E60Japanese

Well its great news for me
I bought my 2004 525i knowing the transmission was in fail safe mode so I had always planned on putting in a used transmission and spending a few thousand dollars to buy it and fit myself.

The car also had many other troubles from a previous owner who never had the money or knowledge to repair it (someone I would advise not to own a used BMW)

I found this forum and found wonderful caring helpful people that willing gave advice and their time to help me.

After trying to read as many posts about transmission troubles and repairs I could and watching many YouTube channels I began writing to ‘seanjorda20’ on this forum who had exactly the same problems as I was having with my transmission

He was very kind answer my questions

At first I was getting code 4F81 which referred to the A drive and more likily to the internal adaptor seal

So I ordered the new adaptor seal. Sealing sleeve and the 4 tube sleeves

While I was waiting for them to arrive I checked the fluid level as Seanjordan20 told me
I drained the fluid but only 1 liter came out

I refilled it with 4.5 liters of new fluid
The change was remarkable and the transmission came out of safe mode by itself but it was still very bad changing gears and would often rev after changing and go back into safe mode until I stopped and restarted the car

I did another code check and now I had another error code number 4F83 which is mainly referring to clutch c and a more serious problem

I contacted seanjordan20 again and he was not convinced that I checked the fluid level correctly because it only took 4.5 liters
I rechecked making sure my transmission was level by putting a spirit level under the pan
After doing this it took another 1.5 liters of fluid so I leant a valuable lesson when I need to make sure the car is level for any adjustment

This time the gears changed and both error codes were gone
If I drove the car like my wife drives I could have left the car like that and never done another thing but I wasn’t 100% happy

So I decided to follow Seanjordan20 advice and knowledge as he had the same problem and do exactly what he did

I removed the valve body and sent it to china to have it reconditioned and new solenoids fitted

At first they were not sure it could be repaired because if metal was in the valve body it could have damaged it permanently

But there was no metal in the bottom of the pan when I removed it so I sent my valve body as one unit to china who repaired it and fitted all new solenoids
They also supplied a new filter and fluid

Yesterday I put it all back together following the fitting instructions from this forum and seanjordan20 advice

It was simple and easy to do by myself in about 3 hours.

I was a little hesitant when I drove it for the first time because if it didn’t work I had spent over $600 that I could have put towards a new or used transmission.

But it went perfect
All the error codes were gone and everything went smooth. No jerking between gears, no shudders changing gears up or down. Not revving of the engine and slipping clutches NOTHING

It’s like a new transmission.

The main reason I wanted to write todays post was to reinforce that you can easily and successfully repair your transmission with a bit of due diligence and work
It is not hard except maybe not having your car for a week or so.

When I bought the car the BMW dealer told the previous owner that it would cost over $20,000 to fix all the problems with the car including suspension, new transmission brakes etc.

I have spent about $2,500 so far fixing all of the above by simply asking around this forum and searching the best prices from the internet

I still have a few little issues including the battery going flat while it’s been sitting around but I have ordered a multimeter so I should know the reason this week

I just want to encourage anyone to have a go
Ask questions, have a go and save money

turboawd

this is great to hear. thanks for the update.

seanjordan20

E60Japanese it is good to know that we could help you out. If you need any help with install the INPA just message me.

Have fun with you new ride!!

BimmerFan52

Great story with a happy ending!

It proves the old adage - "Just jump in" and get your hands dirty. The worst thing that could happen is that you get stuck and have to pile the parts in a box and tow it to a repair shop. There's no shame in that.

But most times if you do your research and go slowly you can do as good, or better, than a professional who needs to "bang the job out" because time is money.

Keep up the good work!

pcy

^ +1.

Dealers will simply swap out entire transmissions [rather than investigate for the root cause and fix/replace specific internal part] because it's not their money.

Proper maintenance is the key; previous owner neglected the maintenance. Resulting in the current situation. OP's perseverance paid off.

cakes

that's great to hear. I love reading stories like this on the forums. And we appreciate it when people post the solutions to the original problem.

jamo.w

Great post!! I think that is a fairly common problem, that is the battery going flat. My mom and I both drive 535xi's and we have both replaced the batteries, but if one sits for a couple of days they still are low on voltage. Let me know if you figure anything out.

E60Japanese

Thanks for your comments an I hope it may help someone

Is that your car in the picture?
when I bought my E60 it canme with the same rims in the boot
so I have a full set of standard rims that are now fitted and a full set of rims like yours

They have a little damage which I will repair but I was wondering what size and type of tires you are running?

I can see on my front inner wheel shrouds where the previous owner was running too big a tire causeing them to rub on the plastic shrouds when turning

I look forward to hearing from you

fast

Awesome... Seanjordan20 for President


Quick question: Wife's '07 530i has 100K miles, all highway, and would like to know, does the car needs the transmission service and the water pump/thermostat//U hose?


I was told, the transmission flush could have been done around 30-40K miles but at this mileage 100K, it would cause more damage to flush and fill so it's good to just keep driving?


Similarly, water pump still a preventative measure?


Thanks

seanjordan20

I would not do a flush do a fluid and pan/filter change. Takes about 30 mins after the car is up and leveled. The water pump should have been changed with thermo and u hose. That should be your number 1 priority.