Hello,

I have had my mini for 4 years now (mini C (cvt) 2004 base 4 cyl 1.6l), and it's been running great ever since i first purchased it second hand from someone that barely used it with 24k+ miles. it's currently got 77k+ miles on it at the moment, i have had 2 accidents with it so far, first hitting a dear, had to change the bumper/radiator/hood .. and most recently having rear ended another car on the highway (nothing too big a very small accident) but also had to change the hood once again and also a new radiator that cracked during the accident. no bigger damage than that.

Now recently, when i take my car, not all the time, although it does seem to do it more often now, (let's say 1/5 times) my car doesn't seem to change gears unless i push the rpm's to over 8k or higher.... and as you may realize that doesn't sound great at all to the engine, so i don't drive it when this happens... basically apart from the rpm's shooting up because the gears will not change i have no idea what the problem is. i can not check the transmission fluid as most of you would know that it's all factory sealed (thanks mini!) although sometimes i this problem does not occur at all and the car drives fine.

Any ideas?
Thank-you in advance.

 

I have a CVT also, when I went looking for a MINI I knew I needed to by an auto transmission because my husband can't drive stick and he needed to be able to drive it too. (just some background info)...Anyway, haha.


How many miles do you have on it now? Did you get the service records from MINIUSA? If you haven't - Go to https://ol.miniusa.com/ , if you sign up and put in your VIN you can check for any maintenance records done under warranty and at a MINI dealership to check if your CVT has been serviced before.

Now, we all know CVT's are temperamental so I would see about taking it to the MINI dealership nearest you and seeing how much it'll cost for a servicing, because it is totally needed every 30,000 miles or so. At my dealership in Indianapolis, IN it costs 400 dollars.

I find it a little worrisome if its not "getting in gear" since the CVT tranny don't actually change gears they just transfer power from the motor to the tranny. I would get it to the dealer as soon as you can, it sucks to take it to the actual dealer because of the price, but I haven't found ANYBODY else that will work on a CVT .

If you want to try to change it yourself, it requires to take out the battery, battery box and computer to get to the extra fill hole...if you do this be careful and watch when you drain it (if you see metal in for old fluid then the CVT is toast.) There is a thread floating around on NAM on how to change it (even has pictures!)

Good luck with your CVT, I really hope you figure out whats wrong without having to shell out ten grand to replace it

 

By all accounts, the CVT can be a real ticking time bomb. If you want to keep it, you really need to baby it, make sure you change the fluid ever 30,000mi or so. That seems to be the key to keeping them going. It's expensive to service ($400 or so, as posted above.) but it's a lot cheaper than $7k for a new tranny. Good luck!!

 

Is there anyway for me to check the transmission fluid myself? i can't find a decent post on how and what parts exactly are needed to be taken out and so on to look at it... and if i drain it too how do i fill it? another question would obviously be what kind of tran fluid would be needed for mini?

 

8,000RPMs!?! that's like Honda territory! does Vtec kick in then?

 

Just read...there is a wealth of info around...you just have too seek it out...and not expect to be spoon-fed.
Most folks usually go to mini to buy the special trany fluid...DO NOT USE REGULAR FLUID..IT WILL DESTROY YOUR CVT if it is not already toast.
By all accounts draining the CVT and refilling it is a pain..but saves $300 or so...but then you do not have records to show mini it was done as recommended so you can ask for a discount when/if you need a new/remanfactured CVT. I know of one shop who referes ALL CVT maintenance to the dealership....just to ensure there is NEVER a disagreement over if work on it was ever done or done correctly...as said, the CVT can be a very $$$ time-bomb ....some have a long life...generaly driven gently, and kept with fresh fluid....

 

I have a CVT...knock on wood...nothing is going wrong for me. I have 109000 miles on mine. I had no idea about the fluid needing to be changed so (shame on me) I haven't changed mine.
I have had several people tell me that its a time bomb so I am going to make an appointment with the dealer to get mine done!

Good luck to you!

 

Okay! So, I found the thread that shows how to change the fluid. I apologize about the confusion but it was actually located on the MINI2.com forum. This thread was posted by a mechanic and it gives you the steps on how to remove the battery, computer and battery box as well as shows you where the fill plug is located. It is SUPER important to watch how much you fluid you put in your CVT, overfilling can a lot of problems. I would suggest consulting your manual to what the capacity is for your tranny.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-gen...acement-2.html

Now, the mechanic suggests buying Royal Purple ATF Full Synthetic Transmission Fluid for the fill. I also have heard great things of Redline Non-Slip Synthetic CVT Transmission Fluid. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE RIGHT FLUID. If you accidentally put the wrong fluid in the tranny then your tranny is screwed. I would totally suggest the Redline products (you can even call Redline to consult them about it).

http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NMG7298/InvDetail.cfm

If you try to call a Mini dealership about it, they will refuse to sell you the fluid alone because they buy it by the barrel and say its hazardous to ship. They will also tell that you can not use anything but they fluid in your car, which isn't really true.

