Gearbox (or clutch?) rattle

[pholcus]

Hi all, guys! I got a March build MC and the other day I heard a rattling from the bonnet. I was in neutral and the car was warm. Then I pressed the clutch and the rattling disappeared. So this noise is only present when the clutch is depressed and the car is warm, anyone had this problem before? Morevover, sometimes I can't engage 1st gear, and 1st to 2nd shift is a little "crunchy". I'm afraid it's a gearbox problem, what do you think?

Thank you in advance for your replies!

[GhostDog]

This EXACT issue came up on my Cooper just yesterday evening. Took him to the dealer this morning, and now I have to bring him in next week to have clutch&gearbox checked - the mechanic puts his bet on the gearbox.
And that at only 3500km, built 07/02. Hope they're going to fix it fast...

GhostDog

[pholcus]

Sorry to hear you've got the same problem as me, anyway I've booked my MC on 3rd October to fix the steering click(which now has become a crunch ), so I'll have my gearbox checked too.
Cheers!

[jraphael]

Hi I have a my Mini Cooper 2002 for just over a year I bought it privately and there was no warranty left on the vehicle. After having the car just a little under a year I noticed that the car seem to be getting quite noisy. Took it to a local garage and they advised the gearbox was on its way out as when the clutch is pressed down the noise stops. Spoke to BMW and they informed me that I would need to bring the car in so they could look at it which would obviously cost me and that BMW may contribute towards the gearbox. The car has done 43,000 and has had a full BMW service history.

Why if there are so many issues with these gearboxes has BMW not recalled these vehicles? Has anyone managed to get them to pay or even wrote to BMW head office?

[mab01uk]

Quote: Originally Posted by jraphael (original)

Hi I have a my Mini Cooper 2002 for just over a year I bought it privately and there was no warranty left on the vehicle. After having the car just a little under a year I noticed that the car seem to be getting quite noisy. Took it to a local garage and they advised the gearbox was on its way out as when the clutch is pressed down the noise stops. Spoke to BMW and they informed me that I would need to bring the car in so they could look at it which would obviously cost me and that BMW may contribute towards the gearbox. The car has done 43,000 and has had a full BMW service history.

Why if there are so many issues with these gearboxes has BMW not recalled these vehicles? Has anyone managed to get them to pay or even wrote to BMW head office?

Sorry to hear about your gearbox problems..............BMW did fix the problem by changing to a Getrag gearbox on all later MINI Ones and Coopers, the Cooper S has always had a stronger Getrag box. Your gearbox is the earlier Midland Rover sourced gearbox which although many have had problems it also must be remembered that probably many more are still working ok. With the cars concerned long out of production and their original warranty cover, it is very unlikely there would now be a recall for a non safety related failure but hopefully you can negotiate a goodwill payment due to your mileage and FSH.

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

I've come across several instances of BMW being extremely generous in "out of warranty claims" on this gearbox, including one in a 2003 Cooper owned by a friend from new. It's certainly worth asking, even though they really aren't obliged to do anything on a 6 year old used car bought outside the dealer network.

PS: as a matter of curiousity, are people aware that the Midland Gears 'box was developed from what was originally a Peugeot unit? I seem to remember it was a bit of a short cut to source a gearbox for the original K Series Metro It was also used in the Rover 25 and 45, until Rover decided to source it elsewhere (Midland Gears was by then independant of Rover and owned by BMW). It was no longer viable for BMW to keep the factory open for just the MINI, so they closed the factory and outsourced to Getrag in a bit of a hurry; if they hadn't been in such a hurry, they might have been able to source a 'box with, like the Midland unit, syncromesh on reverse How many post facelift Cooper and One owners wish that they had?!

Many of the staff who built the Midland Gears unit now work in the Hams Hall plant building the new "Prince" engine. Now, that's got you all worried, hasn't it?

Tigger.

[jraphael]

Hi
Thank you for answering my question for me, its just so gutting to buy a car and have such an expensive thing go wrong with it. I think I will opt to get the gearbox fixed privately! People have mentioned about the rattle on the gearbox, how bad is the rattle? I was driving home for work the other day sitting in traffic and the noise was so embrassing it sounded like an exhaust dragging on the floor. Ive since got a new part of the exhaust as apparently something had broken in one of the boxes, but im not conviced that this had cured the really bad rattle.