after getting a good look under the '07 MINI S (automatic)tonight, I concur that I am a dumba$s. I drained the left side transmission pan, ignoring the sticker "Warning: Lifetime Oil."
The engine oil pan is more on the passenger side, like the pictures at the beginning of the thread indicated. Up close the pans appear similar.

I just wish Z3bum would post a picture on how he added the gear oil (75W90) with the large syringe.

Too bad that sticker doesn't say "Lifetime Transmission Oil".

 

Oh please don't put any 75W90 Gear Oil into your Automatic,
that's for a Manual Gearbox only.

Still think you should tow it to a Garage at this point, but:

Automatic Transmissions use Automatic Transmission Fluid and furthermore a MINI should be filled
with the exact BMW Branded ATF for the R56 version Automatic.

There should be another 'plug' on the rear surface, just above the 'normal' level that you would fill to.
A pump and tube would be necessary for this job.

Since you have run the car without all that fluid, you would now need to fill and then run (and shift)
to refill the Torque Convertor and then top again, perhaps several times.Unfortunately that tiny debris from your transmission looks like a really, really bad sign.
__________________________________________________ __________________

edit:- Auto Parts Stores sell ATF as Ford (Mercon?) GM (Dexron?) Chrysler (MoPar?) and I don't know what else,
but if they don't have BMW/MINI type, you might get away with Toyota or other make that uses Aisin Automatic's.

Some Transmission Shops like to tell you that any ATF will do, but they depend on rebuilding Transmissions

 

That's why it's called an "IDIOT LIGHT"
takes a loss of Oil Pressure to turn it on, at that point, damage has been done.

I used a Torque Wrench and was surprised how far that cannister turned past what I thought was 'tight' to show 18.5 Ft/Lb.

Any DIY Manual, for any make of car, bike or boat would tell you to "Check for Leaks" after a change.
Check the level with the dipstick as well and then again at least every few fuel fills.

I think that the "Advantage" Magazine (free download by/from NAM) has DIY articles as well as these excellent threads.

If I ever saw my oil or transmission fluid 'too-low' I would never keep that car past its Warranty,
as I would KNOW that damage was done and payout is coming.

 

Pilotart, thanks for all the info.

I can't see the refill plug on the rear surface & don't know if I can undo it, so I called Mobil Mechanic to see if they refill transmission fluid on MINIs.

They claim others have done the same, & they like to paint the plugs, red for transmission & blue for engine (or is it the other way around? - just joking). That would clearly be a tip off that non-dealer work has been done though, so I'll tell them no paint, just auto-transmission fluid please.

They even asked if I had any BMW Branded ATF for the R56 automatic or if they should bring it, so they sound like they know what they are doing.

I'll let you know the outcome......

 

Well, for starters, sorry to hear about your harsh learning experience. I'm an aircraft mechanic by training and I've had several experiences like this, mostly in school where I didn't have to pay for parts.

If you're getting metal in the transmission fluid, the real problem you have is the transmission is damaged and no amount of additional fluid is going to fix it. It's OK to go ahead and fill it, as long as you know you might be spending maintenance money on a transmission that is beyond repair.

Also, if I were that guy at Mobil I'd be reluctant to fill it up. Even if you don't tell him why the fluid is low, they will know that it's low and it's been driven in that state. That means they have reasonable cause to suspect the tranny is damaged, particularly if there's metal in the fluid. No mechanic in their right mind will simply fill the transmission and send you on your way, because that puts them on the hook for misdiagnosing the problem and/or performing an incomplete repair.

 

My (GM/Chrysler) Automatic Transmission maintenance was limited to wondering why
they did not have a drain plug, the drill was to just drop the pan, fluid and all and change a filter.
__________________________________________________ _____________

He did not say anything about "metal", just "tiny debris" and I would expect his Mobile Mechanic
will want to first drop the pan, no idea if it has a filter, but would be worth a look in that pan.

Any "debris" in my aircraft's fluid or oil would keep me grounded to find out why, but if this were
my MINI (that had this "oops!"), I would want my *trusted* Mobile Mechanic to look and fill,
expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

The 'best' I could hope for would be a drivable MINI that I could 'baby' for a year or so
and then when the transmission finally collapses, for MINI to do a Warranty Replacement.

Should it last through Warranty, I would then replace the car.
__________________________________________________ _____________

I said *trusted* because the nature of Auto Xmssn Service attracts some real scam artists.

