Hey all. I picked up a 2005 Hyper Blue MCS from my local Mini dealer about a month ago. This little sucker is a blast to drive. I've been driving my wife's Mazda3 for the last couple years (having only one car between the two of us sucks!). It's nice to finally get something that's a bit more performance minded. My last vehicle was a Hemi Dodge Magnum. That "car" was a torque monster, but a nice Sunday drive in the mountains isn't as fun when you're driving a land boat.

Anyway, the Mini was in awesome shape. It has a bit of mileage on it (97k), but it looks like it was stored in a garage for all its life. The interior was spotless, and the outside was just as pristine. I noticed an Alta exhaust, as well as an Alta air filter/box setup. The airbox has an Alta Version 2.0 sticker on it, but I don't see an aftermarket supercharger pulley. Was there an Alta 2.0 filter system? When I google it, the only thing that comes up is the 2.0 pulley.

The test drive went great, the engine was nice and responsive, the auto trans worked well(or so I thought) with solid shifting and no flaring or slipping.

However, after a month of driving I've started to get random rpm flaring, and gear slipping/clunking/slamming. The symptoms are consistent with those reported in the "Failed at 80k" trans thread. The issue has presented itself maybe 5 times in just under 1,000 miles.

I'm still on the 3month/1,000mile warranty provided by the dealer for used cars(I don't have an extended warranty). I've brought the car in twice in the last month for the same problem. The first visit they reset the adaptations, but the problem persisted. The second visit they couldn't replicate the issue. However, it only presents itself randomly, and I doubt they'll be able to replicate it "on demand".

Since the flaring/slipping issue only happens infrequently, is it enough to just ask for a trans flush (assuming they don't pull the "lifetime" fluid excuse)? What happens if they flush it, and two months down the line (after my warranty expires) the issue gets worse? I don't think I can push for a valve body replacement at this point based on, "I read it on the internets". But I don't really know how warranty claims work if the symptoms present during the warranty, but the part fails after the warranty.

Worse case I suppose is to replace the valve body myself, but I would rather slide it under the warranty period if I can.

 

Either pay the dealer to flush the trans, maybe they will do it for you. At those miles the lifetime fluid is well past dead. Good luck.