tell if an 04 cooper has the getrag transmission, or whatever the old tranny was? I have noticed that some 04's have the new 3 spoke steering wheel, would that be an indication as to when it was built?

 

I used to know this answer. I had an '04 w/ getrag, and I have an '07 MCS turbo. ... the only difference I really remember was when driving...you could feel a difference in shifting and lag time. It was very very subtle, but if you were looking for it...

But then again, I'll watch for posts from smarter-than-me types and relearn!

 

02-04 has the two spoke wheel
05+ has a three spoke wheel

Cooper (02-04) manual had a Midlands (05+ Getrag) Cooper auto has a CVT belt transmission

Cooper S manual had a Getrag. 05+ has auto trans option. 05+ S had the LSD option, jack up the front of the car put it in gear, turn the left front wheel and the right front (or vice versa) will turn in the opposite direction.

To ensure you have the right model year check the VIN

 

The Cooper model didn't get a Getrag 5-speed until the 2005 model year ... July 2004 builds onward.

 

More good MINI identification information HERE

 

(Knew I shoulda taken more pictures of the poor "first child"...) I could have sworn I had a three-spoke wheel in my '04...but then again, it was a demo which I received in OCT/NOV 04...

 

MINI starts BUILD year Sept 1, so you may very well have had 05 BUILD year in an 04 buy. But it is hard to tell without closely examining each car when a car is purchased in that fall period of ambiguity.

 

That late of a build is considered an '05 model year.

Richard

 

Or in Chronology of 1st Generation MINI Changes

 

sorry I wasnt specific enough I meant a cooper S, also some of the o4's have a 3 spoke wheel due to what I believe were done in the november builds. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have certainly found some 04's with the 3spke wheel.

 

Thanks! I guess I remembered more than I thought!

 

So by some reasonable deduction I think I can determine that the used mini S I am looking at has the getrag, please chime in if I am incorrect. In the mini changes that I looked at I see that the JCW kit option was added after the getrag, and the car I am looking at has the JCW kit so it must have the getrag right?

 

The manual transmission in a Cooper S has always been a Getrag, but the gear ratios were changed effective with July 2004 builds.

 

ok that was the answer I was looking for, how do I tell if it was a july 2004 build then. Carfax?

 

Driver's side door jam. Manufacture date will be stamped on the black MINI label.

 

sweet, thanks for the info. This is by far the most helpful forum on the net.

 

Also, some interior parts have a small calender on the insides or backsides of them that can denote the exact day that part was molded. The actual production day of my car was lost to history, but based on the various interior bits I've seen, it had to have been built between the 24th and 28th of september, twenty'o two.

 

ill check those too if its missing the sticker.