New gearbox after 25k miles

[Mart2912]

So my dad has a 2018 Mini with an 8 speed auto. It has around 25k miles and he's had the car for just over a year. The warranty ran out at the end of March unknown to him. The car is financed on PCP.

His car suddenly started having issues engaging gears. It would sometimes rev before the gear would engage then it was a harsh thud, like dropping the clutch on a low rev manual. The issue was mainly in reverse, but when cruising on the motorway, no issues. There is a yellow warning light that says something about the drivetrain. Torque comes up with P0736 Reverse Incorrect Ratio. He took it into BMW because our nearest specialists wouldn't be able to see until a week on Monday, even then they say another 2 weeks if it requires parts.

BMW just called him saying he will need a new gearbox at a cost of £8000!! Understandable, he's very taken back by this. Where does he stand with this? To me, it's ridiculous to expect someone to fork out 8k for a new gearbox for a car that has done 25k miles that was sold from a Mini dealership. I've told him not to go with BMW as dealerships seem to replace, not repair.

Is this just a matter of tough luck and go to an independent specialist to get this sorted?

 

[Mart2912]

He has dropped it off at the BMW/Mini specialist who just so happen to be within a mile of the BMW garage (it's an industrial estate with a lot of dealerships around). Funnily enough, that BMW garage wasn't aware/hadn't heard of that company. He took the diagnostic report to the indie specialist who seems to think they never even checked the fluids. They are saying worse case scenario it would be £3000 for a rebuild, so a lot more palatable than 8k, but here's hoping it's something fairly simple. Thankfully, the specialists has agreed to keep his car so he doesn't have to worry about getting it back and forth. Not sure when he will hear back, so it's just a matter of wait and see.

He's away for the weekend with my mum, so it won't quite be the stress free weekend he had hoped lol, feel really bad for him.

 

[Mart2912]

That's a right eye opener!

Looks like I'll have to keep my extended warranty running for the foreseeable.

7 minis in my family with no real issues. There'll always be fringe cases.

Yeah, my Clubman still has 1 year left, so I'm definitely going to extend next year. It's not the kind of lottery you want to win. I'm sure my dad would have extended his if he was aware it was due to run out.

Between my dad and I, we have had quite a few Mini's over the years and we have been the same, no major issues outside of wear and tear, but I know you do get the odd one that's faulty from new.

Agreed.

However sometimes, unfortunately mechanical failures can happen prematurely.

I’m not clued up on Mini’s - Assuming this is a JCW therefore I’d imagine potentially driven very hard (Numerous Launch Controls etc, Remapped etc) again meaning 25k miles of wear with that usage I could understand a major gearbox issue.

How they can suggest 8k for a new gear box at 25,000 miles with a straight face is beyond me.

Customer Service/Complaints for Good Will and Social Media if no joy after exhausting all avenues with dealership on this one I think.

That is a good point. Yeah it is a JCW and you are correct, we have no way of knowing how the previous owner treated the car, so who knows. Maybe thrashed, or maybe just bad luck from the factory. I know for a fact my dad doesn't thrash it, I think he's too scared to put the foot down.