BimmerFest BMW Forum banner

05 545i Transmission Surging Issues help!

796K views 1K replies 264 participants last post by  s.harmon5300 
#1 ·
So for the past several months I have noticed that when my 5 gets between 35 and 40 mph it starts surging, like it starts loosing power but gains it back, and it only happens within 35-40 and just steady driving. I took it to the dealer, and there are no codes present, the service manager, tech's and the advisor all took a ride and felt it each time. They said they contacted BMW NA and that they wont do anything, unless it throws a code, but when I call them(BMWNA) to talk(complain) about it they tell me it has to have a code as well, and yet I still ask them why I am driving around their car that has issues that they wont fix, and all they can say is sorry until a code comes up. Has anyone had any issues like this with the surging transmission, or know how to talk to Customer Relations so that something does happen? It's just really annoying driving around a car that has issues, and they wont stand behind their product.
 
#118 ·
I have this problem as well, and have a used CPO car that expires Apr '11. Its a '05 545i.

In DS mode, cruising steadily between 40-50 mph it jerks but the rpms nver skip a beat(bizarre). Then if I switch to drive mode it goes away but will do it in drive mode when cruising between 50-60.

Freaking annoying.
 
#120 ·
My car goes back in on Wednesday, third time to try to fix this. My NEW SA thinks that the computer got messed up from the broken sleeve and leaking fluid and first wants to try to reset the transmission software and computer and then go from there. If it was that easy, I would hope that my prior SA would have been willing to do that, but he was an ass and wasn't willing to be proactive. Don't want to rehash another thread, but the guy wouldn't do anything because the car wasn't giving an error code and said I was making the problem up. As with someone else on this thread, he told me that the 6 series had transmission problems, but not the 5 series and 545i specifically. I think this thread would say otherwise.

Anyway, at least this new SA has a plan of attack, and he went for a test drive with me and felt the hesitations about 37 mph. We'll see what happens. I'll send you a PM if their refresh fix doesn't work.
 
#121 ·
They also reset my adaptation values a few times. It'll feel great the 1st time you drive it after as it has no shift memory. It seemed to keep the hiccups away for a day or 2 but they came back. Seems like your new SA is a little more helpful. They are establishing a history for you at least so it's well documented. Mine didn't throw a code either which is why they didn't really want to open a puma. But they did and my tech / sa pushed pretty hard on my behalf for mechatronics replacement. Let us know how wednesday goes.
 
#122 ·
Same thing exactly, 35 to 40 mph, surging or shifting - just did the reset with holding the throttle down for a full 90 seconds and it has gone away, but I am not convinced it is gone after reading all the posts. It really is a defect and I am more than willing to participate in a class action. If one person has an accident due to this defect it will cost BMW more than all the recall fixes-or maybe they know it is not going to cost them any personal injury damages.

How long is the replaced Mechatronic unit going to last? 4k dollars every 60,000 miles-what a ripoff!

My car is a 2005 with 58k miles, bought new and driven very moderately
 
#123 ·
Well, taking my '04 545i in tomorrow for the same issues listed here: the slam when coming to a stop, stagnation in switching gears around 40mph, and also a leak from what appears to be the transmission, judging by the location on the garage floor.

I am going to print out some of the posts from this thread, and provide it to my SA. I will post what happens. I pray they just replace the Mechatonics unit, or whatever is wrong with it, on the first attempt to resolve the issue. I have about 68,000 miles on the car, and have a thrid-party warranty. I want BMW to pay the whole bill though.

Anything else I should know or note, as I take the vehicle in?
 
#124 ·
Hey,just took my 545i to the dealer last week with the leaking tranny-mechatronic sleeve replacement-$1032 invoice. i know a shop thru bimmershops.com and took it there this past monday-had the sleeve replaced for $330. the technician said that it's a common thing and he just did the same thing on 745 the week before.
 
#128 ·
Oh ok, 'aiwapro' is me. Thanks, appreciate it. I dropped it off at the dealer this morning, so we will see what happens. My Service Advisor has been great to deal with in the past, so I pray the same continues, even in this instance. He confirmed your statement and others, of the sleeve possibly, to resolve the leaking. He said he has heard of the problem with the surging, and a software fix is available that is suppose to resolve the issue, and if that doesn't work, the trans. is the problem. Which by trans., I assume he means replacing the trans., but we shall see.

I will update with what happens.
 
