Need some input please. I dropped my 7-month old Cooper S for first oil service and few other things, including fast clock, squeaking brakes, convenience opening not working, passenger window squeaks, and what I thought was the LSD droning noise issue.

I just called to check on the status and I get a "oh its getting a new transmission put in right now, so you'll have to pick it up tomorrow." I was shocked! I had showed them the TSB for the LSD droning issue, but that was on Saturday and to a service person who isn't there today. Not sure what happened between Saturday and today, but either they found some serious issue with the transmission, or they're just replacing it because...because..I dont know why! I thought all they would have to do is change the transmission fluid, not the entire transmission!

Should I be concerned? Is it bad that they're putting in a new transmission right now in my 7-month old car? Shouldn't they have at least called me first before doing something so drastic?? Help!!

 

Hmm...odd. Well lets hope they explain more when you pick it up.

 

Just talked to the service advisor again. Hopefully I'll get the car back tonight, but he basically told me that the noise was coming from somewhere inside the transmission, and MINI asked them to change it. So there. Not sure if I should be happy or concerned that I'm getting a new transmission. I'm just surprised that they didn't try the solution suggested in the TSB first (changing the transmission fluid), before replacing the entire transmission.

 

Well lets see if the noise is gone Then question. Either way a new tranny should be a good thing no?

 

Teej,

I had EXACTLY the same issue. 2005 MCS with 5000 miles and what I really thought (still kind of think it was) the LSD droning. They insisted on putting a new transmission in and I haven't had any additional problems since (5000 more miles). Honestly, I still think I have some rubbing/droning noise at low speeds when I'm turning and I'm going to have it looked at next time I'm in for service... but I have felt reasonably OK with the new tranny despite being pretty upset about it as first as well.

Keep me posted on what's going on. You're the only other person I have heard of that ended up with a new LSD tranny.

Oh and watch out for that clock install. I have had TONS of issues with that, scratches and gouges on my dash pad, hunks of my dash bezels broken off around the speedo and air ducts. I'm on my 2nd replacement dash pad now and they still can't seem to get it even better off than they had it the previous time.

-EK

 

I have to say that overall I am a bit confused by the viewpoints that people take on this site.

First let me say that I am a trained mechanic, and that I have worked in independant repair shops as well as two Porsche dealerships. an Audi dealership, and a Saab dealership. I was also the service manager at a BMW and Triumph motorcycle dealership. I've been around cars. I've been around a lot of customers, and I used to be a warranty administrator. I know a thing or two.

So often on this list I see people getting up in arms about some problem that thier MINI has. Before even speaking with the dealership they huff and puff, "The $*&%@# dealer better handle this problem or we'll all be storming the dealership with pitchforkes and torches!". Their attitude: the dealer had better do something.

So, in this thread we have two different people that took their MINI to the dealership with a complaint of a noise in the transmission. Experienced MINI techs diagnose the condition in consultation with MINI, and determine that the transmission should be replaced.

So, what is the attitude of these two owners? Something near horror that the problem they took the car to the dealership for was solved. Hmmm. The dealership, the technicians, and MINI go as far as possible to make the absolute best repair.

"My car has 7,000 miles on it and they had the nerve to replace the transmission without consulting me!" Uh, you did take the car to them and request that they repair the problem. The problem was fixed in the best way possible, and, hey, you got a transmission with 7,000 fewer miles on it than the old one. The problem? I can't figure it out. What did you want the dealer to do? Some lesser repair that may not solve the problem?

I'm as confused by this reactions as I am by the folks that are up in arms about a problem "that the dealer had better fix" before they even speak with the dealer. I have seen this over and over on the board. People that have had reasonable experiences with their dealer will get upset about a problem before they even speak with the dealer.

It is in the dealer's best interest to do everything to do an effective repair the first time. They get paid by MINI just the same. The dealer gets to, essentially, give away free stuff to the customer (warranty repairs that MINI is paying for). There is virtually no good reason for a dealer to deny warranty coverage if at all possible. They want to make customers happy. They get paid to make customers happy.

