Thanks for Reply!

1. To accurately form an opinion I would need more info... Which engine/transmission combo, which year, how many miles. Then more in depth info such as fluid condition and level would be crucial in helping you fix your problem.
For evaluation purposed I'll assume you have a 4.4 X5 with the pre 2003 ZF5HP24. But correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes It is a 2002 Model, 4.4i and KM is now 90K. Symptoms are basically shifting too late at too high RPM, even in manual mode shifts can only be carried out at high RPM when the car is warm, so clearly there is a problem somewhere as this does not happen when the car is still cold.

2. from your symptoms alone, it sounds like a valve body issue more than a failed clutch pack... Audi have pressure regulator solenoid issues with similar symptoms. If this is the case your will be burning up your friction material...

what do you mean by burning up the friction material? does this mean I should stop to drive immediately? I still drive short distance with the car at the moment as this does not cause any problems. How severe would it be to get this fixed if true?

However it could be one of the two speed sensors inside the transmission that has failed or is failing.

3. You had the problem check by who? Why would they replace the oil cooler? What was the condition of the filter and the fluid when they changed it? was was on the magnets in the pan? WHAT WAS THEIR DIAGNOSES? If you brought your car in to have it diagnosed, I would expect a diagnoses!!!

it was an independent workshop with quite good reputation in my city, after I have been charged through the roof at official BMW dealship for very simple repairs I went looking for another shop.

Regarding the material, this I do not know as I have not been back to the workshop after having had the problem on my way home. I assume there wasnt any major debris or major residue otherwise they would have told me. Will check first thing tomorrow morning and revert.

4. Just because there is no error message on your dashboard doesn't mean the transmission doesn't have error codes. Stop spending money at places that don't have a clue on how to fix your car! Go to a shop or get a friend that have either a BMW GT1 or Autologic scanner that can read all the BMW modules and note information from there, if it's a failed sensor or a failing sensor it will be noted in the EGS subsystem.


yes there was no trans fail message on dashboard but also I meant the diagnosis.

Yes they plugged a computer in (not sure which one) and there was no error code even though I have had problems with the gear shifting as described. They plugged in a yellow roundish looking device and that was connected to a laptop to read error codes. It reall disturbs me that there is no clear error message as this may mean that lots of things get fixed which dont have to as nobody knows the true problem. I would just like to narrow it down from the symptoms somehow so that they dont replace items which are still ok such as the oil cooler and I have no choice but to believe it would be necessary

5. The number one reason people spend a lot of money on premium cars is because people take cars to shops or people that have no idea what the underlying problem really is! I've had experiences with high end dealerships just replacing things seemingly at random instead of investigating the culprit. If a shop cannot diagnose your problem and with a reason, LEAVE! It will only cost you a lot of money if you stay.

yes I agree, so far have not found any reliable dealership where I live. So glad to have some feedback, incr. my understanding, and then go back there to discuss the next steps