#129 ·
Mechatronics sleeve and the tranny pan are pretty common failures around 70,000 miles I guess from the research I've done. The pans are plastic so I guess they get brittle over time. My pan had a crack in it and I had them do the sleeve at same time as I knew it was going to be an issue. Then I got the hiccups.

Aiwapro they replaced my mechatronics unit which is basically the mechanical (valve body) and electronics. The valve body basically handles the shift of the gear more or less. A bunch of valves open and close to switch gears. I would assume that they'd be replacing the mechatronics - usually the actual gears rarely fail.
 
#130 ·
Ben, after they replaced the mechatronics, how did the car shift in general? Does it shift seemlessly and can you feel the shifting at all? When we got my wife's '06 325xi, that was the first car we've had where the you couldn't feel the shifting, because of the engineering and mechanicals in the car. (Our first bimmer also) My '05 545 is not like that and I can feel the shifts quite often, and sometimes its rough, but not like the slams that the broken sleeve was causing. Would replacing the mechatronics resolve this also?

I'll have to go back in since resetting the tranmission adaptation values didn't resolve the hesitations between 30-40 mph. Shocker.
 
#131 ·
Mike I didn't notice much of a difference before and after with the exception of the 30-40mph hiccups. I didn't really have any issues with shifting before the pan and sleeve were replaced. Once that was done, I got the hiccups and a few times it seemed to want to completely lock up in gear. Once the mechatronics were replaced all was back to normal.

The shifting is hard to explain. On my wife's E38 you can't feel the shifts at all. On my E60 you can feel them but not as much as on other cars. I think the E60 is meant to be a little sportier and tends to feel a bit "jumpy" or "twitchy" when you step on it. It's hard to say that you can't feel the shift when all you drive is BMW's :).
 
#133 ·
You can't make this up

New appointmet set for June 24th.

Oh btw, the left headlight went out over the weekend. Angel eyes work, xenon went pink Friday night, not on at all now. That headlight unit is less than a year old, dealer put it in new when I bought the car. :mad:
 
#134 ·
Dropped my car off this morning, mentioned that there was a SIB associated with this. I dont feel very confident that theyll find or do anything about this.

I also mentioned that when the car is in gear at a stop that the idle is a bit rough, but that the rpms dont change as well in this case. He said that was normal?
 
#135 ·
Update - SA called me back already and said that there was a software update for this transmission issue and that they were installing it! He said that it also addressed the rough idle issue but that he said mine was not that bad so I may or may not notice a change.
Also - he indicated that all of the software on the car would be updated if it were relevant and that it may not be ready for pick up today because that would take a long time to go through that process.
I will try to find out the actual details on this software update and post it here.
 
#136 ·
I called my Service Advisor today for an update, and he informed me that the sleeve thing was causing the leak, and that he was going to contact my extended warranty company, Vehicle One, to open a claim.

Regarding the 35-40 shifting issue, he said there was a software update, that has resolved the issue for many. It seems a couple of people have had success with that on the forums and/or this thread, so maybe it'll work. It doesn't matter to me much, either way, as long as it is fixed, and along with the issue being resolved when you get the hard shift when decelerating to 0.
 
#191 ·
I called my Service Advisor today for an update, and he informed me that the sleeve thing was causing the leak, and that he was going to contact my extended warranty company, Vehicle One, to open a claim.

Regarding the 35-40 shifting issue, he said there was a software update, that has resolved the issue for many. It seems a couple of people have had success with that on the forums and/or this thread, so maybe it'll work. It doesn't matter to me much, either way, as long as it is fixed, and along with the issue being resolved when you get the hard shift when decelerating to 0.
I got the car back a few days later, after they had it in for service, and the SA said that they performed a software upgrade, but when looking at the invoice, the notes from the Tech., say that the software was already up to date, and that they re-initialized the adaptive values, or something.

Anyways, the car did not seem to have the issue, of course, because of the adaptive values being reset. About a couple of weeks later here, the issues have returned. So, I called my SA and setup a new appointment. He said that they will have me go for a test drive with the shop foreman.

Why can't the dealerships just contact whoever at BMWNA or whereever and research the issue, and find that the issue is occurring to multiple vehicles, and the solution is to replace the Mechatronics unit. It's at least a bit irritating to the customer to have to take the vehicle back in for service, for the same issue.
 
