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Hatchbacks MINI Cooper MINI Cooper Clutch & Transmission Questions
269 messages, Last post on Nov 29, 2009 at 3:43 PM
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Replying to: bodble2 (Sep 09, 2007 11:17 pm) I looked at the review of the Volvo but just never liked volvos and that one doesn't appeal to me. VW is the last car on earth I'd buy (even with a diesel) because of my experiences with VW dealers! VW really needs to overhaul it's dealers attitudes and make it so I drive the car more than I fix it. Kinda hard to get the bad taste out of your mouth from VW. For someone who likes VW or has a great dealership near them (we don't) Maybe it's an option. But that's about it. I am going to drive a Honda civic Si but I'm thinking about low torque. Our MINI comes with an emergency tire inflation kit. Would that be an acceptable compromise to spare tire? Well I think they also provide you with a Jack in your Cooper S as well don't they? I'd probably use that kit until the runflats either blew or ran out of tread but then I'd buy a spare tire and put it in the back seat and buy GFT's on all corners. Question is is it worth doing that for a Mini? I will find out in a few months. My other worry about mini is that I'd probably end up with a a very late 2007 model and that would be a bad deal since Mini doesn't deal at all even on end of year stuff and I'd have to order the car and they can't guarantee me a 2008 model so I'd need a car for 2-3 months. That might push the Speed 3 into first place. hard to say until we can drive them. I'm going to Guam for a few days so maybe I can check out a used Mini as they don't sell new ones there. As well as other models and see what is a possible contender for me. I don't like the fact that BMW is going with RFT's the technology really isn't there yet for them to be as good as regular performance tires. Plus I have to run snow tires on steel rims in the winter anyway. Good suggestions tho. Thanks 
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We purchased our 2002 Mini on 10/10/06, w/55,059 miles on it. 9 days later the clutch went out, not covered by extended warranty that we purchased. We towed it back to Mini San Francisco service dept who insisted that we wore out the clutch and it was our problem, wear and tear, etc. – after 9 days! Unbelievable! They offered to pay half, but we felt this was completely unfair. We then had to battle with the service dept and they eventually called Mini USA who agreed to pay the other half to replace the clutch. A few months later we had to pay for the Inspection 2 ($390) on 2/6/07, with no notable problems. Then on 9/14/07, at 67,829 miles, the clutch went out again! Twice in under one year! I have driven manual transmission vehicles for over 15 years and never had to replace a clutch, let alone twice in one year! Of course it is not covered by warranty and the dealership is insisting that it is our fault that we burnt out the clutch, which is absurd. We would have to grind the gears every time we shift in order to burn out a brand new clutch within one year. Mini USA is taking the word of the service manager and will not help us. We are not sure if this is related to the recall (MANUAL TRANSMISSION:FLOOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY), however, the dealership/service dept denies that such a recall exists. When searching Google we found many others having the same or very similar complaints. Each time the dealership blames the driver and denies that this is a common problem with this vehicle. Our Mini is sitting at the dealership right now as we research and try to figure out how to resolve this situation fairly. At this point, we just want to get it repaired and sell it. Although, I feel bad selling this car to anyone, since it clearly has mechanical defects. We only bought this car at SF BMW/Mini b/c we purchased a certified pre-owned 2003 BMW (stick shift) several years ago and we couldn't be happier with the service, the car, the overall experience. This is definitely not the same level of care or car. Frustrated and disappointed that Mini apparently does not care about standing behind their product or customer service. I submitted this complaint to NHTSA today and am preparing a letter for BMW/Mini SF in hopes of resolving this matter fairly. Because this is absolutely not fair and feels like we are being bullied. |
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Replying to: ramonaking (Sep 26, 2007 3:15 pm) Yeah lots of unbelievable but true things happen with cars. I've seen and experienced a few myself. It sounds to me like your situation is the dealer doesn't know how to rebuild the transmission! A clutch can fail after a certain time and certainly some are defective out of the box. Usually a transmission rebuild has a warranty on the rebuild that they must honor and that includes the clutch. I'd get a lawyer and write the BBB, the Atty General's office and any and all consumer affairs offices until I got satisfaction. But this is one of the main reasons I always buy new and not used, unless I am buying a winter beater for cheap money or something like that. I don't suppose you have another Mini dealer within driving distance do you? If you do I'd try that. I'd never buy a Mini because they are just too far from my house and I'd have to take a day off from work to go there. You can also check to see if you have any local BMW/MINI specialists in your area, since you are out of warranty anyway. Once I'm out of warranty I never go to the dealer. I hope it works out for you.
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Replying to: tiff_c (Sep 26, 2007 9:12 pm)
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Replying to: ramonaking (Sep 27, 2007 2:28 pm) I had to threaten a dealer who was in the process of ripping me off and one phone call from him and apparently he quoted the law to them and all of a sudden the Owner of the dealership not the SM, or the GM became very helpful, not friendly but helpful, no court required. Lawyers for all we bash them do know the laws. Phone call cost me $50. The problem was solved. If you do have to go to court it's expensive and in my State lawyers are not allowed in small claims court. I hope you get some satisfaction, if you were able to get a jury they will be very sympathetic to you since most have had trouble with car dealers at one time or another. |
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Replying to: stevecebu (Sep 08, 2007 11:10 pm) |
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Replying to: bluetks (Nov 16, 2007 5:26 pm)  numba-tu.com if you are interested. Please be reminded that it might take a while since we needs lots of names for a class action. One immmediate option we have is for everyone to open a case with the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). I opened a case with them on 7/13/2007 and at that time only 1 other issue had been opened regarding the MINI CVT transmission. I feel that if enough consumers open issues with NHTSA the MINI Corp. will be forced to respond to this issue in some way, hopefully a recall since the issue seems to be occuring after the car is out of warrenty. The contact information for NHTSA is as follows and it only takes about 15 minuites to open a case. (You will need your VIN number) NHTSA 1-888-327-4236 or http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ I have also made a complaint to the consumer report people. Search Consumer report on Google to get to their website. I hope that helps! |
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Replying to: bluetks (Nov 16, 2007 5:26 pm) Steve Cebu is a friend of mine. We used to work together and he's currently working out of the country. He's coming back in a few months but I can assure you he has never owned a Mini. He was talking about his Miata that he bought down in Danvers Mass. They really tried to screw him on a P&S. However he's had a lot of dealings with dealers, more than I have but I believe that the dealership has to honor their warranty except where they can prove abuse and that the clutch except for the extended maintainance contract is not covered. The entire transmision is another matter. Your best bet is to call up a lawyer as $7K sounds more than small claims court and have the lawyer talk with the dealership after all peaceful options have been exhausted. If there is a class action lawsuit then by all means sign up for it but your best bet is to let a lawyer experienced with such things call the dealer. Forum advice is a good thing but for something like this, professional legal advice is best. if I were going to buy a Mini I would opt for the extended maintanance contract but no idea if that would cover the tranny letting go at only 58K miles. |
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Replying to: tiff_c (Nov 17, 2007 11:15 am) So far I have 18,000 miles on my 2006 MCS and all is well.
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Replying to: bfromhold (Nov 20, 2007 6:20 pm) So far I have 18,000 miles on my 2006 MCS and all is well. It was bluetks that has the transmission problem not me, thankfully. |
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