05 545i Transmission Surging Issues help!

How did they determine that the Mechatronics was ok? I'm just asking, but could the Mechatronics unit have caused this? These dealerships don't seem to attempt to test.

Originally Posted by sigterm

Update: Ugh so apparently the mechatronic unit checked out fine but the transmission is wrecked due to overheating. It gets worse though, the used dealership I got it from had brought the car to the same bmw dealership I went to and it threw 22 faults for the transmission. BMW's recommendation was to replace the transmission, which the used dealership DID NOT DO. They declined the recommendation and clearly did not put a new transmission in before selling it. So they knowingly sold a car with a bunk transmission without disclosing that to the buyer (me). So I wrote up a brief covering all the various points, facts, timelines etc and tomorrow I will be returning to the used dealership I got it from demanding compensation, trade or something as they breached faith (and possibly the contract, I'm still reviewing that). Completely pissed off though, and disappointed. Such a wonderful car in every other way.

I'll update more as I find it out. Wish me luck!

Oh wow sorry to hear that! Sounds like someone either beat on it or was just clueless. Were all the codes tranny related? I'd go after seller to fix every last one of them.

+1 to aiwapro above. Did they say the gears were actually shot or the clutches? I've been told it's pretty hard to actually damage the gears but I guess running it too hot would probably fry the fluid and create a lot of metal on metal friction.

Originally Posted by sigterm

Update: Ugh so apparently the mechatronic unit checked out fine but the transmission is wrecked due to overheating. It gets worse though, the used dealership I got it from had brought the car to the same bmw dealership I went to and it threw 22 faults for the transmission. BMW's recommendation was to replace the transmission, which the used dealership DID NOT DO. They declined the recommendation and clearly did not put a new transmission in before selling it. So they knowingly sold a car with a bunk transmission without disclosing that to the buyer (me). So I wrote up a brief covering all the various points, facts, timelines etc and tomorrow I will be returning to the used dealership I got it from demanding compensation, trade or something as they breached faith (and possibly the contract, I'm still reviewing that). Completely pissed off though, and disappointed. Such a wonderful car in every other way.

I'll update more as I find it out. Wish me luck!

I hate to tell you this, but you most likely dont have any legal recourse. When you bought the car used the dealer made no repersentation to you about the tranny in writting. It's on you to do the due diligence on the car. I hope it works out for you.

@aiwapro: I laid out the entire mechatronics reasoning, this thread (and others like it), the invoice above, etc etc so they knew what they were looking for and did not find it.

@Bad Debt: I spoke with the place I got it from today and so far they are being helpful, I'll know tomorrow as they're going to review it tonight and tomorrow and call me about it. I think the fact that it's clear they knew about the transmission being bad and needing replacement but not disclosing that to the buyer is a pretty good lever to throw some weight against. I gave them copies of the report from the BMW dealership, plus a two page outline of the history, timelines, etc.. so I think they realize I'm not just full of ****. I have exact mileage for when they found out about the transmission problems, when I bought the car, and when I first brought it back (which was within 5 days / 500 miles) for that exact problem.j

That said, what they actually decide is anyone's guess and at this stage I can only hope they don't screw me. I do have some possible legal options, but I'm not bringing my lawyer into it quite yet. If they're smart they will want to avoid the potential bad publicity.

Ugh, this is crazy. What can we do to make BMW correct these issues? I have been unable to get my dealership to fix the issue, which in my case is the Mechatronics unit, at least for now. I have gone to two different dealerships, though in the same chain, which have not fixed it, but instead reset the adaptive values, even though they said they updated the software, and did not. The second dealership did update the software, which is nice, but it did not resolve the issue. I don't have time to keep taking the car back, and really shouldn't have to.

The shop I got mine from is replacing the transmission for free with a year warranty.. just waiting on parts. Yay!

Originally Posted by sigterm

The shop I got mine from is replacing the transmission for free with a year warranty.. just waiting on parts. Yay!

Ah, good to hear. Now, if only the BMW dealerships would take care of us like that consistently, we would be ok.

Did you actually have physical proof that they brought the car to BMW and they told them the transmission was gone?

yeah the recommendation sheet I got from bmw showed the previously declined work. I had the specific dates and mileage from my bmw SA too.

So I took mine in today for the 2-1 rough shifting issue. I've read this whole thread and I see some people talking about PUMA cases and SIBs etc. and I'm a little confused. Here's what my receitp says. Does anyone know what they actually did? Just software update?

"EGS software calibration per SIB # 240305 - short test - no EGS faults found - submitted TC case # 36215080 - retrofitted 2-1 tip-in using activation code from PUMA case. Performed another short test and reset EGS adaptation vaues per TC case.

Thats what i had, 2-1 hard shifts, it was hard to stop smoothly. They did that egs software update, it didnt help anything, it may have even made it worse b/c i started getting the 38-40 surge, which i hadn't had before. I demanded a new mechatronics b/c of what i read on here. I got it and .... poof... not a single awkward stop or surge from 38-40.

Originally Posted by Bad Debt

Thats what i had, 2-1 hard shifts, it was hard to stop smoothly. They did that egs software update, it didnt help anything, it may have even made it worse b/c i started getting the 38-40 surge, which i hadn't had before. I demanded a new mechatronics b/c of what i read on here. I got it and .... poof... not a single awkward stop or surge from 38-40.

crap that doesn't sound good. It does seem to have stopped the surge when coming to a stop but I haven't driven it enough to see if I get the 38-40mph surge. time will tell but from what you've said, it sounds like I need a new mechatronics.

545i = garbage

SES light just popped up, increased emissions. Needs a new wiring harness and thermostat. Good thing it's still under CPO, but that runs out in January....

