So about 2 weeks ago I had the yellow gear with an exclemation point come on when I turned my car off and it wouldn't give the key back. The light went away after a few seconds and the light has not returned. I took her in to mini of Montgomery to have it checked out and they said that the whole gear selector assembly had to be replaced costing me 722$. (They also charged 70$ for a diagnostic fee) After some searching around here I found that this was a very common issue for the March 2008 minis but almost no one else has had the issue.(I have a 2010 non s automatic) so I kinda figured they miss diagnosed the problem, i took it in to mini of annapolis 4 days later and they gave me the same diagnosis except they estimated the repair to be 1100$ (they didn't have a diagnostic fee, and they checked everything else out while they where at it).

Also the park release thing is REALY loud, they said that would go away once it was replaced

Has any one had this done on a newer model then the 08 or know of a simpler fix?

Is there any reason 2 dealers would have a 400$ difference on the same repair?

 

I have heard that there were problems with moisture from the cup holders dripping on the selector mechanism and causing problems with autos. I'm not sure that was limited to the 08s. Have you spilled anything in the cup holder?

Two dealers can have different labor rates, and they will often charge different prices for the same part. They set their own prices, though MINI corporate does make suggestions.

 

Wow, I had seen those too but I brushed them off because I have never spilled anything, but I'm not the first owner... That explains perfectly why it was so rusty when I took the whole thing off and why the clicking has gotten louder and wasn't noticable in the summer and the light came on on the coldest day so far... Looks like I can't hold off on this repair :(

 

Yea, I was going to say you might had something spill. Or moisture issues.



You can get the whole part here: 25167644233


#1 http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/25167644233/



There are only a few parts that are separate and those are hard parts , not electrical. But I bet the interior of the selector switch is corroded or damaged from the moisture.



Thanks and good luck.