I was told by a member here that I don't belong in this thread because I have an R56. I just checked two different sites....one a parts site (penske parts) and another an oil site and they both show the auto six speed mentioned here as well as the R56 as the same model number...GA6F21WA. Unless it has been modified since 2005 every auto owner should be aware.

Changing the fluid won't void the warranty and as a matter of fact the dealer will change it for 500 dollars. I posted about the price in another thread.

 

Not all dealers are the same. I went to 3 and they all refused, saying the fluid COULD NOT BE CHANGED. I believed the lies, and my trans suffered. Again, I AGREE. Change the fluid every 30K to avoid this. The issue is what responsibility does Mini have for perpetuating the "Lifetime" "Never change" fluid mantra and subsequent damage to those who believed them. I wish I never believed them and just changed the fluid. I wouldn't be on this thread if I had.

 

Im going to bite the bullet an try the Lucas Transmission fix it has good reviews and was suggested by a mechanic friend.
Now I know its not a true fix how ever if it works awesome and if it doesnt.... Oh well.

 

I would really recommend doing a drain/fill first.

 

I will be attempting a drain/filter change/fill this weekend. If any problems arise later down the line, I'll attempt the Lucas as well. I am discouraged a little since it's not synthetic, although it is compatible with ATF +4 (Chrysler) Mercon V and Dextron VI ( Ford/GM) I have used it in my fathers truck with 125K on the clock, where the fluid had to be changed every 25K or the trans had shifting problems...He drove it for 100K like that!!! afterI used it, it went away.

 

If you do a series of changes i reccomend that you use lubeguard red instead of lucas trans fix. the lubeguard helps with sticky, dirty valves.
when i did my last change with maxlife and lubeguard i noticed a drastic difference. I think im gonna keep changing my fluid every 20,000 miles since it likes to wear out fluid.
update, mines gotten worse in its hard shifting and slipping 3-4 after the fluid changes. Im gonna try lucas trans fix tomorrow and see how it fares. I know it needs a valve body probably but so far noone but mini wants to deal with it and thats to expensive. what a pain in the ***. i can use the car to get into work and back (10 min drive)but beyond that it's useless really. needless to say no more minis for me after i get rid of this one.

 

Damn, I haven't logged in here in awhile.


I guess I was just on the early side of these issues, it's really popped.

OUr car is still down. Iv'e done a few fluid services as last ditch efforts but am pretty resigned to rebuild the transmission and sell this POS car.


Another beef if I'm getting a very small EVAP leak code and the local dealer just runs me around (They serious told me "What? You can't know what the code is. You can't look at the codes. You can't clear the codes, Only WE can clear the codes." after I explained to them that I knew the exact code and did a test code reset to see if it was a temporary issue.


I'll look into that firm and see what they have to say.

 

Quick update: I put the Lucas Transmission fix product into the trans via the top hole I did not remove any fluid per the instructions on the Lucas product. I used half the bottle this was my decision based on the size of the transmission.

The result problem does still exist however the car is more drive able. We drive the car in manual mode and notice that we dont have the hard down shifts as much they still happen but they arent as violent.

The verdict there is no such thing as a fix in a bottle. However it has helped make the car easier to live with and a Mini on the road is better than one sitting in the garage.

 

Cool thanks for the update! i bought a bottle of the stuff and have it sitting waiting to be put in. It's very,very thick. i'll give it a try in mine too.

 

I advise anybody having trouble to also contact that attorney posted in here earlier. I have done so and they are going to attempt to broaden the suit to cover other Mini problems.

Currently BMW has filed a motion to dismiss the CVT case, after that comes back (the attorney is confident it will be denied) they plan to file an amendment to broaden the scope; the more people with MCSA failed transmissions and folks with failed superchargers and all the various other crap that fails on these cars the better the chances of success.


Just took mine out for a test drive after doing a transmission fluid service job. Still failed, getting worse in fact, torque converter ended up sticking in the locked position and it lost 95% of power going up a hill, had to go up it at about 5mph max.


That POS is going in the back storage area now where I will start gathering information to rebuild the transmission. I am keeping all receipts per the attorney's request.

Shame on BMW/MINI.

 

So just to followup on this.

I got my baby back from these transmission people in N. Massapequa, NY (they were about a 15 minute drive from my home in Baldwin). And so far she definitely feels right in all the places and shifting smoother (no rough jerking).

