I just need to rant a bit, the auto transmission in my 2009 S is driving me nuts. I can't believe that a car in this day and age would be equiped with an auto this bad, but according to the dealership what I'm experiencing is "normal".

After some research, I guess it's not all the transmission's fault, some of the blame falls on the drive by wire throttle response programming.

When in normal mode, especially when it's cold out, pressing the gas pedal does nothing. Keep pressing a bit arther, and the car lurches forward. Its like you give it 20% throttle, and nothing happens for the first 19%, but then you get all 20% at once. Putting it in sport mode helps a bit, but not much.

THEN, when you come to a stop, it hangs in 2nd until right before you come to a complete stop, then downshifts and lurches forward. Parking can be tricky, I've almost tapped the car in front of me a couple times.

Once it's up to temperature it's not as bad, but still present and frustrating. Drives my wife nuts too. The dealership says everything is normal, "thats just how they are". They said they could re-set the ecu, but the problem would come back. Honestly, if it was doing this on the test drive, I wouldn't have bought it. I suspect the dealership re-set it before they put it on the lot. I've had the car for a little over a month now.

I hear rumors that the ALTA Access Port might help, as well as that plug in pedal calibrator thing.

Sucks to have to spend a grand so my car *might* drive like a normal vehicle, especially since this wasn't exactly the cheapest car to buy, and I thought I was buying a quality car for the price.

/rant

 

My 08 has an inconsistent delay from pressing the pedal to when the engine decides to move. If the delay was always the same, I would learn how to drive it, but it is different almost every time I press the throttle.

So someone had reported a recent software update to their car really helped this situation.

I am planning to try to update my car in about two weeks and will report back.

 

See if you can rent a MINI for a day, or if you take your car in for service get a MINI loaner. See if it does the same thing or not.

 

To help with this pedal delay try a Sprintbooster or D1spec. Do a search on all the reviews of both. I have the sprintbooster and it was a huge difference when using it.

 

My 2009 also does the jerk when it's just about to come to a stop too.....

As for the delay, I think what you're experiencing is simply a tiny bit of turbo lag, the reasons you didn't feel it in the car you test drove can be legion, from different temp and humidity conditions to who knows what. also, be aware that these transmissions are adaptive, they learn from your driving style, you could try simply disconnecting your battery for a few hours, then the next time you drove you would have eliminated all that it had learned up till then.

I also have experienced what you describe on throttle tip in, where it seems it's hard to get away from a stop smoothly. Mostly it doesn't bother me but when my wife is with me it does....

One cure I've found is to go to manual mode, cause then it always starts in 2nd gear instead of first and it's much smoother if a little slower on startup. Otherwise, I just modify my driving style to suit the car......

I'll be curious to see if the software update helps, and also if it stays, or simply readapts.....

 

This is what mine does too. I paid more attention to it on my drive home, and it seems random from stop to stop. Very annoying, potentially dangerous, especially in stop and go traffic.

Let us know how the software update goes!

-Beau

 

i have a 2012 cms all4 with stick, my dad liked it so much he bought a 2012 cms all4 , but with auto

i have noticed nothing like this at all with the auto

my dad says it is the best auto he has ever owned, smooth shifts and smooth starts

but some of your symptoms sound like it's time to change the transmission fluid

scott

 

Can't really comment on the automatic; I've got a 6-speed. But when I first got my JCW Clubman, I noticed the same kind of thing as you did with the throttle response. Either the car has adapted to me -- or me to it -- as I don't really notice it any more.

I'm also wondering if the gimpy throttle response you're seeing is the early stages of a HPFP going out...? Just thinking out loud there...

 

The Countryman auto feels completely different to the regular hatch, it might be due the extra weight. Anyway, I experience the same thing with my auto so I always drive it in manual mode, it's much smoother and no lurching when coming to a stop.

 

I've been driving a 2012 MCSA for the last couple of days. I'll never buy a MINI with an auto. I don't care how old or decrepit I get. The thing isn't horrible, but it isn't any fun either.

 

Now that you mention it, when I recently took my JCW Clubman in for some minor warranty adjustments, I got an automatic-transmission 'Justa' Hardtop as a loaner. Man, what a gutless wonder that was. And I don't think that the engine itself was particularly underpowered; just that the automatic transmission couldn't make up it's mind in what gear it wanted to be in order to optimize the power available. I remember pulling out of a relatively blind intersection during the course of my drive around the 'Burgh; knowing the intersection was somewhat blind, I picked my spot and floored the thing from a complete stop; there was (no exaggeration) about a 2-second lag between my foot hitting the floor and the car moving... I think the 'Justa' would be just fine with a manual, but with an automatic -- fail...