People's attitudes are all very confusing to me.

 

I think the issue is the fact that the above owners were not informed that such a major procedure was being performed. While one might reasonably expect that after bringing in a car with a suspected problem the dealer would, of its own accord, attempt to diagnose the problem, and if it wasn't a big thing, would in fact fix it, in the event that the problem requires something as drastic as an entirely new transmission the owner has a right to be notified before the procedure is done. The issue isn't over the dealer doing the wrong thing; it's quite generous of them to give you a new transmission, but nonetheless, all that the above owners are saying is that it sure would have been nice to have been alerted to such a major repair before it took place.

 

But the cars were brought in for a "noise" in the vicinity of the transmission.... Just because they were not successful at diagnosing the noise, doesn't mean that they should be consulted before the noise gets repaired.... It is not as if they are going to get charged for the cost of replacing the transmission. The requirement for notification and approval before commencing work is for expenses they are going to have pay for. Legally, if there were safety issues involved, and MINI was going to foot the bill, the entire car could be replaced and there would be nothing the owner could do to stop the replacement short of certifying that the car would not be driven on public roads or used for transportation purposes. (Which means the tags are removed and the car gets trailered to an off highway storage location.)

 

MIB had a second gear syncronizer go bad at 8,400+ miles. Tranny was replaced and MIB is a MC not a MCS.

 

The real horror is that so many MINIs have so many problems with everything. Mine goes in to service every 90 days for at least 3-5 repair issues. For the first time in my life, I have felt the need to purchase extended warranty coverage to replace the factory coverage that just expired. I love the way this car drives, but just can't accept the crappy quality. My 16 year old GMC pickup has been in the shop for 6 issues in as many years, and my wife's 17 year old Acura has been in for wear and tear issues only (struts, brakes, clutch). Too much to expect from BMW... I think not!

 

I agree with you completely. A guy, some guys, even a whole lot of guys, have a noise in their transmission and get huffy because the dealer replaced the transmissino? Why?

You're annoyed because you weren't consulted? Why? Would you tell them not to replace the transmission because you liked the noise?

Silliness.

 

What's LSD droning? And is it with Autos or manuals?

 

LSD is limited to m/t cars; so, any droning of the LSD would be limited to m/t cars.

 

IF it is under warranty, what does it matter if they told you before hand that the trans was being replaced. Sounds like they did the right thing,trying to get it all done without them keeping your car for many more days than needed. If you were paying for the repair, then I totaly see the need to call and confer with you on the repair.

 

Indeed. I've had my F150 for 4+ years now, and have only taken it in once for a fogged up tail light, 3 years ago when it was still under warranty.

I have not had a single 'would have been covered under warranty' issue since.

Both of my Camaros each had 1 visit to the mechanic for repairs as well. 1 electrical harness, and 1 a freeze plug rusted out from sitting untouched in a 'military long term parking lot' for 6 months.

With my Mini, I have been to the dealer for miscellaneous repairs more times than I can count. I picked up my Mini from getting the AC fixed (on an 05!) Friday. Saturday it's leaking freon (or whatever they use nowadays), Sunday the AC is gone again. It's either a coincidental new leak, or they didn't fix it right the first time.

The Mini is an awesome fun car to drive. It does have a very high number of problems which cause a lot of heart and head aches tho.

 

Yeah, it makes you paranoid after a while because everytime you turn around you have to take the car back to the deaer to get something fixed. And my experience with MINI is that they look at the car with blinders on and don't fix other obvious problems that may exist. I'm sure they would find those issues when you would try to trade it back to them prior to sale!!! My buddy's 7 series BMW needs $4,500 in minor work (seat motors, tilt motor in sunroof, etc) to bring it up to code according to the dealer if he wants to trade it.

Another example: my hanging muffler that somehow got overlooked when they had the back wheels off servicing the brakes. The car has some cheap parts and MINI is sloppy when it comes to repairing unless you are hypervilgant and sit on them.

