Hi all, this is my first post here, and unfortunately with a problem with our car We have an '04 530d with 16,000km (yes only 16,000) which is out of warranty by 6 months. Today it read 'transmission failure' and was extremely jerky switching from P to R. While under warranty I had the car checked twice for juddering on climbing hills. This was checked by the dealer on both occassions and was not demonstrable. They gave the all clear then. The questions now: 1. Has anyone experienced anything like this before? 2. Is the earlier fault related to the current trans failure? 3. Would AB give a contribution to repairs given the fact a gearbox problem has surfaced but not diagnosed previously? many thanks to all
E60 530d transmission failure
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Juan Powerblow
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I have heard of instances where this is fixed under a goodwill warranty or some contribution is made. The circumstances seem alarming to me and I hope the dealer don't give you a hard time. If they do, you must elevate the matter to BMW Malaysia. As an official member, the Club can be called on to support your case.
Even if your warranty is expired, i would still expect AB, Sapura Auto, Lee Motor etc etc which will eventually claim the warranty amount back from BMW Malaysia, to give you a replacement gearbox or a remedy under warranty.
The gearbox is an item that should last a good 200k KMS without failing and many continue to go after 200k kms. Having said that, the E60 gearbox has been known for failure (1 E60 in my family had the gearbox replaced.) but then again, it doesnt make it acceptable.
Its as if your engine suddenly seized up after 100k kms and your warranty is gone. They should still replace it under goodwill warranty as your engine shouldnt seize up even after 100k kms of use!
Check out forums.e60.net and search "transmission slam". Quite a common thing in the US apparently which programming can fix.
If im not mistaken, BMW sources their gearboxes from ZF or GM Europe. These 2 companies supply gearboxes to BMW and in the E46, you could get either ZF or a GM box. Its up to BMW basically and i think its the same with the E60.
Im inclined to believe the ZF one is better than the GM one?
The gearbox is an item that should last a good 200k KMS without failing and many continue to go after 200k kms. Having said that, the E60 gearbox has been known for failure (1 E60 in my family had the gearbox replaced.) but then again, it doesnt make it acceptable.
Its as if your engine suddenly seized up after 100k kms and your warranty is gone. They should still replace it under goodwill warranty as your engine shouldnt seize up even after 100k kms of use!
Check out forums.e60.net and search "transmission slam". Quite a common thing in the US apparently which programming can fix.
If im not mistaken, BMW sources their gearboxes from ZF or GM Europe. These 2 companies supply gearboxes to BMW and in the E46, you could get either ZF or a GM box. Its up to BMW basically and i think its the same with the E60.
Im inclined to believe the ZF one is better than the GM one?
t2ribena
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hi guys...need some advise and some opinion...
i am experiencing vibration and sometime juddering when driving my 525 e60 2006 on low speed...normally below 40kmh...is this the first sign of failing transmission?
also sometime the gear shift is very rough and usually happen during traffic jams...
i would totally appreaciates your views...
i am experiencing vibration and sometime juddering when driving my 525 e60 2006 on low speed...normally below 40kmh...is this the first sign of failing transmission?
also sometime the gear shift is very rough and usually happen during traffic jams...
i would totally appreaciates your views...
r37720
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k3nny;265424 said:Even if your warranty is expired, i would still expect AB, Sapura Auto, Lee Motor etc etc which will eventually claim the warranty amount back from BMW Malaysia, to give you a replacement gearbox or a remedy under warranty.
The gearbox is an item that should last a good 200k KMS without failing and many continue to go after 200k kms. Having said that, the E60 gearbox has been known for failure (1 E60 in my family had the gearbox replaced.) but then again, it doesnt make it acceptable.
Its as if your engine suddenly seized up after 100k kms and your warranty is gone. They should still replace it under goodwill warranty as your engine shouldnt seize up even after 100k kms of use!
Check out forums.e60.net and search "transmission slam". Quite a common thing in the US apparently which programming can fix.
If im not mistaken, BMW sources their gearboxes from ZF or GM Europe. These 2 companies supply gearboxes to BMW and in the E46, you could get either ZF or a GM box. Its up to BMW basically and i think its the same with the E60.
Im inclined to believe the ZF one is better than the GM one?
