Hi,
I've been present at the birth of, and driven more newborn mini's than I care to remember.
5 thousand or more would be a realistic guestimate and one thing I've noticed in that time is that some crunched into reverse, some didn't, some were stiff getting into gear, others less stiff and it wasn't uncommon to get the odd :bad::bad::bad::bad::bad:.
All this being when the vehicle had nothing in the way of a gearbox or related interface problem.
My point is that, even when very brand new, 2 gearboxes of exactly the same design, or to put a finer point on it - 2 mini's with exactly the same design gearbox, be it 5 or 6 speed can have their own 'personality' so to speak.
The above post about getting the 'knack' of how to engage reverse without problems is a valid point, and that is what the individual should give a little time and practice to in order that they don't crunch into reverse on their own mini.
Obviously, taking into account what I have said about each individual mini, getting the 'knack' is obviously going to be a personal matter between you and your own mini and 'other owner' advice is more likely to be 'other owner knack'!!
For inexpierienced or new drivers or people who just don't have any idea on the mechanical workings of a motor car some good advice on not crunching a car into reverse is:-
Make sure the clutch is fully depressed (it's easy to get lazy and reverse is the least forgiving of the gears due to it's mechanical nature!!) . From a cold start, when engaging reverse, make sure you've run the engine for at least 30 seconds to a minute or you're killing it anyway by driving off too soon, and, as was also mentioned above, try engaging reverse a little slower (known as leading it in) rather than just 'jamming' the stick into reverse.
Lastly and most importantly, if engaging into reverse after slowing to a stop, hold the clutch down and count a bit before 'leading in' reverse in order that you give the gearbox time to spin down. How much you find you have to count to is dependant on your gearbox type, the oil in it, its own 'personality' and your patience!! Try 3 to start with. It usually works for me!!
I enjoyed writing that. Oh the nostalgia!!!....
