Is my transmission really shifting hard?

Question

I have a Mini Cooper 03 and took it to Carmax to get a trade in value. They told me the car shifts hard. 2 weeks ago the dealer inspected it(off warranty) and told me nothing. I want to sell the car but am not sure who I should believe- do I need a new transmission?

Answer 1

My vehicle started doing that too! Turns out I needed a new tranny. Very expensive.

Answer 2

Well, there's not really much you can do if the dealership says it shifts hard. They're always looking for something they can say is wrong with your car anyway to knock it down a couple thousand in worth. I would take it to another mechanic or a buddy or relative that knows something about cars (if you have one).

My car (99 Grand Prix GT) has some issues with shifting hard, and the guy I bought it from went and had it inspected before I bought it and they said it was the pressure control solenoid, which is about a $30 part, but requires about 5 hours to fix, so it's really expensive to get fixed professionally. You could have the same problem, or it could be just another small problem with the transmission. If it's an 03, I doubt you'd need a new transmission already.

My suggestion: take it to another mechanic and then back to the dealership and tell them what the mechanic said and ask to have somebody else drive it. If they still say it shifts hard, you'd probably be better off selling it on your own.

Answer 3

I wouldn't get too spend happy here. Here's a list of things you have to look at.

1. Check the tranny fluid level.
2. Check all of the vacuum lines.
3. Check to see whether or not the car has a switch that changes the shift pattern from "Sport" to "Normal". My bro-in-law had this problem in a Saturn and I flipped the switch and that fixed his hard shifting problem and got his gas mileage back up to 30MPG.
4. Consider a tranny service. Any car with over 25K on it is due for a tranny serivce. If it is driven harder than grandma's car then two years is a good service interval. You have to realize that city driving might take you 30 years to put 100K on the odometer which some manufacturers claim in the owners manual is the recommended service interval.
5.. Have a diagnostic check on the tranny. Any shift pattern electronics that are on the car will show any problems.

Consider the dummy who test drove the car might have had the trasmission in the wrong "gear" or position. Example: if you have a D for Over-drive and a D for Drive (minus over drive) and a 3 or L2 and so forth.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

without the three hundred and sixty 5 days, make, sort, engine, or transmission type how are you able to anticipate to get an answer from a expert tech. did you recognize that in case you run a test attempt on some autos whilst they're chilly and not at working temperature you will get that code? a working laptop or computing device detected fault will positioned your transmission in a fail secure mode giving it extreme line stress and enterprise shifts. Did you place a gauge on it? Time to hold it to a expert for suitable analysis. in case you're taking the propose of having your transmission flushed a minimum of your determination would be made for you whilst it starts slipping a pair of weeks later.

Answer 5

I don't know anything about a Cooper, but among American domestic cars an automatic transmission that shifts "hard" is a solid transmission. This means that the pressure plates are making good solid contact when accelerating and there is no slippage to indicate that the transmission is worn out.

If you have a standard stick-shift transmission, then "shifts hard" doesn't sound very good. There may be problems.

Answer 6

If you are selling it get the transmission fixed if needed, not replaced. Why spend $2000 more if you aren't going to get it back by selling it at Fair Market Value? Also, consider selling it as a private party sale (classified ads), especially if you have a detailed maintenance record. You are likely to get more money that way if you do it right.

Answer 7

Check The Fuild Leavel!

Answer 8

try taking it to a good transmission mechanic,and let them drive it,they will be better at detecting any problems with it than a regular mechanic will,there's probably nothing wrong with it ,but a good transmission mechanic,can tell you this for sure,car max is usually pretty honest about cars,but their not always right on their diagnosis,good luck hope this helps.

Answer 9

If a dealer told you nothing I'd believe them. Most dealers are money-grubbing slobs that'll sell their grandmother for a profit. If they didn't try to sell anything to you, you're fine.
Carmax is just trying to scare you into accepting a lower price. See second sentence.

Answer 10

does it seem to shift hard to you ??? get a second opinion from a transmission man