian aftermarket wholesale cost on a 08 Mini dual mass flywheel is about $600. so that $1800. is pretty normal for that, clutch disc, pressure plate, bearing and labour.

carsncars · « **Reply #11 on:** May 30, 2009, 01:04:56 pm »

Quote from: bmorton on May 27, 2009, 10:42:14 am

Quote from: carsncars on May 25, 2009, 08:34:04 pm

Be warned though... a clutch job isn't cheap with the MINI. The "compactness" of the engine/transmission bay means it's even more labour intensive than usual. The invoice I got for the warranty service pegged it at about $1,800 to replace the clutch and pressure plate. Granted, that was at dealership rates.

Do you remember the details of the TSB or what specific symptoms your Mini was exhibiting? I have an '08 Cooper 6M.

Slight juddering could be felt (but not heard) at the friction point. I didn't notice it but my MA did when he moved my car. My MA at the dealership said it was a batch of clutch/DMF setups (I can't remember which was causing the problem) and that the juddering would only intensify, so they replaced it all. Apparently on newer builds it has been corrected, though.

Enjoying your Cooper?

It has its quirks (like refusing to open the sunroof when it's hot and sunny out) but it still puts a smile on my face...

bmorton · « **Reply #12 on:** June 01, 2009, 01:36:37 pm »

Thanks for the info. Mine is an early '08 build (12/07) but I can't say I've ever noticed that. Good to know that a fix exists, however.

Very happy with the Mini. First car I've owned that I've never gotten even slightly bored with as time goes on. Fortunately, so far I've been spared most of the quirks - don't have the sunroof issue, for example - and it's been fun. The fuel economy is the icing on the cake.

carsncars · « **Reply #13 on:** June 01, 2009, 05:10:05 pm »

It's interesting to see that the percentage of standard drivers seems to be higher in the MINI, even if we consider just the "Cooper". It's not a performance car, yet a larger proportion of buyers (compared to other marques) seem to prefer it in manual flavour...

Keith Lancaster · « **Reply #14 on:** June 08, 2009, 09:18:47 am »

I have the chance to buy a Mini Cooper, 67.000K and at a very attractive price. After reading and hearing about that tranny, I`ll be steering clear of it. K.L.

mini n trouble · « **Reply #15 on:** June 09, 2009, 11:54:12 am »

Looks like CTV continues to follow the Mini transmission story with more Mini owners having the same problem dealing with BMW Canada. The latest is a 2004 Cooper with only 76 000 K on it, a transmission that no longer works, and a $10 000 - $11 000 replacement charge.

inco · « **Reply #16 on:** June 09, 2009, 04:46:39 pm »

The story did mention that BMW did step up and increase their offer for the first lady, splitting the cost and also doing some other work for. She still has turned them down and had her car flat bedded home.

Now other cars and problems are starting to happen. I don't know if there is a fault with the tranny, but golly there is going to be an even bigger problem with BMW's reputation if this doesn't go away soon. Deciding to make the trannies unrepairable and forcing customers to replace them probably wasn't such a great idea.

You hate to see things like this happen because nobody really wins.

Wetson · « **Reply #17 on:** June 09, 2009, 08:00:38 pm »

The Tranny on my 2003 Mini had to be replaced around the 10 000KM mark,. Auto CVT. To this day I still think it was the biggest POS on the planet.

mini n trouble · « **Reply #18 on:** June 11, 2009, 09:26:54 am »

I saw on the news last night that BMW are stepping up and covering the cost of the transmission on the 2004 mini with 76 000 Km on it.

inco · « **Reply #19 on:** June 11, 2009, 03:52:29 pm »

Quote from: mini n trouble on June 11, 2009, 09:26:54 am

I saw on the news last night that BMW are stepping up and covering the cost of the transmission on the 2004 mini with 76 000 Km on it.

I saw that too - the difference? Car number two, even with more miles, was serviced by dealer on a regular basis. Loyalty rewards?