 

Can't argue with that, PilotArt. You're right about the tranny scammers, there are certainly a lot of those out there. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of this.

 

Yeah, and remind me to get in line to buy one of Pilotart's used cars...

 

I would be sure to check the transmission drain plug. It should be like BMW ones (when they had drain plugs) and it should be magnatic. I doubt there will be much metal particles in the fluid itself.

 

went to the MINI dealer yesterday. I gave the Parts guy my exact MINI S model & situation, & he gave me the following:
MINI ATF Type JWS 3309
Automatic Transmission Fluid
Part# 83-22-0-402-413 (Made in Japan)
$32.86 per Liter (33.81 fl. oz.)

At first he gave me only 1, thinking I wanted to top it off, & I reiterated I pretty much drained it all. Then he said I probably need 5 or 6. I said 6 sounds like a lot & to double check.
He came back with am estimate of 4.5 Litres, about 1.19 gallons.

JWS 3309 is a dark purple color & looks similar to Royal Purple 5w-30 motor oil, although with a much lower viscosity.

It only took about 30 minutes of waiting as the parts are back in storage. Not as fast as your friendly neighborhood auto-parts store.

They got my name & phone #, so I'm sure I'm on the dealer's blacklist for trade-ins or warranty work, as I got the feeling I'm the first request for transmission fluid for a 2007 model year.

 

picked up a T-50 Torx bit from Sears Hardware. Loosened the 'engine' oil pan drain plug 2 turns, and watched my oil level readings drop from 2.5", 2", 1", then right under the max line before tightening. Oil recovery pan drain appears to have caught 4-5 quarts & took 30 minutes.

Ths first pic is a birds eye top view, looking down on the engine. Note the canister above the transmission.
The 2nd pic zooms in to left of the canister, showing the bolt right below it. This should be the transmission plug to pump into. Anyone know what size bit to loosen this?

 

Not trying to cause trouble here, but since your original intention was to change the engine oil, I would suggest you completely drain the engine oil now, replace the filter again, and refil with 4.2 qts of clean, new oil. Then once you get the tranny refilled, you will hopefully be good to go.

You didn't hear this from me, but if you get close to the end of your warranty and you're still on the same tranny and you want to keep the car, you will want to address this issue. A friend of mine was told long ago by a Chevy dealer mechanic that if you want to burn out your auto tranny quickly so you can get it replaced under warranty, you should get a good book, sit in your drive way with your parking brake on and the tranny in drive and just ride the throttle as much as you can.

Buying some ATF fluid is not going to flag you and if they ever question it, just tell them you wanted to drain and fill it. There's nothing wrong with you doing that and if they give you trouble, push back. They have no case against you...unless they read this thread .

 

Hey people; you know this is a public forum, don't you?

The problem with purposely breaking anything is that doing so will look just as much like abuse as the mistake you're trying to cover up. Sitting in drive going no-where is going to overheat the torque converter, which will make the converter look like it's been overheated by excessive slipping. That'll be just as hard (if not harder) to convince the dealer that's not abuse as whatever damage that was caused by running it with no fluid.

Let's think like Click and Clack for a second: there's no telling what sort of damage, if any, has been done without opening up the tranny. One indirect indicator is the condition of the fluid, so I'm thinking a good course of action would be to open that fill plug, fill the tranny with the correct fluid, and drive the car for a few minutes to check if the tranny is working OK.

If it works OK, take a sample of the tranny fluid and see if it had debris or metal in it. If it looks clear, refill the tranny and go on your way, knowing your tranny is a few thousand miles older than it was before your oil change. If there's metal, refill the tranny and go on your way, knowing the transmission is many thousands of miles older than it was and will probably start malfunctioning soon without you having to abuse it at all.

Best of luck!

 

A couple of quotes from our valued contributor, WYSIWYG:

"...if you want to burn out your auto tranny quickly so you can get it replaced under warranty..."

"There's nothing wrong with you doing that and if they give you trouble, push back. They have no case against you..."

Which particular brand of morality and ethics is it you subscribe to? You must be an interesting person to work with.

 

That Type JWS 3309 ATF sure is some kind of prescious fluid !

WYSIWYG had good advice on completing oil/filter change (especially since you now have a 'mix' of brands),
as well as what Ken G. posted about your transmission, I would also do an online search to see if Aisin Transmiission's use filters.

