Quote:
Originally Posted by Abe_Froman
So in answer to my question about leading indicators of a potential transmission problem, indicators that may allow me to fix a problem cheaply before it becomes a larger, more expensive issue, your answer is to just enjoy the ride?
You're telling me that my transmission will inevitably fail, and that there's not only no way to tell when it'll happen, but that there will be no warning signs in advance?
I'm new here, and all, so you'll have to forgive my ignorance. But is this really the best information the board can offer?
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You have received pretty balanced responses, so I will generally just echo them and fill in a few points.
There are not reliable leading indicators for a BMW automatic transmission failure. That is because failures are not due to a single cause, or general wear (both of which aid in predictive maintenance). Many failures seem to be related to the failure of sensors and the electronics package in the transmission, and these types of failures by their nature are random.
If you get continuous or repeating fault code messages, that would be a predictor. Unfortunately, the first sign of failure is often a slow-to-engage reverse clutch, and that is a post-failure indicator.
This is in fact excellent information, just not the information we would prefer (whether to give, or receive).
You can certainly change the fluid, and that is intuitively a good thing to do, but the statistics show that it very often leads to a premature failure. That is why many of us won't do transmission fluid changes, we have seen too many failures from doing them. There are not a history of failures from burnt fluid (like transmission used to fail, back 20 years ago). Fluid colour is not an indicator either.
Some of us believe very strongly in preventative maintenance, and do it on other components, it is just that a BMW automatic doesn't lend itself to preventative maintenance.
Hope that helps.