My R55 S has about 78,000mi on it. A few weeks ago I noticed that first gear whines. It sounds like reverse, but quieter. The whine starts as soon as I shift into gear, even with the clutch out, but is loudest once I start rolling. It increases in pitch with speed (again, like reverse) until I shift out of first. It happens accelerating, decelerating, and at steady speed.

Searching the wider web suggests it might be "a bad intermediate shaft end bearing". I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to transmissions, so I don't know how relevant that is to a MINI's tranny.

Thank you for any ideas or suggestions of what to investigate!

(I searched the forums first but didn't find anything that seemed relevant.)

 

Try changing the transmission fluid. It might help, or it might not. (If it does, it may be a short-term fix.) Based on my experience with other cars, I would say that this sound indicates a problem inside the transmission. Not yet a serious one, but one that might become serious. Change the fluid and keep listening for changes.

 

Reverse gear whines because the gears are not helical cut like the rest of the 1-6 gears. Sounds like a bearing in your transmission is going bad if the other gears are whining. I'm guessing it's not just first and you just can't hear the others because of road/wind noise. When is the last time you changed your transmission fluid? I'd change the fluid and keep driving it. There isn't anything you can do really unless you want to replace the whole transmission.

 

Thank you, guys! I'll change the transmission fluid tomorrow; can't hurt, might help. It's never been changed. I have the Bentley manual and this appears to be a quick and simple task.

I'll then keep an ear on it, and if the sound changes I'll take it to a shop. There's a BMW/Mini specialist near me too, so I can avoid dealer ridiculousness in favor of a real repair.

 

Follow up: changed the fluid, no change in sound or behavior. Months have gone by and it's getting a bit more noticeable. I'll check the wheel bearings when I switch to winter wheels & tires in a few weeks. Then I'll give up and take it to a shop for an opinion.