...how old is your mini with cvt and what problems have you had?

 

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Minnie is an 03 CVT w/58,000 miles, absolutly no tranny problems.

 

(Moved from a different thread)

These CVTs are really an enigma to me. I had my '04 with a CVT for just over 2 years, and put over 83k miles on her. And I in no way, shape, or form drove conservatively! In fact, I downright abused the thing! I constantly had it at redline, launched the MINI whenever I could (I loved entering highways and leaving rest areas! ), downshifted at every opportunity, etc. Heck, on the Dragon, I didn't let the transmission fall below 5k RPMs for the entire 11.6 miles! I even figured out how to finesse the gear selector and throttle as such to get the transmission to go about 500 RPMs past red line!

But despite all of the abuse I put her through, I never once had any issue with it. All she ever wanted was fresh oil occasionally, and a sip of coolant every other month or so.

Yet, looking around both on this forum and MINI2, all I seem to read about whenever a thread about the CVT pops up, is how they're self-destructing. Not that I doubt any of the stories, far from it (I even purchased an extended warranty at the 49k mile mark), but I don’t get how most failed CVTs seem to be blowing up on folks who say that they're conservative drivers, while mine was downright tortured but kept on going...

It seems as though most (but not all) CVTs that went south were built between '02 and early '04. Maybe the late model year '04 and beyond CVTs were an updated or upgraded version? And it would make business sense that if this were the case, MINI would keep it quiet as to avoid a recall, class action lawsuit, folks demanding in and out of warranty transmission swaps, etc. As noted above, the transmission is not cheap! In fact, $6,000 is cheaper than most were quoted for a transmission swap.

The cost is also my guess as to why they got rid of the CVTs for '07s. Not so much that they are extraordinarily unreliable (my MA told me that he was actually surprised that he didn't see more CVTs going through the service bay compared to manual transmissions. And at this point he didn't have any reason to lie to me, as he previously admitted to me that he didn't care for the CVT because of how they drive, and I already put my down-payment down on my JCW! ), more that when they do break, they're too expensive, a pain in the butt to swap them out, and they're a sealed box. If it breaks, it's broke. The only remedy is to replace, not troubleshoot and repair.

Ah well. Pardon my rambling!


-Paul!

 

I have an '03 CVT that I picked up in '04 when it had only 2200 miles on it. It now has 34k and has been to 2 2-day HPDEs [one at Putnam Park, and the other at Autobahn], seen the Dragon 3 different years, has done the twisties around the Dragon, has travelled long and far, done city, country and interstate travel, and has posed no problems for me. I stopped driving it as my daily driver in May, '06, when I bought my MCSa to keep up with my friends at the Dragon and at the track, but I still drive it to shows and out and about when the urge to drive a Cooper and not an S strikes me. Great fun, both cars!

 

Here's my sob story. You've probably already read it. The CVT was the one thing that made me not want the car, but I bought it anyways, and of course the CVT is really the only thing to break after owning it a little more than a year. My car is going on 78,000 miles. I can imagine it dying sometime after 150,000, but 78,000? Hopefully the CVTs in the '06 Coopers are improved somehow.

 

I have a 2003 Cooper with 77800 miles and the only problem i have had with the CVT is that the upshift on the SD doesnt respond all the time but it still works like a champ. I truly hope it's not terminal and only getting worse because if it does then i'm screwed. No real complaints just concern.

 

I really don't understand this. How difficult could it possibly be to replace the belt? Since they are manufactured rather than genetically engineered, it can't possibly be rocket science to fix them. The only thing I can figure is that they don't want to release information about how to calibrate/adjust them because of possible competition.
Has anyone done an autopsy one a broken CVT? If not, I would sure love to be the first. All I need is a dead CVT to disassemble.

 

My 06 MCC w/CVT has 45,000 trouble free miles on it. I give the manual mode a good workout on the weekends, but I don't come close to abusing it. I find it especially responsive between 3500 and 6000 rpm. It's the smoothest automatic and the smoothest shifting manual I have ever driven.

 

Stoopid has like 40k or something on hers and no troubles :: knock on wood :: and I have driven it quite a bit which makes it work... hard... even chasing down eSsesssss on the Dragon fully loaded... bwaahahahahah!

 

40000 Miles 2003 Not a problem

 

I refuse to answer this question because I have 2 with CVT and one with it's older cousin, the Steptronic, and I fear bringing bad luck to myself.

Yes, I can be quite superstitious at times.

 

I do seem to remember a long while back a thread either on here or MINI2 that someone opened one up and attempted a repair. If I recall correctly, it turned out that the 'belt' is actually made of many small metal links, and when it was opened, the whole thing just fell apart into little pieces.

I'll see if I can come up with the original thread.


-Paul!

 

Worked for me! On one run, I even had a driver of a JCW that was behind me on a run ask what mods I did to my Cooper. I gave him an odd look and replied none. He told me he asked because I really seemed to launch from stop signs, and he had to push his pedal a bit harder than he expected.

He was flabbergasted when he saw that it was MINI's red-headed stepchild transmission under the hood!


-Paul!

 

Our 2003 MC with CVT has been problem free since we took delivery on 03/01/03. Iwill admit that it only has 21,500 miles on it. We love our Mini.

 

Bercilak is a 2005 Cooper with CVT. 28000+ miles and no tranny problems.

 

2005 with about 28,000 miles. Twice the car just died on me, one while running and once more at a light. Right now it does this thing where it will sputter a bit or feel like it's about to die, but has not died since the last time, about a year ago.

 

Mine did that when I first had it. A software flash by the dealership (under warranty) cleared it right up, and no other problems after that.


-Paul!

 

Did which one, the dying or the feelilng like it's going to die? I'll probably bring it in soon before my maintenance warranty is over to try and get my brakes replaced as they are really squeaky, although no warning lights are off.

 

Both!

But, I had a 2004.... I think you already should have the latest software in your 2005. But it can't hurt to try! The symptoms sound the same as what I had.


-Paul!

 

My 2003 CVT apparently died without warning this past weekend at 88,000 miles - the car will not shift into Drive, and the shop says it's in the transmission.

 

2004 cooper r50 base ... at 75k+miles; transmission blows :/ getting it rebuilt at the moment 3500+ dollars with labor :(