Help! 330d Automatic Gearbox Failure
Discussion
I am posting this on behalf of a friend, he has just called me and informed me that following some nasty vibrations and a breakdown. His local BMW dealer have diagnosed his 2002 BMW 330d as needing a replacement auto gearbox, fitted at 3.5k.
As I am sure you'll agree that is an awful lot of money for a car that's probably only worth ~£10k or so, so he's looking for alternatives. Another hitch is the car isn't drivable and his recovery service have already taken the car to his dealer. Anyway, transport problem aside, my thoughts were a refurbished unit fitted a a reputable BMW/german car specialist.
Has anyone experienced a similar problem and how much is he realistically likely to get the price down too, if were talking £300-600 saving at best he'll probably just bite the bullet and give BMW the go ahead. So are any such specialists anyone can recommend in the Hampshire/Surrey area?
As I am sure you'll agree that is an awful lot of money for a car that's probably only worth ~£10k or so, so he's looking for alternatives. Another hitch is the car isn't drivable and his recovery service have already taken the car to his dealer. Anyway, transport problem aside, my thoughts were a refurbished unit fitted a a reputable BMW/german car specialist.
Has anyone experienced a similar problem and how much is he realistically likely to get the price down too, if were talking £300-600 saving at best he'll probably just bite the bullet and give BMW the go ahead. So are any such specialists anyone can recommend in the Hampshire/Surrey area?
How about him use this as an excellent option to change cars - and specifically part x it with the BMW garage its sat in.
If he part x's the car for say £7k without gearbox working vs part x it with gearbox fixed it will not be worth the difference between the lower value and the higher value, due to the fact that £450 odd is VAT on that repair job.
ALso if there are any other issues with the car its a well worth idea + @ 2002 it is now getting quite "old" and could easily have over 100k on it given ave ish milage, so get a nice upgrade.
If he part x's the car for say £7k without gearbox working vs part x it with gearbox fixed it will not be worth the difference between the lower value and the higher value, due to the fact that £450 odd is VAT on that repair job.
ALso if there are any other issues with the car its a well worth idea + @ 2002 it is now getting quite "old" and could easily have over 100k on it given ave ish milage, so get a nice upgrade.
Well I guess there are two things to consider here;
1 What else is wrong with the car? What are the big bills due in say the next 12/24/36/48 months.
2 How long was he intending on keeping the car in the first place? Then lets presume that he does have the box changed how much extra per month will that cost (as extra depreciation).
OR is it possible to change it to a manual (which I guess is cheaper than an Auto) might be worth looking into.
OR is it possible to strip down the box and replace the borken parts rather than a totally new box
1 What else is wrong with the car? What are the big bills due in say the next 12/24/36/48 months.
2 How long was he intending on keeping the car in the first place? Then lets presume that he does have the box changed how much extra per month will that cost (as extra depreciation).
OR is it possible to change it to a manual (which I guess is cheaper than an Auto) might be worth looking into.
OR is it possible to strip down the box and replace the borken parts rather than a totally new box
The ZF 5HP19 gearbox fitted to the 328/330/B3 3.3/3.4 is standard off the shelf stuff.
Sussex Auto Parts Ltd
Units 40-44
Station Road Industrial Estate
Hailsham
Sussex, BN27 2EY
Tel: 01323 848 886
http://www.sussexautos.co.uk
Are the South East main agent for ZF transmissions.
From memory, it's about £1250 all up for a full overhaul on one of these.
Sussex Auto Parts Ltd
Units 40-44
Station Road Industrial Estate
Hailsham
Sussex, BN27 2EY
Tel: 01323 848 886
http://www.sussexautos.co.uk
Are the South East main agent for ZF transmissions.
From memory, it's about £1250 all up for a full overhaul on one of these.
cptsideways said:
A local garage will be able to swap boxes in half a day easy enough. I doubt it'll cost you more than £300 for the job.
Still £300 is £300 and that could be a nice weekend away/car ins for the next year and when your doing the job you will be learning & have a great sense of achievement. Please note its not the easiest job to do and if you struggle to change the oil & brake pads I'd highl recommend you dont do it.
I can rebuild engines, diffs, manual gearboxes and almost any other mechanical or electrical component on my car.
Even I won't attempt a even touch an Auto tranmission - if you get it wrong, it's another gearbox destroyed.
For the sake of paying someone to fit it, and having an element of come-back should the box fail/drop off/explode dramatically, it's a false economy to do it yourself.
Arguably it's a false economy to do anything other than get it overhauled professionally - getting a secondhand box from a breakers gives you the opportunity to replace a broken gearbox with a worn-out or about-to-break gearbox.
