Comments on: The CVT Revisited – A Full Review

By: Peter Walker

Peter Walker — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 10:39:32 +0000

I have an 03 Mini Cooper that has demonstrated some problems with the transmission during its life, most recently showing EP and EML. Both are transitory but worrying. Since I am in the UK I do not expect that anyone can recommend a good independent transmission expert but I’d like to hear from anyone who has met with success in handling this issue. Mileage is 22,000 – yes, it’s my wife’s car.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:44:10 +0000

After 33,500 miles my MC 06' CVT transmission is done!!!! I was fortunate enough to have purchased an extended warranty and it is being replaced for only a $100 deductible on my part. MINI of Manhattan said it would have cost over $9,500 for parts and labor (27 HOURS!?!?!?!)

I lucked out but I am wondering if I should sell my MINI before this transmission goes too and then I am stuck with the bill!

What is the deal? Why is this CVT transmission not being recalled? Is there a lawsuit being filed?

HELP!

By: David

David — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:46:44 +0000

Please E-mail me if the lawsuit got anywere: david_lees@yahoo.com Or if you know a person wo rebuilds the CVT in North NJ or NYC area.

By: David

David — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:42:49 +0000

Another CVT bites the dust. My wife’s ’05 Mini has 74K miles and is now a paper-weight until I figure out what to do.

By: Conn

Conn — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:44:04 +0000

The cvt transmission on my 2003 MINI cooper has failed rendering the car not drivable. The transmission has always been quirky, but I was assured by the dealer that it was working properly. The transmission slips drastically and makes a very audible whirring sound. The only option for repair is a complete new part install at the dealer cost of $8,800. I have read hundreds and hundreds of identical stories about the cvts on MINI coopers as well as the power steering pump. It seems from research that this part commonly fails and replacing with a defective part at a cost near nine thousand dollars is absurd and disgusting. It is cost prohibitive to keep my car operating and I feel as though I have, as well as thousands of other MINI owners have been sold a defective product worthy of recall.

By: Steven

Steven — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:55:57 +0000

The cvt drives awesome, but when the transmission fails, it costs around 8000 to have it replaced only a very few extremely hard to locate people repair these transmission. So Basically if it breaks you’re stuck with an 8k bill. So I’d steer clear of any cvt transmissions. Also i have heard a few stories of dealerships having people come in to have the their transmission computer flashed while under warranty, then when the transmissions fails just out of warranty, they will not help pay. be cautious with these cars, or you could be in for a very hefty bill with very few options

By: Fastfinger

Fastfinger — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:12:09 +0000

Mini Cooper CVT is normal mode is almost dangerous in city traffic. Often quoted solution is to start off in Sport mode… SOLUTION is to have start off REPROGRAMMED so that both normal and sport mode have no hesitation. SOMEBODY at BMW/MINI should IMPROVE the CVT by offering an upgrade to flash the tranny so that the normal takeoff works like that of the sport mode and thus avoid that dangerous hesitation.

By: JIM TIERNEY

JIM TIERNEY — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:41:22 +0000

I failed to update this post. The EP problem came back. After a lot of online research, I found that the original Mini battery does not charge above 11 volts dc when it ages. This causes the computer to get confused and turns on the EP warning. I made a copy of all my research and had the Mini hauled to the dealer with the copy. They kept it for 10 days and then “discovered” that the battery was not charging above 11 volts. They put in a new battery for $90.00 (no labor charge). It has run for 3 years now without any problems. Hope this helps

By: Bill LAwrence

Bill LAwrence — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:16:50 +0000

My MINI CVT just gave up the ghost at 198424 miles. With the cost to replace the CVT Transmission (since they are a sealed unit, that does not get repaired)at $7,000+ it looks like MINI has created a disposable car. Too bad, I wanted to go for 200,000 miles.

