Got the X5 Back...wow. All I can say is I miss it operating normal...I almost forgot what it felt like.

So, just for those that are stuck on BMW Shops performing the work on transmissions, I will say there are good shops out there that are credible and not BMW shops.

My transmission was rebuilt, all internals were kept and the mechanic walked me through all the items that were causing my issues.

Main Issues when tranny opened:
- Torque Converter was worn completely
- Clutch Discs? Little disc looking things that almost look like Mountain Bike Brake Discs were all worn (thinner than normal and didn't have bite anymore). Lots of those in the tranny.
- Certain part of the Valve Body was worn. I guess where a valve is supposed to sit tight was no longer tight and moved almost freely
- Forward Drum around the edges/side looked concave almost. Supposed to be plum/straight
- Filter was super dirty (that was expected)
- Guibo (Flex Disc) on Front Diff was starting to crack/tear
- Lots of fine metal particles on the magnets

Got a bunch of things done and did the Rear Main Seal and Coolant Cover Gasket while the tranny was out. This thing drives and shifts like a champ again and no more stuttering/pulsing weirdness and stepping in my RPM's while cruising and accelerating anymore. Out the door cost at a "Non BMW Specific" Transmission Shop (but very familiar with X5 Transmissions) was 3200.00.

Cost included:

ZF Tranmission Rebuild Kit
Fluid and Filter
Rebuilt Torque Converter
FWD Drum
Lower Valve Body
Accumulator on Valve Body (x2)
Rebuild Seal Kit
Coolant Gasket
Front Flex Disc
Engine Rear Main Seal
(Replaced a supplied Front Left Axle/Seal for free) - didn't change my original quote and just did it because he said it was easy enough
Basically everything that showed wear in the tranny was replaced

In short, Im glad I went with the full rebuild rather than the Torque Converter only fix. It was clear from the internals when he opened it up and showed me the parts and compared them to what new looks like....there was a huge difference. Again, I had 160k on my tranny with no services done EVER on it. Im glad it lasted me as long as it did and was a heck of a lot better than what others experienced. I hope this takes me another 100k at least (if I even keep the car that much longer). Whatever happened and was fixed, it surely took care of the issues I was experiencing.

I responded on this post to open it up for anyone that does a search on these types of symptoms and debating a rebuild.

For 3200.00 - it was well worth it over than 7k+ quotes I was getting from BMW Indys. Transmission Shops that are up to speed on these trannys should know what they're doing and well worth the savings. Just make sure you do your research before biting the bullet. I happened to have a shop local to me that had people review them that had X5's Tranny Rebeuilds with great results which helped me make my decision.

Good luck to anyone that has similar issues and bites the bullet to get it done. Well worth it. 100% of my power is back and smooth as butter while driving again...ahhhhhhh.