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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > How reliable is the auto box?



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      12-22-2012, 02:56 PM   #1
Brennan
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How reliable is the auto box?

Looking at an E92 330D auto. Ive had no experience ever with automatic cars, always drove a manual (stick shift).

How reliable are auto BMWs?
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      12-22-2012, 09:25 PM   #2
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I can only assume that the transmission is a ZF what 6 spd?
If you change the fluid (ignore BMW 100K miles changes here) every 50K miles your transmission should go well past 200K miles unless you abuse it...
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      12-23-2012, 09:29 PM   #3
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Im not sure what sort of auto transmission it is mate, its a 2006 E92 330 Diesel coupe (UK Right hand drive)

As ive said ive never had an auto before, no experience of them. Do they not use oil like a manual gearbox? what sort of fluid do they take?
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      12-24-2012, 01:18 PM   #4
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Assuming you have a ZF 6 spd it takes Lifeguard6.
Go to realoem.com and check what transmission it is.
I think you can find it at a dealer and it takes most likely 5-6L with no filter change. Just open the fill port to make sure it can be opened, open the drain port, drain out the fluid. Plug the drain port, fill the fill port (you need a hand pump) until it weaps out. Now start the car and allow the fluid to get to 80-120F. Once there leave the engine running and pull the fill plug and continue to refill until it weaks out. Done.
Your transmision is:
AUTOMATIC GEARBOX GA6HP26Z
from realoem.com
Here is where you can get the LG6
http://www.thectsc.com/

Don't use anything else as it appears this is a ZF transmission and they don't take well to other than LG6
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      12-25-2012, 12:09 AM   #5
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put your vin in here to find out which trans you have http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi

i bought some lg6+pan last summer and had my mechanic do the flush. cost me about 350 in parts and shipping, plus labor. im sure you will hit 150k+ before you might run into any problems.
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      12-25-2012, 05:21 PM   #6
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This is the car im looking to potentially buy. I dont own the car so i do not have the VIN.



Always thought Le Mans Blue was an awesome colour
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      12-25-2012, 06:03 PM   #7
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you should easily be able to get the VIN even if you don't own it. All sellers provide it so that potential buyers can research the car's history (carfax, etc.)
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      12-26-2012, 11:53 AM   #8
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the majority of e9x owners on this forum must own autos, can someone advise me
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      12-26-2012, 12:40 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron.B View Post
the majority of e9x owners on this forum must own autos, can someone advise me
Er... Are you looking for "half-drunk dumbass" kind of advice? If so, here you go:

Just bye teh car, mate! This is the Untilmate Dreeving Machine (tm)! You'll be all right!

Now, if you want a meaningful advice, then, as it has already been explained to you repeatedly, it is not about "majority of e9x owners" who "own autos". It is about determining the specific automatic gearbox brand and model installed in that car, and then asking people who own cars with exactly the same gearbox about their experiences.

"2006 E92 330 Diesel coupe (UK Right hand drive)" is good information, but I personally can't tell off the top of my head what model of automatic gearbox this car uses. And with typical BMW's practice of changing components mid-run, it would be very nice to have the VIN.

Last edited by AndreyT; 12-26-2012 at 12:45 PM..
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      12-28-2012, 05:14 AM   #10
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One thing i noticed, very few Le Mans Blue on the site, how come?
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      12-28-2012, 08:06 AM   #11
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Great looking car. My US 335d will be getting a trams fluid change over the summer. I have 46k miles or so now.
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      12-29-2012, 03:04 PM   #12
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OK the guy text me the VIN of the car, the last 7 digits are 'PD50029'
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      12-29-2012, 03:10 PM   #13
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Transmission Model: GA6HP-26Z
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      12-29-2012, 03:14 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron.B View Post
Looking at an E92 330D auto. Ive had no experience ever with automatic cars, always drove a manual (stick shift).

How reliable are auto BMWs?
More reliable than a Manual by far!
__________________
My speeding isn't the problem. It's the Slow Folks ahead of me that cause accidents!
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      12-29-2012, 03:26 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChasVS View Post
More reliable than a Manual by far!
Than a Manual in a 1986 Hyundai Excel?
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      12-30-2012, 08:05 AM   #16
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guys, can you tell by the VIN does it have a good autobox?
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      12-30-2012, 11:02 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron.B View Post
One thing i noticed, very few Le Mans Blue on the site, how come?
I dunno! I love blue BMW's though
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      12-30-2012, 08:53 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyR83 View Post
I dunno! I love blue BMW's though
they are great
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      12-31-2012, 09:22 AM   #19
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Ive just found out its Montego blue, not LeMans
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      12-31-2012, 02:21 PM   #20
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Do your research diligently. research by asking trusted mechanics, google searches, ect on the transmission you may potentially be buying. Look hard for an answer you may not want to hear.

The first response by fun2drive is a sound one....and it is based on knowing a few things.

-the car has not been abused
-the car has been well maintained
-the fluids of the car ARE NOT lifetime and have been treated as such

Try to get the service records if you can. this will tell you alot about the car, the owner and their habits. Has the car been brought to a dealership and babied, or taken to Joe schmo auto wreckers for its oil changes.

Two fluids that are forgotten about more than they are remembered are Tranny fluid and powersteering fluid. Both need to be changed at regular intervals along with the more commonly known brake, cooling, oil and differential(s) fluids.

One other note, the transfer case fluid after 40-60,000 should be changed too....(XI only)....

I am battling transmission (GM) issues now and understand your concerns.
(dreaded shudder)

If you can drive the car past the point to where it is warmed up sufficiently...that means not just the motor, but the tranny too!.....and all is well...then you have a better chance of finding most problems.

Drive the car if you can!....Take a mechanic friend who knows BMWs......you are about to invest pretty heavily in your next mode of transport......


JP
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      12-31-2012, 03:02 PM   #21
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Mine has been great for 7 yrs. I dont abuse it at all. I did have an issue with my Sport mode where It did not respond but it was due to some bad wiring. I spliced wires together and fixed it on my own thanks for a DIY here on this forum.
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