2003 X5 3.0i - Transmission Grinding
 

So, was on my was to Charleston today from Charlotte, NC. Near Columbia I was at a stoplight, and all of a sudden the transmission started making a horrendous grinding noise. Shifted to park, no grind. Reverse and all forward gears - grind. Car wouldn't move.

Had it towed to BMW of Columbia and they won't get to it until next week.

Any ideas?

Very little info so let me give a WAG (Wild Ass Guess) Torque Converter.

So, totaled, for all intents and purposes.

Check the splines on the front driveshaft.

Followup in case anyone else has this problem in the future... I was thinking it was torque converter, too. In fact, I was already looking at MLs and getting financing approved. But today, after having my car for nearly a week, the service advisor calls and tells me that it's the front left axle. We'll see if that is in fact the case. I'm hopeful, but wary. I may still put it up for sale after I get this fixed.

Oh, and leaking oil pan gasket -- $1949... (seems excessive, but ok) Leaking valve cover gasket - $500, but covered under BMW warranty because I just had it replaced in December.

and props to JCL for correctly identifying the culprit based on the vague info I provided!

Well, I actually said driveshaft, not axle, but it is the area I would look for grinding noises in. It applied to forward and reverse, that was why.

It is difficult to pinpoint noises from inside the vehicle, and many jump to suspecting transmission issues due to the number of posts on them.

Glad you got it sorted.

"FRONT DRIVERS AXLE SEPARATED FROM OUTER HUB ASSEMBLY AND DAMAGED THREADS ON AXLE 3.00 REMOVE AND REPLACE FRONT DRIVER AXLE ASSEMBLY"

Problem solved. Next time I won't be so quick to jump to tranny.