So when I finally took delivery of my mini (oct 29) it was my first time ever driving stick....now at first i stalled a couple times, but i never had grinding issues.
Now a few weeks later i would grind a gear once in a while (very minimal)...now 3 weeks later i still have (but only randomly maybe once a week)...now i do know it is because i have gotten really fast with my shifts and im just messing up and letting the clutch out when the gear is only half way in...but it always seems to happen going into 4th.....does anyone else notice 4th easier to grind?

Also it really pisses me off when i grind a gear (i get mad at myself because i feel like i am ruining my car), but is it really going to kill my car, or is it just something that happenes every once in a while to even seasoned manual drivers?

 

Yes! Shifting in to 4th seems to be the worst for me, especially when kick'in it a little!

 

yeah thats when i really notice it....i hated it when i did it the first time because i was getting back on the gas and went to 4500-5000 which was before my break in period :impatient that made me shed a tear

 

When I was test driving the new '07s I noticed it on a new demo unit. The first couple of times I thought it was me, then after conciously making a careful effort to fully depress the clutch and shift slowly, I noticed I could still feel a rough mesh going into 4th. I told the MA there seems to be a problem with the 4th gear synchro and he said "hmmm, I'll mention it to the service department".

My car doesn't do it though.