PropellerHead,
Thank you for taking the time to candidly post all of these details. I had been struggling on where I start on the transmission issues that sound rather similar if not exact same as your cold morning kick and slight hanging in gear. Your post here really helps motivate me in being willing to take a few steps forward. Your description hits it for me; when the Beast is warmed up and going smooth I get feel the dream which is all too hidden by these occasional silly trans issues that erode overall confidence.

As others have posted, I am also a bit frustrated by the lack of available expert help available for these cars. While I would like it to come cheap I would honestly willing to pay more than dealer pricing for the occasional real expert to diagnose and fix my BMW. After trying both local dealers and a few Indy's around me I am still yet to find anyone who is willing to think through an issue with reasonable mentality toward targeted root cause. I understand the common trend across most industries is to toss out and replace instead of repair but acceptance of that behavior drives insane cost and discourages targeted root cause thinking. Sounds like you found a great Indy who cares to repair. I wish we all could find reasonable access to similar.

Thank you for the posts and motivation!
J
2005 / 4.8is @102k miles

__________________
2003 E39 530i
1992 MX5
2005 E53 x5 4.8is (sold)
1990 K75S (sold)