Another tranny malfunction....
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Joined: Jan 2008
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From: SoCal
so my car just passed the 100K miles in the odometer....love the car and it still pulls like new!!! woohoo!! 
However i've been having a few issues lately, especially one that concerns me the most. This morning on the way to work i was cruising at 75 - 80mph on the fwy and i felt a little jerk and loss in speed/power and the idrive immediatly said "transmission malfunction" (all w/in a 2 sec time frame)...put it in N and pulled over, started the car and malfunction was gone, but i did get the yellow engine light on but it went away already after a few miles. What is this ??? i know the tranny is a common issue on the E60's but i'm out of warranty and really do not need to buy a transmission right now...should i head to the dealership this weekend and trade it in before it gets worse??
the other problem that i've been having is that sometimes when i go to turn the car on it doesn't even crank...i get all the power and electrical going, but car won't start, after a few tries it'll start w/o a problem, could that be the starter??
Any input, especially on the tranny issue is much appreciated.
thx and have a good and safe 4th guys and gals.
However i've been having a few issues lately, especially one that concerns me the most. This morning on the way to work i was cruising at 75 - 80mph on the fwy and i felt a little jerk and loss in speed/power and the idrive immediatly said "transmission malfunction" (all w/in a 2 sec time frame)...put it in N and pulled over, started the car and malfunction was gone, but i did get the yellow engine light on but it went away already after a few miles. What is this ??? i know the tranny is a common issue on the E60's but i'm out of warranty and really do not need to buy a transmission right now...should i head to the dealership this weekend and trade it in before it gets worse??
the other problem that i've been having is that sometimes when i go to turn the car on it doesn't even crank...i get all the power and electrical going, but car won't start, after a few tries it'll start w/o a problem, could that be the starter??
Any input, especially on the tranny issue is much appreciated.
thx and have a good and safe 4th guys and gals.
Senior Members
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 585
Likes: 1
From: Wisconsin
Does the tranny over all shift like it always has?
You could be having an alternator or battery issue. Basically when power is being drained the car starts to shut itself off. Usually the ABS is the first error to pop up. But the car not starting sometimes is a another red flag.
Not under warranty BMW and you got the funds to trade it in is never a bad idea to get one that is newer with a warranty.
You could be having an alternator or battery issue. Basically when power is being drained the car starts to shut itself off. Usually the ABS is the first error to pop up. But the car not starting sometimes is a another red flag.
Not under warranty BMW and you got the funds to trade it in is never a bad idea to get one that is newer with a warranty.
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 234
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From: San Diego , CA
My Ride: 2004 530isport packagepremium packageactive steeringxenon hids20mm H&R spacers in the rear6 spd51kpurchase price , 32k back in 2006
Model Year: 2004 530i
how ironic.
This just happened to me today . My battery has been low on power for some time now , so I checked the cell on the battery and nothing was there. The chart tells you if the cell is black or yellow the battery is done. So i called AAA , they came out and put a new battery in with a 6 year warranty for 170.00 installed. About to turn the car on and still the same thing , all the power comes on and just does not want to crank over. Being a Manual I got a little push and pop the clutch and it turned on. I called my mechanic ( certified tech for range rover , bmw , and porsche ) . After describing all the problems with my assumption of the starter being bad , he told me these cars rarely have starter problems. He mentioned that these E60's have bad ignition switches that tend to go bad with high mileage cars ( mine has 104k on it now ) , crossing my fingers I hope it's the ignition switch or the switch on the clutch pedal that activates the power when fully engaged. If the starter is the problem it's going to cost about 800 for it installed because he thinks the intake manifold will need to be removed in order to access it.
crossing my fingers to find out the problem on monday. I'll keep you posted.
This just happened to me today . My battery has been low on power for some time now , so I checked the cell on the battery and nothing was there. The chart tells you if the cell is black or yellow the battery is done. So i called AAA , they came out and put a new battery in with a 6 year warranty for 170.00 installed. About to turn the car on and still the same thing , all the power comes on and just does not want to crank over. Being a Manual I got a little push and pop the clutch and it turned on. I called my mechanic ( certified tech for range rover , bmw , and porsche ) . After describing all the problems with my assumption of the starter being bad , he told me these cars rarely have starter problems. He mentioned that these E60's have bad ignition switches that tend to go bad with high mileage cars ( mine has 104k on it now ) , crossing my fingers I hope it's the ignition switch or the switch on the clutch pedal that activates the power when fully engaged. If the starter is the problem it's going to cost about 800 for it installed because he thinks the intake manifold will need to be removed in order to access it.
crossing my fingers to find out the problem on monday. I'll keep you posted.
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