Transmission is still good since mechatronics replacement FWIW.

Originally Posted by VJaguar

545i = garbage

SES light just popped up, increased emissions. Needs a new wiring harness and thermostat. Good thing it's still under CPO, but that runs out in January....

Transmission is still good since mechatronics replacement FWIW.

This might be a good time to sell it.

Well, I took my '04 545i back into the dealership for the third time, and today is the 5th day that they have had it. I provided them all the info. from this thread, including one of the invoices that was posted on here. I steressed that replacing the Mechatronics unit/Valve Body, has been the solution for others.

I spoke to the SA today, and he stated that they have been looking into the issue with the car, and after speaking with Tech. support, they are sending them a software upgrade to apply to the car. Ahhhh, here we go again. They did a software update last time, and though it helped with the 2 - 1 shifting when coming to a stop, it was still there, and the 35 - 40 mph shifting, it did not resolve at all. I want this fixed once and for all. I don't want them saying try driving it, and let us know. I'm tired of taking it back.

So, Aiwapro, did they ever resolve the issue for you? I am currently experiencing the issue with my 06 525i and thinking about changing out the transmission as that appears to be the problem. They did the retrofit, but it didn't have any positive results as well. Just wondering.

No, they didn't resolve it. They said they opened a PUMA case, and unlike the results that others have had with the PUMA case, they instructed the dealership to perform a supposed special software update. They said they did that, and reset the adaptive values of course. I picked up the car, drove it, and it didn't resolve the issue. I think it did allow a smoother shift from 2-1, when coming to a stop, but the other issues still remain. Very frustrating, they had the car two weeks, too. I'll probably take it back in the Spring sometime. That will make the 4th visit for this. The shifts on my trans. are no where near as firm and quick as the 3-series wagon that they gave me as a loaner. They shifted great.

What retrofit are you referring too?

I feel your frustration, I do realize that if I put it in sport mode right before coming to a complete stop that this will cause the transmission not to complete the 2-1 shifting, so I might continue to do this until March and then replace the entire transmission around that time.

The Retrofitting was the reprogram to the vehicle to prevent it from doing the 2-1 shifting, which the shop foreman states works on some vehicles, but is not 100%. They informed me that it was probably the mechantronic unit that was failing, which causes this issue.

You folks need to go in there and start cracking some heads and rasing your voice if you are under warranty. Don't let them just tell you, no. I was pretty insistant, they realized quick i wasn't going to back down.

I have 120k miles on my vehicle, so no I don't have the warranty on it anymore. But, if have to pay $4500 for a new tranny that will havea 2 year warranty regardless of miles then I will have to fork it over. Since it is paid off, it will be ok to spend the money on it since I can't get another car that is as much fun to drive for less than $4500.00 or $187.50 in cost spread over the course of a two year period.

Dealer said they found nothing wrong with tranny, they took it to another bmw dealership which "confirmed" the same thing so now I'm out in the cold with this pos car. It's been nothing but a headache since purchase. I'm trying to get out of this car entirely.. I will never recommend a BMW to anyone any longer. Happy holidays, pah! :/

I thought you said you had the sheet where the work was declined?

Originally Posted by Bad Debt

I thought you said you had the sheet where the work was declined?

Yeah, and the place I got it from took it to another BMW dealership and they did a full inspection looking for that issue and found no problems and said nothing was wrong with it. So the place I got it from said they won't replace the transmission, then they also said they found other things wrong with it (even though they admitted the other bmw dealership didn't find those same things).

So basically there are two BMW dealerships and a 3rd party dealership (but with certified BMW technicians) and they're all providing a sea of conflicting information, including the two BMW dealerships disagreeing 180 degrees on the transmission. In other words, at least one BMW dealership is flat out scamming /somebody/ but in the end it's me getting totally screwed. And the place I got the car from won't even take it on on trade even though they claim the trans is "fine".

I would never ever recommend a BMW to anyone after this experience, quite the opposite. It's bad enough when 3rd party certified techs are incompetent and/or lying but when the actual BMW dealerships do it too, yeah I've lost all confidence in this company and their "product". BMW North America, if you're reading this you guys need to do a better job with quality assurance on your vehicles and your authorized dealers. Time to go start a twitter campaign maybe! Sigh.

Merry Christmas, pah!

I am not a told you person but, I just couldnt see a used car dealership paying thousands of dollars on a new trany after you bought the car. While I acknowledge these ZF transmissons are terrible, I think your beef is more with the used car dealer, they are influincing the other repair facility.

Originally Posted by Bad Debt

I am not a told you person but, I just couldnt see a used car dealership paying thousands of dollars on a new trany after you bought the car. While I acknowledge these ZF transmissons are terrible, I think your beef is more with the used car dealer, they are influincing the other repair facility.

Yeah, but when BMW recommends a new tranny to the dealer, they decline and then another BMW dealership says the tranny is fine, that puts me as the consumer in a bind b/c who am I to believe? How do I even know what needs to be done, let alone go about getting it taken care of? Keep in mind these issues came up within less than a week of purchase, along with other work I've already have to pay out of pocket repairs on, including the service checks at the one BMW dealership.

Everything else aside, a car that costs that much new and is supposed to be a "premium" ticket item, should never have this many problems, which is a major failing on BMW's part, in my opinion. All the rest of it, the radically divergent diagnoses from two authorized BMW dealers.. that is just the cat puke icing on the dog crap cake. It's extremely frustrating and has turned me off BMW completely at this point. From top to bottom it has been a very negative, bs laden run-around, from the authorized dealer, to the 3rd party dealer, to the car itself.

Pardon my venting, it's just a craptastic time of year for all this to be happening.