Dude, I wish you the best of luck. You and all 1st gen mini owners should consider joining the class action suit.

This is the kind'a stuff that worries me about BMW cars. I just bought my first MINI about a month ago. I have heard horror stories about BMWs in general being in the shop a lot and/or costing big $$$ to maintain. I was under the impression that MINIs were different, meaning that repairs on at $25K MINI would generally be less expensive in comparison to a $50K BMW, guess I was wrong.

IMHO, if BMW puts crappy transmissions in the 1st gen mini, they should replace them under recall for free. If not, then 1st mini owners need to voice (yell) about their experiences; cause if I had found issues like this during my mini research, I may not have purchased my mini, and this is something we can only hope the manufacturers keep an eye on; meaning that people just now looking at minis may not buy if current mini owners are getting blasted with expensive repairs.

These kind'a things frustrate the heck out of me. Again, best of luck.

 

Thanks guys,

This is very frustrating.... I can't believe these transmissions are so difficult to deal with....

I'll keep u updated.

And if anyone has any info on the transmission staying in the low ratios PLEASE let me know what it can possibly be.

 

I would suggest you call Advanced Transmission in Mauldin, SC. The BMW MINI dealer farms out MINI work to them -- where I got mine rebuilt -- and they are super nice and they have a lot of experience with MINI CVTs. Owner is Leon. He might be willing to offer you some advice. He might be one of the few "experts" out there. (864) 299-9600

 

A CVT tranny does not use friction materal...
they use a metal belt, and 2 pullies...cone shaped, to varry the ratio....
a standard transmision (auto) uses friction material as wet clutches, and solinoids to activate the changes....the cvt is a 100% different beast...and that is why the lerning curve is so steep...both from manfactures and auto makes....not to mention the rest of the industry.

 

PS
Good luck...
If all else fails i know waymotorworks in atlanta was converting cvt's to 6 speed sticks...a long tow/flatbed, but an option if you get you $$ back and try a different route. I know the owner of wmw gave up on rebuilt cvt's...had issues just like yours on customer cars....

 

Well, I guess they really don't know much, because it was the head of the service department at our fairly large BMW MINI dealer, not a mechanic, that used the term "friction material." One would think he might have a clue . . .

 

Thanks for the help, i tried giving Advanced Transmissions a call but no one was available so i'll be giving them a call back in an hr or so.

I also just spoke to my mechanic again and he said that there is an "X" beside the drive and reverse on the dash.

Don't know if this will help in finding out why the tranny is stuck in the low ratios?

 

Try European Transmissions in GA. 770 888 1499. They are repairing and have parts for the CVT's.

 

Ok guys, just spoke to Advanced Transmissions and all that needs to be done is set the computer to "learn" mode, then follow a few more simple steps and the car should be good to go.

I'll keep you updated.

 

Good luck! Glad they were able to help.

 

I had mine rebuilt at 53,600. I also joined the class action suit against BMW regarding these CVTs. My rebuilt CVT is smooth as silk, although I sometimes imagine I hear a faint whining noise in the background. I've had a MINI mechanic listen to it twice and he has no problems with whatever he is hearing. Anyway, I'm planning on having the fluid changed every 30,000 miles and keeping the car forever. My rebuild cost $3,000 at Advanced Transmissions in Simpsonville, SC (Greenville SC area). These guys are super good at what they do and are one of the few with MINI CVT experience.

 

Hey, just a little update on mine...

I was unable to get mine rebuilt here in Montreal... The mechanic was working on it for over a month but was unable to get it going properly. Wether that was because he didn't know what he was doing, i wouldn't be able to tell you.

I ended up finding a used cvt with a 1yr unlimited warranty for 2700$ and the mechanic charged me 400$ to install it.
The car is now sold and i will NEVER buy another automatic Mini... This problem has made me lose a lot of confidence in the Mini brand...

 

Sounds like you ended getting a pretty good deal. They tell me they have some customers at the dealership with over 200,000 on the transmissions, so . . . .

 

I'll believe it when I see it… I highly doubt there's a CVT outfit there with more than 200,000 miles on it…

 

I went ahead and shipped my Mini to Way Motor Works and had it converted to a 6 speed manual. Total cost was around $5500. That is still a lot of money but I really wanted to keep the car and I was fortunate enough to be able to afford it. Way did a FANTASTIC job and my car runs like a totally different car. I am getting around 10MPG better gas mileage than with the CVT. I too have lost faith in the Mini brand and this will be the last Mini that I own. It's sad really. I would like to join the class act suit. Can anyone tell me how to do that?

