M54B30

Hi Guys

I got my transmission fluid changed just a 1,500 km ago. It is now 137,500 km on the clock on my 2005 model year 530i car. It took around 7lt ZF oil and filter is also renewed.

However, the issue with the the little jerky transmission remains the same.

In middle and high rpm's, I feel little hard engagentment when shifting from 3rd to 4th gear. No noise at all but feel the jerkyness. It does not matter if engine is warm or cold. Though, upper gears (4 to 5; 5 to 6) shift just fine. However, in some lower gears ( 1 to 2; 2 to 3) sometimes feel only little jerkyness. But Not as much as from 3rd to 4th. I can live with that. No problem at all with the reverse gear or with any down shifting.

I also got engine and transmission sofware update. It did not much change.

What do you suggest for me ?
My tranmission indy says the car is safe to drive. However, he also says the problem may lay with the mechatronic or shifting plates etc.

So, what would you do if you were me? Should I go to another indy to apply the software update again.

BTW, I replaced my battery with Varta 100A recently myself. Could it be the source of the problem ??

Since i drive Bmw, i expect better feel/smoothness when shifting from 3rd to 4th. But the huge cost of opening my transmission case also worry me, if it is s.thing cheap to fix.

Thanx.

seanjordan20

Go to the DIY section and you will find a good write up abut transmission issues. Solenoids and pressure lost should be your issue. A lot of people changed the solenoids and gaskets but for $200 more I had my valve body redone and it gave me lifetime warranty on it. I have not had the issue every since and it only cost me around $900 for everything. Of course I did the labor myself to cut cost down but it was the best decision I made. Newer oil in the trans will make issues more visible and that is what you are seeing now. An update or reset will not cure your issue.

Your Indy is right I drove my car for 3 years before I pin pointed my issue so you will not hurt it as long as you drive normal. I do not know if you have a company there that will rebuild your valve body but it will definitely fix your issue. Or you ca go with replacing the solenoids and sleeve gaskets which will save you a few bucks.

stel_i79

who did the "redone" of your valve body and selenoids ?
thx u

E60Japanese

I just wanted to agree with everything seanjordan20 has written.

My transmission was much worse than yours and after countless emails with seanjordan20 I took the plung

Mine has been perfect for over a year now and I have helped 3 other 525i owners with their transmissions as well.

If you are even a little handy with tools then you will be able to do it easily.

M54B30

Thank you very much for all your explanation both guys. I much appreciated.

I just have 2 additional questions;

1- Is this repair s.thing to do with not changing the transmission oil at the right interval ?

2- I might plan to convert my car to Lpg with Prins Kit since lpg is very common and very cheap here. Some say that this will worsen my transmission issue. Maybe pressure will drop even furher etc.. So, should I apply the lpg conversion before this procedure ? Is there any relation between these two ? Do you have any thoughts ?

seanjordan20

1. That is a good question. Being that BMW stated at the time your fluid was lifetime then no. But it goes deeper. Everyone should know no fluid is lifetime and all fluids should be changed at its respective interval no matter what. If you changed or did not change it I feel you would still have this issue. When I sent my VB out to sonnax I learned a lot about the VB. First our solenoids go bad prematurely due to multiple reasons. Every solenoid differ meaning you can have 1, 2 or 3 go bad depending on your driving habits. Also to which one controls which gear and the dreaded slam in first when stopping (which most of us have had). Next the gaskets crack making you loose pressure at shifts. Next your sleeve can leak leaving you think you have a bad trans but it is only due to your fluid being low. From my experience it is hard to make these trans go bad meaning slippage and you have to change plates.

Can changing your oil make a difference (when you were putting miles on it at low numbers) probably but I think it is a combination of everything that gives us the same issue and i feel it was inevitable. This is why I am glad I went the route I went because it corrected everything at once and at the end I got a lifetime warranty spending only $900 (estimate). Some people have spent that and still have not gotten the issue resolved. I am not saying my way is best by no means. Some people have gotten away with just changing solenoids and gaskets and are doing fine. But i wanted my VB taken apart and have the upgraded gaskets replaced and only a VB shop has the machine for that. I know it was a lot but I hope it answered your question.

2. LPG-- I have never heard of that the 4 years I've researched the trans issue. I just did a quick search on that and I do not see how they correlate at all. I guess you say with the ECU if your kit comes with it, it can have some impact but not what you are expecting. Honestly I would say solenoids and pressure can only be fixed by the parts that produces it (if you understand what I am saying). The way I see that kit is saying you want to put new tires on the car because your steering wheel shakes when you press the brakes. Maybe you are getting vibration from a bad tire at some point but ultimately you will need new rotors (or turn them) and brakes. I hope you understood the analogy maybe it was a bad one.


E60Japanese and I have had many talks about this issue and I was glad I could help him and others. I appreciate the Kudos E60Japanese!! Ultimately the Kudos should go to KyleB for giving me the knowledge and support to do the work on my own. From what I've seen he is the one that found the fix and posted the how to on this site after he corrected his issue. He saved me $$$$$$thousands$$$$$$. He even offered to reset my trans if I could not figure it out with the software. Now that is showing love!!

seanjordan20

Oh yeah E60Japanese. I've been meaning to email you but I have been so busy. Hope the recovery is doing well. Talk to you soon.

Sorry for hijacking the thread.

E60Japanese

Thanks seanjordan20!!
I just wanted to add one thing

I have done a few tranmissions now and not all were refitted with a rebuilt VB but the end result was the same, but it took a little longer to get there.

The reason I say that is because the two I did without rebuilding the VB took longer to settle in even after I reset them.

It takes about 100 klm to resettle in with a little banging but the non rebuilt VB took about 300klm
so there is sometning in getting it done.

I didnt think this simple and fast repair would fix mine but it did.
Dont be scared off! its easy and the results are great!!

M54B30

Thank you all.

Hovewer, i do not have the guts to do it myself.
Though i spoke to my transmission indy and he told me he has to test my car on the road to tell me what is the culprit and he will give me guarantee for the work for a year. If his solution does not work, i do not have to pay money. it looks a good deal for me.

At least i now have some knowledge of this particular issue so i can deal with my indy in much better manner/confidence.

Thank you again for a great assistance.

I will hopefully tell you the result

All the best

M54B30

He again advised me i should use the car like this since it will not cause much problem. So he is not interested in my money for sure.