1998 BMW 528i - Newbie to this forum!

[aramig92]

Hey,

I recently purchased a 1998 BMW 528i (Black) and I love everything about it. We bought the car as is with no warranty or any guarantee. We bought it knowing that there is a problem with the transmission (automatic). Basically I've noticed a few things. First, when I start my car in the mornings and drive it wont shift to the next gear unless it reaches a little above 3k rpm. Second, while I'm driving, between the second and third gears the car kicks while its shifting. Finally the third thing, this happens occasionally, while I'm driving the rpm shoots up but the car doesn't go anywhere and I was told that when this happens to shift down to S3 and then back up to D, so every time that happens I quickly do that and it fixes by itself.

So today I took it to the transmission shop so they can diagnose it and see whats wrong with it. They told me that there is a problem internally in the transmission. The hydraulic valve is busted, and apparently this valve controls your car while its shifting. He said it would cost $800.00 + tax for the repair of that and he told me while your transmission is apart we'll go ahead and replace the seals and so on (the things that wear off after use).

What do you guys think I should do? Seeing as my car has 137,000 miles, should I rebuild the transmission? Just change the part that he's talking about or is it another issue?

Thanks!

[Fongngai]

Originally Posted by aramig92

Hey,

I recently purchased a 1998 BMW 528i (Black) and I love everything about it. We bought the car as is with no warranty or any guarantee. We bought it knowing that there is a problem with the transmission (automatic). Basically I've noticed a few things. First, when I start my car in the mornings and drive it wont shift to the next gear unless it reaches a little above 3k rpm. Second, while I'm driving, between the second and third gears the car kicks while its shifting. Finally the third thing, this happens occasionally, while I'm driving the rpm shoots up but the car doesn't go anywhere and I was told that when this happens to shift down to S3 and then back up to D, so every time that happens I quickly do that and it fixes by itself.

So today I took it to the transmission shop so they can diagnose it and see whats wrong with it. They told me that there is a problem internally in the transmission. The hydraulic valve is busted, and apparently this valve controls your car while its shifting. He said it would cost $800.00 tax for the repair of that and he told me while your transmission is apart we'll go ahead and replace the seals and so on (the things that wear off after use).

What do you guys think I should do? Seeing as my car has 137,000 miles, should I rebuild the transmission? Just change the part that he's talking about or is it another issue?

Thanks!

Any help out there, i believe I'm having a similar problem

[cdmulders]

My 2000 E39 (528i) had transmission problems about 30K kilometers ago. When I was getting it diagnosed by the shop, who specializes in BMWs, we had quite a chat about the BMW automatic transmissions and their quirks. When they wear out (and they usually do by 250K kms, or 150K miles) they apparently often cost $3000-4000 to repair. So, if your transmission guy is saying he can repair for $800, this might be a good deal. However, sometimes, a good cleaning may solve the problem. In my case, the tranny was starting to shudder and lug at some speeds, and some shifts were seemingly harsh. Before starting to rebuild parts and change seals, the shop suggested they do a complete flush and get some parts inside thoroughly cleaned (valves, I think). This worked, and I haven't had a problem since.

On the other hand, I had a '94 Lincoln whose tranny was doing almost exactly what you initially described, and it needed a rebuild.

Good luck with the repair!

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by aramig92

Seeing as my car has 137,000 miles, should I rebuild the transmission? Just change the part that he's talking about or is it another issue?

Thanks!

If you trust the transmission guy, then if it were me I'd go ahead and have the whole thing rebuilt if it's not a whole lot more money. Then it will last another 150K miles.

Aside from the front end and cooling system, the only real weak part on these E39s is the automatic transmission.

[cdmulders]

aramig92 - any luck on the transmission repair?

[Carchitect]

Originally Posted by aramig92

Seeing as my car has 137,000 miles, should I rebuild the transmission? Just change the part that he's talking about or is it another issue?

Thanks!

I was in a similar situation recently. It was either spend $800 to get some transmission seals replaced, and the tranny serviced, OR spend even more to get it rebuilt. I figured i would need a rebuild anyway since my car is old, and it was going to need to happen soon, whether I did it then, or later. My rebuild wad quoted at $2,200. I would go ahead and do the rebuild, because if you only replace the faulty part right now, you may have to be willing to spend as much as I did for the rebuild a few years in the future. It's such a bitch (and expensive, too) to just take apart a transmission just to replace one part, especially when it's on an older car and the tranny as a whole doesn't have much life left in it anyway. Rebuild.