 

http://baronandbudd.com/areas-of-pra...ooper-lawsuit/ Apparently, they filed the suit, BMW tried to quash it, and the judge ruled that the suit could proceed. I just email them every now and then. I think it takes three years or so to settle these things, but you don't still have to own the car. Just have records of your loss.

 

Do you have a brother in the southeast?!!

 

From what I have read in the forum in the past, the CVT transmission was never picked up by an aftermarket company for repair. If memory serves, it was due to the fact not many MINIs came with one. Now, since you (and now I) have learned ZF made them, when you call around, I would mention that fact. The shop might change their tune from no to possibly yes.

A contributing factor to failure is some people drive with the transmission stuck in a certain gear via manual shift, which leaves the transmission running at a constant RPM. This causes the chain/belt to cut a "groove" in the pulleys. If you purchase a CVT MINI used, you really have no idea how the last driver took care of it.

ANY automatic transmission needs to have a fluid change. Period. I've seen quotes of around 40K miles, but some here might prefer more often. Manual transmissions don't need a change as often because they use a heavy gear oil (at least on older models). More and more newer manual transmissions use a synthetic lube of some kind, and I would bet the viscosity is thicker, which would explain the same longevity. I am planning on changing my manual transmission fluid around 100K regardless of what a mechanic says or thinks.

Having said that, that is why dealerships are saying no to changing the fluid. It's not they don't know what they are doing; it's what they are told to do by someone higher up the chain. Even the supercharger needs a fluid change at no more than 100K miles regardless of how many dealerships insist it's good for the life of the unit.

 

The service schedule says CVT transmission fluid change every 30,000 miles.

 

For anyone interested here, a Florida group is suing MINI over the CVT: http://rumors.automobilemag.com/flor...ls-156533.html.

 

In retrospec, all transmissions suck, why ? No one knows why oil shoild be repalced on a timely basis and Nissan tells customers you never have to replace the fluid, Now who really sucks ?

 

And why is Nissan significant in a MINI forum?

 

Nissan uses the same CVT in some of their vehicles....has had similar issues, but has treated their customers better than MINI.

 

Hello Everyone I can understand the frustration and the problems with the CVT Transmission, and now that the class action law suit has been settled and won. Many People will be needing to get there transmissions fixed. Since I'm located in Los Angeles I have made a video to teach you how to properly identify and fix the 8 most common problems with MINI Cooper CVT Transmission. So that the people living in other states can affordably get there transmissions fixed.

We are proud to provide you with a step by step video on how to repair the CVT Transmission your self. You can find it here.
http://www.minicoopercvttransmissionrebuild.com This is a 48 minute video that will go over the 8 most common problems with the CVT transmission and how to diagnosis it, as well as the correct teardown and reassembly of the transmission. This is two and a half years of my dealing with and learning the ins and outs of the CVT Transmission for the MINI Cooper 02′ to 06′ and if it is a convertible to 08″. Buy the video and start fixing the CVT’s and make money for your self. Everything you need to know is included and updated weekly. Also buy CVT Parts! If your a shop I can not stress enough how valuable this tool is. It will pay for itself on the first job! Then you can start advertising the you are one of the few that can successful rebuild the CVT Transmission.

 

CVTs have been around quite awhile. They are/were used mainly in recreational equipment. Saw my first one in a snowmobile. My 2017 Subaru Forester has a CVT. I heard that CVTs are replaced, rather than repaired, because of the fact that CVTs in autos are relatively new and there are no repair parts to speak of in the pipeline. The CVT in my Subaru is "factory sealed, no maintenance, no fluid changes, no filter changes for the life of the vehicle" so it would appear that the only option on failure would be replacement. Now, I don't understand why a CVT is so expensive. They have far fewer parts than a regular automatic transmission, so it stands to reason they would be easier/cheaper to build, and, if parts were available, easier to repair. The pulleys are hydraulically controlled by the vehicle computer. It uses a metal belt made of many little metal plates, so it's strong and flexible. I haven't figured out how reverse works, yet. I even asked about replacing the engine timing belt. Used to be you had to replace the timing belt at 60,000 miles, and then that changed to 105,000 miles. Now, you never have to replace the timing belt for the life of the engine because of a design/material change. So, there you have it: no timing belt change, no maintenance on the CVT (it's sealed, for goodness sakes). Don't have any reliability data for the Subaru CVTs. Remember the Justy? It had a CVT.