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08 550i stuck in park

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Old 05-01-2011, 10:19 AM
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just let the car sit for about 30 min. It now will shift...still think I will take it in. Something strange is goin on. Thanks for all the replies!
Old 05-01-2011, 10:20 AM
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Originally Posted by brockjhammer
I do and I tried that too.
Yikes ... ya got me! Call BMW Assist; might have to flatbed to a dealer for the fix!
Old 10-28-2011, 10:45 PM
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My '08 535i just had this problem today. Just my luck, I'm out of warranty by a few months. Anybody have any new insight on this problem? Anybody fix it themselves?
Old 10-29-2011, 03:41 PM
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I had this issue 6 months ago, got it towed to the dealer where it sat overnight. No problems detected in the morning and I picked it up. No issues since.

Moral: Leave the car alone for a little bit and see if it fixes itself. Esp if this is the first time.
Old 10-29-2011, 04:03 PM
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Thanks, yes, I've read other have had luck with that. I left it alone for 30 minutes and still no go. Had it towed to repair shop.
Old 10-29-2011, 04:14 PM
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My Ride: 2008 550I,Space Grey,Hud,Cold Weather,M - Sport, matched GP Thunder headlights and Fogs,,Smoked Badges, Night Vision, Heated Seats,Rear Sunshades, Aux Audio, SAT, NAV, Black Grills, Sprint Booster, Dinan Cold Air, Stage 2 Dinan Software.....More to come soon
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Sounds like the send unit in the shifter is malfunctioning. Unfortunately the whole thing has to be replaced there are no reset or any tricks you can use. If you don't have warranty I have seen a couple on ebay for sale.


Let us know how it goes!!!!!


http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-BMW-E60-...item3a6a6821d8
Old 10-30-2011, 05:11 AM
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I had this issue. They replaced my shifter with a new one and sent me on my way.
Old 10-30-2011, 06:34 AM
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Ihad this problem on another car. The gear lever lock relied on the signal sent by the brake light switch, the brake light switch conked out which meant the gear lever wouldn't move out of neutral, and naturally the brake lights didn't work.

Check if brake lights work?

Also, have a look at this attachment for manually unlocking the lever.
08 550i stuck in park-gear-selector-lever-lock.png
Old 10-30-2011, 10:49 AM
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That's a good tip. I didn't confirm the brake lights working but I did pump the brake a little and turn the steering wheel lock to lock. Thanks for the info on the selector lever override. I didn't know about that.

Syrousd, I did look at the cost of the new, revised part and it's priced about the same as that eBay seller, I think. My concern was whether the part could be swapped in easily or if it involved some reprogramming like many other repairs to this vehicle. So much to learn!

I'll hear back from the shop tomorrow. I am usually a DIYer but time and situation constraints dictated I just have a shop take care of it. I was cringing at the thought of a tow truck driver not knowing how to bypass the parking pawl and dragging the car out. The BMW was stuck in a driveway facing forward. Hopefully they put a dolly on the rear wheels or something.
Old 10-30-2011, 11:02 AM
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If you are able to move the shift lever back and forth freely and the transmission still remains in park, the problem may be in the linkage to the transmission- it may simply need to be adjusted. This cable is attached to the drivers side of the transmission on the 545/550. Easy to get to as you can see by this photo:

08 550i stuck in park-linkage.jpg


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