#138 ·
Note, Have had the 30 to 40 mph hiccup now for over a year, the SA at my dealer has already replaced the sleeve, and performed the software update, and the hiccups still remain. Now for the past couple of weeks it seems like it lurches into gear once it gets up to about 40 mph. When will BMWNA finally get through their heads that this is a problem in the E60's that maybe they should check into.
 
#140 · (Edited)
Following this thread closely.

My 05 545i w/48k is starting to surge oddly. It's as if the a lower grade of gas is in the tank. I am able to replicate it on every drive. So far it's only noticable under 60mph, but in my opinion it's more than just an adaptive throttle problem. I am planning a trip to the dealership tomorrow morning as the car is CPO'ed for another 50k miles.


UPDATE:

Dealer reset the adaptive throttle and it seems to have corrected the stutter. I am not 100% convinced this will be my last visit for this problem as other have said that the reset helps but doesn't cure the issue.
 
#143 ·
Good. I may get my vehicle back tomorrow, and they are suppose to perform the software upgrade, in an attempt to resolve the issue.
I had the adaptive throttle reset, but I wanted the software upgrade. Let me know how that works for you. I've decided to go to a different dealership as the one I just left doesn't seem to willing to perform the upgrade as "they don't feel the car is shifting improperly". :mad:
 
#147 ·
I could use some advise on my next step with the dealership:

Symptoms: Car has a jerk/lurch from start, almost as if I got bumped in the rear fender. It also seems to do the same thing when coming to a stop. I believe that my car is currently running program E60/E63 PROGMAN 20.01.00 (Target data Status E060-05-12-510). I am also not able to play MP3 CD's from the in dash unit (reason 2 I feel a complete software update is needed).

Next Step I've spoken to my SA at BMW about the issue. I was told if it was the tranny then my CPO would cover it but if it was software related I would have to cover the cost. According to the SIB the software was updated in an attempt to solve a know issue. Do SIB's only relate to cars under original warranty and not CPO vehicles?

Any advise on how to handle this? As I know I'm not getting a new transmission that easily, more than likely they will tell me the car is driving fine and I'll need to pay for the software diagnosis...only to bring the car in later with the same problem.

I've attached the SIB list.

Thanks
 

Attachments

#148 · (Edited)
I think they are trying to bleed you.

SIB 242307, 240308 and 240808 lists that the Warranty coverage applies to new and CPO... the significance of these SIB's is that the cure is programming and it covers your CPO. Now if you can narrow it down to an SIB that best matches your actual issue you can make a case for a software update. The below SIBs are just examples....

http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bulletin_graphic_temp/B242307g.htm
http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bulletin_graphic_temp/B240308g.htm
http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bulletin_graphic_temp/B240808g.htm

EDIT: On the flip side, your MP3 playback issue reprogramming is not covered per warranty info below.

http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bulletin_graphic_temp/B653005g.htm

Good luck!
 
#150 ·
update from my last post... Sept 09...!!!
In February, finally decided to bring my car in (maintenance) and mentioned the problem...
My SA kept the car a few days - I was told he was waiting for software from Germany. The car was still on extended warranty and they fixed it without any cost to me.
Very susceptible shift change between 1 and 2nd remains, ... but muchhhh betterrr all around!
 
#152 ·
Just wanted to note that I had started having this issue about 1 month ago. Have an 04 E60 with 130000 miles. No transmission issues other than the odd shifting pattern at 35-40 MPH.

Went to local dealer and SA after having to test drive with them comes back to me and says that the only thing they recommend is to replace the transmission, otherwise just deal with it. FYI new Tranny $9K. Car is not worth that much money!

Pushing them to look at alternate solutions. Told Dealship willing to pay for the Transmission to be reprogrammed.

Also found on anohter sight, http://repairpal.com/how-do-you-check-transmission-fluid-407, someone answered this issue by stating that it could be a bad torque converter pressure switch.

I am willing to spend some money on trying to fix, but if it get's up to the price of a new Mechatronics, I might be looking for a new vehicle.

Anyone want to buy a 04 545i Sprt Pkg? :)
 
#154 ·
I have a 2005 545i, I think you're talking about the same issue. I went to my dealership and they quoted me $700 for a programming fix since programming isn't covered under CPO warranty. I declined it and reported the issue to the NHTSA. The service director called me back and offered to cover it under a "goodwill" warranty since this is a known issue. The SIB below is for the 545 model.


The following software errors were corrected with the release of CIP 17.01(Target data Status E060-05-06-500).

Vehicles equipped with 6HP26 up to 4/05, customer complains of harsh downshift. Refer to SI B24 03 05.

