Transmission sealing sleeve leak

Hi, I have a 2006 525XI with 53K miles. Had it in the at the local dealer for an oil change and dealer mentioned transmission sealing sleeve is leaking...wondering if anyone else had this experience. Thanks.

when you said sleeve, are you referring to the gasket? If that's what you're referring to, I too have that problem. It's a DIY job. Should cost you between 150 to 300 on parts depending on what type of liquid gold you want to pour into your tranny.

but if you're referring to the mechatronix sleeve then it is still a diy job. Should cost approximately the same as the price I posted up there since the sleeve itself only cost around $ 20. It is recommended that you change the fluid and pan at the same time.

GL

Hi Thanks for th reply. It is the mechatronix seal that is leaking very slightly. Dealer wanted 1100$ for the job and the part cost is $20. Need to figure a way to do it myself....

Read the following threads, it will definitely help you feel more comfortable with doing this yourself.

http://forums.5series.net/topic/8812...-drain-refill/

http://forums.5series.net/topic/1121...%2Bmechatronic

http://www.thectsc.com/index.php?p=p...=187&parent=43

http://www.thectsc.com/index.php?p=p...id=3&parent=10 <==== the part you need is around $ 15.00 only


Please note, it's entirely up to you to decide what kind of fluid you want to you use for your tranny or how you want to proceed. It varies in price but the cheapest one would be the Mercon SP and it's a compatible fluid. Lots of Jags owners and some BMW owners are currently using it right now, myself included, no problem so far. You can also reuse your fluid and filter since it's only 50K+ miles.

If money is an issue, just order the sleeve, pan gasket, and one or 2 litters of the ZF fluid and you're good to go.

Be sure to watch the youtube clip near the end of the 1st thread to get an idea of what needs to be done in removing the pan and and read the instruction on how to replace the sleeve in thread 2 from CTSC. There are other threads on how to replace the sleeve but I didn't bookmark it.

Good luck!!!

Thanks much!

have an 2006 530i with the same problem?

Originally Posted by silverstar_12

Hi Thanks for th reply. It is the mechatronix seal that is leaking very slightly. Dealer wanted 1100$ for the job and the part cost is $20. Need to figure a way to do it myself....

Had the same problem, ran me $1000 at the dealer.

Mine was $720.00

Same problem here, 2006 525xi with 60k miles. Had it fixed recently at my independent for $600. Independent told me it is a very, very common problem on this model; so much so the local dealer is stocking the kits used to do the repair. That gives me concern we'll be doing this repair on a regular basis.

I'm not worried. Maybe mine will last another 86,000 miles.

I'm pretty sure this happens to every E60 at about that mileage level. It can cause all sorts of odd transmission behavior when the fluid gets a little low, most notably the "surging" problem that has gotten so much airtime on this board. Certainly something to fix. I was able to get mine done under CPO.

I am including an interesting video although it does not apply directly to the sleeve seal. It really shows the Mecktronic part replacement. Before the repair, my car was shifting a little higher in the RPMs (about 3,500). Now it is back to around 3,000 where it belongs. I will attempt to attach a photo of my car. BTW. The sales tax on my repair was $93.31 in (Columbus, Ohio). That's still better than the tax on a new 5 Series. The total bill that day was $1,475.64. That included engine oil change, brake fluid change, TPM sensor ($230.00), micro-filter ($153.58) and trans sleeve seal ($683.00 even). Here in Columbus, Ohio, the total labor was $889.42. The parts were $467.92. Repair costs on a Ford or Chevy would run about the same. Anyway, if you can't afford to run a beemer, you should buy a New Nissan Leaf or a Ford or something. BMW owners should never complain.

^ that's not mechatronic sleeve replacement video.

My advice is to replace the sleeve if you have a car from before 2009 model year. The newer seals are sturdier and likely to last for the life of the car. It's a one time deal and you likely won't have it happen again. The part costs under $20, labor is $3-400 plus consider replacing the transmission pan if you have high mileage, ie over 75k.

The work has already been done. I guess that you didn't see the original post. It was $683.00 even. I'm not complaining. Thanks for the tip about the oil pan.