There are different formulas for different problems. The best you can do is file a complaint. If you know a lawyer, have him sign it when you send a copy to MINI USA. It's amazing what happens when people see a lawyers signature.

 

Looking at your early posts, the photo of you tracking your car is going to be a real hit when you get lawyers involved.

Timed speed events void warranties for all drive train faults. When you decide to do track days, you take full ownership of the vehicle.

 

This may be true, however, when a part is involved that is defective and fails the same way on cars that have not been tracked or whatnot it can change things. For example, when S54 engines began blowing up BMW largely blamed it on the owners at first and would not cover it, but when it was shown that many were inherently defective they issued a TSB, a recall and an extended warranty. TSBs are different then recalls, as far as I understand it a recall applies to any and all cars in a VIN range no matter what, whereas a service bulletin only applies to cars under warranty often only if the owner's complaints match the text of the TSB and the car is in VIN range - so, since these transmissions are failing just after the warranty period it seems that a recall would be needed and the car usage would not matter since it is defect that is a safety issue.

 

The photo of my tracking my car was taken at a DE that MINIUSA sponsored. Since it was taken within the first year of my owning my MINI, it did not void my warrenty in any way. I believe I still have the orginal paperwork from the DE, which clearly states that event was NOT TIMED and was a DRIVERS EDICATION event.

Because of the other PM I have recieved, I have taken that photo off NAM. (Which is sad, because I thought was a good pic.)

Please know that I am not in any way trying to cause a controvsey or bad mouth MINI. My relationship with MINIUSA and my MINI dealer is still good and friendly. We are simply trying to find a good solution to this problem, and I am simply trying to gather facts about this problem. There are no lawyers, no case being built, no nasty threats or unreasonable demands being made on either part.

To be quite honest, it was my SA who orginally told me ask around and see what other people have done and explore all my options availble to me. I didn't realize that this would cause such a controversy and apologize if I offended anyone.

 

Exactly, this is one of the things that I would like to know about. I figured by asking everyone that had a CVT tranny problem to say something, I could get some sort of figure to work with, and find out how large (or small) this problem really is.

And while I realize that even if everyone who had a problem posted, across all MINI forums, that it is still an unknown fractional percentage of owners, people who have had the problem, and people who could possibly have the problem later. It would still be a good number to know, along with the solutions that other people have come up with.

 

I think the whole thing is pretty smiple, your car is out of the warranty so there for you and you alone are responsible for the cost of fixing it. It sucks a** but thats life sometimes. i wish you the best of luck. But thats just my 2 cents.

 

Sure, I understand that, but there is no harm in asking.

 

so what's the verdict?

 

So....Caypay.....what is the status of your discussions with MINI USA. Inquiring minds (and fellow MINI owners) want to know!

 

Sorry for the long over due update, but, with the holidays started, I have been hella busy and, to be honest, this issue just got some sort of closure. At least for the time being.

As of right now, my MINI is at home, but not working. Via phone tag with lots of people, MoD and MINIUSA decided that they would bring the price of repairs down to around $4400. That doesn’t include taxes, or if they find anything else wrong with it. While that’s half of the original cost, which is very nice, that still doesn’t help the fact that I don’t have that kinda cash, so unfortunately, repairs will just have to wait till I do.

Don’t even let me get started on how much that sucks!

And, while $4400 is still kind of pricey, it is the best deal that anyone can offer. I called several transmission specialists in the area, and they all said the same thing – replace it. Because MINI uses what is called a ZF CVT Transmission, and since it is relatively new in the auto market, no one repairs it, everyone replaces it (there has only been one person in California that has repaired his; he did it as a hobby, and it took him a month). MINI is the only company that even imports it to the US. The part itself starts around $5200, with a reman starting at $4600. Salvaged, or used ones are hard to find, and if you can find them, the price still starts at $3200, or $5000 for a fully functioning one. And, because these are salvaged parts, there is no telling when or where they will break, if ever again. And once you add in labor, it’s really not that much a great deal after all.

Since I now have a lot of down time, ya know, the whole no car thing, and I was playing phone tag with tons of people, I did do a little research on the whole MINI CVT tranny issue. What I found was pretty surprising.

From reading tons of threads online on many forums, and consumer reports, and various other sources, I have found that there are many CVT owners that have had tranny problems. At least 45 other MINI owners have had tranny problems that are similar to mine (randomly broke with no warning), and about between 100-200 CVT owners that have had other problems in which their CVT had to be replaced. While that number may seem small, please note that these reported incidents are only within the online MINI community. With 350,000 plus MINI sold, I know that not everyone who is a MINI owner is active or participates at all in the MINI community, so it is reasonable to believe that there are more CVT owners that have problems, but that information is not available to me online. My best gestimate is that about 5% of MINI owners have some sort of tranny failure, but that covers every type of tranny failure, and that number could be grossly out of proportion (I’m not a mathematician by any means, so don’t hold this number against me). It is based on the number of reports I read, compared to members of online forums, worldwide MINI owners, and consideration for an overlap. As to people that have had my type of issue, I don’t know, it could be limited to the 45 I found, but I highly doubt it.

