I have a 2005 MCSa and for the past week I have had problems getting the car in park. I have to push it kind of hard.

I have a 15% pulley installed and I am worried the dealership is going to say this caused my transmission troubles. Has anyone experienced this issue?

 

You performance-modded an AUTO? Did it run better afterwards or worse?

 

Runs much better.

 

I had lots of problems with my pulleyed MCSa....I feel your pain. On a good note- they shouldnt blame anything on the pulley.

(afterall... the pulley does not have a part in your transmission does it?)

 

Not being able to get the transmission into Park is usually related to an engagement problem with/for the parking pawl. If they do claim that the problems with the parking pawl are due to the 15% pulley, I would love to hear the explanation (especially if they give you the explanation with a straight face). If it were me, I would take the car in and see what the dealer says. If you are really concerned about hassles for modding your car, ask the dealer before you bring your car in how mod-friendly they are. If you get a hostile response, shop around for another dealer that is not as hostile.

 

I am sure that Skiploder could come up with some sort of justification for how the pulley could affect the transmission.... Something along the lines of the pulley increasing the torque of the engine beyond the rated capacity of the transmission, which caused flexing of the transmission within its casing which shifted the alignment of the parking pawl.... Fortunately, I could type the explanation anomously and not look you in the eye while I fabricated that line.

 

That eases my worries. Thanks.

 

I tracked my new MCSa twice this summer...and modded it even before it was out of breakin. I drove it correctly thru the breakin period and to date, have had no problems with it. It will see yet another HPDE at Mid-Ohio before Winter sets in. My dealer has said nothing about the mods; in fact, the SA is impressed with the mods we all do to our MINIs.

 

WOW, you must not go to Classic then.

Neither Zach nor that tool bag Wayne could ever be interested in anything besides kising lots and lots of *** all day long!!!

 

Took my car into the dealership yesterday and received a call later from them saying they were not able to recreate the issue and therefore could not fix what was wrong. So I drove back to the dealership (1 hr away) and upon returning home I decided to put it in park at a light and wouldn't you know it, same problem. I then drove back to the dealership stating the problem happened again. A technician then drove with me for about 15 minutes where I tried to replicate the problem to no avail. They decided to keep the car overnight and I received a call from them today stating they think the problem is in the shift gate. The technician said it just didn't feel right. Hopefully this is the problem.

Anyway, the initial post about my concerns of the 15% pulley have been extinguished. The dealership was enthusiastic about the modifications I have made and loved the M7 grilles. The technician stated they have performed about 20 pulley installs and said they have not seen any issues with the 15% pulley. Hopefully this will provide some comfort for those that are worried like I was.

 

A dealer installed my pulley (Brian Harris Mini), though the Mini shop up here in north Texas won't have anything to do with it; it would not appear that dealers are prohibited by Mini USA from working on these cars, any thoughts?

 

I don't doubt for a minute that MINI is trying to shut down the practice of modding our cars. Each time a NAM member mentions a dealer by name who has helped them with a modification, that puts the dealer at risk of getting more intense scrutiny from MINI. Keep it up and your worst nightmare will be realized - no mod-friendly dealers.... The best way to keep the mod-friendly dealers in business is to enquire as to whether they are friendly to mods and then support them with your business.

Given MINI's hostility toward modifications, the friendly dealers need to be protected!

 

Hopefully no damage done.