Who has had problems with this? The past several times I have been under my car I have found fresh transmission fluid on the outside of the transmission. I wipe it clean only for it to reappear. I know that a small amount of dried fluid and road grime coating the transmission is normal, but this stuff is fresh fluid. I took the car into the dealership and informed them of this and several other concerns of mine. Four days later I went to pick up my car after being called and told it was ready only to find the service manager had left for the day and that there was nothing pertaining to my transmission documented in the service report. I left a message on his cell phone the next morning and he has yet to call me back over a week later. From what I understand the seal on the earlier midland (not the current getrag) transmissions fails - all the fluid leaks out and poof goes the transmission. I've read this happens more in cold climates - I'm in Atlanta so perhaps thats why the seal is just barley leaking? I've also read that all the dealer does is replace the transmission with a rebuilt unit - if so won't the seal fail again? Has mini said what is causing the seal to fail? Why not manufacture a new seal that doesn't fail? Any advice and/or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I thought that they did have a replacement seal that would fix this issue, but I could be wrong. I don't blame you for following up on this, as with all of the tranny's that have failed due to this issue, if it were me, I would not let up a bit until they fixed the leak. So far, mine hasn't leaked, but I'm waiting and watching. I am suprised there was no recall on this, and I'm not even sure if there was a service bulletin issued or not. Someone else will come along and know for sure, I bet.

 

I believe they DO have a seal with a metal race now, instead of a plastic one... I know someone that's been through 3 Midlands boxes in his Cooper now, and his mechanic found one with a metal race.

 

It seems to happen more in cold climates, but there have been plenty of folks down south with failed Midlands trannies. Definitely don't let the dealer off the hook on this - if it's leaking, it's going to fail.

I for one was not convinced by the supposedly improved seal on the Midlands, and I just don't think the Midlands transmission is a dependable long-term solution, period. MINI really blew it with this. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many people who have had multiple trannies fail. That's why I bought an '05 with a Getrag, and counsel people against buying used Coopers with Midlands trannies.

 

Can you tell me where exactly is it leaking? I have a Midlands in my 03 MC and am fearing the worst considering my 50K is up in 1500 miles. Do I need to get under the front area or remove the shield, or is this something I can see top-side? Thanks in advance for the help.

 

This is a serious problem. I assume you have an '02 or '03 5spd tranny. It has oil, not fluid. If the oil is leaking out at all you MUST get it to a dealer. The result {and it does not take very long} is total transmission failure. The gearbox only holds a quart or two of oil. When you hear a crunching sound it is too late. It happened to me in very cold weather in New York State. They will replace the tranny under warranty. It is possible that they have not seen many of these in the South. My tranny was replaced with a reman. unit in Feb '04 at 28000 mi, I have 81000 and no probelm since. I repeat... there should be NO oil at all leaking from the gearbox. Good luck.
Rich in NY

 

The Midlands tranny actually isn't that bad... BUT, the Midlands labor dispute and the sabotaging of gearboxes WAS quite ridiculous.

 

Isn't there a TSB out regarding the issue? Can someone post a link? I cant find them on alldata anymore, seems they want you to pay a subscription

 

I had not heard about any dispute/sabotage? Can you elaborate? Any one know the build dates affected by this?

 

I had heard that Midlands employees were negotiating with their management at the time - I think through at least the end of 2002 builds. And, that the negotiations hadn't gone very well.

There were stories of parts being left out, parts being misaligned, etc. I don't think it has anything to do with the design of the crappy seal, though.

I know several owners that have gone through at least one tranny replacement, though, and a few others that were post warranty and had theirs rebuilt. Most drive quite spiritedly, though, all the time - which makes me wonder if it can handle much abuse (my take is that it cannot). For one, I wouldn't entertain anything other than the OEM spec flywheel and clutch assembly. And, I'm mindful of the added stress of my mods and when and how I apply power - a sad commentary, IMHO. Soon, I'll have a ported/polished head and Schrick cam in the car and full expect to be around 130 hp at the wheels - we'll see how it handles that. I think being mindful of how and when you apply the power, and avoiding brash application of the throttle and stoplight drag races would be the ticket...

In any event, I don't blame Midlands as much as I blame MINI (BMW) for choosing the Midlands gearbox to begin with to save a buck maybe? Or was it because Getrag didn't have anything to offer at that time... I dunno. If it were possible to do so easily, I'd be looking to find a Getrag 5-speed and change out any other parts I'd need to if I ever need to replace it in the future - but, I haven't gotten under there and really examined what it would take to retrofit that to my car. My guess is that it would take a concerted effort to locate all the parts I would need, but it might be worth it! Otherwise, I'll keep plugging away with the Midlands running gear...

FWIW, my gearbox is still working well @ 30K miles, two full autocross seasons, track days, etc. I have an 11/02 build date. I change the fluid at least once a year with Redline MTL as a preventative measure, though, but I fully expect to have to replace the gearbox at some point... ugh. That's a sad commentary, IMHO.

I do get a bit of grinding at times when shifting from 1st to 2nd at WOT near redline - which I took it in for but the dealership could not recreate. To date, there are no leaks, though, and I am CONSTANTLY listening to things and examining the box visually...

