Well it seems my ranting on about how BMW needlessly replaces transmission was a bit premature in this case. It seems that my problem is actually internal, as i now suspect it's the infamous F Clutch Seal.

This evening I have pulled the VB off the transmission and out of the car, and pulled apart housing 1, 2, 3 and the channel plate on the valve body to find that the little check ball that used to be in housing 3 on the 5hp30 is now replaced by a check valve instead on the 5hp24. The check ball that is in the channel plate is replaced by a metal ball on the 5hp24 versus the Teflon ball on the 5hp30.

Everything else looks normal and clean, I feel quite a bit disappointed at this point as now I know that the extent of my problems is a lot more severe.

I'd be willing to try replacing that seal on my own if anyone can shed some light on that one for me! I can't seem to find any information on that one. BMW TIS or the ZF catalog don't go into any detail...