Howdy all. First time poster. I bought a used 06 Mini Cooper S Convertible at 68K miles in Aug 13. I had it checked out before I purchased it and the shop said it was a second generation mini that was not beset of the CVT problems so I felt comfortable purchasing it. Other than the windshield wipers, gave it a clean bill of health.

Twice in the last two weeks the car had gotten stuck in 3rd gear and would not shift beyond it. The first time was accelerating to freeway speed, the second time I was decelerating and felt it buck hard before not shifting. Restarting the car allowed the car to shift up and down fine. This morning I got an EP error and check engine light and it would not get out of the low gears. Thankfully I was about a mile from a dealer in Sacramento and able to take it to the service department.

They just called and let me know that there was a code that indicated a 2nd gear fault. They cleared the code and reset something within the transmission. On the subsequent test runs the issue did not pop up, the Mini shifted up and down fine (I would assume they did it both automatically and with the paddles). Then it did go through the same fault and get stuck in 2nd gear. The service department is saying the issue is within the transmission and not something they can fix and suggest that I take it to a transmission shop for repair/rebuild.

So my questions are thus:

Has anyone had a similar issue?

For those that have had transmission problems, do you take it to a transmission shop or a European car shop?

Any ideas on cost to repair?

If you're in the Sacramento area, any recommendations on shops to take it to?


Thanks for any assistance.

 

Agentorange,
You have a conflict of information in your posting which could reflect your understanding of the overall situation. An 06 Cooper S is a 1st generation BMW MINI, and if it's an automatic, it probably has a CVT. I'm not sure about an 06 S, but I believe the Gen 1 MINI is CVT, and thus a high risk tranny. Generation 2 started with the 2007 models, where the transmission improved while the engine became more suspect.
Which is it, an 06 or and 07? And if a 06 and an automatic, it is probably the infamous CVT, if that isn't an overstatement. Can you return it?

 

Now you know why the Mini was sold, you just bought somebody elses problem. Another thing is your Mini Cooper S is not 2nd gen, it's 1st gen R53 equipped with a supercharger. 2nd gen started with the R56 turbocharged model. It's going to cost several thousand dollars for a new transmission which is why it was sold in the first place.

Sorry for your troubles.

 

It is an 06 automatic. When I spoke with the first shop that did the check it said the transmission wasn't part of the problem set. And when I went to the dealership today the service department indicated the same to me, that the transmission wasn't the problematic CVT. I've attached a screenshot of the VIN decoder showing what I have.

Wouldn't it be a good thing if it is a CVT? I've heard there was a class action settlement that would cover part of the cost of the repair if it was...

 

Ok, so how do I move this thread to the R52 forum? Or can I delete it and repost it there?

 

Are you sure it's a CVT?

I owned a 2006 Mini Cooper S hardtop, and it had an Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission, not a CVT. A CVT has no gears... you said your car has paddle shifters, right?

 

The "S" model never ran the CVT. So in your case you have the Aisin automatic transmission. But if it isn't shifting properly then chances are you have a bad valve body. Have you changed your ATF?

 

it may sound "silly" but check your battery voltage, in my old BMW 5 Series used to stuck in 2nd gear, and some silly error codes, it was a faulty battery!!!!! use the original BMW or equivalent!