Anyway, the first reported case of a CVT randomly self destructing like mine, was last November. It was an ‘05 CVT with 74,000 plus miles on it. Their dealer quoted them about $7000 for repairs, and after all was said and done, MINIUSA and their dealer picked up the parts cost and charged the owner only $2600 for labor.

Since then, the other reports I have found have covered all model years, and happened just out of the 50,000 mile warranty. Most CVT failures were around 65,000 miles and 80,000 miles with a few in the 100,000 plus category. Also, most of these reported were in the past year, June and July being the worst months, and MINIUSA and their MINI dealers seemed to either pick up parts costs, or like me, cover half the price. The difference in price break is, as I understand it, decided by Regional Service Managers, or Head Service Managers of a particular MINI Dealer.

There are a few CVTs that failed within the warranty period, and MINI replaced them for free, but that happened to a VERY few CVTs. And, those that were replaced within the warranty period, had other tranny issues and some warning signs. There are also reports of MINIs with a tranny problem that have had to have 2 tranny replacements. I do no know exactly how much, if any, MINI footed the bill for, if any.

It is rumored (please note the word RUMORED) that because of the CVT failure problems, MINI is replacing the CVT with a standard automatic transmission unit in the new ‘07s. Now, it is true that MINI is no longer using the ZF CVT Transmissions in the ‘07s, and is using a more standard, widely tested, type of auto transmission, but they have not publicly said why. They also will not release any type of numbers or statistics about the subject to the public. However, most media on the subject does seem to point to the CVT failure rate worldwide as the reason to the switch.

Now, if you are in my position, which I hope you aren’t, then what do you do? I have gotten this question a lot in the last few weeks, so here’s what I recommend:
1. Don’t freak out.

2. Call MINIUSA and see what they can do for you.
Don’t take this as being whiney or trying to get something for free. Just call and ask. The worst they could say is no. I have been talking to MINIUSA and MoD about this all month, and there have been no harsh words, no threats made, and no major agitations (except for the fact that this really sux!!). Anything that was said to me that was negative came from outside parties. MINIUSA is really nice, and they will try to help you.

3. Call other mechanics and utilize all other sources. (Even other MINI Dealers)
I called all transmission specialists in the area, and researched a lot. I found cars that used similar types of transmissions (some Hondas, some Audis, newer Nissans, newer Toyota Hybirds, some Mercedes, and late model Volvos) and called shops that specialize in fixing them. They all told me the same thing, to replace it because no one can fix it, but you may get a better rate or a better deal than having MINI fix it. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for me, but even talking to them helped out a lot.

Once you have done this, then make your decision as to weather or not you want to fix your MINI, or you want to fix in and sell it, sell it as is, whatever.

As to why this happened, the answer is pretty simple, they don’t know. As a matter of fact, if they are even to tell why it happens, then it would be when they pull the old tranny out and take it apart. However, most likely, they will not be able to tell exactly what caused it. This also seems to be a common thread among CVT owners.

I can tell you what didn’t cause it:

My high mileage – even MINI says that a tranny shouldn’t fail at 70K. And, expecting more than 70K on an automatic is not “ridiculous.”

The way I drive – while I do go on “spirited” drives, my car is NOT considered “abused” by MINI. This is also a fact that they are aware of.

My accident a year ago – any damage done would have shown up long ago, and most likely would not have been the problem I have now. MINI and several other mechanics agree on this point.

The fact that my MINI has been on a track – again, something MINI is very aware of, and tells me that one time did not do any damage, or “abuse” my car.

That apparently I’m “obliviously stupid” and “don’t know how to drive” – get real. I’ve probably have driven more miles that most people who said this, and no, MINI even says that’s not the issue.

That I don’t take care of my MINI – not true whatsoever. My MINI is/was well taken care of, the fluids have all been changed correctly, on a regular or scheduled basis, and there were no signs that anything was wrong. MINI does all my service, except for the last oil change and break repair, that was done by qualified mechanics that are experienced with MINIs.



Anyway, that’s the update, and I hope that all this information helps those that are in a similar position. Hopefully I’ll be back on the road soon.

 

What an excellent post! It's probably one of the most informative I've ever read on this forum. Thanks for sharing your findings.

 

Why Thank You.


Can you tell I'm a Communications and Writing major?

 

Good post Caypay and thanks for the update on your problem. You taught me a thing or two on this matter. I hope that you get it repaired soon.

 

No, really?