Transmission failure!

[askhao]

I am very disappointed right now. As I was driving, I came to a stop and all of the sudden the car started "bunny-hopping" somewhat like the first time driving a manual. Then, seconds later, the SES light came on and "Trans. Failsafe Program" lit up on the dashboard. The car was barely moving, very hard to start getting it rolling. So immediately, I "limped" it to the dealer. After 1 day, I got a call from the SA. - "So yeah, the transmission will have to be replaced for a little over $8,000". I was thinking WTF?!?! This all came out of nowhere by the way. The car was driving fine just a few hours ago. Now, my question is, since I will be needing a new tranny.. do you guys know of any places in NY that will rebuild it for a decent price?

Thanks in advance. I really appreciate it. Really don't want to pay $8,000... If that's what it comes to, I might as well sell it for whatever it's worth and I would hate to part with her.

The tranny went out at about 89,200 miles and it is a 2003.

[TriX5]

Happened to me on an '03 with 92k miles. Your torque converter is probably toast and may have taken the transmission down with it.

A remanufactured trans is around 3k I believe. I would try and find a transmission shop that either specializes in ZF transmissions or knows them well and have it overhauled. I did my own as I don't trust any mechanix shop around DC.

Maybe some of the guys around nyc have recommendations for a reputable shop.

Good luck.

[askhao]

Do you know what caused the torque converter to go wrong? This happened all of the sudden..

[Black 01 X5]

did you ever change the fluid?

[wallyx5]

I paid around $ 3800 if my memory is correct to have mine replaced. Shop around you can easily get the job done for 4grand.

[askhao]

No, I never changed the transmission fluid. Yes, I will definitely be shopping around once I get it back from the dealer.

[Dan Fowler]

See if you can find out the dealer's diagnosis. Such as debris in the pan, or codes, or what. They are probably right, but my 06 did the same thing at about 170k miles. Dealer found my alternator mischarging and battery was not performing. I had known my battery was going but didn't know the symptom possibilities. Replaced those and no more trans issues.

Good luck.

[askhao]

Okay, thanks! By the way, this car was never really driven "hard". It's probably hit 4-5k rpm around 5 times in its whole life. It is also a one owner car, purchased brand new in 2003.

[pezho405]

YOu know it could be just your alternator going out, i had the same problem and its supposed to always happened with bad alternator. Check how much voltage youre running on your dash while driving before and after it happeneds.