I got it. That was much easier than I made it.

good luck and enjoy the ride. My bmw was out of commission for a few days because of the disintegrated thermostat which was very inconvenient and unplanned :-).

got the coolant leak stopped. unfortunately a terrible leak apparently out of the transmission cooler occurred while driving it around the neighborhood. got the transmission failsafe message and it shut off. leaking black fluid like crazy. tow truck time. i hate automatic transmissions.

Oh man hopefully it's a busted line and that the truck shut off before you caused any damage. Good luck.

At least now you get to do a fluid and filter change now.

For me at least, I would not want that black fluid in my tranny. I know their are opposing views to this, but this my personal preference.

Don't give up on being a DIY'er. These experiences will add to you and you will get better. My e46 radiator change has turned into a mess, but I am on the rebound with the help of some more unplanned new parts being replaced.