Hello everyone!

I'm not sure how to link the previous thread where I spoke about a small leak I had on my newly purchased 2013 MINI Cooper HT, Manual Transmission.

Turns out the small leak was the front transmission seal which the service center said they fixed. Well; not two weeks later, the same leak was back .. this time not as bad, but definitely there. As a result, my MINI remained at the service department and off to work I went with a loaner. While there, I mentioned I wanted this documented, as this is the second time I'm back for the same issue. One more time, and in Florida .. I start the lemon-law filing with the manufacturer.

Needless to say, the service department (as before) was VERY accommodating and eager to keep their customers happy. They informed me this time they would get MINI involved, to see why this is occurring. I received a call a few hours ago stating the MINI engineering department wants the seal and axle replaced. They measured the axle and everything seems fine, but to be on the safe side they're replacing both components. Anyway, it should be ready by tomorrow afternoon.

Another issue I mentioned was the sudden, jerk (yes it's a manual), and what appears to be a less tighter/peppy feel (still under 2k miles). The service manager asked what gas I'm using? I told him I'm strictly using BP 93 octane and nothing else. I also mentioned it's a Top Tier merchant, which they already knew. However, he said I should go with what the gas cap says (mine says minimum 89, while the owner's manual says recommended 91).

He also said the 93 is, "Slowing the burn" not allowing the gas to "ignite" when it should. As a result, he recommended I drop to 89, which I'm a tad hesitant to do. He went on to say, the detergents are the same in all grades (that part is true), and the lower octane could actually eliminate the unsteadiness and actually give more power (like before). Talk about really confusing me.

Anyway, I hope my MINI will be fine after they're done with it. Hate to think of a NEW car getting broken down for an axle and seal (not sure how involved all that is, but it sure sounds complicated).

Any advise, tips and feedback will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
David
Missing my MINI

 

While there's no reason to run a higher octane than necessary, I don't believe for a minute that it would cause any problems. What do you mean by a sudden jerk and less tight feel?

 

Never has one poster been so fixated on one subject..........
If you have not determined what fuel to buy and what in your last 4 threads.....
you will never be sure...
act with confidence...you have a few HUNDRED opposing points of view....
Pick!!
Good luck on the tranny...sounds like a pain...but as long as it is documented, I would not worry..heck...sounds like the dealer is amost kissing your butt!!

 

I don't think your SA understands how gas works.

 

238, how can I explain this without sounding dumber than I do already (sorry Zippy).

1st gear .. Let off the clutch slowly as I accelerate. Once in a while, and most recently ... it feels like it bogs down before picking up again, and I not talking about poor manual shifting clutch popping kind if thing.

Now I will say this (first I have to apologize to Zippy again), I don't rev it much. I try I start, go into and come off a gear as smooth as possible without jerking. However, there are times I do jerk, and times I miss the down shift -- oh and yes, I have grinded the gears maybe 3 times, but I'm learning.

Guys, I'm afraid to push this car for fear I may ruin it. It's my first MINI, and yes I'm the first to admit I'm quite ignorant, but eager to learn

Regards,
David

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Didn't mean to come off saying you were anything other than a concerned owner....
but you might be worrying a bit too much....how about alternating mid and high-test?
many folks use the wrong fuel for their entire ownership..no issues..so don't overthink it...
on one hand I once had a car that ran BETTER on LOW octane Sunoco "economy 86" than even 87....an old honda civic (88)and a CRX (89)....both about 200,000 miles....hm...ran them both to about 300,000.....not saying do it...but use what seems to run best...
As for shifting....mini clutches are not oversize or super strong......if you used it on a hill to not roll back (a bad thing, but many folks do it) or have been giving it some gas before it is fully engaged (when starting out), you might have a bit of glazing going on...it should recover with normal driving...

 

FIRST: You need to start driving the car. Find a nice long entrance ramp to the freeway and run it through the gears, all the way up to redline with you foot pressed all the way to the floor.

SECOND: Do it again.

THIRD: Keep doing it. It's fun. And it won't hurt the car.

 

Thanks Zippy. One day I'll have similar knowledge and wisdom to share with others as well. I'm hopeful to be a MINI family member for a long time. My only regret, is I didn't start sooner.

No hills where we live (Florida), it's all flat, so thank God for that.

Glazing on the clutch? Not sure what this means. :(

Regards,
David

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Ceren: I'm sure one day I'll do this. I actually did it once to avoid getting rear ended by a semi while I was entering the highway. I was shocked to see how this thing moved in SECOND gear.

Regards,
David

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Don't be afraid of ruining it. If you are finding yourself bogging when starting in first, try a few more RPMs before you let out the clutch and add more throttle. If you let the car get under idle RPM, it's going to shudder and have almost no power. I try to take off at around 1,500 RPM or up to 2,500 when driving more aggressively.

 

Either you or your service advisor is confused. The transmission input shaft seal is in no way related to the axle seals. If they're replacing the axle then it's likely the axle seals that have started leaking not the transmission input shaft seal. I've heard of other people having issues with leaking axle seals so I'd say it's not terribly unusual. Odd that it would happen twice though. They must have messed it up when they reinstalled the axle after replacing it the first time. For some reason on these cars it seems really easy to do.

 

In my MINI 1500 rpm would be too low and cause lugging. My son keeps doing that (I've been teaching him to drive manual the past few months). Yours could be different, every car pretty much is. But if it is bogging down like you describe, that sounds to me like you are not giving it enough gas when starting off.

 

I typically like to get my car going with very little gas. In fact, if I'm just inching forward in stop and go traffic my foot never even touches the gas at all. Comes down to personal preference I guess.

