Quotes I've gotten to rebuild the aisin transmission, and install are $4500 from a transmission shop and from a mini BMW specialist who buys a rebuilt and removes and replaces.

 

In Los Angeles area if i were to pull the transmission and take it to a shop a rebuild job is between 1200 - 1500; so sorry for generalizing I guess it's just my area.

 

Add another 10 hours of labor to remove and replace= $2500. What would the warranty be on that in your area?

Here in DC I got quoted 3 years or 100k miles for $4500.

That would almost make it worth shipping out to repair but I would never do that. if problems arise youre pull it and ship it? nah.

 

 

WHAT? 12k miles! Thats no transmission Id pay for.

 

the actual valve bores wear out on these valve bodies. They are pos parts and are guaranteed to fail. This is by far the worst part on this car, and that's saying a lot. I purchased a transmission with only 77k miles on it, and it had the 3/4 flare as well. The video posted above doesn't work for our solenoids, as we have teh small can version. And it's not the problem anyway. Sonnax has a good website that describes how to adjust teh valves and reduce the flaring. I did this to my mini, and the flare is gone under all but the most extreme driving style. Only now, the car lurches when it shifts from 1st to 2nd. Parking lots are annoying, and the whole dirving experience is marred. I'd get a new VB but I think I'm just going to sell the car and be done with it. It runs and drives and is in perfect condition otherwise. But the shifting is a nuisance. I still blame my wife for getting a dreaded auto.

 

Did you not get a warranty with your used trans?

With all due respect to you, and your issue, the trans is the most reliable part on the car. If only the engine was designed by Japanese like the trans... My trans outlived my motor.

When I spoke to the guys at Bavarian Motor Exchange they told me that manual is less reliable than the automatic. Go figure. The mechanics at mini told me they rarely have any service calls for the automatic.

 

If the fluid had never been changed then 77k is end of life.

 

well why would they, it's "sealed, maintenance free" ;-)

 

That's not true. Mine had 150k miles on it and had never had the fluid changed and it shifted fine.

 

Maybe yours was made on a Wednesday? If they all lasted that long why does this thread exist?

 

I'm just putting things in context. My 2008 leaked from every gasket it had, once or thrice ... The transmission was the only part that didn't fail... It didn't even leak. It outlasted the damn French motor.

 

IDoSeaDoo, amen brother, my sentiments exactly. Got the auto for my wife and then she got tired of it and I get stuck with it.

Lex2008, with respect, MINI service does not get these coming in because they only replace trannys with new ones for about $12-15K all in. The cars are worth far less so people either scrap them or find a solution elsewhere.

 

That's not necessarily true. The dealer in Alexandria was willing to put in a used trans for me from LKQ for only $130 more than a local trans shop. That's not to say that in other dealerships they will only install a new trans for $9k plus labor which will mean many Coopers end up at the junk yard.

Listen I'm not arguing that these cars aren't a P.I.A. I've paid the price of ownership as much as anyone. But from what I understand, the automatic transmissions are the best system on the car. And I agree that the lifetime oil in the trans is stupid for sure.

 

 

Yup. That's what the guys that sell those tell me. Then again it could be a matter of their customer you'. They told me they have high demand for manuals and very little for automatics. Maybe the racers break the gearboxes..I dont know. Call and ask Bavarian Motor Exchange for yourself.

I certainly believe a tech at a mini dealer more than one person with one car.

You can't just swap in a manual. The electronics wouldn't be compatible.

 

 

Unfortunately they are not. I've had two cars whose manual transmisions develop gear failures. That aside, I agree that they do tend to last much longer than automatics. I was just as surprised as anyone to hear from the guys that sell used gear boxes and automatics that the manuals are in much more demand. I'm not sure why that's the case. Owner abuse, racing, not sure.

 

I prefer automatic transmissions over manual transmissions. The Aisin 09G transmission in my MINI shifts faster than I ever could and I have the same control over the gears as a manual, when the Aisin is in sport mode. That and the automatic MINIs get better mileage than their manual counterparts.

 

Hello, I'm new to the forum and it's obvious that I need to replace the valve body on my 06 MCS with the Revmax unit - Can anyone suggest a shop in the Atlanta area who can install it?

 

Need some short term help as I'm hoping to sell my R52 in the next few days. I'd like to have the car running it's best before I turn her over.

When measuring the fluid, how should I verify the car is level? If the transmission temps in INPA are 35-45*C should I still run through gears when setting the fluid level? My adaptations are all set at 0.5 and the car refuses to go into learning mode... Should those adaptations be something other than 0.5?

I suspect my transmission was over serviced by the last owner. I have removed 1-2 quarts as part of a fluid change.

I set the correct level on a lift at 47*C and then drove the car for an hour. It drove pretty well, although my EP light and S2 solenoid error were still resetting after being cleared with INPA.

The next day, I rechecked the fluid at about 35-39*C and ended up draining almost another quart. This seemed like a lot... Now when I drive the 1-2 shift is very harsh but the rest of the shifts seem ok. The EP warning and S2 Solenoid/CEL are also still there, no matter how I yet to clear then in INPA.

I don't intend to drop the pan just yet. Just trying to ensure I'm setting the fluid correctly and resetting the codes correctly. My adaptations also never change because the car doesn't want to start learning...

 

My 05MCS a/t stopped shifting so I ordered a VB from Revmax and installed it and I am getting the same P2729 code and the a/t will not shift and is stuck in 3rd gear. I read this is a limp home mode. Any ideas on how to get to shift again

 

Does the 05 use the same AISIN transmission or is yours CVT? How many miles on the trans? Fluid ever changed?

I dont know what a VB from Revmax is so I cannot help there.

 

This is the second 6 speed Asin transmission I have installed. The destroyed itself before I knew about frequent oil changes and now this one had a P2729 code so I changed the valve body with a updated one from a company called Revmax after the valve body change the P2729 code is still there