By: Dave Pevsner

Dave Pevsner — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:17:57 +0000

i know i'm about six years late to the party here, but with 99,800 miles on my mini CVT, and me being only the second owner, i think i have some things to share. i do a lot of touch-and-go driving, as i deliver food and pick up supplies for work, and a CVT mini is a great car, for the most part, for all this logistics and delivery work. of course i'm afraid of all the issues that other high-mileage CVTs have, but knock on wood, my engine and transmission are still rock solid after 5 years and almost 100,000 miles of hard driving from two mini-enthusiast owners. and, i'm still averaging over 20 miles per gallon in high-traffic, extremely-touch-and-go driving, despite performing bare minimum maintenance and care to the engine and tranny. after i give my drivetrain a tune-up and fluid change this summer, and trade the touch-and-go driving for more rural driving, i expect to get as much gas mileage as the manual R50 minis, while still having the ease of use and smoothness that make the CVT such a gem. plus, since my mini is both a CVT and indi blue colored, i feel like it's as rare as a JCW GP, which is a cool feeling in and of itself.

the only issue i've had, interesingly enough, is one that i don't think anyone else has had. when i put my transmission in sport drive or steptronic mode, the gear display goes blank and ignores my input, rather than showing "SD" or a gear number on the display. MINI USA customer support was useless about it and told me only the dealer can help me, but since i have neither time nor money to take the car in, i just have stopped using sport drive mode and stopped using steptronic. regular drive mode has enough pickup, and i've heard that in CVT minis with a SprintBooster throttle upgrade, the CVT spooling or lag, whatever you want to call it, becomes almost impossible to notice, so i'm looking into that.

final verdict: if you find a good deal on a used R50 CVT, and you can get a test drive to make sure it's not slipping or going into emergency program mode, buy it. you'll fall in love quickly.

By: MrN

MrN — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:32:05 +0000

Some people here seem to be confusing Continuously Variable Transmission(CVT)with Steptronic and an automatic transmission with Steptronic. A CVT never changes gears. It seamlessly changes though an infinite number of gear ratios within the RPM range. Even when the paddle shifters are used the transmission never really changed gears. The CVT "shifted" if desired(driver is using Steptronic) with software-simulated shift points.

If you have a Cooper S you do not have a CVT as it was never available on the S models. You have a regular automatic transmission with Steptronic. Just thought I should post to make this information as accurate as possible.

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:25:09 +0000

I own an 03 Audi with the 3.0 CVT. The transmission started to hesitate and the tach would start to bob around during acceleration. The transmission needed to be replaced. Audi only puts in new transmissions, a very costly repair. With the new transmission, the original hesitation is gone, but I am now experiencing the “dead spot” hesitation mentioned here by other drivers. If the car is on a hill in traffic, the car shudders and feels like it will stall (never does). Punching the gas gets beyond the point of hesitation and all is fine. Problem is the car is an Audi, and drivers should not have to “get used to” the problem, or worse yet, punch the accelerator to cover up for a flaw. An expensive car driving like it is combusting water instead of fuel is just not right. I’ll be back to a 6-speed in my next Audi purchase (yes despite my bad experience with the CVT the cars are otherwise beautiful).

By: Synergy

Synergy — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:10:16 +0000

I have the same problems with hesitation on my recently purchased 2005 MC (non-S) automatic CVT. How’s the class action suit coming along?

By: Gary

Gary — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:44:04 +0000

Hi All. I seem to be having the same issue as pk and MiniPeter. My CVT issue also while decelerating and accelerating from 80-100kmh the revs go, what I think are somewhat high but at least not in the redzone. What is the adaptive value? I bought mine used with 124k and and other than high revs, seems ok however, only three months so far but I have managed to add 10k to the tally.

By: dusty

dusty — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:50:42 +0000

i got a ’07 dodge caliber about 3 months ago and i was really hyped on it at first, then the CVT overheat light came on and the car pretty much came to a stop, it had no pull to it at all, this was at about 70-75 mph for about 45 minutes, i got the problem fixed but a week later it did it again, so i got it fixed again, and now its overheating more than in the past. the other night it overheated to the point where it would only go 20 mph and wouldn’t go up a slight hill. i pulled over to let it cool off, and it overheated 5 more times in a span of about 20 miles. is this normal or whats the deal? it pisses me off really bad…

By: Winnie Poon

Winnie Poon — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:43:14 +0000

Hi Everyone, If you would like to join our class action against MINI USA, please write me at no2@numba-tu.com. We need all the participants we can get. Lawyers are not hungry unless we have enough people interested. Please also spread the words and let others who might be interested know about what I am doing. My goal is to contact one of the news channels in the Bay Area of California by the end of the month. If any of you out there are interested in sharing your story, please let me know. I hope that this will attract more participants if we get our story out there. Again, write me at no2@numba-tu.com. With everyone’s help, we can surely get the ball rolling and have our justice! (I must have your consent sent to my email. I promise I only keep them on file for the purpose of the class action suit and not for any other use).