So here is the diagnosis on my EP / Failed car from the Mechanics.
- Shifts 1-2-3 then neutrans in 4th then failsafe
- Code 3140 Ratio monitoring 4th Gear
- PO326 Knock Signal
- P2299 Gas Pedal/Brake plausibility error
- Internal Transmission problem.

So basically these guys were willing to rebuild it, as I had under 70k miles on her and the sheer fact they were NOT scared of taking on the job gave me a good boost in confidence (compared to many other shops nearby basically told me to go hose myself).

Turns out there was this sleeve that seized in the housing that prevented fluid from going to gear 4-5-6.

While they were at it of course the Torque converter was rebuilt, and a whole bunch of other stuff was done to it..

Total cost ? $5k :~~(... Was it worth it... after 2 days of driving her.. YES.

I went to Tranmission-Tech:
http://www.transmission-tech.com/

At least now i do have a 2 year / 24,000 mile power train warranty(P&L).

The people there (Walter, George, and Amanda) were super nice, and kept me in the loop throughout the diagnosis and repair.

They were nice enough to take pictures when they could on the rebuild you can see them here:








Kinda pricey yes... but much better than what Mini Cooper of Freeport was going to jack me for.. which would have came out to about 12k .. before tax..

Was it worth it? YES
Even though I was TOTALLY pissed 3 weeks ago and was ready to sell her, after getting her back working perfectly, I've fallen in love with driving her again.

If anyone needs me to field any other questions, feel free to drop me a note.

 

how were the clutch packs in the trans Pchan? were they in good shape?
thanks

 

I assume they were good cuz, I wasnt charged for any clutch packs in the itemized parts list.

Shes feeling hellah good on the road. Need to get her new tires now.. but thats another forum post :P

 

Pchan911,
If you could, please ask the nice people that did the rebuild on your transmission was the failure due to not changing the ATF on a regular schedule. Please share with us all their comments.
You may want to have a written statement from them that you could forward to your attorney, along with the repair invoice.

 

did they do any work at all to the valve body when they rebuilt your trans?

 

There is no such thing as a lifetime oil or lube. It's BS. Unfortunately, some manufacturers would have you believe it. BMW has tried it numerous times and it keeps biting them in the ***. They tried it in the final drives of their shaft drive bikes and after a couple years or so, back away from that.

Lubricants, no matter how good they are (and this includes synthetics) will break down and degrade with time with all the sliding and meshing of various parts in a transmission/differential. It's a given. As it degrades, it's ability to protect goes down as well and wear goes up. I swapped out the lifetime lube in my 6 speed Getrag at 30,000 miles and will continue to do so on a regular basis. I do the same on my Nissan Murano's CVT transmission. And when I had a 90 Honda Accord 5 speed, I did the same.

Always use the very, very best lube you can. And ALWAYS use a full synthetic. Period.

 

I have a rather stupid question...why don't we put an external cooler on our cars? I know we're case cooling, but couldn't we tap into a passsage, or that thing on the top that has two ports on it? I'd be willing to tap my case to install an external cooler.

Personally I think that's where mini messed up. I don't care if there was no room left, make it. that's the reason why our fluid is coming out so black, it's burning up from the pressures and heat.

I just did my fluid last weekend, and couldn't believe the shade coming out, I thought I was pouring out used oil. By the way, for anyone who cares, if you want to measure your fluid, best thing to do is go to your local NAPA Auto Parts that sells paint. We have huge buckets that have measurementso nthe side so you can tell exactly how much you need to put back in, it saved alot of a headache for me. Ask for the biggest bucket they have, it's the 128 0z. one and it is free!!

 

backround info:
i tend to keep vehicles a LONG time, i currently own a 1974 BMW R60/6 motorcycle (110,000 miles - with original clutch/tranny), a 1987 BMW K75s motorcycle (120,000 miles - with original clutch/tranny) and a 1997 GMC Sonoma V6 4 wheel drive P/U truck (287,000 miles - original clutch/tranny).

i decided it was time to stimulate the economy and buy a new 4-wheeler and quickly zeroed in on a Countryman S ALL4.

test drove both the manual and automatic and was leaning towards the automatic (dreaming of F1 flappy paddle shifting)

UNTIL.......
i was talking to a friend that owns a well respected transmission shop.
He stays on top of the technology, goes to industry schools 2-3 times a year and sends his employees too.

he stated that if i was going to keep the Mini, like i have my other vehicles, that i SHOULD NOT get the automatic tranny. he quoted $4K-$6K plus $2K-$3K labor to rebuild/replace and to expect it every 80K-120K mile. to be fair, he claims this mileage applies to most modern automatics, but the extreme costs apply to the Aisin.

i did buy a Countryman, but it has the manual tranny.
it is currently aboard the TALISMAN about 1/3 of the way from Europe, due in Baltimore 3/22.

scott

 

http://www.gearsmagazine.com/view.as...1-a80c873eabb0
Maybe this short article can help explain most of the symptoms everyone has been experiencing.
That sleeve issue is definetly a manufacturing defect and im suprised that it did not toast the clutch packs from the lack of fluid because of the sleeve moving.

