Mini Cooper 52 plate gearbox issue

[davesarge]

Hi,

Just registered on this forum as the VW camper one used to be very helpful so I remain optimistic.

My wife owns a 52 plate Cooper and I happened to borrow it the other day and noticed a nasty whirring noise from the engine which to me sounded like the differential part of the gearbox. Checked it in to the local independant German specialists and sure enough the diff bearings on the gearbox are shot. It has the Midland gearbox so no surprises I guess but I am unsure what to do now. Is it not possible to change the diff bearings without the whole gearbox requiring change? or is it buried somewhere in the casing itself, as mine is early stages of failure. There are many people on Ebay offering recons with warranty for £399e.g J&R who show links to the mini2 forum hence my arrival here (appealing compared to the Getrag option of £1500!! . Looking for advice please

yours hopefully

Dave

[The Eggman]

Talk to a Mini Specialist, where are you and then we can recommend.