Shudder or misfire after running through some puddles. Thoughts?

[gnucar]

Ok, got it back from the dealer today. Had oil and tires done while it was in because it was time. They said that it is a worn gear in the transfer case and is ok to drive but will get progressively worse until failure. ...and quoted a price of $3,600 to replace it.

So, the only questions remaining... Does this sound realistic? Could losing traction in a few big puddles have caused extra stress that pushed a fragile gear over the edge...because otherwise this is a heck of a coincidence. And, how ridiculous is the price? I know it's high, it's a dealer, but is it laugh out the door high or 'just pay it' high?

Thanks!

[brunof]

My X5 is doing the same thing. The dealer said it could be the spark plugs and they upped the RPM by 50, this seems to help ever so slightly. I will be changing the sparks plugs very soon. Fingers crossed

[JCL]

Originally Posted by gnucar

Ok, got it back from the dealer today. Had oil and tires done while it was in because it was time. They said that it is a worn gear in the transfer case and is ok to drive but will get progressively worse until failure. ...and quoted a price of $3,600 to replace it.

So, the only questions remaining... Does this sound realistic? Could losing traction in a few big puddles have caused extra stress that pushed a fragile gear over the edge...because otherwise this is a heck of a coincidence. And, how ridiculous is the price? I know it's high, it's a dealer, but is it laugh out the door high or 'just pay it' high?

Thanks!

I assume they are referring to the actuator gear outside the transfer case. That is expensive, if that is what they mean.

[SlickGT1]

Originally Posted by JCL

I assume they are referring to the actuator gear outside the transfer case. That is expensive, if that is what they mean.

That actuator is like $800 from the dealer, brand new, and a bird with one wing and a ratchet can swap it out in 10 min. Not sure that is $3600 worth.