Hey guys, wanted to reach out and see if anyone else had this problem. So I have an 02 mini with less than 95K miles, and have replaced the clutch twice. I went through the problems with the power steering pump early on in the life of the car, but Mini did the official recall and replacement and reimbursement on that part. Other than oil changes, and and a cold air intake, nothing mechanically has been done to the car. My question is I am getting a strange grinding like noise that starts in second, and can be faintly heard in third, but not at all in 4 or 5. I am pretty sure its a bearing that has gone bad, and the dealership says I need a new transmission at $4k. My question is has anyone else had a similar problem? I can take the car to a local transmission shop and have it rebuilt for $2k or so, but with only 94K miles it just seemed way too early for a new transmission. Thanks for the help!

 

my transmission does the same if i shift too quickly without giving the syncros time to mesh. try to shift slower, see if it quiets down.

 

I had the same problem, I bought my car in March/2002, one of the very first in Los Angeles. I could hear the noise just as you describe. Try changing the fluid first, that may help. I changed my clutch at 100k, and since I was there already, I decided to get the gears from a guy in England for about $500. I did it myself. The old transmission appeared to be OK, all gears intact, the old fluid was VERY dark and thick.

 

Where you able to fix the problem im getting a similar problem just as you describe but i only get it when the car is cold once it warms up the noise goes away ill post a link so you can hear if anything similar to your problem thanks