Thanks for the advice. I want to go to Lee Motors this Saturday to have the s/ware upgraded first. If still got problem then I want to ask them to give goodwill waranty.
hi all, looks like auto transmission problems will haunt us for life. it has haunted me from e36 to e60. good news is my mechanic who is a bmw specialist (mostly for recon cars) said that he has never come across a failed transmission in any e60's. many many failed transmission for e36, e39 & e46. r37720 i would suggest you to explore all options before replacing the transmission.
as for me, no concern now but i have plans to supercharge my e60 530i to bring it up to 340hp. anyone knows if the standard auto transmission can take the power? according to the supercharger dealer, there should be no problem (expected reply from him). but if 530i transmission is the same as 545i or 535d (huge power) then there really should be no problems. i cant seem to find this info anywhere. anyone with info or advice i would really appreciate if you could share it with me here
as for me, no concern now but i have plans to supercharge my e60 530i to bring it up to 340hp. anyone knows if the standard auto transmission can take the power? according to the supercharger dealer, there should be no problem (expected reply from him). but if 530i transmission is the same as 545i or 535d (huge power) then there really should be no problems. i cant seem to find this info anywhere. anyone with info or advice i would really appreciate if you could share it with me here
r37720
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After the software upgrade, the jerk shift from 2nd to 1st gear at stop still noticeable. Lee Motor asked meto change the transmission oil. The E60 are using 6HP transmission oil.
Someone told me even 6HP has different grade. Premium grade is RM100+/liter while normal grade is about RM70/liter. Normal drain (which is recommended) required about 6 liter of il.
Any comment on this different grade of transmission oil
Someone told me even 6HP has different grade. Premium grade is RM100+/liter while normal grade is about RM70/liter. Normal drain (which is recommended) required about 6 liter of il.
Any comment on this different grade of transmission oil
r37720;269484 said:
premium and normal grade transmission oil will not make any immediate n significant difference only the life longer for premium. but perhaps the previous mechanic used a wrong type of transmission oil for the car resulting in a jerk. or perhaps water (serious problem) or other foreign materials got into your gearbox? anyhow its always good to replace the transmission oil. just did mine and it cost about RM1k...no difference though, just a better sense of security which is good enough
David Yong
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If possible do a complete flushing & oil change/replacement on the gearbox. Just oil change is not suffice. Do a flushing too.
planta
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There are a few reasons to remove the gearbox instead of just a std drain and refill. It is something to be considered when you car hits above 100k mileage. It is more or preventive service rather than a repair. If your GB is damaged such valve body or clutch damaged, changing the ATF will not fix the problem.
First is to change a torque converter seal and 2 output shaft seals. The output shaft seals tend to worn out at about 100k mileage. You can see some oil and dirt at the seals that indicate that there is a leak. Thus, no point adding new ATF if it is going to leak out.
Secondly, it ensures that you can remove almost all of your ATF as you can pull out the torque converter and turn it upside down to let the ATF to spill out. Draining will only remove the ATF contained by the oil pan and some above the body valve. It will not remove the ATF inside the torque converter which contains between 50% to 60% total ATF in your transmission. This is more of a practical call. At 100k mileage would you want your transmission to run with 50% to 60% ATF that has clocked ~100k mileage? You can decide when you see the color and smell of the ATF when you drain it out. 100k used ATF will definitely turn off a BMW lover and I don’t think you would want the balance used ATF in your torque converter. But then again, it is your call.
Thirdly, when you detached the GB, you can change the flywheel oil seal too, which again, it normally worn out after 100k mileage causing engine oil spill. I just saw this on an E46 318 2.0 2002 last week. The flywheel oil seal leak + 2 transmission output shaft seal. Mileage 105k. So we changed the strainer, seals, gasket and ATF.
I did not include the output shaft seal in this picture. Only shows the torque converter seal, strainer and oil pan gasket.
Unfortunately for this car, the oil sump also leaked, thus we had to remove the engine oil sump and change the gasket too. It was not an easy thing to do.
Since we have removed the GB, it is easier to access to the head plastic water stopper. We changed this too coz at 105k and it could break anytime. This thing cost less than rm70 but if it breaks coz an overheat which the cost will be ??? you do the math.
Inside the oil pan, there is a magnet that is supposed to stick all the steel debris inside the transmission. When you remove the oil pan, you can see whether the debris is thick or thin. If it is thin, then it is normal but if it is extremley thick, it may indicate that your GB has a serious problem. We saw this on a GM trans on an E36 318 last 2 weeks. It had an unbelievable thick debris and when we pulled out the torque conv, there was very little ATF. Apparently, the ATF leaked for some time from all 3 seals and there was insufficient and overused ATF in the transmission. That is why the car was so sluggish and the trans was humming. We told him it was not recommended to service the GB. We were not confident that it will be ok after service. He decided to buy a 2nd hand trans and we serviced the 2nd hand trans and installed it for him.
