Car_Almond

Yep my 07 530xi ( 93,000 miles) had the infamous "mechatronic transmission sleeve" leak. From the link above it shows the o-rings get a powdery corrosion from the metal.

It does seem strange that BMW, who charges premium prices for a car they seem to be proud of, can't recall the thing and pay for it, keeping more customers. They have no excuses. Design defect.

Car_Almond

I took about a year to get it fixed, and it was only about a quart low of transmission fluid when I finally got it fixed. Slow leak anyway, seldom does damage to the transmissions.

almandee26

I JUST HAD THE SAME PROBLEM MY TRANNY STARTED SKIPPING ON ME WHEN I TOOK IT THE MY MECHANIC IT WAS LEAKING FROM THE PAN JUST LIKE YIUR . All I HAD TO DO WAS CHANGE THE SEAL AND THE OIL PAN NOT A BIG PROBLEM BUT YOU COULD RUN LOW ON IOL LIKE I WAS THAT'S WHY MY CAR WASN'T SHIFTING CORRECTLY BE CARFULL . IN PARTS AND LABOR I SPEND $ 210 . MY ADVISE HAVE THAT CHECK A.S.A.P SO THAT YOUR TRANNY WON'T GIVE AWAY .

TU2TLE

buy the tranmission pan which comes with the gasket. ATP has one for about $70. you then need to purchase 7 quarts of Pentosin ATF1. your transmission takes 9 quarts, but you have about 2 quarts you wont be able to remove. 7 is all you will need ($15-17 a liter). go to a mechanic who knows how to do this change correctly. you must go through the gears, one by one to do it correctly. if you have these parts your labor shouldn't be more than $200. good luck.

BTW dealer charges about $1,000 to get this done.

virgil

Hi,

Sorry to bump this old thread but I have a leaky transmission pan on my 05/2006 E60 530d pre-LCI. The mechanic has pointed out that there is also a leak from an electrical gasket higher up. He said this may be the sole source of the leak and that it might be running around the pan gasket as it runs down the side of the transmission. The fluid is dropping on the garage floor, in one spot only on the right side of the transmission. Is that where the electrical gasket is?

Has anyone had experience with this and is it expensive to fix?

Given the age of the car and my intention to keep it for many years yet, I'm inclined to get the pan gasket (including the whole filter kit), electrical gasket, and new fluid all done at once. I'm located in Sydney Australia and wondering how much this should cost?

Car_Almond

Yes, your electrical connector is leaking on that side. This is typically referred to as a mechatronic sleeve leak. This happens very often, almost a sure thing it will happen according to my dealership mechanic.

Very expensive to fix. I don't know about Australia, but in the U.S. thats going to cost $500 for parts and labor. Ouch.

You can get all new fluid, although its really not necessary, kind of a waste I think. Pan gasket is a must, though, since they have to drop the pan and re-install.

BimmerFan52

Virgil,

You didn't say how many miles are on your tranny.
If it is more than 60K miles (100,00 km) I would definitely use new fluid (either ZF LifeGuard or Pentosin ATF-1).
I would also get a new pan as the filter is integrated into the plastic pan and is not removable or replaceable separately.

This link illustrates what the mechanic is talking about when he says "electrical gasket'.
http://www.thectsc.com/images/pdf/6_speed_sleeve_replacement.pdf

You can't replace the mechatronic sleeve without dropping the pan so it is best to do it all at once, especially since you want to keep the car.

I can't speak to your cost in Australia but in the US a kit which includes a new pan, gasket, mechatronics sleeve and 6 quarts of fluid is about US$240.
Oil change kit for 6HP19/21

Labor at an independent BMW specialist would be approximately US$150-200.

Because the torque converter holds fluid which will not drain out when the pan is dropped, if you want nearly total fresh fluid, plan on driving a few hundred miles after the new pan is put on and then bring it back in for another drain and fill, which will require another 6 quarts of fluid. Drain and fill labor is much cheaper than dropping the pan.

But after that you will have about 85% fresh fluid and will be good for another 50-60K miles. This will substantially extend the life of your transmission.

virgil

Hi BimmerFan52,

Thanks for the informative reply.

My car has done just over 130,000km (81,000 miles).

I looked through the link you provided and understand what needs to be done. However, I now doubt the competency of an independent and intend to take the car back to the dealership for this work. I want to be sure its going to last.

AxlBrix

I got the same problem with my Bmw 535 Gladly i tried to research a lot, this forum help me and another website named youcanic, i notice the picture above seems that the oil seal near the transmission is broken thats the same problem i got mine