 

Um... yeah, so this thread is going a little far putting words into my mouth. I posted I had the same issue and that I was initially unhappy about my new car needing a new transmission already at 5000 miles. I understand that Teej may also be quite concerned about needing a new tranny with so few miles on the car...

But, yes, my car's driveability has in no way been affected since. And yes, I do think that I still have a groaning/rubbing noise at low speed when turning - that I do think is attributed to the LSD - and I will ask my MINI certified tech to check it out next time I bring the car in.

The LSD TSB came out about the same time I got my new tranny and though I had heard about it, my SA told me "not to believe everything I heard about on the internet". That is the kind of stuff just makes the SA hard to deal with, and has nothing to do with the fact that the new transmission fixed the problem. Certainly the TSB exists now. And the fact that my car's interior literally gets damaged more each time they try to fix their previous mistakes I also find extremely frustrating.

I have no problems with mechanics or SA's correcting my problems using their particular expertise at all. But I do feel it's perfectly acceptable to be concerned about overall long-term reliability with issues such as this. And, as the doctors say, "do no harm," I expect people to fix my car with the same car that they would their own.

As far as being informed of the repair or not. I agree they should have free reign to correct the problem. But it is good practice to keep the customer in the loop. My particular issue is that I am 125 miles away from the nearest dealership, and I usually need to schedule trips like that at least a day or two in advance due to my work schedule.

My point is that perhaps there is usually a lot more to the story than people have the time (or patience) to type. Let's not jump to conclusions here. I think the question at hand here is more an issue of how many people have had the same mechanical issue and how has it resolved itself now?

 

the flip side to this story is that MINI authorized a new trannie. Bad communication perhaps... but man... new trannie is better than old trannie!
Taken out of context, that sounds bad, but still...

 

Ok, but what is LSD droning?

 

It is a rubbing or groaning noise coming from the front of the car. I don't quite know how to describe it other than it sounds like you are rubbing tire or something as you round a corner, though it's a bit more abrasive sounding than that.

On the MINI, the LSD uses a clutch to transfer torque from one wheel to the other. The sound, I believe, is from the clutch oscillating from slipping then catching very rapidly due to viscous (friction) buildup between the clutch plates. This happens as you're turning because your wheels are not turning at the same speed, and more at slower speeds becasue there is more of a speed differential between the tires in tight turning circles.

http://www.alldata.com/tsb/BMW/11387...06/230106.html

 

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i think most people get mad because they find out they need a new transmission on a brand new car. not the fact they weren't notified of it.i know i was pretty pissed of that my 2003 mc needed one after 13000 miles. by the way they didn't notify me either about the repair till it was already done. but like i said, it wasn't the fact they they didn't notify me. i was just bitter that a one and a half year old car needed a tranny so soon . especially when you pay 20000 grand for that car. at least i feel better now knowing that i am not the only one this has happened to. i can stop questioning my overly aggressive driving skills. oh yeah almost forgot to mention that i asked what would happen if the trans goes again. dealership told me , it 's on you the next time.

 

If changing the transmisson fluid on a car with just a few thousand miles on it would fix the problem, I'd rather have that than a new transmission anyday. I think he may have not been convinced that the fix need to be so drastic, with all the risk that go with drastic fixes, for a problem that might have been fixed per the TSB with a fluid change. At least, let's talk about it first.

 

I bought mine in 2003 for $21K. Right now I have 53K+ miles on the original gearbox. No, don't blame your overly agressive driving. I drive mine hard, but with care if that makes sense. Basically no burnouts and clutch dumping for me. I have a 1996 Suzuki Sidekick on the otherhand that gets redlined, clutchdumps, and burnouts all the time, and she's still ticking along today on the original tranny components. It's sad when an $11,000 Japanese econobox can take more abuse than a premium car by BMW. I'm sorry, for a tranny to go out at any time under 100K, the dealer should replace them, IMO.