90k Trans Fluid Change?
10-24-2013, 04:37 PM
#12
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Glad you approve, blueswede. It has brought me peace of mind and hopefully extra life to the transmission. I pick the car up tomorrow and will report on the condition of the all the fluids. Yes, both differential fluids will have been changed as well. They found a mount (1 of 3) that holds the transfer case deteriorated to the point of needing replacement. Good thing I opted to flush the fluid.
The electric water pump scares me, since I take this car from coast to coast across the US. What a terrible location for a design fault. I miss having an "old fashioned" water temperature gauge. That seems to be a thing of the past in car designs now. Now I hear that car tells you on the screen, prompting a panic stop I'm sure.
The engine is great and the vehicle design is great, but during the past 10k miles, it has felt much like your XC70 with all the parts needing to be replaced (coil pack, after cat O2 sensor, tie rods, oil/trans leaks, on and on.) I am hoping 85k miles is the magic number for this car in regards to maintenance. I have never driven a fussier car.
Oh not to worry- rants can be a good thing! I had a good rant to BMW when the sunroof directed water onto the rear fuse panel and battery. Eco-alarmist mafia: that is a great way to summarize this sea change happening around every industry.
West: 73k miles? Yikes. How did it perform after the flush?
The electric water pump scares me, since I take this car from coast to coast across the US. What a terrible location for a design fault. I miss having an "old fashioned" water temperature gauge. That seems to be a thing of the past in car designs now. Now I hear that car tells you on the screen, prompting a panic stop I'm sure.
The engine is great and the vehicle design is great, but during the past 10k miles, it has felt much like your XC70 with all the parts needing to be replaced (coil pack, after cat O2 sensor, tie rods, oil/trans leaks, on and on.) I am hoping 85k miles is the magic number for this car in regards to maintenance. I have never driven a fussier car.
Oh not to worry- rants can be a good thing! I had a good rant to BMW when the sunroof directed water onto the rear fuse panel and battery. Eco-alarmist mafia: that is a great way to summarize this sea change happening around every industry.
West: 73k miles? Yikes. How did it perform after the flush?
10-24-2013, 09:45 PM
#13
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Not sure. It performed fine before draining the fluid. I drained the automatic transmission so it would be less messy when removing the transmission. I replaced the automatic transmission with a 6-speed manual transmission.
10-25-2013, 05:35 PM
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Re electric water pump, fortunately we only have it on one of our cars (523i 2006). That car is now on 68k and my plan is to preventative replace it, together with the thermostat, latest at 100k. Of course no guarantee it will last even 100k but likely it will so that is my bet.
Re the dreaded sunroof drains clogged getting the rear electronics fried .. well that calls for a good rant for sure. Recommended to also clean the drains in the engine compartment, located under the micro filter trims.
Re the dreaded sunroof drains clogged getting the rear electronics fried .. well that calls for a good rant for sure. Recommended to also clean the drains in the engine compartment, located under the micro filter trims.
10-25-2013, 09:27 PM
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West: I am still trying to tell if there is a difference now with the new fluids. At least I know its clean.
I was wondering if you had replaced the auto with a manual based on your profile. Sounds like an interesting swap.
blueswede: I picked up the car today but the techs were out. I'll find out about the condition of the fluids on Monday.
About the electric water pump, when your replace yours, is the replacement the same flawed model? I have been considering a preventative myself, but I have a sinking worry that the replacement will fail sooner than the original.
Engine compartment drains- I have never checked those. Thank you for the suggestion.
What amazed me about my rant (which was very polite), was how BMW acted like it was merely a fluke. Then they told me, "You are driving the ultimate driving machine. These cars need a bit more care but its a BMW." My SLC Mercedes has a 41 year old water pump that would like a word with BMW.
I was wondering if you had replaced the auto with a manual based on your profile. Sounds like an interesting swap.
blueswede: I picked up the car today but the techs were out. I'll find out about the condition of the fluids on Monday.
About the electric water pump, when your replace yours, is the replacement the same flawed model? I have been considering a preventative myself, but I have a sinking worry that the replacement will fail sooner than the original.
Engine compartment drains- I have never checked those. Thank you for the suggestion.
What amazed me about my rant (which was very polite), was how BMW acted like it was merely a fluke. Then they told me, "You are driving the ultimate driving machine. These cars need a bit more care but its a BMW." My SLC Mercedes has a 41 year old water pump that would like a word with BMW.
10-26-2013, 01:16 AM
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My Ride: 2007 530i Alpine White with Navi and Premium PackageIn progress: OEM Mtech kit, H&R Sport Springs, and 19
West: I am still trying to tell if there is a difference now with the new fluids. At least I know its clean.
I was wondering if you had replaced the auto with a manual based on your profile. Sounds like an interesting swap.
blueswede: I picked up the car today but the techs were out. I'll find out about the condition of the fluids on Monday.
About the electric water pump, when your replace yours, is the replacement the same flawed model? I have been considering a preventative myself, but I have a sinking worry that the replacement will fail sooner than the original.
Engine compartment drains- I have never checked those. Thank you for the suggestion.
What amazed me about my rant (which was very polite), was how BMW acted like it was merely a fluke. Then they told me, "You are driving the ultimate driving machine. These cars need a bit more care but its a BMW." My SLC Mercedes has a 41 year old water pump that would like a word with BMW.
I was wondering if you had replaced the auto with a manual based on your profile. Sounds like an interesting swap.
blueswede: I picked up the car today but the techs were out. I'll find out about the condition of the fluids on Monday.
About the electric water pump, when your replace yours, is the replacement the same flawed model? I have been considering a preventative myself, but I have a sinking worry that the replacement will fail sooner than the original.
Engine compartment drains- I have never checked those. Thank you for the suggestion.
What amazed me about my rant (which was very polite), was how BMW acted like it was merely a fluke. Then they told me, "You are driving the ultimate driving machine. These cars need a bit more care but its a BMW." My SLC Mercedes has a 41 year old water pump that would like a word with BMW.
If you guys have the same water pump as the 07 530i than its a relatively easy job. I did mine in 2.5 hours in front of my house and only drove the front up on ramp stands. I replaced the thermostat as well. I still wasnt sure which component failed so I just replaced both, I was at 95k when I got the overheating light.
10-26-2013, 04:28 PM
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Also, I don't know if there´s much of a difference how long the electric water pump lasts compared to the mechanical bmw used to have. My issue is that it's much more expensive and harder to replace.
10-26-2013, 04:56 PM
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If you guys have the same water pump as the 07 530i than its a relatively easy job. I did mine in 2.5 hours in front of my house and only drove the front up on ramp stands. I replaced the thermostat as well. I still wasnt sure which component failed so I just replaced both, I was at 95k when I got the overheating light.
10-26-2013, 05:08 PM
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10-27-2013, 08:43 PM
#20
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My Ride: E61 530XiT
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I would love to have the time (and confidence) to work on this car myself. I will take a look at some of the DIYs around the site.
The water pump might not actually be flawed. My indie mechanic was not impressed with it, which made me think it was because of a some design error. But maybe he, too, did not like its location along with the thermostat.
95k miles- I am not that far away. Did the light give you adequate warning to pull over?
The water pump might not actually be flawed. My indie mechanic was not impressed with it, which made me think it was because of a some design error. But maybe he, too, did not like its location along with the thermostat.
95k miles- I am not that far away. Did the light give you adequate warning to pull over?
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