[ryandunnahoo]

Hello BMW drivers. I do not really use the forums all that often, so I am not very familiar with posting.

Sunday afternoon, I took my car to college which is about a 200 mile drive, but as I got about 50 miles away, my car had an issue. I did not floor the car, but I accelerated quickly to maintain speed with the highway traffic, and my car sort of like jerked into gear between probably about 3-4 or 4-5 gear. After this, my car gave me a yellow warning light on the dash which is the transmission light which showed a gear with an exclamation point in it. Then the car would not even shift at all, so I pulled over and restarted the car and everything was fine.

I'm not too sure what happened, but I drive a 2006 BMW 330i with the sport package and automatic transmission. The car has about 157K miles.

[Pladi]

Originally Posted by ryandunnahoo

Hello BMW drivers. I do not really use the forums all that often, so I am not very familiar with posting.

Sunday afternoon, I took my car to college which is about a 200 mile drive, but as I got about 50 miles away, my car had an issue. I did not floor the car, but I accelerated quickly to maintain speed with the highway traffic, and my car sort of like jerked into gear between probably about 3-4 or 4-5 gear. After this, my car gave me a yellow warning light on the dash which is the transmission light which showed a gear with an exclamation point in it. Then the car would not even shift at all, so I pulled over and restarted the car and everything was fine.

I'm not too sure what happened, but I drive a 2006 BMW 330i with the sport package and automatic transmission. The car has about 157K miles.

So i would say the first thing to do is Flush the transmission oil if you have never done that. You could potentially need a new or rebuilt selenoid module what they call the mechatronic unit. First step is a flush however. Def.

You also can at this point with a good BMW tool and some research find the transmission codes for this issue. They will be clear with a tool like ISTA or INPA. The tools are free.

[AoS810]

I agree w/ Pladi, scan the car for codes but instead of a "flush", perform a drain & fill w/ transmission filter change (should be integrated with the pan on ZF trans). I suggest drain & fill instead of a "flush" as that may introduce more issues.

[ryandunnahoo]

I was told that BMW transmission have lifetime fluid? I used to work at BMW and I would ask the techs if they would change the fluid, and they said not to. My dad says I should replace it, though. Also, what is ISTA and INPA? I need to do some research lol.

[Pladi]

Originally Posted by ryandunnahoo

I was told that BMW transmission have lifetime fluid? I used to work at BMW and I would ask the techs if they would change the fluid, and they said not to. My dad says I should replace it, though. Also, what is ISTA and INPA? I need to do some research lol.

Yes we are here to guide you ultimately and we are not here to solve all your issues because thats a full time job. So you need to do alot of research.

The fluid has to be replaced as to the manufacturer ZF. BMW did not make the transmission. So they dont actually know. ZF says replace it. I would listen to ZF.

[Fritzer]

Originally Posted by ryandunnahoo

I was told that BMW transmission have lifetime fluid? I used to work at BMW and I would ask the techs if they would change the fluid, and they said not to. My dad says I should replace it, though. Also, what is ISTA and INPA? I need to do some research lol.

The whole lifetime fluid issue has been debated for years on here haha! Some say after a certain point it is unwise to change it due to releasing stuck particulate into the rest of the transmission and causing more issues, while if you've done regular fluid changes sub-100k miles you should keep doing so. Generally I would say just do a drain and refill. Probably not a flush as that could cause some issues. I don't know why BMW insists on the lifetime fluid stuff, it's not very difficult to do.

[ryandunnahoo]

Yeah this car is my step mom's old car, and I'm pretty sure she never replaced the transmission fluid. I think I'm just going to have my dad replace it, but not flush it completely.

[ryandunnahoo]

Also, idk if it is worth noting, but the car prior to this had a harsh 2-1 downshift when coming to a complete stop. I heard it is something to do with a flex disc?

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by Fritzer

The whole lifetime fluid issue has been debated for years on here haha! Some say after a certain point it is unwise to change it due to releasing stuck particulate into the rest of the transmission and causing more issues,.

that's a myth perpetuated by instances exactly like this.

"My transmission started acting up."
"I changed the fluid"
"New fluid killed my transmission!"
When the reality is that most people neglect the fluid until the transmission malfunctions and by that time maybe you've done hard part damage or maybe not.


service it and make sure the level is correct and that it has no leaks. It simply could be low on fluid because it has a leaky seal somewhere.

[ryandunnahoo]

I feel like I do have a leaky seal somewhere tbh because my dad who has been working on the car for months to refreshen the suspension says he thinks that's part of it probably.

[Pladi]

Make sure your dad knows how to add fluid to these transmissions its done at a very specific temperature window. Otherwise MORE problems

[Meeni]

There are a couple of internal seal in the ZF transmission that are prone to breaking. Will cause low oil pressure and clutch pack slipping. If left unatended will damage the transmission for good. I'd do the fluid change but also prepare to replace the rubber parts.
http://www.thectsc.com/products/seal...21-218-43.html

as well as the 'two squares' rubber part that connects the mechatronic to the clutches/

[BimmerNugget]

Originally Posted by AoS810

I agree w/ Pladi, scan the car for codes but instead of a "flush", perform a drain & fill w/ transmission filter change (should be integrated with the pan on ZF trans). I suggest drain & fill instead of a "flush" as that may introduce more issues.

Take this advice very seriously.....at that mileage (157k) you should definitely not do a flush. Just a drain and fill of the transmission fluid. You should replace the transmission filter and transmission pan gasket as well.

For the fluid, don't get the ZF Life guard 6....it's silly expensive. Get the Valvoline Multi Vehicle ATF, it's Shell M1375 and life guard 6 approved.