Hey everyone,

I am unsure / Highly doubt that my transmission fluid has been changed at all. I am now at 114K miles, and was wondering if it will do more bad than good to change my transmission oil.

Thanks for the help!


oh yea its an 04 R53 manual

 

Funny you should ask... I just changed mine on Wednesday at 117,722 miles.

I have an '05 MCS (R53) with the six speed Getrag transmission. Here's a great thread on how to/what to do... it worked for me!

http://www.lonestarminiclub.com/foru...read.php?t=474

I was at my MINI dealer and decided I'd change it myself rather than paying them $120.00hr labor for a relatively easy job (as I found out). It's actually easier than changing your normal engine oil if you ask me.

In addition to the stuff the guy mentions on the link, get something (I had a 12" threaded rod) to stick in the end of the 3/8"ID x 1/2"OD tube in order to feed it through the engine to the area of the tranny fill plug. Without the rod the tube kept coiling up on me and I could not feed it straight.... anyway, you'll see what I mean if you do this yourself.

I used the stock MINI "MTF 94" oil; 1.75 QTS is how much you'll need. It cost me under $12.00 for the fluid... shifting seems smoother since the change.

Good luck!

 

Thanks! I'll be doing this tonight!

 

FWIW --There's a lot of info out there on which fluid to use based on year, model and transmission. So to cut to the chase and eliminate any further confusion, I called my dealer and asked the parts department which fluid to use based on the VIN. So at 24k miles, I then had the fluid changed by an independent shop for only $85.00(the maintenance plan expired) --figured that was far cheaper than busting several knuckles. I too am aware that it's supposed to be a lube for life transmission however it's difficult for me to buy into that marketing premise. I did notice that the shifting was much smoother. Hence I will probably change the fluid every five years just to stay on the safe side. PS-The above posts are a great testimonial to the Getrag's durability.

 

Absolutely! just bought this car a week ago, and I decided to do some preventative maintenance. Its still running like a champ, I seafoamed the car yesterday too, and a lot less black smoke came out than I had expected. The Getrag still shifts like a dream but I thought I might as well go ahead and do it.

 

The oil from the tranny was basically and very dark grey to black in color... but I really didn't notice any particulate in it as I was sort of expecting from my very infrequent gear grindings. I dropped the oil into an old paint roller tray so that I could have the MINI on level ground. (My normal catch pan is too high for the MINI to sit down flat). I raised it up with the floor jack only to get to the 8mm drain and fill plugs and then dropped it back down to fully drain.
I think I've ground the gears maybe five times in the 117,000+ miles I've had the MINI (from brand new). Makes me shudder with embarrassment each time it's happened.
The new oil was gorgeous, lol. A nice honey brown color. I think the gears are enjoying the clean lube.

 

Hey sorry to bring this thread back up.

I still haven't had the time to change out the oil (being in college really screws with your schedule).

People have recommended Redline MTL gear oil but I cant seem to find it anywhere here. I did however find Royal Purlple 75W and i believe castrol 75 or 80W gear oils. Will these work as a substitute for the Redline MTL, or should I go ahead and just order Redline MTL online?

Thanks for the help!

 

In the link I initially attached it mentioned Redline and also stated that even the OEM oil was great after 14,000 miles so I wouldn't go crazy trying to find race quality lube. If you're a normal MINI motorer you likely won't need the top of the line shtuff, IMHO... Good luck with school!