By: Genessee

Genessee — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:18:59 +0000

Hi! It's sooo good to hear that I'm not the only one with these problems. I have a 2006 Mini and started having problems around this time last year (Nov. '06). The first dealer I took it to said they could not replicate the spiking RPMs 60mph at deceleration. I left and took it in to another dealership (Long Beach, CA) where they have accomodated me until now. I have just hit the 36000 mark and took it in at 35700 for them to tell me that the "play on the RPMs is normal". I took their word for it, but the problem is back and getting worse. At first it was spiking to a little past 3000 but now is climbing to 4200 and hovers there at acceleration(50-60mph) too. If I give it some gas and get to 70mph it goes back down. If I take it in again it will be the 4th time I have brought it in for this issue alone. And, it can't possibly be normal since they had "solved" it each time I went in.

November 2006: Could not verify (Assael MINI)
February 2007: Reset Adaptions (Long Beach MINI)
May 2007: Transmission BAD. Replaced transmission.
July 2007: Reset Adaptions. Performed 5 relearn cycles. Shop Forman Test.
October 2007: Stated it was normal but come back if it's getting to 5000rpms

Well, I'm debating now whether to keep the car. A friend said I should just sell it after reading the other experiences. It's a money bomb waiting to happen. They've already replaced the transmission, so really they're going to have to come up with something better when I come it. I'm thinking of crying lemon, but it still doesn't solve this problem. I love my MINI and don't want to get rid of it. Demanding a new one seems pointless now after reading about everyone's experiences. I'll gladly join the lawsuit too.

Any suggestions?

gequiz@mac.com

By: John S

John S — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:02:25 +0000

I’m retired, and my car (2003 Mini) is driven very easily by my wife and myself, and at 90,000 miles it began making a ratcheting noise from the CVT transmission. We towed it home, to have the dealer inform us of the need for a new transmission: $7,200.00. The dealer said it was safe to drive for a while, so we drove it up the street to a transmission shop we knew of for a second opinion. On their test drive, the steel belt in the transmission came apart, destroying everything internally and locking up the drive train on the street. Had it been busier or on a freeway, it could have been disastrous. I filed a complaint with the NHTSA as suggested; my ODI number is 10205481 if you’d like to review it. I’d be happy to participate in whatever way I can to try to get Mini and/or BMW to stand behind, and even more importantly, correct the known defects in these units.

By: Jon S

Jon S — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:48:32 +0000

I have had a similar problem with my 03′ (bought it used in 2005) Mini. I just payed 8,000 dollars to replace the CVT Transmission and I only have 90,000 miles on the car. I also have three years left of payments on the car and just recently my trans is acting up again in a big way. I am all ears if you are proposing a Class Action Suit.

By: Winnie Poon

Winnie Poon — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:34:00 +0000

I have had experiences with the mini dealership where they did not do a thorough job in checking everything, resetting the computer, and then returning the car to me. It is extremely frustrating not to mention expensive (taking the car in and out of the dealership, and once the warranty runs out, the parts and labors are BMW prices).

That’s a great idea to post complaints with NHTSA. I will copy that portion of your message and post at other sites that I post at. As far as class action go, I have talked to some lawyers, and some say that we have a case. I am still looking for a GOOD one who would represent us. Anyone interested please email me at no2@numba-tu.com, so I can get a list going. The first step after finding a lawyer is to get a demand letter over to BMW to compensate us for the money and time lost. We could commence litigation if BMW does not respond within a certain amount of time. Those of you who know other Mini drivers, please spread the word. I am tired of being taken advantage of by big companies.