Transmission issues 2004 X5 4.4
 

I have a 2004 X5 4.4 and I just went off of CPO with 100,00 miles. For about the last 15,000 miles I have been having issues with rough shifts both up and down from 1 to 2 with the automatic, particularly when the car is cold. It seems to be getting worse as the miles pile up on the car. The great majority of the miles have been highway driven. I have had it evaluated by the dealership about three times while the car was under warranty and they said there was nothing wrong. I had done a search on this forum and someone suggested a transmission fluid and filter change but the BMW mechanic/adviser recommended against it and did not do it despite my request that it be done. it is the original fluid. My guess is that I will have a catastrophic tranny failure withing the next 20K miles now that it is off warranty. My question is this: How much is a new transmission for a X5 4.4, both new and rebuilt? I am looking at ballpark figure. My service adviser said that he recently replaced the transmission in a 750iL and it was $8K ! My second question is how many of you would trade this car in at this point while it is still running before ? The car otherwise is in pretty good shape and meets my needs well. Any ideas appreciated.

Trade it.
Mine exhibited similar behaviour at 70,000 km and transmission failure occurred soon after. It was rebuilt under warranty luckily. Cost was approx. $7K AUD.

Keep it, Locally it can be rebuilt here in NY for around 2k. besides that TRUST me, if you find yourself a GOOD BMW indy, go over there and get yourself a transmission tune-up, should be fine....

Trade it ASAP.

I don't think the dealer did you any favors when they said its normal for the tranny to do that - if in fact it was doing the same exact thing now.

Yeah but he's not in NY .... and I doubt there are many places that can rebuild trannies for $2K, regardless of location. Just my opinion.

So what do you guys think should be the final resolution to this? I have a 2004, I just bought it... and it sounds scary....

New Tranny from BMW, which is rebuilt is going to run 7K. Rebuilt seems to be in the ball park of 3K from my experience and other posts here.

Depends on your situation, but trading in and getting new would give you the most peace of mind. But...

My vote would be to have the tranny flushed and filter changed. Unless you want a new car payment.

Or what about extending the warranty? Not sure of the cost, just a thought.

I had my transmission serviced as suggested by the selling dealer after i kept insisting there was a problem. (He also suggested this is all it needed - probably to save him costs.)
It went into failsafe mode almost immediately afterwards and stayed there until the rebuild.

It's not the first time I've heard of a dealer suggesting this sort of behaviour from the transmission is normal. It isn't. My E39 with more than double the K's, (And admittedly a different transmission), has NEVER behaved like this.

My key symptoms were rough shifts between 1-2 and 4-5 and a pronounced delay shifting into reverse. It also was exhibiting a constant "jerk" like it wasn't sure what gear it should be in at a steady 1500 pm which equates to 60Km/h here, (which also happens to be the local road speed limit), and anything more than a half throttle kickdown was accompanied by violent clunks.

All gone after the rebuild by a specialised repairer. These transmissions CANNOT be rebuilt by your standard auto trans repair shop and require specialised knowledge.

I repeat. Trade it so that it becomes someone elses problem.

EDIT : Extending the warranty is a good call, but probably won't cover pre-existing issues. Insurance investigators are good at finding out things like you had already complained about the tranny prior to extending insurance.

for 2004 BMW suggested changing the fluid at 100k, at least, in my owners manual...

I really would go to an independent shop and have them change the fluid. You may be able to get a few more miles out of it.

Nonetheless...you should probably brace for a tranny rebuild. As to the fellow who says that it requires a special shop...I don't buy that. See this thread as to why...

My Transmission story
Transmission Story part II

If a reasonably competent fellow is willing to rebuild one on his dining room table, without any fancy tools...and about $500 in parts...

Transmissions are actually pretty simple...they're not nearly as scary as people make them out to be. Just follow some really good instructions, make sure everything is very clean, and be sure to soak your new clutches in tranny fluid before you install them.

Stripped: E46 Automatic Transmission. Must see epicness, period. - E46Fanatics

When mine dies (and it's showing no signs of doing so at 70k), but I did change the fluid at 50k and will continue to do so every 50k), I'll rebuild it myself. On my dining room table :-)

If there is a record of your complaint while it was under warranty, you might be able to fight for a new trans under warranty, but it will be an ordeal. Trade it or rebuild the trans, and for now, do a fluid change.