'07 550i with a transmission leak I cannot seem to nail down. Changed the pan a couple of years ago as part of a fluid/filter change, and it's seeped endlessly since (was dry before that). I have pulled, cleaned, checked and reinstalled it twice, I did the sleeve (which is nice and dry) and valve body connector. The tranny appears to be clean and dry above the pan. The entire pan becomes wet and all of the bolts end up with fluid dripping off of them. Last time I pulled the pan I coated the surface with aviation sealer as a last-ditch effort; no go, just had to add two more quarts of Pentosin and the whole pan is wet again. Am I missing something here?

Also, any recommendations for a good independent shop in the PNW area? The tranny issue is becoming more annoying (shifting issues etc as it leaks fluid), and now I have house projects going on that don't leave any free time to work on the car - which the wife commutes in every day, so you know I hear about it when it's not right...

 

There is a certain pattern you must right the bolts in also torque them to specs

 

Yep, and with the plastic pan you have to go around about 3 times too; with 20+ bolts it gets pretty tiring holding your arms + torque wrench over your head...

 

Have you looked at your pan and the spot it seals to to make sure it is not defected. I have done a few of them myself/helped others and never had the issue of a leaking pan. What was the brand of your pan

 

Yeah, looked at it pretty carefully, nothing obvious and it seems flat (straightedge across it). IIRC it came from Napa but it was in a box with German all over it...I can't think of the brand now, but at the time I bought it did a bunch of research about which manufacturer's to get, and oddly that was what Napa had on their shelf. I'd recognize it if I heard it.

 

Ok. Your pan has a gasket that does not come with the pan unless you get the kit if I'm not mistaken. Was it purchased in addition to the pan or did you reuse the old one.

 

The part number is 24-11-7-571-204-BOE

 

When I replaced my pan several years ago, I decided to check it a week later to see if it was successful. Unfortunately, the pan was wet again. I decided to retighten the bolts since I didn't use a torque wrench. A week later, all was dry.

Also, beware of counterfeit or cheap "German" parts. I purchased a German made (Hamburg Technic) valve cover gasket set for the N62 and installed it. After several weeks, both sides started leaking. I was pretty annoyed. I retightened but the leaking got worse. Looks like this brand has bad reviews online. This time I bought genuine BMW VCG and reinstalled and it is nice and dry. After removing the gaskets which were only on the car for several months, they were already brittle and started cracking. They were definitely pliable before installation.

 

Pan is o-ringed, don't remember if the new one came with it or not but it was replaced. I tried to retorque the bolts but they were all solid...

That stinks having to do valve cover gaskets twice, done that

Those are good thoughts about the pan itself...From reading reviews of various pans, it seems like they are mostly positive without issues, with the occasional negative one with the same problem as I'm having. Maybe it is just a bad pan that's warped or something.