Have any of you who have changed to Redline MTL experienced any negative impacts?

I recently went out of warranty and switched from the factory fill MTF 94 to Redline MTL. I was quite excited to get new fluid into my tranny. A few days after the change I began to notice a new noise. It is most noticable in second gear when you let off the gas going down hill at around 35 mph. It sounds like exhaust burble coming from the tranny. It makes the same noise when accelerating at around 4000 rpm. I've noticed this peculiar noise in all gears except reverse and 5th. My dealer only sells MTF 94 in 5 liter at a time for around $120 - hence why I used redline and am hesitant to run out and buy MTF 94 to see if that corrects the issue. Is this coincidental? Should I be concerned?

I also have a clutch shudder on cold winter mornings until the clutch is warm (not sure if this is related).

 

I have made the change, right out of warranty, and I find that the tranny actually works smoother and tighter.

 

I'll be switching mine hopefully over Thankgiving break. I haven't heard of any problems caused by MTL.

 

I put MTL in at 25,000 and have not had any problems. Not much different than OEM, but I have used Redline trany fluids for years without problems. MTL has great properties and is rated for the MINI.

 

there are different types of redline tranny oils, either MTL or MT-90, with 70w80 and 75w90 being their weights. Quick question royce, does your tranny have a limited slip? When i switched my tranny oil to MTL i found the shifts to be much smoother! I did the same with my new car and not only did it shift better but it no longer has the occasional crunch into gear. in the s2k world these guys change their fluids every 15k miles! i'm surprised more people don't change it sooner in the mini world! i'm sure it wouldn't hurt

 

It's because MINI says the MTL is a "lifetime" fluid and does not need changing.

 

Royce:

If it is indeed drivetrain related and is true deceleration noise, it may be due to an issue with the dual mass flywheel.

The whole purpose of the relatively heavy dual mass unit is to dampen out torsional vibrations and reduce drivetrain clatter and gear lash. These noises are commonly heard at idle with the clutch out but can also be heard under acceleration in 1st to 3rd gear and deceleration.

Mini has a TSB out on the dual mass unit and while the unit is technically fine, if you were under warranty they would probably replace it.

I really think the noise is coincidental and has nothing to do with swapping out the fluid.

How many miles on your clutch? The shuddering is usually a sign of uneven wear. Until the surface has properly warmed up and the materials have expanded, worn spots on the disc can create issues with the clutch properly grabbing.

 

Wow, that's good to be aware of.