Here is a thread that shows you where the drain plug is located (its toward the bottom of the page):

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...id-change.html

This is about all the information I have for you. All I can say is be super careful and make sure your you have all the correct products and tools for the job...GOOD LUCK!!

 

Most dealers will sell you the correct fluid....just bring in a suitable container for them to pump it into.

 

Some dealers may do that, I was just going off the dealers around me which would include Ann Arbor, Mich., Detroit, Mich., Indianapolis, IN., and Chicago. I hope he can find one that will!

 

well brang it to a transmission specialist... unfortunately just like all the other posts bragging about how a CVT is a timebomb well unfortunately the tranny is gone in my car at 70k+ miles :(

 

now biggest question is what to do with the car... what is the cheapest solution to this problem, i'm waiting on an estimate for a replacement on the tranny (used) and thinking/wondering if it may or may not be just cheaper to convert it to a manual? any suggestions?

 

*bump* nothing?

 

I bookmarked this place after seeing it on NAM. Don't know what your replace has been quoted as. There is a place in England that ships the CVT's also. Surely someone with more knowledge will reply. Good luck.
http://www.minitransmission.com/#

 

There are rebuilt CVTs coming available now. Expensive but better than a used one that might last a month. Don't have details on who is doing the rebuilds but heard it was an outfit in Michigan. My MINI service said there are no new CVTs, only rebuilt. Have one in mine 12K miles on it and working well. My original CVT did not stop but developed an unrepairable leak that would have surely destroyed it eventually.

 

Watch out....buying a used cvt might not be wise....the condition, and prior life it lead is unknown....since such a large portion of the job is labor, having to do it a second time, even if the seller of the used tranny gave you a second one to exchange it with under warranty would nullify the savings of buying used, and incur added barrel+downtime....but like anything in life, it is a calculated risk....just know the risks, then choose.
Good luck, and sorry to hear of your problem.

 

Choose what? Being a non-mechanic I'm perhaps not reading your post correctly. Are you saying a re-build is the same thing as a used CVT? I'd think that what ever is rebuilt is made from a used part and if there are no new CVT's made how can a choice be made? Do you perhaps mean the choice to use an entirely different transmission? If so, what transmission would work in place of the CVT? Or are you meaning to say that there is no realistic fix available for replacement of a CTV.

 

A rebuilt unit should be nearly as good as new....basicly remanfactured...(remanfsctured is technically rebuilt to factory specs, rebuilt is "fixed" and worn parts replaced, a fully serviceable unit, with most of it life left.
used is just pulled out of a car at a junkyard, and shipped. Might have a warranty....they simply give you a different one if it fails during the warranty...commonly 30 days...

 

Thanks Zippy.

 

My 02 r50 with cvt acting on me.When i start accelerating from traffic light it seems to do just fine but once i get to 50-60 mph when i try to accelerate just a bit tachometer rews up to 3500rpm and then if i hit gas pedal further it goes back to 3000 rpm. It seems like it slipping. But of course it is hard to say on cvt. Then some time if braking hard enough sort of emergency stop instead of slowing down gradually it feels like engine desingage from tranny and rpm goes up to 2000 rpm and then gradually goes down when car is fully stoped. I got 160000 miles on it at fluid was changed 10000 miles ago, it was fine then. But now i got that weird issue. Besides that in manual mode i can not up shift it stays in 1 st gear ( is there any switch mulfunction down below shifter???)

 

See my thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...n-problem.html

The BMW service rep said that if the CVT really dies, the car doesn't run OK some of time and not OK some of the time, which confirmed his electrical solution - at least for me.


(Sorry. I just noticed this thread was started three years ago.)

 

How will i know that it is the battery? What should bee the reading? I will probably take it to check condition of my battery after all.

 

I'm nowhere near being a mechanic so I can't really say. Sorry. But I do know that it's driving much smoother. I've had the car for 1.5 years and it's always been a little jumpy when just starting out or driving very slowly (like in bumper-to-bumper). Since the fix, I don't feel that choppiness anymore.

Plus, the service rep said that if the transmission goes - it goes. It's not a sometimes occurrence.

Good luck.

 

is there anyone in the Windsor Ontario area that can recommend a tranny shop that truly knows how to diagnose ctv tranny issues mine is irradically shifting when warm but stills seems fine first 10 mins of a drive when cold started -any suggestions?

 

please message me if you have a thought or suggestion thanks