Hello,

I have a 2005 Mini Cooper with a bearing noise that has gotten much louder. The transmission, an CVT Automatic shifts fine. It is not wheel bearing. It is not CV joint of axle. It is related to vehicle speed, not RPM and will be there even in neutral coasting. A stethoscope points to the transmission.

Could it be the axle flange bearing?

Is it replaceable without totally disassembling the CVT gear box?

Is there any other bearing that is related to the output shaft that fails?