By KewlX5...



Sounds like what I went through last week. I have 137,xxx miles on my 2001 X5 3.0i and the prognosis was not good. Ended up there was something wrong with the auto tranny internally (probably worn out clutch pack or something) and basically have to replace it with a remanufactured BMW Automatic tranny. Dealer will quote you something like $6-7K to replace, parts & labor, but you do get a 2 year/unlimited mileage warranty on the tranny job at any BMW dealer. I did call around to see if anyone would rebuild it and the quotes were from $3.5-$4K but the mechanic stated that it probably wouldn't be as good as the remanufactured one from BMW. My X5 should be done by the end of the week.

Anyhow, have it checked out....your problem may be a simple one because the 2001 X5 4.4i did have a technical service bulletin on the "Park-Neutral safety switch" going bad and if that goes bad, it will put the auto tranny in failsafe mode (either leaves you in 4th or 5th gear--a limp home mode). Maybe all you need is that switch and not a new tranny. But, sounds like you need to get it checked out!

Good luck.

OK , here's a question for those people that have had tranny problems at >100k miles: Have you ever changed the fluid, or do the trannys that are going bad still have their original BMW 'Lifetime' fill in them.

It has been theorized that BMW's definition of 'lifetime' is 100k-120k miles.

Don't know about the X5's tranny issues but I had a 89 535i that we put 254,000 miles on with no tranny issues at all. For all I know the car is still on the road today.

If you have your original window sticker it will tell you where your tranny was made. My 2002 X5 3.0 is French made.

hmmm...I have a 2003, and at 36,000 the driver headlight went bust, and at 36,500 the driver taillight assembly stopped working. That's all I can think of right now. No mechanicals, ever. :thumbup:!

I've got the same ?'s regarding people's failed auto tranny's. Lifetime fill is something that I'm not comfortable with. Who here has been doing a full tranny flush at a certain mileage? I'll be looking into it very closely and most likely doing a preventative maintenance flush at 50kmi to do everything possible to ensure longevity.

I just tapped myself over the head for not searching the home page. RE transmission fluid changes...

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...hange-diy.html

there is a ton of information on the homepage...glad you have discovered it :thumbup:

Has any one had the dealer change trany fluid.

Some advice, make sure you can afford the X5 before you buy it. With a 2001 you have, most likely, no warranty (unless a very marginal remainder on a CPO or private party warranty). BMW's are expensive to repair and though they, in my experience, don't break often..when they do it is costly.