Here is the SIB240305 bulletin:

SUBJECT
Harsh 2-1 Downshift


MODEL
E60 (545i); E63/64 645(Ci/Cic) with 6HP26 up to 04/05


SITUATION
Customer may complain of the following:

An excessively harsh 2-1 downshift when decelerating to a stop, or

Transmission "bangs" into gear when accelerating from a full or a "rolling" stop (vehicle did not come to a complete stop).

CAUSE
EGS software.

CORRECTION
On a customer complaint basis only, reprogram/recode complete vehicle using SSS with CIP on-line update 17.01, or higher.

Important:

Transmission temperature must remain below 50 deg C and trans shifter must be placed in P position prior to the start of CIP programming.
 
#155 ·
I have a 2005 545i, I think you're talking about the same issue. I went to my dealership and they quoted me $700 for a programming fix since programming isn't covered under CPO warranty. I declined it and reported the issue to the NHTSA. The service director called me back and offered to cover it under a "goodwill" warranty since this is a known issue. The SIB below is for the 545 model.

The following software errors were corrected with the release of CIP 17.01(Target data Status E060-05-06-500).

Vehicles equipped with 6HP26 up to 4/05, customer complains of harsh downshift. Refer to SI B24 03 05.

Here is the SIB240305 bulletin:

SUBJECT
Harsh 2-1 Downshift

MODEL
E60 (545i); E63/64 645(Ci/Cic) with 6HP26 up to 04/05

SITUATION
Customer may complain of the following:

An excessively harsh 2-1 downshift when decelerating to a stop, or

Transmission "bangs" into gear when accelerating from a full or a "rolling" stop (vehicle did not come to a complete stop).

CAUSE
EGS software.

CORRECTION
On a customer complaint basis only, reprogram/recode complete vehicle using SSS with CIP on-line update 17.01, or higher.

Important:

Transmission temperature must remain below 50 deg C and trans shifter must be placed in P position prior to the start of CIP programming.
First off, thank you.

It's amazing that this isn't covered under CPO warranty, that you have to plead for a 'goodwill' case in order to have the software upgraded. Especially since they released this TSB for the same problem.

My appointment is for tomorrow morning. I'm not going to authorize them to do anything other than test drive the vehicle. If they want to charge me for the upgrade, I will go the same route you did. Any advice on that?

SI B 24 03 09
Automatic Transmission April 2009
Technical Service

SUBJECT
550i and 650i with N62TU and 6HP26 - Various Drivability Complaints

MODEL
E60, 550iA produced from 09/05 up to 02/07

E63, E64; 650i produced from 09/05 up to 09/07

SITUATION
The customer may complain about one or a combination of the following situations, listed below:

Intermittent harsh 4-3, 3-2 or 2-1 downshift (jolt) when coming to a stop with light brake application.

Jolts and/or jerks felt when reaccelerating after coasting.

Judder when gently accelerating (most noticeable at an engine speed below 2,000 RPM).

CAUSE
DME and EGS software calibration

SOLUTION
Program the vehicle with ISTA/P 2.33.0 or later, using the path "Conversion" and "Downshift behavior". After this modification, the k-word "HADS" will be added to the Vehicle Order.

Note that ISTA/P will automatically reprogram and code all programmable control modules that do not have the latest software.

For information on programming and coding with ISTA/P, refer to CenterNet / Aftersales Portal / Service / Workshop Technology / Vehicle Programming".

WARRANTY INFORMATION
Covered under the terms of the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty or the Certified Pre-Owned Program.

Defect Code:
24 00 33 98 00
 
#158 · (Edited)
Dropped the car off this morning with BMW Dealership. Filled out a customer complaint form with details about what the car is doing, specifically:
Intermittent harsh 2-1 downshift (jolt)
when coming to a stop with light
brake application.
Jolts and/or jerks felt when
reaccelerating after coasting.
Judder when gently accelerating
(most noticeable at an engine
speed below 2,000 RPM).
Received a call about 10 minuets ago. They were able to replicate my complaint and have opened a PUMA case. It's either the Mechtronics or Transmission failure, amazingly only after 48k miles!?! Glad that the car is CPO as this is an expensive fix.

Does anyone know if the software will be updated when the tranny/mechtronics are replaced?

On a side note, my passenger fog light was out and I noticed condensation. Seems I ran over a street cone on the highway...$345 to fix. I think I'll search for the housing and try to install it myself.
 
Top