Flushing in my opinion is expensive and ineffective, therefore not value for money. Flushing requires a lot of new ATF as you pump in and suck the ATF at the same time to dilute the ATF by mixing the used and new till you can see a lighter ATF color flowing out that indicates almost all of the ATF in the GB is new. Why I say this is ineffective is that, flushing is done without removing the GB and no seals change is done. Why spend on a lot of ATF but it might leak after a while? When the oil seal leaks, you still need to remove the GB.
Another info to share which I am not sure but I was told that there is an additional item for E60, which is you need to change the aluminum screws when you remove the GB as the strength of the screw is compromised when it is remove and it might break when you put it back the 1st time. Unlike previous models, it uses steel screws. Thus, you need to change the whole screw set for E60. Can someone confirm this?
Pls note that I am sharing my limited knowledge to others in good faith. I drive and love my E46 as much as you guys love your UDM. It is intended not in any way for business gain. You make the call on where and when your service your UDM. Hope the sharing helps you guys in your decision making and taking great care of your UDM.
planta
First is to change a torque converter seal and 2 output shaft seals. The output shaft seals tend to worn out at about 100k mileage. You can see some oil and dirt at the seals that indicate that there is a leak. Thus, no point adding new ATF if it is going to leak out.
Secondly, it ensures that you can remove almost all of your ATF as you can pull out the torque converter and turn it upside down to let the ATF to spill out. Draining will only remove the ATF contained by the oil pan and some above the body valve. It will not remove the ATF inside the torque converter which contains between 50% to 60% total ATF in your transmission. This is more of a practical call. At 100k mileage would you want your transmission to run with 50% to 60% ATF that has clocked ~100k mileage? You can decide when you see the color and smell of the ATF when you drain it out. 100k used ATF will definitely turn off a BMW lover and I don’t think you would want the balance used ATF in your torque converter. But then again, it is your call.
Thirdly, when you detached the GB, you can change the flywheel oil seal too, which again, it normally worn out after 100k mileage causing engine oil spill. I just saw this on an E46 318 2.0 2002 last week. The flywheel oil seal leak + 2 transmission output shaft seal. Mileage 105k. So we changed the strainer, seals, gasket and ATF.
I did not include the output shaft seal in this picture. Only shows the torque converter seal, strainer and oil pan gasket.
Unfortunately for this car, the oil sump also leaked, thus we had to remove the engine oil sump and change the gasket too. It was not an easy thing to do.
Since we have removed the GB, it is easier to access to the head plastic water stopper. We changed this too coz at 105k and it could break anytime. This thing cost less than rm70 but if it breaks coz an overheat which the cost will be ??? you do the math.
Inside the oil pan, there is a magnet that is supposed to stick all the steel debris inside the transmission. When you remove the oil pan, you can see whether the debris is thick or thin. If it is thin, then it is normal but if it is extremley thick, it may indicate that your GB has a serious problem. We saw this on a GM trans on an E36 318 last 2 weeks. It had an unbelievable thick debris and when we pulled out the torque conv, there was very little ATF. Apparently, the ATF leaked for some time from all 3 seals and there was insufficient and overused ATF in the transmission. That is why the car was so sluggish and the trans was humming. We told him it was not recommended to service the GB. We were not confident that it will be ok after service. He decided to buy a 2nd hand trans and we serviced the 2nd hand trans and installed it for him.
Flushing in my opinion is expensive and ineffective, therefore not value for money. Flushing requires a lot of new ATF as you pump in and suck the ATF at the same time to dilute the ATF by mixing the used and new till you can see a lighter ATF color flowing out that indicates almost all of the ATF in the GB is new. Why I say this is ineffective is that, flushing is done without removing the GB and no seals change is done. Why spend on a lot of ATF but it might leak after a while? When the oil seal leaks, you still need to remove the GB.
Another info to share which I am not sure but I was told that there is an additional item for E60, which is you need to change the aluminum screws when you remove the GB as the strength of the screw is compromised when it is remove and it might break when you put it back the 1st time. Unlike previous models, it uses steel screws. Thus, you need to change the whole screw set for E60. Can someone confirm this?
Pls note that I am sharing my limited knowledge to others in good faith. I drive and love my E46 as much as you guys love your UDM. It is intended not in any way for business gain. You make the call on where and when your service your UDM. Hope the sharing helps you guys in your decision making and taking great care of your UDM.
planta
