Can't wrap my head around this one, but then again, I'm not good with tranny internals... '05 R53 w/ the Getrag 6-spd, parked in perfect running condition. 5 days later I take the car out for autocross, and the shifter is ungodly stiff. Worked the car up for bad linkage, bad cables, etc... Everything checks out. Survey says: The problem is internal... Wtf? Gear oil changed 15k ago, no signs of massive gear-oil loss, no abnormal noises from tranny; heck, it was even parked in neutral!

What am I missing? I'm going to light this car on fire and push it over a cliff if the supposedly bullet-proof Getrag in this thing ***** itself while sitting in the driveway.

 

I would find out what tranny fluid the independant shop used when they replaced your clutch 10k miles ago and go from there......it should be on their invoice. Could even be clutch related.

 

I've been searching everywhere for the invoice, but wouldn't you know it's the only one from the last 3 years of ownership that I can't find. I'm fairly certain they didn't use the best stuff though, because the LSD started groaning again post service (which had previously been addressed by MINI w/ a TSB mandating a change to different spec fluid). I don't think it's clutch related, as the problem persists regardless of whether the engine is running or not. On or off, hot or cold, moving or stationary, the shifter always has the same distinct feel that something is bound up, almost like trying to pass the action through a tight, un-lubricated rubber bushing or something to that effect - yet every moving part external to the gearbox is lubed to within an inch of it's life and confirmed to be functioning properly.

 

That sounds a little like my gearbox. While pulling up to a signal in neutral, heard a clunking noise, like something dropped out of place in the center of the car. Has felt stiff and rubbery going into gear ever since. 71k miles on the car. I'm too scared to take it in for service....

 

Remove the air box and pop loose the shifter cables from the transmission linkage. Manually operate both the cables and the linkage on the transmission. You should be able to move both easily by hand.
If the shifter is still tight when the cables are not attached to the transmission, you have a stuck shifter cable.