I deffinately have a problem with my gearbox, my mini cooper is just over two months old. And i noticed this first on the other day when pulling away quite hard and reving up to around six and then changing from first to second. Well trying too as it wouldnt go it and just made a nasty grinding noise. So i was not able to put it in gear i reset the clutch and then tried again and it went in. After looking like a that could not drive. So then this morning pulling out of a side road onto a very fast road and it did it again, this looks like major problem when at first i thought it was just me and my lack of clutch pushing.
My cooper is two years old, the gear box started grinding, at times quite loud!
then I started to feel the clutch slip.
took the car to the dealer, first they said it was clutch and replace it.
while they were testing the car, they realized the grinding noise was still there.
New tranny!!!!!
It was covered under warranty, they said they had one other with the same problem.
so far so good with new clutch and tranny.
Mcooper....
forgot to say I have 12,000 miles on the car
Oh dear!!!
Problems here too!!! My "53" Cooper is automatic. After a month of having her the gears went all sort of odd and with my foot flat to the gound I could only just manage 25mph, when put into the manual gears it was fine....so it went right back the next day and was put on the computor and nothing could be found. A month or so it happend again and back it went....again nothing can be found. Then it's now done it again......back it went but STILL NOTHING WRONG!!!!! Anyone else had this??
yup ive experienced this grinding problem too, but usually it happens when shifting from second to third. not only that, my cooper sometimes even needs persuading to go into first! its a bugger at traffic lights!
9 times out of 10 mne makes a griding noise when I put in in reverse. It's so annoying because it's always when I'm pulling out of somewhere, and it's damn loud,I keep meaning to have itseen to
Ive had this exact same thing happen to me. It happened a few weeks ago and I thought I was just getting sloppy with my shifting. I looked like a real idiot driving it grinding all the way. My biggest problem was getting into first. After a while the thing just gave in and I had to have it towed to East Bay MINI. It was covered under warantee and is healthy now. What could be causing the clutch to wear out that quickly? I never drop the clutch at 6k rpms or do anything like that. Im a really conservative driver actually.
I have just spoken to a guy at my local dealer, and he just admited in not so many words that the gearboxes are not great. He said they have customers complaining that they are no where near the standards of BMW gearboxes. He also said they are a monster to get in gear sometimes and i have had the good old first gear problem at the lights many a time and you look stupid as hell when the lights change and it wont go in gear.
Oh well its coming to be looked at today by a Mini Emergency services technition its most likely to end up on the back of his tow truck and be taken for an inspection which means having to be given a replacement car in the mean time. I hope they only have Cooper S's left he he .
Although I have not experienced any problems close to this, mine is a bit like MiniLou's where on occasion it crunches going into reverse. Sometimes it wont engage, but as I used to work for Rover MANY years ago, the little 200/400 series were the same. Just take your foot off the clutch if it wont engage and then try it again.
I presume this will be a big part of the reason they have gone to ZF gearboxes for 05 MY.
It's not the size of your stick, but more the magic in your wand
I seem to have problems getting in to reverse. Re-dipping the clutch seems to work but not an ideal solution. Am going to speak to the dealer about it today.
i think the synchromesh is a weak point. I can beat the synchro on the way down the box quite easily. I now heel and toe, or at least double de-clutch on the way down the box nearly all the time now. i used to not bother so much in the mini as it's a road car.
now i've started heel-and-toeing all the time, it's much smoother and the gears slide in much better.
TVR Tuscan S. 400bhp, 0-60 3.8 0-100 8.08. 195mph. Silver/Black roof Cooper. Hillclimb MK2 Fiesta. 150bhp. Beats Subarus. Building a 'bike engine single seater. 320kg, 200bhp. around 600bhp per ton. 0-100 6 seconds.
My Renault sometimes needs two goes in first or reverse, it is something i've learnt to deal with. I think when i get the Mini i'll source myself the latest models box after a year or two.
Sometimes my Cooper won't go into first. And it usually happens at a light that has just turned green, so I get a line of cars behind me. I usually just let off the clutch and re-depress it. Sometimes I have to do this a few times before it will actually go into first. It is very annoying, as it makes me look like I can't drive.
Haven't alerted the dealer as to this problem, because they probably won't be able to get it to happen as it is in intermittent thing.
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Not a Happy Boy 
My biggest problem was getting into first. After a while the thing just gave in and I had to have it towed to East Bay MINI. It was covered under warantee and is healthy now. What could be causing the clutch to wear out that quickly? I never drop the clutch at 6k rpms or do anything like that. Im a really conservative driver actually. 
If you can't be good... be good at it! 
