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MINI Cooper Clutch & Transmission Questions

218 messages,  Last post on Jun 27, 2009 at 5:38 PM

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What is this discussion about? MINI Cooper, Transmission, Convertible, Hatchback

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#209 of 218 The saga of my 2007 mini cooper s by vetventure Jun 14, 2009 (7:11 am)
In the continuing saga of my mini cooper experience, new clutch at 2200 miles,new oil pump 6000 miles, 4th set of tires at 13000 miles. Failed ball joint and knuckle joint on passenger side 14000 miles. Complained of excessive oil use 3 quarts in 1000 miles no smoke or oil on the driveway. Dealer discovered oil leaking from rear engine oil seal removed seal to find crankshaft had over 1/2 inch of play that had effectively destroyed all main bearings. Engine, transmission and clutch plus front end were replaced under warranty within $4000.00 of the value of the car. Why they just did not give me a new one I'll never know. The crankshaft problem meant that only 70% of the clutch contacted the flywheel which caused scorching and excessive wear. Have your dealers check the crankshaft if your clutch is failing early.
#210 of 218 I WANT TO BUY A USED MINI... by wannaminibad Jun 14, 2009 (10:26 am)
But I am SCARED TO DEATH! LOL! The one I want to purchase is a 2003 standard shift (5 speed) with 57K in miles. The car is in Nashville, TN at the CARMAX dealership. Here is my question, since it seems MINIs have to go to a BMW dealership for service, is there a way to track repairs that may have been done to that car by it's VIN number?   I want to know what has been done as far a maintenance on that car to date and, hopefully, that would give me some idea as to what I will be facing in maintenance costs.   Any ideas would be helpful! Replies to this message: wilemakeit (Jun 15, 2009 3:25 am)
#211 of 218 Great idea..... by CeeeeCeeee Jun 14, 2009 (2:31 pm)
and I wish I had known the repair/maintenance history on my MINI before buying it at 44,000 miles. Because the MINI dealership I bought it from told me they would guarantee it until 100,000 miles, I purchased it. Twenty thousand miles later the transmission failed and the dealership tried to tell me it was NOT covered! I stood there and reminded them I argued the point of the car having 44,000 miles on it and was reassured I needn't worry because of the coverage until 100,000 miles. They replaced the transmission at their cost entirely. I think you are right to be concerned. Let us know if you find a way to track the service history on the car you are interested in.
#212 of 218 Re: I WANT TO BUY A USED MINI... [wannaminibad] by wilemakeit Jun 15, 2009 (3:25 am)
Replying to: wannaminibad (Jun 14, 2009 10:26 am) If you bring your key into the dealer they can tell you all the info you need.
#213 of 218 Re: Mini Transmission [bfromhold] by miniva Jun 22, 2009 (6:45 pm)
Replying to: bfromhold (Jun 06, 2009 9:02 pm) Out on a mission of good will, I suddenly lose 1st gear and before you know it I've lost all gears and the smell of burning plastic or something....Just got home from having the car towed home. Tomorrow I will have it towed ($100 +) to the nearest mini dealer over 27 miles away. I've been trying to get an appointment with them for the catalytic converter replacement (recall) and to do some basic maintenance but it's over a month wait. Now this! No gear engagement at all. I'm so distressed about this. No, it's not a life. No, I didn't get into an accident. Ok. Grateful. Got it. But the car and the LACK OF RESPONSIVENESS of the dealerships. I moved here from California with my then 1 year old mini last summer. Sad state of affairs here in Virginia for mini dealerships. Anyone know any non-dealer mini mechanics inside the Beltway? Any thoughts about the clutch drama?
#214 of 218 Debating on whether or not to buy a mini by ericabliss1017 Jun 25, 2009 (7:14 pm)
My husband and I have been looking at buy a 2004 auto mini cooper, do all mini's have cvt transmissions? and would you recommend buying one? Replies to this message: CeeeeCeeee (Jun 25, 2009 7:37 pm) bfromhold (Jun 26, 2009 10:25 pm)
#215 of 218 Re: Debating on whether or not to buy a mini [ericabliss1017] by CeeeeCeeee Jun 25, 2009 (7:37 pm)
Replying to: ericabliss1017 (Jun 25, 2009 7:14 pm) I have a 2004 automatic MINI. I bought it from the MINI dealer when it had 44,000 miles. Having that many miles scared me but I was reassured when told it carried a 100,000 warranty. At 60,000 miles the automatic transmission died on me......middle of my block! So, I had it towed to my dealership/garage and was told it was the automatic transmission and it needed a whole new one. Then I was told it wasn't covered under the warranty. You could have heard me a mile away!!!!!! They replaced the transmission free of charge. It now has 63,000 miles and they are trying to get me to trade it in for a brand new MINI. Not only will I not do this, but I am recommending that no one buy a MINI unless they are ready to pour lots of money into it. Do you realize the tires on the MINI are run-flat tires and cost $400 EACH to replace?
#217 of 218 Re: Debating on whether or not to buy a mini [ericabliss1017] by bfromhold Jun 26, 2009 (10:25 pm)
Replying to: ericabliss1017 (Jun 25, 2009 7:14 pm) ericabliss1017 -   Only the "non S" MINIs have the CVT transmission. If the 2004 MINI that you're considering buying is a MINI (not an S), it most likely has the CVT. I have an '06 MINI Cooper S and it has a 6-spd automatic transmission, but it is NOT the CVT.    Also, after I used up my stock runflat tires, I went to non-runflats. I carry a fix-a-flat and a compact portable air compressor in the boot (trunk). So far, I've not had to change any flat tires the past three years. Oh, and MINIs (non S) have a spare so there's no worry about having to buy runflats. The "S" doesn't have room for a spare underneath because of the dual exhaust whereas the "non S" carries it there. Runflats sell for $164 or less at Discount Tire and other comparable tire stores. Here's an example of runflats for sale: Kumho Ecsta SPT KU31 Run Flat, 195/55R-16 87V XL RF and they can be found by this link: http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/findTireDetail.do?c=1&rcz=98446&ar=55&rf=true&r- d=16&rc=WASINT&cs=195&dVeh=dVeh&tc=KUMHF2&yr=2004&pc=33729&cf=false&vid=007436&s- w=false
#218 of 218 Thanks by CeeeeCeeee Jun 27, 2009 (5:38 pm)
for all the good information. I had no idea the "S" models didn't have the CVT transmission. Of course, when I bought my non-S model, I had no idea there were transmission issues at all! My non-S 2004 does not have a spare or room for one. Your idea of carrying a compressor and running with regular tires makes sense. I did purchase new run flats at a discount tire place for considerably less than the manufacturer's issue. However, they were still very, very expensive when compared to regular tires. I've dealt with this same tire store before and have had wonderful luck with their tire maintenance, etc. So....I feel safe for the life of my MINI....as far as the tires go. Wish I felt the same way about my NEW CVT transmission! Grrrrrrr!

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