[mooper]

The 5 speed in my 02 mini cooper failed (popping out of second gear). The dealer told me "These 5 speeds don't fail" and 'determined' that the problem was caused by outside forces and won't fix it under warranty,
Just curious how many are having serious transmission problems with the MC 5 speed.

[ojy]

Hi

My 03 with 18000 miles has just had a new box under warranty after intermittent rattling under load. There have been problems with these boxes originally produced by BMW owned Midlands Gear until the new Getrag box was introduced and some have had probs there too.

Don't be fobbed off by them. The Mini is a great car and we are paying over the odds compared to others for the fact it is a new Mini, but in the 2000's they should be able to produce a car like other manufacturers with trouble free transmission.

Stick to your guns and press for a new box while you have your warranty.......check out this link too........http://www.motoringfile.com/2003/08/...heCooperIn2005

[matt21]

good advice there

i agree with all ojy said. ive just had a replacement box at 26000 miles as i was getting a rattle too mainly in first or second under load. Dealer reckoned it didnt have too long left in it

The dealers know that these boxes have a tendancy to go. Thats part of the reason why they switched to a BMW box. Some people are on their 5th or 6th gearboxes! I know a few people with MINIs over 60,000 miles and all have had a box replacement. Im glad i had mine replaced and will be looking to break this one just before the warrenty runs out!

[dpms2]

My feb02 cooper's transmission failed completely at 35 000 miles (out of warranty). There was no drive to the wheels at all due to a gearbox component failing suddenly. BMW UK replaced the gearbox and paid all parts and labour, without any questions. They should do the same for you! Good luck.

[snid]

The failure I'm familiar with is due to cold weather. Like -20F / -30C. There's a seal somewhere in the transmission that fails when it gets that cold, causing the transmission fluid to leak out and then the transmission goes. It's happend to me twice so far.

[dmholmes]

Quote: Originally Posted by snid

The failure I'm familiar with is due to cold weather. Like -20F / -30C. There's a seal somewhere in the transmission that fails when it gets that cold, causing the transmission fluid to leak out and then the transmission goes. It's happend to me twice so far.

Now THAT'S interesting. First I've heard of that but also confirms my suspicions as well. I am on my third box in 20,000 miles. Had the same thing happen to both my previous transmissions, and it has been conspicuous in the fact that it only happens in the dead of winter.

[ojy]

I'm off to the dealer again tomorrow. No rattle, it now pops neatly into reverse, whereas the old box didnt, but sometimes it now flat refuses to go into first.....am starting to get hacked off with this car.......

[LizL]

Yes, if you see my post of April, you will see that I too had a leaking transmission that went. Cracked seal in the cold weather. I have given MINI much direct feedback that this is occurring enough that they should consider a recall. To be fair, the dealer was great and everything was covered, but this happened on a year old car! 04 Cooper w/15,500 miles. I think we should all be squeaky wheels and hope MINI does a recall to finally fix the problem. A sad defect on a great car.

[Lurcher1]

Had a new gearbox fitted under warranty at 15K on a March 02 One. Component failed leaving no drive to the wheels.

[johnlummis]

Thats nothing boys,My 02 MC is now on its 5th gearbox,3rd clutch,3rd power steering pump.One gearbox was replaced 5/7/04 and went walkies 23/8/04,they are crap,my car has been off the road for 24 days being fixed so far,I wrote to BMW customer services on the 1st Feb this year and so far have had absolutely NO response whatsoever,not even an acknowledgement that thay received the letter which was sent by recorded delivery,so another is on its way now.

[Lurcher1]

Quote: Originally Posted by johnlummis

Thats nothing boys,My 02 MC is now on its 6th gearbox,3rd clutch,3rd power steering pump.One gearbox was replaced 5/7/04 and went walkies 23/8/04,they are crap,my car has been off the road for 24 days being fixed so far,I wrote to BMW customer services on the 1st Feb this year and so far have had absolutely NO response whatsoever,not even an acknowledgement that thay received the letter which was sent by recorded delivery,so another is on its way now.

John,
That aint good enough, whats your dealer doing for you ?
I rejected my first Mini at 21K due to persistent leaks to roof/windscreen and BMW bought the car back from me.
BTW r u the john lummis who used to be at AUL PS. ?

[OctaneGuy]

My 2003 MC transmission just died. I was at a stop light, and when I released the clutch into 1st gear, it went KA CHUNK!!! I'm at 43,000 miles, and had to have it towed to my dealer 20 miles away. It's awaiting a new transmission now. I wonder if they will replace it with a Getrag?? Or will it get the old Midlands again?

[dansmini]

So it definitely is the tranny, Rich? Not the clutch? Or both???