In addition, if he then sells the car privately, a professionally overhauled gearbox is a selling point in my opinion.
Even I won't attempt a even touch an Auto tranmission - if you get it wrong, it's another gearbox destroyed.
For the sake of paying someone to fit it, and having an element of come-back should the box fail/drop off/explode dramatically, it's a false economy to do it yourself.
Arguably it's a false economy to do anything other than get it overhauled professionally - getting a secondhand box from a breakers gives you the opportunity to replace a broken gearbox with a worn-out or about-to-break gearbox.
In addition, if he then sells the car privately, a professionally overhauled gearbox is a selling point in my opinion.
Dunk76 said:
I can rebuild engines, diffs, manual gearboxes and almost any other mechanical or electrical component on my car.
Even I won't attempt a even touch an Auto tranmission - if you get it wrong, it's another gearbox destroyed.
For the sake of paying someone to fit it, and having an element of come-back should the box fail/drop off/explode dramatically, it's a false economy to do it yourself.
Arguably it's a false economy to do anything other than get it overhauled professionally - getting a secondhand box from a breakers gives you the opportunity to replace a broken gearbox with a worn-out or about-to-break gearbox.
In addition, if he then sells the car privately, a professionally overhauled gearbox is a selling point in my opinion.
Well one thing to consider here - firstly you could keep all the receipts for your service history & go for the fully pro overhauled option, OR you dont put that into the history (fit it yourself) and never tell the potential buyer that a problem ever existed. He'd have to ask you specifically have you replaced the gearbox / have you replaced it with a new one or a salvaged one?Even I won't attempt a even touch an Auto tranmission - if you get it wrong, it's another gearbox destroyed.
For the sake of paying someone to fit it, and having an element of come-back should the box fail/drop off/explode dramatically, it's a false economy to do it yourself.
Arguably it's a false economy to do anything other than get it overhauled professionally - getting a secondhand box from a breakers gives you the opportunity to replace a broken gearbox with a worn-out or about-to-break gearbox.
In addition, if he then sells the car privately, a professionally overhauled gearbox is a selling point in my opinion.
I just had a little update, it seems the dealer are quite keen to do the work! So have come to an arrangement on the cost, he's asked them to carry out the oil service and another problem he has had with the rear light cluster as part of the deal.
It's still going to be a sizable bill though, owch! I think he just wants to keep the car for now, telling the missus you've brought a new car instead of re-fitting the kitchen and bathroom is probably not worth the grief, unavoidable or not! Thanks everyone.
It's still going to be a sizable bill though, owch! I think he just wants to keep the car for now, telling the missus you've brought a new car instead of re-fitting the kitchen and bathroom is probably not worth the grief, unavoidable or not! Thanks everyone.
Edited by markda on Tuesday 30th October 11:50
markda said:
I just had a little update, it seems the dealer are quite keen to do the work! So have come to an arrangement on the cost, he's asked them to carry out the oil service and another problem he has had with the rear light cluster as part of the deal.
It's still going to be a sizable bill though, owch! I think he just wants to keep the car for now, telling the missus you've brought a new car instead of re-fitting the kitchen and bathroom is probably not worth the grief, unavoidable or not! Thanks everyone.
I can imagine they are keen for the work as its quite a labour intensive job.It's still going to be a sizable bill though, owch! I think he just wants to keep the car for now, telling the missus you've brought a new car instead of re-fitting the kitchen and bathroom is probably not worth the grief, unavoidable or not! Thanks everyone.
Edited by markda on Tuesday 30th October 11:50
Either way its not good having a slush bo go on you - is it a known issue or very unusual?
The 5HP19s fail fairly frequently - especially if they've spent their whole life doing city/town driving.
The 2nd and 3rd gear bands are the worst offenders. TCs known to warp/fracture.
The most interesting thing about them is;
BMW GB say = 5HP19 gearbox is sealed for life, and does not include any serviceable parts.
BMW NA (USA) say = 5HP19 gearbox oil service intervals are every 20,000 miles (IIRC). Serviceable parts include Torque Convertor, Valve/Solenoid Unit, and filter assembly.
Hmmmmm
The 2nd and 3rd gear bands are the worst offenders. TCs known to warp/fracture.
The most interesting thing about them is;
BMW GB say = 5HP19 gearbox is sealed for life, and does not include any serviceable parts.
BMW NA (USA) say = 5HP19 gearbox oil service intervals are every 20,000 miles (IIRC). Serviceable parts include Torque Convertor, Valve/Solenoid Unit, and filter assembly.
Hmmmmm
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