Planning on having a shop change the ATF in my wife's 2007 Justa, and checked with three shops.
Dealer: $450 to change the ATF and re-calibrate, or adapt, the transmission. Changing the filter/screen/strainer is another $450.

Independent #1: they don't have the equipment to re-calibrate the transmission, so they will not change the ATF.

Independent #2: $175 to change the fluid plus $150 to re-calibrate the transmission (they call in a specialist with the right computer equipment). They won't change the fluid without re-calibrating the transmission. This does not include changing the filter/screen/strainer.

I understand that the re-calibration will also update the software....but why is it required when changing the ATF?

I've done some searches on NA Motoring and other sites, but haven't found anything on this. Section 240-8 of the Bentley manual doesn't mention anything about re-calibration. There's lots of DIY information on changing the ATF, but none of it mentions re-calibration....would not expect it due to the need for the software updates....no one seems to have had any problems after they changed their ATF either.....

 

Recalibrating the transmissions sounds like changing the muffler bearings. I'm sure Mini could do it, but would they and why? I just did mine for the first time and I found it easier than changing the oil. The most expensive part was the $20 screw on filler tool. $4 quarts of Toyota T-iv (bought 6, only needed 3), bottle pump $6, plug washer $4. You have to ask yourself what you feel is needed, complete flush, necessity of dropping pan and changing screen, etc. I'm going to dump 3 quarts and replace with fresh every 20k. Overkill, maybe, but cheap insurance on a costly transmission. That'll cost $25 every year. I may do the screen at 100k.
If your a shade tree mechanic, it's very easy to do. If you prefer to take it somewhere I would consider your mileage, if it's ever been changed and if your having shifting issues. Also, after I changed mine I of course had no calibration done and did not notice and issues or different shifting. This is way out of left field, but the only thing I would probably do is baby the transmission for the first hundred miles or so and stay out of sport mode. I'm pretty sure during that time the CPU will recalibrate itself.

 

I am facing a similar dilemma, though my dealer is asking or $350 to flush the entire auto tranny fluid and ... get this ... "recommends" doing it for out -of-warranty cars.

The difference between dealer flush and DIY is that the former will truly circulate the entire 6 quarts of old ATF fluid out and replace it with 6 quarts of new fluid, not just 2.5-3.0 quarts that you get out by the drain plug + stand pipe approach.

The point that most fans of DIY approach neglect to mention is that doing 2 DIY flushes does not get the entire 6 quarts of old fluid out, even assuming you replace 3 quarts, or 50%, of the old fluid each time. Rather, you get ~75% of the old fluid (50% first time and 50% of 50-50 mix the second time). So if you want to DIY flush at least 95% of the old fluid out, you need 4+ DIY flush cycles ((1-50%)^4 = 6.25% of old fluid still left). 4 flushes are slow but doable, and any are better than zero, but 100% flush + new filter is my desired end state.

As far as transmission re-programming goes, it is part of a standard dealer auto-tranny maintenance repair script. Neither one of the 2 dealers I called for quotes could explain why they would need to perform this step, but as it earns them money (1 hour of labor) and is part of the "job", neither one was willing to forgo it.

As has generally been my experience with MINI service people, they rarely know what they are doing beyond swapping parts and following service scripts. Logic and common sense rarely figure in the conversation. That is the primary reason I did not buy extended warranty, and am now reluctant to entrust my '08 MCSa into their care.

YMMV,
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Thanks for the replies - all good information. I'll probably go the DIY route unless I can find a good reason for re-calibrating/adapting the transmission....but that seems unlikely.