I took my BMW MINI Cooper (‘52’ plate) for an MoT test. It passed; but there was an ‘advisory’ note saying that I have a gearbox oil leak. My gears are stiff and temperamental sometimes; is this why? Do I need to get this fixed as soon as possible? Is this a problem that will get worse if I leave it and leave me with a huge bill? Would most mechanics be able to complete this job? Thank you for your advice.
The mechanic says...
Yes, yes, yes and yes! If oil has been leaking, the resulting low oil level could initially affect the gearchange as you describe, and in the longer term will cause serious damage within the gearbox. The problem needs to be assessed (in terms of exactly where the leak is coming from) and fixed as soon as possible, without driving the car in the meantime. If you continue driving the car, ultimately the geartrain components will be completely starved of oil, and wrecked, necessitating a replacement gearbox.
Most mechanics should be able to help diagnose the exact source of the leak, and fix it. The difficult question is whether the gearbox has already been damaged by driving with a low oil level. However, hopefully the problem will have been traced and rectified before serious damage has been able to occur.