T-50 Torx works for Drain Plug, but 8mm Hex is the proper tool, remember to remove the old and install the new copper Crush Washer
(first one is often held by paint and hard to see on new autos).

I don't know the tool for the tranny fill, but I had bought both the T-50 & 8mm Hex at Advance Auto for my oil drain.

A careful 'finger tight' test on my Drain Plug showed which one was a loose fit and it was not a problem to return the T-50.

I would suggest purchase of several likely Torx, or more likely Hex bits to find the right size and then return the un-used ones.

Best of luck for a healthy recovery,
what happened with the "Mobil Mechanic' ?
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________

a quick Google found this:

Aisin Transmission Fluid Change

and here's a PDF Manual that might help

expensive and hard-to-find filter there, but a lot of others listed at $20.37 for one.

 

A different guy from Mobil Mechanic called back & said I need to get the exact transmission oil from the dealer, then to call him back when I got it.

I'm still debating if I should get it towed to a shop though, or if it is cheaper to have it filled up with new fluid & see where the situation stands.

I'll worry about fresh engine oil & filter later...

 

Was Mobil Mechanic just a Yellow Page choice, or was it from a recommendation?

I had searched Sunshine Mini's Forum for a local recommended Garage when I first got the MINI and stored that name in a file for future reference.

Sunshine Mini is a Mini Club for Florida, there should be a similar local group for your area.

NAM also lists 60+ sub-forums for various regions of the United States (and the World).
(look down the Forum List, below "National Events" for the list)

Any local "Sports Car" or British/German Car Club would also be a good place to inquire for a recommended "Import-Car' Service Garage.

I am recommending the above action because although there is a filter that should be changed, that is not a recommended DIY job.
(May have to drop some frame parts, 'O' Rings that are tricky, etc..)

Just trying to give your poor transmission the best shot (with filter change),
but some of the Aisin Transmissions do use a 7mm HEX tool for the fill plug.

That special fluid is expensive (and I would use no other), best price I saw was $14 a Liter, bought in a large Bulk Drum.

 

Man, if you guys took me seriously, that's pathetic. But it's a true story about the Chevy mechanic.

Anyway, Happy New Year!

-C

 

If the ground is fairly level you do not even have to jack up the car. The oil plug is accessible from underneath the front of the car and an oil pan will easily fit under the drain plug unless you have lowered the suspension on you mini.

 

Looks like I should have asked the Parts guy at the MINI dealer how to actually top it off the transmission oil, as the Mobil Mechanic guy could not find a refill plug. He mentioned it looked sealed, as every bolt appeared to hold the innards in place. I tried calling the dealer this afternoon but no answer, they must have closed early.
Yes, I saw their advertisement in the Yellow Pages & had hope b/c they displayed the BMW logo.

I'll try calling the dealer Sat morning & try to ask the same parts guy.

I might as well also order this DVD on Ebay:
Mini Cooper S D One Factory Repair Service Manual 01-07 $11.19
Technical Information System Factory Service & Repair Manual on DVD
For all engines & trims!!!

as it claims to cover automatic transmissions. In fact it covers so much you could open your own BMW/MINI shop. Surely it will show where the refill plug is?

Has anyone else actually added transmission oil to their automatic MINI Cooper year 2007 or later?
If so, where is that sucker & how do you access it?

 

i don't have an automatic but if i had to make a guess... I would guess #7 in the parts diagram in the link: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...63&hg=24&fg=15

I believe I am correct but it's not my car so I can't be 100% sure. I'm reasonably sure since it's above the transmission oil pan and it has a crush washer, while the others do not. Good luck.

 

I think #7 is the drain plug, I think #6 would be the fill plug

 

Yes, and on the same site; showing Pan, Magnet and filter:

Sounds like a bargan on eBay as the MINI Online site is
$30 for 24 hour access and for transmission; they say:

 

If you could confirm that it covers R56 it would be worthwhile.

Most of online info for MINI Automatics deal with the R53 CVT Transmission.

 

#7 can't be the drain plug. the link does not show the actual bottom of the transmission. the bottom shown in the picture is actually the top of the transmission pan. thus #7 would not drain any fluid.

also on a side note, it looks like you can't over fill the transmission either, as there is what appears to be a tube that will drain out any excess fluid


:edit: looks like pilotart posted the two pics