How many miles on AUTOMATIC transmission before failure? (or no problems at all?)

hi macjules85 - i'll defer to the experts here re: the transmission issue, but it sounds like a rebuild might be in your future. are there any warning lights lit on the dash? might be worth getting an OBD readout at autozone or something to see if anything comes up - there are all kinds of things like O2 sensors, camshaft sensors etc. that will be recorded there, though generally they'll set off the check engine light.

frankly, i think you need to be prepared to sink some money into the car. as you say, BMWs are high maintenance, particularly once they get past 7-8 years and 100k miles or so. hell, my '04 325i is only at 67k miles and i see a couple thousand dollars of maintenance and repairs in my near future. it's not just BMWs of course, most cars require a lot of maintenance as they age... but BMWs are more finely tuned and twitchier than a driving "appliance" like a Honda or Toyota, and the parts and labor are much more expensive as well. i know that doesn't help your situation, but just want to be sure you are mentally prepared - otherwise tbh, you might want to cut your losses on the car. an '00 323i isn't worth very much and it would be silly to pour many thousands into it.

I suffered the no-reverse problem with the ZF transmission at 74,000 miles. BMW dealers refused to repair it, insisted on installing a new transmission at $4800. I had it repaired for $3400- no problems so far at 105,000 miles. See www.noreverse.org for more info.

Do any of you just swap things out from BMW junk yards or as they are called today part out yards?
Sure less expensive than what I read on here or it just locations some places are higher in cost?

im thinking of doing the swap thing . I live in south florida and have found a great junk yard in miami but i have to find out the cost of the tranny vs rebuilding

Went to auto zone todayand here are the codes I got: p0735 gear 5 incorrect ratio and code p1182 sensor (bank 1 sensor 2) open circuit during coast down fuel cut-off

Originally Posted by ilija

WOW 250 and still running fine... that is awsome!

mine however has a problem. it is minor for now but will incrise as i drive.

3rd gear is worn down i belive, every time the car ****s down from 4th to 3rd the rpm go up and the nose dips a bit and the car slows down quite a bit.. not sure if there is much i can do about it, but it just started happening at 158k

my car does this sometimes too.

Originally Posted by macjules85

im thinking of doing the swap thing . I live in south florida and have found a great junk yard in miami but i have to find out the cost of the tranny vs rebuilding

Im in Miami and need to know the name of the yard? I may need a swap out too, sadly. Thanks!

its called bryan international , just google it for the address. I believe they have trannys for around $900 and install for $400. I was there a few days ago and its located in opa locka

I have a 2000 323i w/147,000 miles now and I just recently got the (!) Symbol that shows up from time to time. The "service engine soon" light is on now. Used a OBDURATE II reader and got p0733 (third gear ratio). Not sure of this is a costly repair. Anybody know or had this same type of repair done?

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oops

Originally Posted by macjules85

its called bryan international , just google it for the address. I believe they have trannys for around $900 and install for $400. I was there a few days ago and its located in opa locka

Many thanks. Did you buy your tranny there...and which model is your tranny...GM? or ZF? I think mine is ZF.

what kind of BMW do you have? Mine is 2002 325i.

A motor exchange from one wrecked is about $700.00 and they scrap heap your old one as its too expensive to fix.

Its not anti BMW pride to get the best price you can.

It is amazing what I read some pay for parts.

its just a car!

I have a 2003 325i with 97,000 miles on it. The only problem I have is before it warms up it downshifts into 1st kind of hard. After it warms up its fine.

1 foot

Originally Posted by Christi325i

Many thanks. Did you buy your tranny there...and which model is your tranny...GM? or ZF? I think mine is ZF.

what kind of BMW do you have? Mine is 2002 325i.

I Have a 2000 323i and i did not buy the tranny thats the expensive way out. Im starting with trouble shooting first. My car is at a local bmw mechanic now and he says he will try to replace some sensor in the tranny first then ill try changing the tranny fluid and seal. Reading on here so far ive noticed ppl with tranny problems really have alot of issues with bmw's so callled lifetime tranny fluid that starts to burn over time. So far i went to auto zone and replaced my own spark plugs which is easy.

2000 323Ci lost reverse at 80k. Ended up being a $5,000 repair job

I am at just short of 174,000 miles and just had the transmission flushed after putting on 100,000 after I bought it.

My mechanic suggest now since a 2002 that I get it flushed every 50,000. Does anyone agree/disagree?

A tranny for a BMW from a wrecked car just like the one you have and with low mileage exchanged is about $700.00.

Why pay $5000?

That is about 3/4 what the car is worth.

well my end result after changing out the tranny fluid and getting no luck, I am rebuilding my tranny at a cost of $1683

2001 330i - Only have 192K Miles but runs just fine

HI, new here to the forum...anyways I have an 02 325xi with about 178k miles. Month ago was on the freeway and it felt like the gear popped to N..shifted to manual mode..nothing..pulled over put it in park, then back to drive and it was fine. 3weeks later, was passing a car and approaching a hill and rpms goes up but no power...pulled over and put in P, had to pulled the E brake because the car started rolling backwards while in P. Played with the gear shift by moving it from P to D, there would be a grinding noise each time it hit P. Its at a Tranny shop now so it doesnt look good. Anyone had or heard of this issue. Thanks

My 2001 BMW 330i automatic transmission failed at 116K miles. Apparently this is normal for this car after the 100K mark. Not cool....

2004 330i 77k Silver

I bought it from a private seller while in Nevada about two months ago. drove it 6 1/2 hours outh to California with it completely packed out since I was moving. I left the car untouched for 2 weeks after that long drive.
Upon my return I turned the car on and let it run for about a half hour before taking it out for a little cruising. Took it for a ride just right through the country side for about 45 minutes to an hour but during that time an alert lit up on the dash. Its a COG with an " ! " in the center of it. I was getting problems from the SMG and the car would restrict itself from the current speed and slow down. Well i managed to get it home and since then i have had it in the garage. Its only been about 4 days since that happened but since then i have only applied a LUCAS ATF Treatment. I ran the car up and started shifting through the gears without moving the car for a few minutes. The machines whirring and making all of what i assume are normal sounds along with a knock. After a few blocks the COG and ! came back along with an F to the left of it this time and the N to the right and the car came to a standstill in the middle of the road.
I turned off the car and turned it back on, quickly drove back home.

Thats my story haha, sorry for making it so long.

If i can get some or any help from anyone i will greatly appreciate it. I am extremely new to all of this.

10/18/2011 - Just walked in the house from taking a look at the codes the car has and heres what I got;

PO 174
PO 171
PO 700

I'm more than likely going to be taking over my parents '03 325i with the Steptronic. They bought it in '08 with about 65k on the clock. No history of tranny fluid changes and they haven't done it either. The car is sitting in my garage right now while we decide if we are buying it from them or selling it for them. It has 144k on the clock and has had no issues with the tranny whatsoever. I'm debating on the fluid/filter change right now. I'm noticing that not many folks on here are mentioning their year or model of car and most of them don't have it listed under "mein auto" either. I'd also like to hear, as others have mentioned, what people's experience has been when changing the fluid after 125k miles or so.

My 2003 BMW 325xi has almost 151,000 and still has its original transmission, although it has mostly highway miles on it.