I received a letter today from Mini about my 2005 MCS with manual transmission. It said that there have been problems reported with "low levels of fluid" in the manual transmissions, which, over time, could cause problems. They suggested I go to a Mini dealer "at my earliest convenience" to get the transmission fluid checked. Has anyone else received this letter?

The word "recall" is not used, and indeed it did not seem too alarmist. I'm just wondering what cars this applies to, and if I can check the transmission fluid myself, without driving 150 miles to the nearest dealer. Most manual transmissions are not set up for easy fluid checking. I still remember my air cooled VW's, where you needed to crawl under the car, use a huge allen wrench to remove a plug, and stick your pinky finger in the hole to see where the level was!

 

Mid Oct '04 build...............not received anything yet.

 

Some Midlands tranny's had this problem,bad seals.It ain't easy checking the fluid levels.I watch for oil under the car every day,seems thats the best way to keep an eye on it.Others may have a better idea,would be glad to here about it.

 

I don't think this problem has anything to do with bad seals. Some transmissions were not "topped up" with fluid at the factory.

I would imagine MINIUSA only sends letters to owners of MINIs they think were effected.

 

No.some midlands have problems up here in the near artic with bad seals.Those that know look under their cars for signs of leaks. They show up under the car in line with the bonnet latch.

 

i got one of those letters yesterday, too. i think it's just a topping up thing from the way the letter is written. i guess i'll have to find out "at my earliest convenience".

 

The Midland-Gears 5-speed transmission is no longer offered by the MINI in the '05 Cooper. It has since been replaced by the 5-speed Getrag tranny.

All manual transmissions for the Cooper and Cooper S models are being made by Getrag exclusively. The CVT is made by ZF and the new 6-speed auto in the MCS is made by Japanese transmission manufacturer Aisin.

It seems to me Joe's letter from MINIUSA is being targeted at some '05 MCS owners only.

 

If I remember correctly, Los_blankeys car was on the boat with mine, so they were probably manufactured within days of each other. I assume we both have the Getrag 6-speed manual. I don't have a shop manual for the car yet, so I was just wondering what the procedure is for checking the fluid level in that tranny. What kind of fluid is called for?

 

Okay guys related question....

I recently had my second maintenance done and since then have noticed the car being difficult, at times (not always), to shift into first and third gears. It doesn't happen all the time and at first I thought maybe I was being lazy in not engaging the clutch all the way, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Could this be related to this problem? Mine is a Sept build '03 5-speed.

 

Have the dealer check the shift linkeages if in doubt. Remember that the Cooper's 5-speed Getrag transmission is all-new for the MINI. '02-'04 Coopers were fitted with the old Midland Gears (Peugeot derived 5-speed).

 

Also keep in mind that Getrags tend to offer a more direct shifting experience than say the old Midland Gears tranny. The Getrag offers a more classic British car feel on every shift. However if some gears are unusually hard to engage, it is a good idea for your dealer to check things over just in case.

 

I do notice my Midlands tranny to feel a bit"notchy" if I shift slow into third,or when down shifting into first.But when shifting quickly it feels smooth.Going into reverse some time is an issue,but if I go to second than back to reverse it goes right in.
Does anyone know if a Midlands goes bad,would the replacement be a Getrags.
Test drove both an 05 MC,and an MCSC and both those trannys were sweet.

 

I received one of those letters also. I have an '05 MC with manual transmission. I agree that it sounds like a top up problem. Would like to know also how to check it myself to save a trip to the 'big city'.

 

I, too, received the same letter..... 05MCS..... if anyone wants to post a "how to" to check the level of transmission fluid, please do... I'd really like to top mine off... also, does anyone know what trans fluid that mini uses?

 

I have an '05 built in September and I haven't received a letter, and hopefully won't.

Here is how to check the transmission fluid, according to the Bentley service manual:

- Drive a few miles to warm up the transmission.
- Raise and support the car so you can access the transmission from underneath. It doesn't say so, but maybe the car should be somewhat level (i.e. raise it on a garage lift, not ramps). But maybe that doesn't matter.
- Unscrew the transmission fill plug. There's a picture showing two plugs; the upper one is the fill plug, the lower one is the DRAIN plug, so don't unscrew that one.
- The fluid level should be even with the bottom of the hole, or drip slightly.
- Clean the plug and reinstall.

For fluid, it says "Lifetime fluid, MTF 94".

 

Thanks for the info. Is that fluid anything special or hard to find. or will any parts store have it?

 

I made an appointment this morning to get the fluid checked but it isn't till Friday morning. I decided to check it myself. Pulled JB up on 2x6's to get clearance to access transmission. Removed upper access plug (8mm allen wrench) and tried to insert pinkie to discerne fluid level. Only got a small amount of fluid on the side of my finger which must have come from the inside wall of the housing. Since I could only get about 10mm length of pinkie into the hole and since the joint was still outside of the housing I couldn't check the level down inside the housing but it was definitely not up to the lower edge of the hole. I inserted a small allen wrench which could reach down into the housing about 17mm (almost 11/16 inch). No fluid indicated! I believe MiniDan stated in a previous post that it should be at the lower edge of the access hole and that was SOP in the old days. I am going to make the trip to the big city to have it checked and filled if necessary. I could do it myself but there is the possibility that if I had tranny problems later MINI could say " Our records indicate that you never had your transmission fluid level checked by a dealer back in December of 2004 as instructed. Sorry, your warranty is voided. Just a thought.

Motor on!

 

I typed a fairly long reply and when I hit 'submit' the @$#%&&?*& thing gave me an error message 'cannot find page.... etc. And my message disappeared One finger typing takes a while so I'm going to dinner and will resubmit later. Short version --my level was low.
WHOA!! There it is. When I submitted this the 'lost in space' was there on the board--sorry.

 

My 05 was a sept 1 delivery, and I have not received the dreaded letter. however, Mine is some what hard to slip into reverse. At times I must slightly let out clutch and then it will slip into gear. Any body know if this normal?

 

I received mine, just last week and my 05 MCS was built in Aug. Once in awhile, I also found it is hard to shift, mostly in the 1st, 2nd and R.