 

This is exactly what my mechanic told me it was. About $1400 for parts and labor. Looking at getting this ASA I have the funds saved. Hoping I can get them soon because my '05 MCSa just seems to get worse and worse...

 

VW/Audi has put out a recall on this transmission in their cars, saying that the valve body is faulty. Just wish BMW/MINI would man up and do the same...

 

Anybody try Rev Max's rebuilt valve bodies? got a quote of 659.00 plus 250.00 core, not too shabby for having Sonnax rebuild kits in it. I'm almost tempted to order one.

 

Rant: 2006 MCSa 6-speed transmission (Aisin Warner)

First, thank you to all the contributors to this forum. Your experience, information and advice has proven invaluable. I have learned that one does not have to be a problem solver to provide valuable information to fellow members. So, I will provide my experience for everyone to follow and hopefully learn from.

Background:
2006 MCSa (see sig for details), 54,250 miles.

I do not track my MINI, but I will admit I am guilty of spirited driving. My MINI has been on a dyno 2x's (Helix) and tuned perfectly by Jan (RMW).

I accept the fact that the MINI suspension is susceptible to premature failures; LCA bushings, ball joints, motor mounts and strut mount. Those are just some of the common replacements I have to go through on a yearly basis. Other items I have had replaced under warranty; water pump, low speed fan, alternator, to name a few…). Not to mention, I just did a routine maintenance spark plugs, filter, oil change, even replaced the in cabin air filter. Yes, I am a bit ocd.

Recently had a EVAP problem (gross leak) which turned out to be a faulty fuel tank breather valve and leak diagnosis pump (not sure if this was a necessary replacement). Even replaced the fuel filter (which was horrendous). Upon inspecting all vacuum lines, I discovered the vacuum pipe (scavenging line) extension which runs under the intercooler rubs against a wire harness and will eventually leak. Be sure to replace before it does, or take precaution to protect the the line. I caught mine just in time, but it was pretty close to failure. Also, we discovered my real crank seal is leaking. Considering I already have the transmission pulled, that will be an easy repair.

Now that the engine is running great, I decided to address the dreaded automatic transmission shift-to-neutral problem. Below is a detailed log of events.


Symptoms:
01.10.2012 - (51,150 miles) started to experience engine flare shifting from 3rd-4th gear under heavy acceleration. only occurs when engine has warmed up. only happens on occasion.

02.01.2012 - monitor shifting, still experiencing engine flares between 3rd and 4th gear under moderate acceleration. only happens on occasion.

03.01.2012 - monitor shifting, still experiencing engine flares between 3rd and 4th gear under moderate to heavy acceleration. frequency of engine flares has increased.

04.01.2012 - monitor shifting, still experiencing engine flares between 3rd and 4th gear under moderate acceleration. possible slight engine flares between 2nd and 3rd gears. frequency of engine flares between 3rd and 4th are the same. engine flares between 2nd and 3rd are rare

05.01.2012 - monitor shifting, still experiencing engine flares between 3rd and 4th gear under moderate acceleration. definite engine flares between 2nd and 3rd gears.


Diagnosis:
06.04.2012 - (54,250 miles) dropped of for inspection (Dolphin Transmissions). initial inspection drain revealed black and burned transmission fluid. recommendation to pull and take apart the transmission for full inspection.

Stay tuned, I should have an update tomorrow…

 

Agreed.

 

Diagnosis update:

06.05.2012 - transmission shop diagnosed several problems. first the main shaft seal "came out and was riding the shaft", clutch packs burned, valve body toast, damaged gears, etc...

Recommendation:

Rebuild entire transmission.
- new valve body
- new torque converter
- new clutch pack
- new gears
- seals, etc.

Total costs = $5k

To say the least, I'm livid with MINI! This should not be happening on our cars so soon. There is an obvious problem with these transmissions and MINI doesn't want to acknowledge it.

I'll have my MINI back at the end of the week.