Just took delivery of our 2009 Clubman, 6 speed manual. I noticed a little "noise" in 3rd gear when coasting in gear, but being new to MINI, thought little of it. I took the car in to MINI last week for an unrelated power window issue and, since I was there, mentioned the noise in the tranny. They told me it was probably nothing but would have one of their MINI techs drive the car. An hour later the service advisor comes back with a serious look on his face and tells me he wants to get me a loaner b/c the tech heard something and they want to investigate further. He goes on to tell me that if the car needs a new transmission, they will need to get approval from MINI USA to perform the work. WHAT?! This car is BRAND NEW! In fact, I, as well as my wife, heard the noise from day 1, but I didn't bring the car in b/c I figured it was normal. They called me back the next day to tell me the car does in fact need a new transmission and I should have it back in about a week. The more I think about this, the angrier I get. WE opened a case with MINI USA but I doubt it will go anywhere. The car is not classified as a lemon, but I think the right thing to do is to take back the damn car. (It'll never happen). How complicated is the job of replacing the tranny? I just think that no matter what, I will be constantly listening for noises and problems. Not my idea of happy motoring.

My question is 3-part
1 - How difficult is this job in terms of complexity?
2- How much of the car needs to be disassembled?
3 - How much would this cost if the car was out of warranty?

 

I'm just floored by the attitude of people on this site.....

One problem with their car and they're ready to call the attorney general, mount pickets on the front lawn, call the media.............I mean, come on folks - it's a damn car!

The dealer will fix the problem, they've given you a free car to drive in the meantime, and the manufacturer will pay for the cost to install a brand new tranny. How are you harmed by this?

Cheeze loiuse!

Imagine how you might have felt if the dealer didn't take a pro-active stance on this and just let it go till you wound up paying for it at 51K miles?

Then you might have had grounds to complain...........maybe!

Take a chill pill, relax and enjoy your car.

And if you can't do that because you've convinced yourself that it will now fail at every turn, sell it and buy something else, nothing anyone can ever do for you will make you happy.

To answer your questions...
1) it's a fairly complex job
2) enough to R&R the transmission
3) probably about $4 - $5K, depending on whether you installed a new clutch at the same time.

 

First of all MINIdave, I didn't ask the forum if I was overreacting. If you think I am, that's just fine. I asked three questions, none of which you answered. If you have something constructive to add here, I'm all ears. I think I am perfectly justified in being angry at the fact that a brand new car - my first new car in 10 years - needs a major component replaced within one month of owning it. No chill pill needed here. I logged on to get some answers, not to be told to calm down.

 

I see you did answer the questions. Sorry about that. In my fit of "rage," I didn't read to the end. Thanks.

 

It's mechanical. Things break. I tend to agree with Dave - the one part was defective, they're replacing it at no cost to you and providing a loaner. No harm, no foul, as far as I would be concerned. Just because you have one defective part doesn't mean the whole car is liable to fall apart at any moment.

These cars are not Hondas or Toyotas that run for 200k miles problem-free. Get as much out of your warranty as you can.

The job is pretty complex - most "major" drivetrain work on a MINI involves dropping the engine due to how tight everything is in the engine bay. Tranny replacement on a MINI can run anywhere from free under warranty to $7k depending on the dealer.

 

If the noise was there from day one, then it isn't that something broke, it was defective from the beginning. Sometimes that happens with something as complex as a transmission.

The transmission is made by Getrag. MINI just installs it. A defective transmission does not forebode other problems with the car.

I don't know the answers to your three questions. Your dealer should be able to answer them for you. The cost may vary a little from dealer to dealer, depending on what they charge for labor.

 

Ive been through 2 transmissions already and ive barely hit 4500 miles the other day. The first transmission took a week to get shipped in and installed but the second one was done in about 2 days to get shipped in then a day and a half to get put in. The first transmission wouldnt let me go into 5th gear and the second one had a noise in 5th gear and they replaced it no questions asked

 

been trolling in other enthusiast forums with cars that use Getrag trannies and there seems to be some serious QC issues going on here, esp in the last year.5 or so. Also, I wonder if Getrag's bankruptcy filing this time last year had any effects on the company's products and OC? after all, legal issues can afect a company's productivity.

http://jalopnik.com/5090613/getrag-u...its-unfinished (this is just an overview. Google "Getrag Bankruptcy" for more.

after all, MINI only assembles products made elsewhere, so they are at the mercy of their suppliers.

 

That's interesting information. I don't know a whole lot about the Getrags, as I have a CVT (consider yourself lucky!) but I know the Getrags are considered a whole heck of a lot more reliable than the old Midlands, which is what came in the older 1st gens.

 

 

Thank God!!!

 

Hondas are NOT always trouble free - especially transmissions. I was just told that our Honda Odyssey needs it's second replacement transmission. The Odyssey's have an especially bad track record regarding transmissions. I think all cars can break and will have issues at one time or another .... including Mini AND Honda.