[OctaneGuy]

Dealer just called. It's both the clutch and tranny. Fortunately for me, they had an extra set of both in stock, so I'm getting my car back today and it's all covered under warranty. Sadly, it'll still be the Midlands--not the Getrag.

Richard

Quote: Originally Posted by dansmini

So it definitely is the tranny, Rich? Not the clutch? Or both???

[SamHarrison]

My 01 Mini Cooper's 5 speed box gave up at 43k.. bust an internal oil seal and leaked oil al over the clutch.. i got shafted for £1468 for parts and labour on a 2nd hand box that had only done 23k

[tmackmini]

This thread was started by MOOPER who had his 5 speed tranny fail when it started popping out of second gear. MINI wouldn't honor the warranty. My son's MINI went through 4 transmissions for the same reason. On the fifth one, they said they wouldn't repair it because it must be the way we drive the car. We've had several cars with standard transmissions and never had a problem. Just like that, without any justification or proof that the car is being driven wrong MINI will void your warranty because they don't have service representatives who are competent enough to figure out what is wrong with the car. Beware of MINI "customer service". It's nothing but PR that covers for their faulty design. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has been successful fighting them or figuring out what causes this second gear failure. I am going to have to sue them to enforce the warranty (too late for lemon law) and I would be interested in any information I can get on this issue. Please also reply to tmack@talstar.com so we can correspond directly. Thanks.

[electricmini]

My first MC (2002 Canadian Launch edition) was nothing but a complete pain in the ****! 3 tranny's, 8 fuel senders, 2 fuel pumps (one actually caused gas to be ****ing out from under my car), 4 air bag sensors, 2 power steering racks etc. etc. etc. It was even in the shop for over a month when they were dealing with the hesitation concerns that I had, never fixed by the way.

I bugged Mini Canada enough, and they bought out my car (or the difference between what it was worth, and what I owed) and I got into a 2005 MCS and haven't had any problems with it (knock on wood).

A friend of mine also had a 2002 Launch Edition and had nearly as many tranny's as I did. I'm happy to say that I'm now a VERY happy Mini driver, and never had any problems with getting things covered under warranty etc (it only had 35,000 km on it anyway). But the tranny thing is a definite issue.

[AndrewLondonUK]

I've recently had a complete gearbox faliure. The driveshaft bearing blew to pieces and pierced the gearbox casing. It appears it has been caused by leaking oil which has ruined the primary drive bearing. The seals went but the temperature hasn't been that low over here. I read somewhere that the transmission on the mini cooper actually flexes and when it does this you lose oil until it is completley empty. However i don't know enough about this to talk about it at length.

It does sound like the same problem a lot of you have had, the car used to rattle until you applied power and got drive.

What is annoying is that the car only has 24k on it and is an 02 model which means it has around half the average mileage for a UK car.

Here is a message i posted on another forum when i was searching for someone to repair the old box....

"Right, i've just found out that my Mini Cooper has a knackered gearbox.

It's at the local garage at the moment and over the last few days they've been telling me what's wrong with it. Apparently the transmission on the Cooper flexes. When it does this the seals go and it leaks oil. What's happened is that it has been leaking oil and the primary shaft bearing has been knackered, i don't remember if this is exactly what had gone but it was some type of bearing. Anyway, on further inspection it seems that parts of the bearing have flown off and made a hole in the gearbox itself.

He has said i can go down and have a look at it but i'm a bit worried as the gearbox itself is £1200, plus however much it costs to fit it. Oh as well as the other costs for labour etc... to diagnose the problem. The question is, would it be possible to get this hole welded? I know absolutely nothing about gearboxes so forgive me if it is the silliest thing you've ever heard.

I'm looking for a second hand gearbox at the moment but i'm a bit reluctant to buy one because it could be just as knackered as our one.

Please, please, please, give me some advice."

Does anyone off here reckon i've got some argument for a free gearbox or does the fact it isn't in warranty anymore rule that out?

Thanks

[Tristan]

I've gone through two full gearboxes in my 2002 cooper. If you search the forums i think you'll see it's a common complaint. It's no secret in Mini that the original Cooper 5 speed box is a piece of junk. From what I was told but Russ Swift (famous mini stunt driver) the box is built PSG and Rover and has always been very weak. The unfortunate new is that the new Getrag 5 speed seems to have its own set of problems including a very crunchy reverse etc. Saying that I haven't heard about any of the new boxes blowing to little pieces like the old ones used to enjoy so much! Definately grounds for a goodwill exchange, find a mini dealer who will admit knowledge of the problem and get their warranty claims department onto it, BMW have replaced lots of boxes out of warranty already. Good Luck.

[rainbowdreamer]

Five gearbox replacements in one car!