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Hatchbacks MINI Cooper MINI Cooper Clutch & Transmission Questions
268 messages, Last post on Nov 20, 2009 at 8:18 PM
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Replying to: cct1 (Jan 06, 2007 7:45 am) The transmission went out on my MINI too. Mine is a 2003, automatic, with 33,000 miles. I bought it used a few months ago. I was so excited about owning a car that was built this century! I still love the fuel efficiency (31 mpg SF down to LA) and the heated seats and fitting in tight parking spaces. Unfortunately I’m back to thinking of cars as a huge drain on my money and time. Short version: the transmission was replaced and covered under the warranty even though the warranty expired about a month earlier. SF MINI Dealership cost estimate was $5,000. They replaced a tail light free of charge and they provided a loaner car. I’ll post a longer version of the situation in a minute. Reading other posts on the forum makes me concerned that the transmission is just the first of many issues with this MINI. At this point it would not be cost-effective to sell, but the warranty won’t cover problems 3 months/years from now… Colleen/ctm3267 - If you’re reading this, I’m interested to know what you ended up doing? Thanks, Taj |
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In Nov 06, my husband and I bought a 2003 MINI, automatic transmission, with 33K miles. In January we noticed that the car would not go into gear unless we revved the engine about 10 times. Definitely not cool. About a month later it just would not go into gear, no matter what. Non-dealer repair shop first told us it was the transmission. Replacement cost estimate was $3,000, but I’m not sure if that included labor. We called up SF Mini dealership (where they had just completed the 30K mile tune-up). They immediately said they would take a look and if it was the transmission they would absolutely cover it under the warranty, since it had literally just expired. Short version: it was the transmission and it was replaced under warranty. Dealership cost estimate was $5,000. They replaced a tail light free of charge and they provided a loaner car. Longer, venting version: Looking back a few months/years from now I will probably only remember that we didn’t pay for the transmission. But since it’s still fresh…. The customer service was AWFUL: We dropped off the car after a 12 mile, $100 tow. After four days of no news and no returned calls, I finally got through. They said they hadn’t even looked at it yet. Service Rep#1 offered us a rental car for $25/day. We got a better deal on our own. I finally got through after about a week of no news and no response to multiple phone calls. Service Rep#2 said “oh no, I would have given you the loaner car at no charge” and “we can’t find the problem.” So we dropped off our rental car and picked up their rental car. After 3 days of no news and no returned phone calls, I got through. They said they found the problem. After four more days of no news and no returned messages, I got through to the receptionist in the late afternoon. The car had been ready for pick up all day. Summary: They had the car three weeks. We are out of pocket $260. We have a new transmission. I’m now considering 1) keeping the car and hoping nothing else goes wrong, 2) selling it and getting ????, 3) selling it and getting a new MINI with a bumper to bumper warranty and upgrading my road-side assistance plan. Any thoughts/comments/suggestions are welcome.
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Replying to: bbuc (Jan 12, 2007 1:44 pm) |
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Replying to: 03minidrvr (Feb 24, 2007 5:47 pm) But even after the transmission is replaced (w/re-built one), by reading the Forums here makes me worry. I, too hope nothing else goes wrong.... Any thoughts/comments/suggestions are welcome. |
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Replying to: zippco (Feb 28, 2007 12:21 pm) What kind of problems have you had with your transmission? Has it already been replaced with only 8,000 miles on it? I also have a Mini (2006) with an automatic transmission with the same mileage as yours. So far everything seems to work fine, but now I'm a bit worried after reading a couple of complaints from this Forum.  What kind of situations are you having with your Mini? I'll have to be more attentive on my MCS to see if I experience anything unusual. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to buy the extended warranty after what I've read here. Is there anyone out there that has higher mileage (50,000 or more) on an automatic transmission with no problems? |
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Replying to: bfromhold (Mar 01, 2007 5:33 pm) My 2005 Mini Cooper's auto. transmission was replaced with a re-built transmission. One day I noticed that when merging on to a highway,(going from 30 to 60mi/hr) it jerked and hesitated for a second. But it drove fine once going. Then few weeks later, I could not drive any faster than 25mi/hr on a slushy road, I first thought it had something to do with the Dynamic Stability Control. (I must admit my knowledge in auto-mechanism is very limited...) But once towed to the dealer/service, they said it's "defect transmission"..... It is running great right now. And I found that the MINI Customer Relations reps are very helpful. Since I DO love driving my Mini, most likely will buy the extended warranty when the time comes.
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Replying to: zippco (Mar 02, 2007 2:49 pm) Thanks replying so quickly to my inquiry about the problems you've experienced. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates the fact that you shared your misfortune. At least it'll give me a heads up to look out for anything usual. I should buy the extended warranty for peace of mind. However, I may buy a new Mini in 2009, so I'll just have to wait and see how many miles I'll have on my 2006 by then. Thanks again for sharing... May the rest of your driving experience with your Mini be uneventful. 
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Hello, I'm a first time poster to this site. I'm thinking about a MINI and just drove a base model on Saturday. It definitely scores high on fun. But I'm really worried about the reliability after reading these posts - although it looks like the problems are limited to older models? I've owned Hondas and Toyotas in the past which were extremely reliable - I never took them in for anything other than routine maintenance. Should I be worried about the 2007 MINI?
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Replying to: paw9 (Mar 05, 2007 11:39 am) It took me a while to decide after owning 2 Toyotas in the past.(Both drove it over 100,000mi) But I just love how MINI drives, no comparison when it comes to "Motoring"! I guess you need to ask yourself how long you plan on keeping the car, 3 yrs? 10yrs?, then get the right warranty and ENJOY driving! I admit that after the transmission problem,I am bit worried but personally, I don't wish to go back driving a Toyota. Good luck and let me know what you decide! Zippco |
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Replying to: zippco (Mar 02, 2007 2:49 pm) It's been a bit since the transmission was replaced, so I wanted to post a quick update. My husband and I haven't had any new problems and the difficulties with the dealership are quickly becoming a distant memory. Even after all the hassle, I agree with a few of the other posters that it's just a lot of fun to drive! And I love fitting into tiny parking spots! Despite this rough start, our next car may be another MINI. Thanks to everyone who posts here. It really is a great resource. Taj |
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