[northandy]

Last week my June 2003 MCS was at the dealer for the long running gearbox noise saga.... the noise can be heard at tickover inside the car.... disappears when clutch is pressed in and reappears when released.... they showed me an email (but wudnt give me a copy) from the factory acknowledging theres a problem with mcs gearboxes (unsure on dates affected) , and that they are working on a fix but it isnt available yet, when I started talking about rejection refund etc they couldnt say that the new cars arent coming out of the factory without the problem I have, seems that theres a big problem with the MCS box....

Has anyone else heard this ?

[KenL]

Maybe the Getrag box ain't better than the Rover one after all.

[omnifix1]

My August 2003 MCS was in for repair of another defect in October. I complained about the very same gearbox noise, and was told by the dealer that Mini are aware of this problem, but haven't yet decided what to do about it. It's important for anyone with this gearbox noise to document it early so that repair/replacement under warranty will be made when Mini comes up with a fix.

[LuckyRVA]

Thanks northandy, you reminded to call my local dealership to have my car looked at regarding this same problem....that is if they ever answer the damned phone !

[punkeyfunky]

That noise used to be common in older cars (80k+) and was the thrust bearing (clutch area IIRC). Same thing here?

Lee

[LuckyRVA]

Quote: Originally Posted by punkeyfunky

That noise used to be common in older cars (80k+) and was the thrust bearing (clutch area IIRC). Same thing here?

Lee

That's what it sounds like to me (my car has 15k BTW) My bro's S-10 pickup just had his throw-out/thrust bearing replaced and my car is making the exact same noise as his was.


-Jason

[northandy]

Quote: Originally Posted by punkeyfunky

That noise used to be common in older cars (80k+) and was the thrust bearing (clutch area IIRC). Same thing here?

Lee

Thats what I thought too but they've changed that and its still there.... If you let the clutch out in neutral at idle really really slowly the noise doesnt appear, seems to me like somethings out of tolerance inside the box....

the last update I have from Mini is that they say the recognise theres a problem, but there is no fix yet, and they dont know how long it will take.... bloody annoying as mine currently sounds more like a tractor than a car.... I've written a letter expressing my concerns about it failing (mines getting louder by the week), and asked them to put in writing their comments that they are 100% certain it wont fail and just let go....but I doubt they'll do that !!!

[GTmini]

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hope this is true and that they really are aware of this and are beginning to consider it a true problem. I'm tired of getting the brushoff, although my last service advisor told me that he's had a few people with the complaint, but alluded to the idea that his hands were tied since it's considered a non-issue.

The only reason I bothered to keep bring it up with my dealer was so that I have a record of the problem, so it's nice to hear that MINI might finally be admitting and correcting this problem too. Of all the noises my car makes, this is the one that actually drives me nuts, along with the fact that my shifter often doesn't feel quite "right." I know various other MCS owners in various places have gotten this problem fixed and it would be nice to finally see equal treatment across the board.

[GTmini]

Quote: Originally Posted by northandy

I've written a letter expressing my concerns about it failing (mines getting louder by the week), and asked them to put in writing their comments that they are 100% certain it wont fail and just let go....but I doubt they'll do that !!!

Speaking of which...my service advisor's comment/philosophy regarding the issue (shortly before I left) was to not worry, because if there is a problem, the transmission should fail before [my] warranty runs out. THAT is reassuring???

[northandy]

Quote: Originally Posted by GTmini

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hope this is true and that they really are aware of this and are beginning to consider it a true problem. I'm tired of getting the brushoff, although my last service advisor told me that he's had a few people with the complaint, but alluded to the idea that his hands were tied since it's considered a non-issue.

The only reason I bothered to keep bring it up with my dealer was so that I have a record of the problem, so it's nice to hear that MINI might finally be admitting and correcting this problem too. Of all the noises my car makes, this is the one that actually drives me nuts, along with the fact that my shifter often doesn't feel quite "right." I know various other MCS owners in various places have gotten this problem fixed and it would be nice to finally see equal treatment across the board.

Believe me its true!, I saw myself the email to the dealer from Mini, they wouldnt give me a copy of it but they did show me it.... theres just no word on when a fix will be available or what is involved in fixing it....

[adrian.farmer]

I had the same problem a few years ago on a Pug 306 Xsi, i thought it was the thrust bearing, because when you depressed the clutch, the noise would disappear, but this noise would,nt go until the pedal was fully depressed,( thrust bearing just atouch on the pedal) gearbox had to be repaired input shaft bearings gone,

[LuckyRVA]

Mine goes into the dealership next week...can't wait to hear what they say.


-Jason

[Tonymini]

I am glad somebody put me on to this thread.
My car was at the dealer Tuesday for an oil change.
The service department made me aware of the problem.
Luckily the BMW service rep was there and heard it for himself.
To make this short, the car goes in for a new Trans on Monday.
To say the least I have a dealer who really cares about his customers.
I would suggest you calling the dealer and making an appointment to meet with the factory rep in your area for this problem.
Its an expensive job an the dealer probably won't go out on a limb,
without factory pre-approval.

[LuckyRVA]

Thanks for that info Tonymini!



-Jason

[SPClark]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tonymini

I am glad somebody put me on to this thread.(snip)
To say the least I have a dealer who really cares about his customers.
Its an expensive job an the dealer probably won't go out on a limb,
without factory pre-approval.

Boy, that's the truth! I think My Dealer cares about his customers (so it seems so far) as well, but a $3,000+ non-warranty repair will be the test....

I'm just shy of 36K miles on my week9/03 build S, been motoring all around the Midwest since I picked 'er up over 13 months ago.

