Bmw E83 X3 auto box
Discussion
Hi all, due to an increase in family size this year we want to change from a 1 series up to an x3 purely for more room and higher ground clearance. We are quite keen to go for the 3.0d but they only seem to come with an autobox. I have to admit I'm not a massive fan of automatics so what I'm asking is how reliable are the bmw auto boxes? We are looking at between an 06 and 07 plate. Any input welcome. Many thanks
Hi there
The BMW auto boxes are manufacturered by ZF, and in general are very reliable, and work very well. One caveat; BMW categorically state that no servicing of the automatic transmission is ever required; however, this is an out and out lie. ZF, the people who design and manufacture the units, state the service intervals on the 6-speed autoboxes (the ones that are fitted to the vehicles you are looking at) are 60,000-80,000 miles. Most people will never get their transmission serviced, but having had it done recently to my wifes 2005 model year BMW 120D, I would say it makes a noticable improvement. The cost is high (we had a very capable friend do it for about £400), but consider that you may only do it once during your ownership of a vehicle, at most twice, and the cost per 10,000 miles isnt actually that great - certainly on par with oil changes. Consider that if an automatic transmission were to fail it could cost several thousands of pounds to repair / rebuild / replace (depending on what needs to be done, of course), then having them serviced is very important. I dont think they fail that often though, I certainly dont see many reports (if any) of them going wrong. The only incidence of one that I know of going wrong turned out to be a related electronics issue, and a swap of some components solved the issue for not a great deal of money.
In general, they are good units, solid and robust. I enjoy driving my wifes auto, it makes driving a bit more comfortable. I still enjoy driving manual, but it's just another thing to think about on a long journey.
The BMW auto boxes are manufacturered by ZF, and in general are very reliable, and work very well. One caveat; BMW categorically state that no servicing of the automatic transmission is ever required; however, this is an out and out lie. ZF, the people who design and manufacture the units, state the service intervals on the 6-speed autoboxes (the ones that are fitted to the vehicles you are looking at) are 60,000-80,000 miles. Most people will never get their transmission serviced, but having had it done recently to my wifes 2005 model year BMW 120D, I would say it makes a noticable improvement. The cost is high (we had a very capable friend do it for about £400), but consider that you may only do it once during your ownership of a vehicle, at most twice, and the cost per 10,000 miles isnt actually that great - certainly on par with oil changes. Consider that if an automatic transmission were to fail it could cost several thousands of pounds to repair / rebuild / replace (depending on what needs to be done, of course), then having them serviced is very important. I dont think they fail that often though, I certainly dont see many reports (if any) of them going wrong. The only incidence of one that I know of going wrong turned out to be a related electronics issue, and a swap of some components solved the issue for not a great deal of money.
In general, they are good units, solid and robust. I enjoy driving my wifes auto, it makes driving a bit more comfortable. I still enjoy driving manual, but it's just another thing to think about on a long journey.
I have this combo in my 2006 E91, never had an auto before this car but it really suits the low rev nature of the bigger derv engine, it makes for a very relaxed way of making progress, knock it into sport mode and the changes sharpen up and it revs harder.
Had a gearbox service done last week, for just under £400, it needs about 9L of oil which is where most of the cost comes from I'd imagine, car is on 88K nothing wrong with the gearbox just a nice to do rather than must for me.
Had a gearbox service done last week, for just under £400, it needs about 9L of oil which is where most of the cost comes from I'd imagine, car is on 88K nothing wrong with the gearbox just a nice to do rather than must for me.
e460rob said:
...We are quite keen to go for the 3.0d but they only seem to come with an autobox. I have to admit I'm not a massive fan of automatics so what I'm asking is how reliable are the bmw auto boxes?
Mine was absolutely fine. Went from 53k miles to 112k without any gearbox issues at all. I was planning a gearbox fluid change, but ended up p/exing the car.I would suggest that the ZF 6 speed with that engine is actually a better combination than the manual. The smooth engine works very well with that gearbox and the sport mode complements the power delivery very well.
I would suggest that if you do get the X3, a transfer box oil change is worthwhile as well.
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