Must be winter, quiet here
I think I've been saying the same thing about R53s because of the superchargers, which is another leave you dead in the water for weeks without notice and cost you thousands of $$$$. Plain and simple MINI design the cars to live no more than 150k miles and so starting at 90k they start to show signs of old age and are on life support and a prayer.
I think I said this a year or more ago... if I had a MINI with a CVT, I would RUN AWAY from it as fast as I could... no matter how much I loved it otherwise.
The CVT is heartache waiting to happen. It WILL happen. Better to fall in love with another car first and let it be someone else's problem IMHO.
The CVT is heartache waiting to happen. It WILL happen. Better to fall in love with another car first and let it be someone else's problem IMHO.
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I was lucky enough to secure a spare 2006 SC from a NAM member for a fraction of what they now cost. I held on to that for two years, and it went in last December at 106,000 miles. My list of parts replacement is extensive from coil packs to wires to rebuilding the engine to the water pump to axles...most of the major parts of my car have been replaced with OEM or aftermarket parts due to failure. I'm still having problems with my exhaust and my axles. I'm pretty much at a point where driving my MINI long distance is scary and would prefer to drive my 20 year old MR2!
I'm looking forward to a 2010 Clubman S or 2011 Countryman S All 4...just not sure how long I can wait!
I faced this same dilemma with my 66,000 miles 2003 MC. Though it wasn't a CVT, I was worried about how much future repairs of the Midlands would be since it was already replaced once under warranty. I miss the '03 but not the worry! Course now I have an '05 MCS that has it's own share of worries and I'm looking forward to either a Clubman or Countryman!
I'm looking forward to a 2010 Clubman S or 2011 Countryman S All 4...just not sure how long I can wait!
I think I've been saying the same thing about R53s because of the superchargers, which is another leave you dead in the water for weeks without notice and cost you thousands of $$$$. Plain and simple MINI design the cars to live no more than 150k miles and so starting at 90k they start to show signs of old age and are on life support and a prayer.
Okay my esteemed OCD friends, I come to you for advice.
As we all know, Clara is getting up there in miles (over 100k). She also has a CVT that is (today at least) currently still functioning. However, she is extremely testy, and while I don't think the problem is the CVT itself, I haven't quite been able to nail down what it is, so it worries me. However, the issue itself has been going on for a year...I think if it were the CVT itself it would have gone by now.
The past several weeks I have been tossing around the idea of trading her in before something bad happens. My options at this point seem to be:
1) Wait for something to happen, then fix it. The cost of this could be a $200 ECU/TCU reflash, or a minimum $5k new CVT.
2) Trade her in for a 2010 and get it over with. This would put me *slightly* upside down but at the savings of a potential $5k repair.
I'm not sure if should go into the dealer for a sure diagnosis. If I do, and they determine the CVT is toast, that will kill the trade-in value for sure. But if it's just a $200 CVT flush-and-reset and the reset solves the problem...
What would you do?
As we all know, Clara is getting up there in miles (over 100k). She also has a CVT that is (today at least) currently still functioning. However, she is extremely testy, and while I don't think the problem is the CVT itself, I haven't quite been able to nail down what it is, so it worries me. However, the issue itself has been going on for a year...I think if it were the CVT itself it would have gone by now.
The past several weeks I have been tossing around the idea of trading her in before something bad happens. My options at this point seem to be:
1) Wait for something to happen, then fix it. The cost of this could be a $200 ECU/TCU reflash, or a minimum $5k new CVT.
2) Trade her in for a 2010 and get it over with. This would put me *slightly* upside down but at the savings of a potential $5k repair.
I'm not sure if should go into the dealer for a sure diagnosis. If I do, and they determine the CVT is toast, that will kill the trade-in value for sure. But if it's just a $200 CVT flush-and-reset and the reset solves the problem...
What would you do?
Yeah I think the decision is, we're going to go ahead and get the CVT flushed. If the trans is starting to go, they'll be able to tell then. If not, then a ECU flash should solve the problem.
I think I've been saying the same thing about R53s because of the superchargers, which is another leave you dead in the water for weeks without notice and cost you thousands of $$$$. Plain and simple MINI design the cars to live no more than 150k miles and so starting at 90k they start to show signs of old age and are on life support and a prayer.
There are quite a few 1st gens with over 200K miles now... while I agree that some components are definitely NOT designed for long life, that's not very unlike a host of vehicles these days (example: my 2001 Town and Country). But the CVT has proved to be a particularly problematic and expensive component - which I suspect is one reason it is no longer available. While a few MCS auto trannies have failed (and are very expensive when they do), they have generally been quite reliable so far, hence their continued use in the 2nd gen cars.
Mel - I think you guys have a good strategy to diagnose before making a big change. If all is well and there's no big chunks of metal in the fluid... then maybe you're good for a while.
And - yeah - what a long strange trip it's been, eh?
W3606 forever!
so this am i cut my ring and middle finger while brushing off bread crums quickly on my notebook pc... 
wth. another reason why Toshitba sucks.
the cut is deep too... worker's comp.
but the cut is not at the finger tips so i can still play piano. 
wat we're missing at work is CA.. as in super glue. 
wth. another reason why Toshitba sucks.the cut is deep too... worker's comp.
but the cut is not at the finger tips so i can still play piano. wat we're missing at work is CA.. as in super glue.
yah, i could've used some help this am. i went to the office 1st aid box and i accidentally dumped a whole box of bandages. 
and given that it fell on the floor i had to throw them out. 
wat a waste.
i went to the office 1st aid box and i accidentally dumped a whole box of bandages. and given that it fell on the floor i had to throw them out. wat a waste.
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Mark
last thing I need is someone using it, get bacteria on their hands, accidentally rub it on their wound, and die. It can happen...
Clorox water and a screw driver, not sure how good a job I did though cause it still smells like dog hair when I turn it on, and we don't have a dog.
can't have my team at work giving me excuses they don't feel good after using contaminated bandages kenchan dropped on the floor behind the trashcan.
I don't have time for that.
But apparently I have time to post at nam.
mine lost suction when the intake filter got dirtified after many uses. so had to vac it with another vac and wash. What kind of vac requires another vac to clean??
...I Hydro'ed mine too.
Hurry over to Patrick so we can get a group rate.
So not a final verdict, but today didn't go so great. Clara got the CVT fluid changed and they didn't find any metal in the fluid, so the CVT itself still seems to be okay. But they did a software reflash on the CVT as well...and the problem still exists. It solved a lot of other things (rough idle, the general "CVT lurch") but we are still having what the service manager called "the engagement issue". I don't know what else could be the problem so I am going to be picking some very smart brains tomorrow at the auto show (Ken, are you coming??) and maybe someone will have an answer. They did not attempt to diagnose the problem beyond the flush and flash.
Definitely not!
Put the wheels in motion today for a new MINI. After picking the brains of the 3 people I know who know the cars mechically inside-out, there appears to be no other good option. My MA has agreed to "look the other way" regarding the state of the CVT as long as it doesn't fail completely before it's all over.
Put the wheels in motion today for a new MINI. After picking the brains of the 3 people I know who know the cars mechically inside-out, there appears to be no other good option. My MA has agreed to "look the other way" regarding the state of the CVT as long as it doesn't fail completely before it's all over.