I was driving around town this afternoon and began to notice some weird shifting/transmission behavior. My car is a 2006 MINI Cooper S (Automatic) with 136k on the odometer. First I was going onto an on ramp and the car suddenly up shifted and chirped the tires. Then later I was driving and around 3-4k rpms it seems to really flare before shifting. And lastly when going down a hill close to my house the tranny downshifted and was revving pretty high. I am not sure what I can do to correct this behavior or if the transmission is slipping but can someone help me trouble shoot?

 

It could be starting to slip, I'm crap with auto transmissions though. When's the last time it had a fluid/filter change? Maybe that's all it needs to restore its performance to normal.

 

autos always have a bit of slip in them, behaving irracticly with shifting usually is because of the fluid and the valves in the auto tranny. excessive slippage would make rpm climb but not speed.


get a tranny flush. not replace the fluid, a full flush and see if it continues

 

Thats exactly what I and my father are both thinking as well but MINI and BMW list the automatic fluid as "lifetime" fluid and advise against doing a flush or change. Its at 136k on the original fluid and filter so I think its time for a flush and change but the dealer won't even touch it!!??

 

Here is the deal: The dealer wants to sell you a new trans for $4 to 8K.
It has been proven that these transmissions need flushing and fluid change every 30K miles. Do it now before you toast your car! It will be worth nothing, if the trans actually goes out!
Flushing is cheap insurance! I recommend red line oil for replacement.
Itsme wayne

 

Have had this discussion on BMW boards for years.

The recommendation of "lifetime" fluid came out when BMW included service as part of the price of the car. Guess who would be paying for the fluid change?

Once the car is out of warranty, any transmission problems generally belong to the owner. So the "lifetime" is really the warranty period, and maybe a little bit after.

BMW has dropped the included maintenance. My personal opinion is 60k miles is fine, I do the tranny (and on rear drive cars the diff fluid) at that interval. Same on my Mercedes. Everything has held up fine (MB at 180k miles).

Remember if there is a torque converter to get ALL the fluid out so you do not overfill when replacing fluid. I have never done a Mini auto tranny fluid flush, but I am assuming it is similar to other auto tranny's with torque converter. I would imagine any good independent mechanic can do this.

Regards,
Jerry

 

yeah the auto in the r53 I believe is the same auto in the r56 and the f56 with minor updates along the way. all trannys will require a fluid change, I know the r50 has issues with tranny fluids. the r53 doesn't need to be every 30k, every 80-90k like other autos is fine.

 

Thanks all! ... Ok so the verdit seems to be to go for the tranny flush the question is who can I trust to do it right if the dealer wont. And what kind of stuff do I need to buy? How much is an estimate of the cost of this?

 

Nowadays, there are more than a few major automobile manufacturers stating that they have developed transmissions that require no fluid changes. The fluid inside is considered to be "lifetime" oil, meaning that it never needs to be changed. Toyota even advertises their transmission fluid as lifetime, but with a service interval/change at 100k miles. I suggest you check out our automatic transmission fluid change tech article to get an idea of what is involved. It can also help you tackle the job yourself if you wish to do so. Good luck!

For cost of parts:

Filter http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item3
Fluid http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item0
Gaskets http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg2.htm#item7

 

Have you gone through this thread yet? There's lots of info on the fluid change procedure with, and without, dropping the pan to change the filter, and info on replacing the valve body if needed.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...at-80k-12.html

There's also a thread somewhere about the valve body adjustment procedure if the trans is still acting up after the install. A lot of the information is scattered throughout other threads, and on other forums.

The new fluid change interval is 40K by VW who uses basically the same Aisin transmission. This down from 100K as they never considered the fluid lifetime like MINI. Depending on your usage, I've seen intervals from 25-60K. 80-90K is way too long if you plan on keeping your car.

 

I appreciate all of your comments and help. I am going to go ahead and service the transmission like recommended by all. I can get the fluid and filter kit from ECS with the redline fluid. But I don't know who to trust with the flush and proper fill. Any recommendations ?

 

Where are you located? There have been a few transmission shops mentioned in posts that sound like they know what they're doing. Most seem to not know about them because it's "lifetime" and never needs changing or servicing.

Also, there's always a bit of controversy on using aftermarket fluids that don't meet the required spec of the transmission. While Red Line is high quality, I don't think it's JWS3309 certified. If that matters to you, the cheapest fluid with JWS3309 certification seems to be the Toyota JWS3309 fluid.

 

I am located in Manhattan, Kansas. Middle of the USA (nowhere)

And oh I didn't know that if thats the case it looks like I will just go with the ECS Genuine MINI service kit with the MINI fluids. Thanks for pointing that out.

Could I go to a toyota dealer to have it serviced as its the same as a toyota? we have one of those in town.

 

You can get the fluid at the Toyota dealer, but I doubt they would work on a MINI, nor would I trust them to. It's just a way to save money since one of the DIY procedures calls for changing the fluid at least three times. If you change the fluid without dropping the pan, only part comes out and after three changes, with drives between each change, you should have about 80% new fluid. Even dropping the pan doesn't get 100% of the fluid out.

I would start by reading the complete thread on the Aisin trans failing at 80K, and search for any other Aisin, valve body, and fluid threads on the forum. There's a lot of info, but it's going to take a lot of research since it's all scattered throughout several posts.

If you just want to find a shop, I would look for a transmission shop with MINI Aisin experience, or VW Aisin experience. There are a lot more VW's out there, so probably a lot more shops that know how to work on them. Also, most of the info I've found cross post info with VW forums and even recommend some tools available from VW shops.

 

After researching more into this I have came to the conclusion that if I pick up the whole transmission service kit from ECS (Genuine MINI fluid included) it will be about $250.00.

I was then quoted by my MINI dealer at $520 for a fluid swap, drive, and then full pan drop filter change and new fluid swap again.

What do you think about those prices? Also does anyone know the actual capacity of the transmission fluid reservoir? How much fluid do I need to do a flush, then a second flush and fill?

 

A few things to consider before you get the service done... With the fluid, filter, and labor, you'll spending almost $800 on a 136K mile auto trans that are known to have solenoid and valve body issues. A trans fluid change does not always fix the issues. I would price the option of going with a new/rebuilt valve body, too. Many people have had success with Revmax valve bodies.

Also, I would think dropping the pan and changing the filter and fluid first, with two additional changes and drive cycles would end up with more fresh fluid. It seems like the first change before dropping the pan is a waste of fluid and labor. Any idea on the dealers reasoning for the order of fluid changes?

Whatever option you go with, if the subframe has to be dropped, I would look into other maintenance items like lower control arm bushings, inner ball joints, and power steering lines. Might as well get other potential issues done now instead of paying for the subframe to be dropped again later.

 

I've read the capacity is 4.5 liters, not including the torque converter. Most seem to get around 1.5 - 2 liters out without removing the pan, so maybe 9 - 10 liters total for the service the dealer is describing?

 

I'd get some quotes on getting it rebuilt, might only be about double your current quote which is a lot more but it's a guarantee at least. Sucks to spend $800 only to find out it was for nothing, I found that out the hard way.

 

Yea I am now considering the RevMax valve body option is that what you went with Bav? I have actually dropped the subframe before and did all of the other things you mentioned now I am just having the transmission troubles. If I was to replace the valve body it looks like 700 for the body but how much was it to install?

 

I have a manual so I couldn't tell you. I'd just hate to see you spend a bunch to have to rebuild it anyways. Plus then you won't have to worry about it.

 

Oh ... I thought you said you found that out the hard way yourself lol my bad