[scrawly]

Hey there, I've been a big lurker (apologies!) on this site, ever since getting my 2004 CVT a few years ago, and have found so much useful info. This is my first post, and it comes at a time of real distress:

My Mini started making crunching sounds on the way to work the other day, and simply stopped moving--luckily right in front of my office. They brought the flatbed out and towed it to the dealer (Universal City in LA), and the next day they tell me the transmission is totally shot and needs to be replaced.

Now I'm having very, very big doubts about my future with this car. This is the second time I've had to have it towed in four months; the last time, the battery just up and died, no reason, and it had to get towed to the dealer, as few people know how to deal with Minis, I found.

It's only three years old, with 43,000 miles, and it's become THIS unreliable? Is this a freak stretch, or is this how it is?

Another 7,000 on my car, I'd be out of warranty and this transmission problem would cost me $8,000. I get furious just thinking about it. That's only a year from now.

Before falling in love with the Mini, I always drove Hondas, and I would routinely put 100K+ on 'em before sinking anything more than a standard service into them. I'm not used to this, and I don't want to be.

I'm seriously considering selling my Mini and getting a Civic. I can't drive something that's going to break down so often, and then maybe lose half it's value in an instant.

Am I being rash?

[nonsequitur]

Quote: Originally Posted by scrawly (original)

Am I being rash?

To attempt some lightness in a very-difficult-I-know situation... Yes!

For the moment at least, focus on the specifics of what Universal City MINI must resolve under the Warranty coverage you have and then make certain that things like the software version, brakes, rotors, wheel bearings and such are checked and refreshed as needed while they have the car under their control. Confirm the version that was flashed to the car for your file.

As you've noted from the watching the posts here, Sejanus and others have been gathering information and opinion about reliability, breakdowns, and expectations going forward. There's no real prior history to rely on for these cars because we are generating that experience now. The MINI was a new car, not a derivative. The reputation around the CVT-equipped cars gets additional attention because there is so much "new" here relative to 5-speed or 6-speed manual gearbox or a torque converter/geared automatic configurations.

Personally speaking, still driving an '02 MINI Cooper CVT under a very wide range of conditions and stresses on the car, and also watching the experiences of others through these Forums, I don't think we're seeing an unreliable machine today (2007) nor is it an overly expensive machine to operate. I remain quite happy with the objective performance when compared with... almost anything else... and there are honestly unique features, which still generate stories and requests to ride along just to experience the sounds, ride, handling, and surprising performance of the CVT-equipped non-S "little" MINI.

I hope your situation is fixed. Please share what happens with us here on the Forum.

[oldmots]

You didn't mention it, but if the tranny got its oil change at the approx 25,000 mile inspection , you would have a right to be upset at a failure with only 43,000 miles, a tranny should last 90,000-100,000 miles with regular service. If it did not get the service, it was doomed to a short life. This tranny needs fresh oil at intervals more often than a normal automatic, about every 25,000 miles. I had a battery go bad at 43,000 on my 03 and it took out the CVT DEM programming in the process, scrambling the shifting and causing a flatbed ride to the Dealer. When waiting for the diagnosis, I was ready to have a screaming fit if the car needed a $7000-$8000 transmission job! No $20,000 production car has a transmission this costly, it's insane. I drive a Jaguar as well, and no tranny they have costs near this much to fix.

[85NIXMIN]

My battery went on me recently... at 55,000k's.... batteries tend to just go without warning...one minute your car will turn over the next... nothing...
I hope my CVT don't *****` itself... :S