Auto Trans issues, 3.0 or 4.4
 

I'm in the market for an X5 and I'm still deciding on which model to go. I'm considering the 3.0 or the 4.4
I've reading about the common issues with both models and since I do all the work in my current car (e46 328i) I'm pretty sure I can deal with most of them... except the transmission :confused:
Which model is prone to have more issues with the auto trans...the 3.0 or the 4.4 ?
At first I was under the impression that the trans issues were more common with the 4.4 but been reading a lot of post of problems with the 3.0 also:dunno:

I don't think there is any statistically significant difference between the failure rates on the V8 vs I6 models. The transmissions are completely different (ZF vs GM) as well, suggesting that failures perhaps aren't solely due to the designs or manufacturing processes of the transmissions.

What could be causing the problems then? I've read a lot of post of trans failure at just 60k miles on well maintained x5 (both models).
Just wanted to know if I had a better chance of avoiding trans probs with one or the other.

If you're paranoid about the auto transmission issues and if you don't mind doing the shifting yourself, I would highly suggest the 6 speed manual available on the 3.0i. There's no getting around the auto transmission problem as they tend to be more complicated. Most of the failures appear to be electronics related. As JCL had indicated, the failures are just due to the nature of the beast. BMW is not the only manufacturer that have this problem. More and more manufacturers are facing the same problem.

I agree with DKL that it tends to be the nature of the beast, and it isn't solely a BMW issue. Automatic transmissions have been made more complicated in recent years, primarily with the inclusion of more electronics, and additional gears. A six speed automatic just has more inside of it than a three speed automatic. More parts means more things to fail. To the extent that those parts are sensors and so on, look to the experience of BMW and BMW owners with various electronic components in the rest of the vehicle (window regulators, MID display pixels, heated seats, tail light sockets, ignition switches, etc). Now think about what happens when similar electronic components are used inside the transmission to control shifting. BMW puts the control package in there. It is not hard to predict the outcome.


Other factors that could play a part, aside from the basic transmission components such as gears and clutch packs, and which are common to the two models, are:

• Specifying a transmission that can't handle the power (doesn't appear to be a problem, since the failures aren't generally heat-related)
• Transmission cooling system (doesn't appear to be an issue)
• Changing the fluid (quite a few reported failures are due to changing the fluid against BMW recommendations, either due to improper fluid, losing the viscosity of the aged fluid which was preserving the transmission, or disturbing the sediment in the valve body)
• Abusive driving practices (always possible, if there are any boy racer types driving these vehicles, lol)
• Manual shifting using the Steptronic feature. This shouldn't be a problem, as the vehicle will save you somewhat from improper shifting, but simply increasing the number of shifts will shorten the life. A good predictor of transmission life is number of shifts, which is why highway miles are easier than stop and go traffic use. Manually downshifting at every light or stopsign (which the vehicle will avoid, if left to itself) does add wear to the transmissions. Hard to say how much.

I would looooove to buy one with manual trans, but those things are almost extinct, lol