Automatic Transmission Problems of Mini Cooper S

2005 Mini Cooper S-began having issues with the car jerking when shifting gears (not a manual transmission) in early 2009. I took it to my mechanics. They had it for quite awhile, trying to determine the root cause. They advised that they even consulted with the dealership, but said they felt like the dealership wasn't very forthcoming in their information. My mechanic ultimately decided that he thought it was a sensor that needed to be replaced. $500 to replace this sensor. The rough shifting continued and on June 2, 2009, while I was out at lunch, I lost first gear altogether. The car would move forward, but was not able to pick up any real speed until the rpm's got high enough. I pulled over into a parking lot, put the car in park and turned the car off. When I started it again, I had the use of first gear again, but this time it felt as though it wouldn't shift out of third. I drove it very slowly and carefully back to my office. I called the dealership, told them that I was going to need to have it towed in, and asked if they had a towing service. She said no, but recommended a towing company. I had it towed it but didn't hear anything back from anyone until Monday, June 8, 2009. My husband was told it was the transmission and that it would be $8,000 for the transmission and $2000 for the labor. Hard to believe anyone could say that with a straight face. Around June 9, 2009, the Mini service manager said he was going to work with it a little bit and see if he could get any of those costs covered under a service bulletin. Today is June 16, 2009. My husband has called, left voicemails, and even gone up the dealership. We have heard nothing back from the Mini service manager. My husband spoke to the BMW service manager, who told him that we'd have to wait and talk to the Mini service manager.

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I purchased a 2007 Mini-cooper s and at 10k miles (1 year old) the clutch needed to be replaced. I don't understand how a new car with 10k miles needs a new clutch. The dealership and the manufacturer both said it was my fault and there was nothing wrong with the car. They quoted me over $3k to repair. I have been driving manual cars for 15 years and have never had a problem with a clutch.

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I purchase my 2006 Mini Cooper S new almost 4 years ago. I have been complaining about the automatic transmission since I purchased it. If you are going down a hill it downshifts extremely hard causing a whiplash effect. Cars have almost hit me from behind many times. Additionally when going up a hill such as a freeway on-ramp, the car will just refuse to accelerate. This is very dangerous when trying to merge onto the freeway. I have spoken many times to Mini headquarters and the consensus is that is how the vehicle is supposed to operate. They told me to buy a new one now because they don't use that transmission any more. They also told me to manually shift the car in those situations. I said if I had wanted to shift manually I wouldn't have paid for an automatic transmission. I am very frustrated with their response. I am disabled and on a limited income. I can't afford to buy a new car and more importantly I couldn't morally sell this one with these kind of problems.

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My 2003 Mini Cooper S stumbles and bogs down when starting in first gear. When starting from a dead start and letting clutch out, the cars power cuts off for a moment and then cuts back in. This was not a characteristic of the car prior to my dealer upgrading the software for the engine management system. I've contacted Mini USA (aka BMW) and they acknowledge the problem, but have no fix for it. I consider it a safety issue, especially when pulling into traffic and the car hesitates badly.

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