 

Thanks v10. I'll post what the invoice says once I get it. I'll also post what the first one says. Hmmmmmm, interesting you should mention this.

Thanks again, I'll keep everyone posted.

Regards,
David

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JC/Andy -- thanks for the tip. Maybe it's operator error which I have no problem admitting.

Regards,
David

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Gasoline is made up of a whole bunch of different (but related) chemicals all mixed together. Some burn faster, some burn slower. Some are easier to start burning, some are harder to start burning.

A gasoline's "octane" rating is a measure of how difficult it is to start burning just with the heat of compression and the heat retained in the engine parts alone, without a spark. Not a measure of how quickly or slowly the fuel burns.

That said, it is often the case that the stuff that resists auto-ignition also burns slower. But the difference between grades as close as 89 and 93 is almost certain to be too small to make any actual difference.

Still, it could be worth trying different gas to see if it helps. Mostly, I bet, it will help you to tell the SA that you already tried that and there was no change...

 

After 2004, 2007 and 2013, you are not required to admit to anything!

 

David when you go to pickup your car why not have someone from the dealership go with you and make some comments on your shifting. From reading your other posts and videos from the "experts" off of you tube on how to drive a stick makes me concerned for you. The next time you get on the freeway accelerate to speed 3 or 4 gears to redline. Try it you will enjoy it.

 

Hi MINIon.

The last manual car I drove was a Honda CvCC back in my college days. I'm 53 if that gives a hint how long ago that was.

I currently have a loaner. It's an automatic and I just discovered what happens when you nudge the auto shifter to the left. WOW!! The thing sorta allows you to up/down shift without a clutch.
This is truly an amazing vehicle.

Now that I'm close to 2k, I "may" try redlining once (or twice) to see how it feels.

Odd ... I haven't received a call from the SA. He said my MINI would be ready by this afternoon, no news yet. Hmmmmmm :(

Thanks MINI.
David

 

Thanks Slave.

I was thinking of trying a local Sunoco station. It was recently remodeled and is always packed with customers. This means two things ... (1) Remodeled = New tanks below (they changed the entire layout if this station, making it bigger with more pumps) and (2) Always busy = Fresh fuel all the time. ** Only drawback = It's not a TopTier merchant. What I like about this station (and it's the only one which has it) is that it carries the 91 octane, which is the exact value the manual calls for (listed as "recommended") with 89 being listed as the "minimum" accepted.

I mentioned the above to the SA, and he said "Stick with TopTier stations" and printed me a list of stations from the TopTier website which I told him I already had. Every station where we live and surrounding areas carry 87, 89 and 93. Sunoco is the only one with 4 grades: 87, 89, 91 and 93.

Thanks for the tip and valued feedback my friend.

Regards
David

 

I called the SA this morning to see about my MINI and was told it's ready but they, "Want to put mileage on it (15 miles) to make sure there's no seepage or sweating of oil." He said I could put the mileage myself if I prefer, but I opted to let them do it and release the car to me ONLY when everything has been resolved.

I told them to spray brake cleaner to make it bone clean, and he said that's what they do.

I truly hope this gets resolved. If not, it will be the third time I take this vehicle in for the same reason and I'll have no alternative but to execute the following with MINI under the Florida Lemon Law.

I'm sad, and sincerely hope it doesn't come to this. I still LOVE my MINI. :(

Regards,
David

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Email to Service Mgr.

Good morning Claude.

Just as a follow-up. I spoke with Eddie Saturday morning and he said your service department wanted to put miles on our MINI (approx 15) to make certain there's no seepage and/or sweating of oil. He asked if I wanted to put the miles on myself, but I declined as I prefer to take delivery of the vehicle once your service department renders this ongoing problem resolved.

For what it's worth, I took a picture of the loaner we currently have and it's absolutely bone dry - no signs of any oil leaks. This loaner, which has over 9k miles has no sign of leakage at all. However, my brand new car delivered with only 12 miles (now just over 2k miles) has been in need of service twice for the same problem. I asked Eddie to have his technicians spray the bottom of our MINI with brake cleaner (which he said they do), so the car is delivered to us with no signs of oil leaks, sweat and/or residue. We will be monitoring this condition very closely on our end.

I trust you understand. We LOVE our MINI, but having it in twice for the same problem, when I have a loaner sitting in our garage with 4.5 times the mileage and not a single sign of oil leaks anywhere is causing us concern about the specific unit we received.

Thank you,
David

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Hello MINIacts!!

So here's what was done to my MINI. They kept the car 3 days to make sure it doesn't leak again. I also added the bonnet stripes (white).

The SA explained all this, but it's all a foreign language to me. So I thought is scan what they did for your thoughts. It may be my imagination, but the car shifts and seems smoother, not as ratchety if that makes any sense.

Thoughts?

Regards,
David

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One of the drive shafts and seal was replaced. Says the shaft was out of round, that would explain why the first seal failed so quickly, and there should now be less vibration.

Soo, drive it. You'll know soon enough if they nailed it...

 

Hi AZ,

Thanks for the response my friend.

In my previous posts I mentioned the car seemed more rattley (if there is such a word). I could feel vibration as I accelerated revs and speed. Something just didn't feel quite right. Now, on my way home the thing was smooth as cotton. Of course tomorrow on my way to work I'll know. 64 miles round trip, of which 40 miles is all thruway.

The SA mentioned something being "off-round" but lost me there. I peaked under the car tonight and it seems bone dry (fingers crossed).

Our garage lighting doesn't do him any justice, but here he is (sleeping) with the newly added bonnet stripes. An early Father's Day gift.

Regards,
David

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