The dealership's advice was to shift at lower RPM's, which made me laugh out loud! We had a nice argument about where the redline is set and that if I wanted to shift there everytime the equipment should be able to handle it... They said, "Well, most people shift around 4k RPM's." My response was, "Gee, that's great - I guess I'm not most people". I don't rag on my car on the street, but it goes without saying that the equipment should handle the task...

 

I agree with you and often feel the same way. I feel like there is a time bomb ticking under my car sometimes. The transmission feels great, though. I really like the way it shifts and I have no problems with my car which was built in August of 2003. I have nearly 20k on it, no sign of trouble. If it ever starts dripping, I will know it because it is garaged every night. But I share the feelings that you have. It is a shame to have to wonder about the gearbox so much. And suggesting shifting at lower RPMs is a joke. Why not just suggest we trade it in for a Buick Skylark or some other fogie-mobile.

 

The leak is quite obvious. You don't need to remove anything and can see it very easily from under the car.

A note of caution: if you change the oil and use anything other than the mini "lifetime oil" it will void your warranty.

 

Using your cell phone in your car voids your warranty!

 

I'd like to see them prove what was in there... Besides, a quick trip to the dealer and a fluid swap is all that I'd need...

 

That may help extend the life of the transmission, but I think the seal is a separate issue. I don't abuse my car at all, and the Midlands in my '03 failed at 15,000 miles after a weekend where the temp dropped to below zero.

 

Hi, Yes thanks for all the information. I do have a 5-speed Midlands as my build date is 10/03. I have 48,900 miles and have not seen any oil leaking at all - should I just opt to get the oil replaced at my cost??? I have garaged it since new and no staining on floor or visable staining in engine bay - that I can see.

The only roughness I do is attend the MINI's on the Dragon in May. I am not one to turn off the DSC and let her rip. Not my cup-of-tea. I wonder has anyone had a remanufactured tranny replaced out-of-warranty, and what kind of costs are we talking about? Thanks for the info!

 

My '03 Cooper Tranny died at around 43,000 miles. It was listed as having a catastrophic internal failure and they replaced both my tranny and clutch under warranty. Sadly, there weren't any new Midlands in circulation, so they used a refurbished one. I'm VERY afraid, I'm not going to get more than 40,000 miles out of the replacement tranny--being at 54K has me quite worried.

 

Well, the oil won't be your problem, as long as it stays in the transmission. I would like to hear what they say if anyone has ever expressed their concern over the faulty seal to their dealer. If there is a service bulletin out there, would they go ahead and change it?

As for the cost of a gearbox out of warranty, it ain't pretty. I've heard at least one person say they were quoted $3800.

 

I must be the minority "Knock on wood"

55+miles and only a cluch replacement.

 

I've not been kind at all to my mid-02 Cooper. 55K miles and no problems yet. I refuse to worry about it. I bought this car to have fun and if something major fails I'm sure I'll blow my own gasket but them's the breaks. I figure the clutch will go first so I already have a Spec clutch and RPS flywheel sitting on a shelf in the garage. If the tranny fails....well, I'll worry about it when I have to.

 

I've got an appointment with a field service technician on Monday. 1-866-ASK-MINI says his job is to make executive descisions.

Let me give a little synopsis of the situation -

I noticed some oil on the outside of the transmission when I was under the car one day. I wiped it off to see if it reappeared - when it did I called the dealership and asked if I could bring the car in to have this looked at. I was going to be out of town for three days so I dropped the car off the evening before I left (my service advisor was already gone) with a list of some things I wanted looked at/fixed. #1 was the transmission oil. The car wasn't ready when I got back so I went to the dealership and got a ford focus. While I was at the dealership to pick up to enterprise loaner I asked my service advisor about my car (the status). He said he would have to check with the techician. After taking almost 2 hours to get a car I was late for a meeting and couldn't wait around any longer. When I later that afternoon I was told the car was ready. I got to the dealership later on that evening (service manager was gone) to pick up the car. Nowhere on the service report was there anything about transmission oil (no cust states...), yet the transmission was wiped clean. I called my service advisor as soon as I got home and left a message on his cell phone. Two weeks later no return call. I called 1-866-ASK-MINI and the service manager at the dealership who couldn't seem to understand why I was irritated.

Over a period of two years my service advisor has denied getting messages and not returened calls on several ocassions. With my luck they'll probably say they can't replace my transmission.

 

Wow... that is a sad story. I guess I would have camped out at the dealership till the SA or the SM finally decided to come into work. I know that is hard with all of us working all the time to afford fun cars to drive, but that was a bit much not to return calls! I know nobody likes confrontation, but they need to face the music as part of good customer service. Stay with it and hope there is a good resolution. I agree with the one that says that I will enjoy my MINI till the tranny falls out or implodes and only then worry about it. That is a good plan!

 

I am about to tear down for a clutch and was told to get an oil seal for the gearbox just in case.I have this part in front of me and it has a metal casing deffo not plastic.It was soursed by a vendor but looks to be in bmw packaging so i cant say if it's OME or aftermarket,part #23 11 1 044 105