E46 Fanatics Forum banner

I am f*cking done w/ my BMW...

8K views 72 replies 50 participants last post by  xjunmoonx 
#1 ·
67,000 miles and the transmission has gone out!!!!!! I mean WTF!?!?!?! You would think a car that retails for $35-45k would have a better transmission that would at least make it to 100k miles. All the problems I've had with this car are absolutely ri****ingdiculous and I could probably find a 1995 Honda Civic that has better reliability that this car does.

Short story. I developed an interesting wobble on the front left of the car about 3 weeks ago. Checked everything out and it was good to go...couldn't see anything at all. Today I'm driving down the freeway and I am cruising and decide to change lanes. In the process of changing lanes I slowly apply the gas, and to my surprise the tach goes up to 4000 rpm but the car didn't go anywhere. So I'm like "FvCK" I pull over and the tranny sounds like is a rock tumbler. I put it in reverse same thing. Abso****inglutely ridiculous for "the ultimate driving machine."
 
#5 ·
Yeah I've got the step...but I never personally did anything to the tranny fluid. The car had no leaks though. It was developing a wobble/rough spot during acceleration for about 3 weeks prior to this though.

That's why I love forums, you can find out what options not to get. Sorry for your loss, manual trans retrofit?
Yeah, in retrospect I'm sure I would have gotten the Manual, but again at 67k you shouldn't expect a tranny to blow on a $45k car!!!! I've got the car at a tranny shop and they will let me know what the damage is next week. Once it's fixed it's going to a dealership to be traded in.
 
#7 ·
A car is a car, its got tons of parts... all of which can go bad. Ill agree, you'd hope with cars like ours stuff like this wouldnt happen, but that is the nature of a machine. Time after time I see cars fresh off the lot, broken down on the side of the freeway. It's all luck of the draw.... on the bright side... if you think you got screwed, check out this guy!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/06/14/pricey_lemon/index.html

The moral of my story, a problem with a car doesn't necessarily mean its a POS. Just my 2 cents. GL.
 
#10 ·
not all the trannys

and that seems really low. I'd take it to the deal, i know i know its the stealership but still if you have such a low mileage car that is pretty bad. take it to them see if they will cover any of it and if they wont call up BMWNA
 
#14 ·
Yeah, sounds like BMW's "step" transmissions aren't the strongest for longevity. Heck, my parents 15-year old Lexus LS 400 has 190K miles and the same transmission. Only a hint of it's age can be detected. Sorry to hear of the issues. :( Hopefully this "f-drum" might be an answer.
 
#16 ·
Just as BMW tires to push the Lifetime Fluids, it should also gaurantee the equipment that those fluids are used for..Hence giving Lifetime Guarantee for Trannys to begin with.

I have a step and i have strted using manual mode most of the time now. I have 63K miles and its going strong. I also am thinking of getting the tranny fluid changed at the dealership. Thinking if i keep the car till 100k (CPO'ed) any issues there should be covered!
 
#19 ·
Hell no, fvck, Hyundai has a 100k mile warranty. But nooooo, my car that cost 3x's more than a brand new Hyundai has a fvcking tranny that craps at 67k!!!! I'm still so fvcking pissed about this, it's unfvcking real!!!!:ben: :tsk: :cry: :mad: :wtf:
 
#26 ·
I feel bad for you. You'll get a lot of idiots here who think that dealing with these problems isn't a big deal, that it's common, etc. Typical BMW yuppies that allow this manufacturer to keep making unreliable vehicles. My old 94 integra makes my current cars look like a bunch of LADAs. I'm already shopping for a manual swap because of stories like this, even though my tranny is fine so far. I love the car, but it falls short in many areas.
 
#20 ·
Did you ever change the tranny oil?
 
#22 · (Edited)
Yeah I've got the step...but I never personally did anything to the tranny fluid. The car had no leaks though. It was developing a wobble/rough spot during acceleration for about 3 weeks prior to this though.
:read:

what do u mean by "It was developing a wobble/rough spot during acceleration for about 3 weeks prior to this though" ???
About that time I noticed that while accelerating it felt as though I had a tire that was out of balance on the front left side. I was gone all last week and got underneath it 2 days ago to see if there was something loose and also to check the lugnuts. Everything that I could see was fine. I'm just putting 2 and 2 together here...I think it was related to my tranny sh1tting the bed.
 
#34 ·
I am a tech/shop owner/part time race driver, LOL I wear alot of hats, sorry should have explained f/drum better I take for granted people know what I do. Any ways what I mean is the Decapitated F Piston(drum), has most likely come apart and is causing your rattle, or the one way sprag has come apart however there is no way to know without a teardown of the tranny, The long and short of it it sounds like your tranny has failed. As far as the wobble I am not sure what your issue there would be without looking at the car, sorry I can not be of more help at this time. Sounds like you have had some bad luck with this car. I would be looking at a manuel conversion.
 
#41 ·
I am a tech/shop owner/part time race driver, LOL I wear alot of hats, sorry should have explained f/drum better I take for granted people know what I do. Any ways what I mean is the Decapitated F Piston(drum), has most likely come apart and is causing your rattle, or the one way sprag has come apart however there is no way to know without a teardown of the tranny, The long and short of it it sounds like your tranny has failed. As far as the wobble I am not sure what your issue there would be without looking at the car, sorry I can not be of more help at this time. Sounds like you have had some bad luck with this car. I would be looking at a manuel conversion.
jeez, im glad you have so many qualifiications to your name because that was hard to figure out. lol just kidding! :p
 
#36 ·
bombguy, sorry to hear about this...stuff like this makes me queasy about my ride. Could you let us know which transmission you have (GM or ZF) or the year and month of production?

In this situation, I would find the cheapest fix and sell it. (the 328coupes look nice!)

thx...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top