My "history" with cogs gives me pause; thrust bearings, clutch throwout bearings, synchros, etc. all are dear bits when it comes to R&R. Been there, done that on various marques.

I haven't heard the "sewingmachine" noise others have commented on, or any noises associated with the clutch being in or out in neutral. Will be paying close attention (& turning down the CD) from now on.

Have noticed though a "sticky" sensation once in awhile going up thru 4-5-6 though, like things aren't sliding as smoothly as they used to. Not always, nothing I can point a finger at, but worrisome nonetheless.

V'glad for Mini2.com though - that we're all in this together & sharing our experiences makes it hard for the vendors to do the "thay ALL do that!" line!

[LuckyRVA]

Quote: Originally Posted by SPClark

V'glad for Mini2.com though - that we're all in this together & sharing our experiences makes it hard for the vendors to do the "thay ALL do that!" line!

Yes, no doubt MINI2 is a valuable resource!




-Jason

[sexys]

Hi NorthAndy

I too am having the same noise (along with some others) which dissapears when the clutch is pressed. Mines been in and they cant hear it?!!!! Mind you they havent fixed the rattle on the dash just above the vent, nor have they fixed the squeeky accelerator and they have to order a part for the drivers seat which doesnt move and never has done!!

Its going in again on Monday to be compared with another Cooper S to see if there is any difference?! Keep me posted on your developments and i'll keep you posted on mine. Cheers

Dawn

[GTmini]

I do agree that MINI2 is a great info repository and it's nice when you can establish that something you're experiencing is a re-occuring issue and also not "normal."

Personally, I'm still curious as to whether or not anyone else with the noise problem has also had any difficulty shifting or other functional/drivability problems?

Lately I've been having occasional problems getting into 6th (never happened at all until about a month ago. It's happened about 4 or 5 times within the last two month period. Mainly it happened on two distinct days...once a month+ ago and then again yesterday. In general, my shifter usually feels super-notchy and rough when shifting, although quite rarely it will behave super smoothly for a trip or two or for short spans of time. The dealer said they couldn't find any problems during my 10K service (which coincidentally was a couple of days after the first occurence of the shifting-to-6th problem). I asked them if the shifting linkage might be off a bit, but they said the linkages were fine.

After re-reading the first message again, if I understood the last part correctly, it definitely sounds like a huge mess if some of the newer MCSes coming off the line might still have the problem too. With that $3K+ clutch sitting under the bonnet, the idea of a poorly/roughly operating drivetrain has been pretty worrisome for awhile. I was excited to get an MCS and had to shop halfway across the country to get mine, but geez...there seems to be a lot of shaky engineering going on and I'm starting to wonder if I should jump ship. If it took almost a year for a software patch, I'm scared to find out how long it will be before they find and then fix what seems to be a much costlier problem.

[northandy]

Quote: Originally Posted by sexys

Hi NorthAndy

I too am having the same noise (along with some others) which dissapears when the clutch is pressed. Mines been in and they cant hear it?!!!! Mind you they havent fixed the rattle on the dash just above the vent, nor have they fixed the squeeky accelerator and they have to order a part for the drivers seat which doesnt move and never has done!!

Its going in again on Monday to be compared with another Cooper S to see if there is any difference?! Keep me posted on your developments and i'll keep you posted on mine. Cheers

Dawn

Dawn.... whats the build date of your car ?, Is it June 03 ?, I ask because my drivers seat is faulty too... Dont let them fob you off with "well this one does it as well so it must be ok" Mini have acknowledged there is a problem, but as yet they dont know what the fix is.... I've seen the email from Mini, I believe it was a guy called Justin Barker (or something like that)... when I complained about my seat (the one in the car!) they said "they all do that, to stop people trying to get into the back on the side thats in the traffic flow"... so i goes out gets into the courtesy car they had given me, and hey presto the seat slides and tilts no problem !!!.... i'm currently in the process of writing another letter of complaint to Mini UK... we'll see what happens then.... I'll keep you informed, you must let me know what they say !!
Andy

[northandy]

Quote: Originally Posted by GTmini

I do agree that MINI2 is a great info repository and it's nice when you can establish that something you're experiencing is a re-occuring issue and also not "normal."

Personally, I'm still curious as to whether or not anyone else with the noise problem has also had any difficulty shifting or other functional/drivability problems?

Lately I've been having occasional problems getting into 6th (never happened at all until about a month ago. It's happened about 4 or 5 times within the last two month period. Mainly it happened on two distinct days...once a month+ ago and then again yesterday. In general, my shifter usually feels super-notchy and rough when shifting, although quite rarely it will behave super smoothly for a trip or two or for short spans of time. The dealer said they couldn't find any problems during my 10K service (which coincidentally was a couple of days after the first occurence of the shifting-to-6th problem). I asked them if the shifting linkage might be off a bit, but they said the linkages were fine.

After re-reading the first message again, if I understood the last part correctly, it definitely sounds like a huge mess if some of the newer MCSes coming off the line might still have the problem too. With that $3K+ clutch sitting under the bonnet, the idea of a poorly/roughly operating drivetrain has been pretty worrisome for awhile. I was excited to get an MCS and had to shop halfway across the country to get mine, but geez...there seems to be a lot of shaky engineering going on and I'm starting to wonder if I should jump ship. If it took almost a year for a software patch, I'm scared to find out how long it will be before they find and then fix what seems to be a much costlier problem.

GTMini... I know where your coming from I waited 7 months for mine, had it 5 months, want to swop it for an old M3 now, this is too much hassle !!!!... in 5 months its been in 7 times !!