 

Yep... my friend's Odyssey had the trans replaced at least once and I think maybe twice. Another friend's 06 Miata had to have the 6MT replaced at less than a year old. I've had heater cores, exhaust manifolds, catalytic convertors, and other stuff replaced on very new cars that I have owned. But usually after the initial things get replaced, they are very reliable afterwards.

 

Getrag has had a very good reputation in the past. The dealer should be able to install the new tranny just fine. I agree with others that this one admittedly major failure in no way indicates a lemon.

Infant mortality is a part of the complex machines that we drive and in some ways - although it is frustrating and takes the icing off of the cake, I would rather have a tranny that failed right away and was replaced in its entirity at no cost to me than one that dies slowly.

I certainly understand your disappointment and it is only normal to question what will break next - but there is no reason to believe that the car is cursed.

Good luck and hopefully time will heal and the joy will return.

 

I'd be pissed too but able to understand this type of thing happens to all cars. Just give them a chance to make it right and all will be good. I'm sure they'll take care of you, if they don't then raise hell about it.

 

Personally I think you owe the Dealers service dept. a big thank you! They evidently put someone in the car for the test drive who was savvy enough to identify the problem, a lot of places don't have that level of expertise. Better now than later ie a breakdown on the highway in the middle of nowhere in a snowstorm at midnight.

 

Before you get your undies in a bunch, did they tell you what was wrong with your transmission? It might be a case of the service department being pro-active and choosing to replace a part that they don't have 100% confidence in BEFORE it becomes an issue. If it makes noise, and it's not supposed to, and they can't find a reason for it - I would hope that they would replace it.

 

I agree with BensMini, your proactive service dept did you a huge favor, they could have covered it up until your warranty was over and then hit you with huge bill when it became a real issue.

 

He just picked up his MINI, if there was something defective from day 1, and that something is big enough for an entire transmission replacement, I doubt his MINI would have survived the warranty period before breaking down. It could have been running on borrowed time.

I agree with both sides here. The OP does have the right to be mad. He dropped $25K + for something that is brand new, and finds out it needs a transmission replacement? It's the hassle and time taken away from a new owner. But it was also great for his dealership to step up and man up about the situation. Props to the dealership.

To answer the OP's Questions to the best of my ability:

1 - How difficult is this job in terms of complexity? Very difficult and complex. A clutch job is easily a 9 to 10 hour job. And that is only part of the transmission. If your ENTIRE transmission needs to be replaced, you can expect the hours to rack up easily. Though for a MINI specialist, it may take less time.

2- How much of the car needs to be disassembled? I don't know about the R56, but I know for the R53, it would usually include disassembling the front bumper, engine, clutch + It'll look like your car's front end took a grenade to it.

3 - How much would this cost if the car was out of warranty? For parts and labor your easily looking at a $4,500 +. When it comes to transmission work, it's some of the most time intensive labor where labor costs can easily exceed parts cost.

 

drifter22, I certainly understand your anger / frustration. I agree with many who've said your service folks did you a favor. The only thing I would add is that a test drive before taking delivery (with your MA present) might have revealed this condition and given you a basis to reject the MINI. Several folks on this board suggest that along with a detailed inspection before signing off on the car.

Hope it goes smoothly from here on out. It really is a fun car--hope the fun comes back for you soon!

 

Here's one thing that nobody has pointed out - BMW & Mini do NOT repair transmissions, period. If it's bad, it gets replaced, usually with a reman unit. I'm a bit surprised that this one was replaced so quickly for just a noise. That makes me think that the noise is a known issue that caused Mini to quickly approve a replacement, or the dealer was just being especially proactive on the owner's behalf.

Either way, I would be disappointed if this happened to me, but not overly alarmed and surely not incensed. It's a car - things happen, stuff can be DOA or near-DOA. As long as it's taken care of expeditiously under warranty, then it's all good. And, there are virtually no other transmission failures being reported (clutches are another story, but I digress), which is another reason to be optimistic that a replacement will solve this issue permanently.

 

For what its worth, I had the same issue with a Volvo station wagon many years ago. It got a new transmission on day three of my ownership. It went on to last 9 years and 240K miles.

Its often at the start of life that machines experience problems that are truly warranty issues.

It sounds like your car may be one of those that have a couple of issues. That's what warranties are for. It also sounds like the dealer is honorable, having found a problem and having undertaken to resolve it as expeditiously as possible. The mere exixtence of a warranty is an admission on the part of the car's creator that it is possible that it is not absolutely perfect. It the creator's way of saying. "If it isn't perfect, I'll make it perfect."

And new transmission is just that. Its a brand new one. Its just like the first one was supposed to be before it was bolted into the car. Taking it out is no issue for a good shop, and putting it back will result in a car that is just like new -- perhaps better.

Have faith, it'll be OK. The dealers are just as good as the folks at the factory when it comes to stuff like this.

Don't you wish people came with warranties?

 

Warranties, no.
Returns, yes.

 

I don't understand why the author of this thread would be so worried about getting the tranny fixed. It's going to be under warranty anyways. Not every car is perfect off the assembly line.

 

That article references Getrag US, a subsidary of the Getrag company. Please check your facts unless you mean to spread FUD.