But that follows my observation about BMW vehicles in general: wonderful to drive -- unless they're equipped with an automatic transmission. Too much lag in all gears, hunting for the right gear -- I've driven cars that cost a quarter of what a BMW or MINI costs, and their automatics can be pretty peppy. But BMW just can't seem to get that part right...

 

I was doing some "testing" on the way to work this morning. Somethings up. From a stop, if I depress the gas pedal as noraml, there is a couple second delay before it lurches forward (like "normal"). If I SLOWLY press the pedal, I can sort of sneak up on it, but I can press the pedal almost half way down to the floor before the car starts moving, taking a good 10 seconds to get there.

My MCS has more horsepower than my wife's 2002 Protege 5, but the 5 is way more predicatable and smoother to drive. I always thought the sport auto in that car was crap, now I wish mine was as good!

 

I made an appointment for the dealership to look at it. While they are checking it out, I will test another one and see if they are simmilar.

 

You wouldn't be the first to complain about this. Even sport mode the throttle position maps and shifting maps are really bad. Be prepared for MINI to do nothing for you again unless they have different ECU calibrations to tackle this common complaint.

 

Yeah, thats what I expect. I will have to ask ALTA and see if their acessport thing can help, I can't tell from the product description. I'm also looking at the sprint booster, but if the alta one can do it anyway I might as well get a little hp out of the deal.

 

My used 2010 MCS (bought a month ago) had the same issues. Dealer said both were "normal". However, after also replacing the timing chain assembly for the "death rattle", the car seemed to drive better—for a few days. Now it's lurching again. But where before the engine just didn't seem to respond when accelerating, now you can now hear it revving higher before it lurches. Sport mode does help a bit, but not entirely. Is this a transmission problem?

 

I have an '08 R55S with the Auto. In hindsight, if I were to do it all over again, I would probably go manual, only because I think the manual JCW R56 I test drove recently was the easiest manual I ever used.

Anyway, I have learned to love my auto though. I have put a lot of stuff in my car since I bought it, and it is by no means stock anymore; but of all the things I have added, the most recent one (Sprintbooster) made the biggest difference in how the car responds to throttle input. I know the lag you speak of. I don't think it was ever as bad as depressing the pedal down half way to make my car go, but it was noticeable, and yes it took some time to get used to how much pressure equaled how much "go" on the car. The Sport mode would definitely help, but most of the time I thought it was too responsive. Plus I felt that when in sport mode, how the tranny would shift as you come to a stop was sometimes abrupt and jerky. It makes complete sense WHY it does it, but as a daily drive to work I found it bothersome. Plus unless you shift the stick over to Sport Manual, the car will never shift and stay in 6th gear, it will always keep you in 5th or bring you back to 5th if you momentarily paddle shifted into 6th.

All those annoyances were solved IMO with the sprint booster. The sprint booster takes your 2 options (Standard + Sport Mode) and gives you 6 total options.

SB Disabled + Sport Mode OFF = (Poor Response and lag)
SB Disabled + Sport Mode ON = (Jerky Shifts w/ normal driving)
SB GREEN + Sport Mode OFF = (Perfect response for daily driving)
SB GREEN + Sport Mode ON = (Perfect for spirited driving hard shifts)
SB RED + Sport Mode OFF = (The car thinks you have a lead foot)
SB RED + Sport Mode ON = (Do I need to explain?)

Of course all these take getting used to. After a year I was used to the standard sport mode off feathering of the pedal to make the car go when and how I wanted it to. Now with the sprint booster and after a few days of normal driving I was able to adjust to driving with it. And in my opinion it is a more natural driving method.

Just my 2 cents. It's not a cheap piece of hardware, but extremely useful IMO and easy to install.

-Z

 

Thanks zcast!

So, it sounds like there are 2 options, possibly 3.

D1 Spec. Cheap, easy, lots of settings (not necessarily a good thing)

Sprint booster: Twice as much as the D1, easy, more attractive button module thing

AccessPort: Very expensive, might not even fix throttle issue, more power.

I think I will be ordring the D1 in a week or so.

-Beau

 

I drive mine in sport mode and in manual mode. There isn't any lurching or laziness. You ask it to change gears and it does instantly, I dare say it's quicker than a manual since there's no fumbling with a clutch involved. I won't drive it any other way, sport mode on and manual shifting.

 

i agree 100%, but i have been driving my dad's cms all4 in auto mode to see if it exibits any "lurching or laziness", it does not, in either normal or sport, it is just a great transmission

scott