Re: 2005 X5 4.4i - 56K Miles

Hi Folks,
I'm pleased to report that a local dealer has finally experienced, diagnosed and FIXED my transmission problems!!! Read on for details...

For months I have been dealing with an increasing number of problems with my transmission. It's as if it were slowly breaking down on me but would only act-up while warm, a condition the dealers were all to impatient to reproduce. Here are the symptoms:
1. 5th grear bucked/hiccup'd every 5 seconds at cruising speed. Felt like a water droplet in the fuel line. It would only happen after driving for about 15 minutes and would remain once it started. Auto and Manual mode.

2. Once the hiccuping started, 5th to 6th gear shifts would be harsh.

3. Engagment of Reverse gear took 4 long seconds once the gear was selected. (This started 2 months after the 1st and 2nd symptoms started)

The shop foreman at Plaza Motors rode with me for 15 minutes then drove it himself and actually reproduced the 5th gear problem. Yes, miracles do exist. Since the transmission was not producing any error codes, earlier attempts to get this fixed were met with a response that BMW could do NOTHING unless the tranny threw a code to the computer. So, I was previously stuck.

Shop foreman called BMW and opened a PUMA case; described the problem to their tech guys; then received a part from Germany 4 days later.

The failing module in the transmission is called the Mecatronics module (Part #: 24-34-7-543-479)

Per the Transmission Manual (VS-22 je), the automatic transmission is controlled by the mechatronics module. The mechatronics module is a combination of hydraulic unit and electronics module. The hydraulic unit is the hydraulic section of the transmission control and regulates the valves (e.g. electronic pressure control valves).

The electronics module contains the EGS control unit (EGS = electronic transmission control), the sensors and the electrical connections within the transmission.

The mechatronics module is controlled from the selector lever as follows:
· Electrically: shift pulses from Steptronic
· Mechanically: parking lock, position switch

Bottom line: $3,200 later and I'm all fixed!!! Oh, wait a minute.... I bought the extended warranty! It was F-R-E-E (<-- That spells free!)

Very happy day for me today.