e46 330 auto problem. warning light

[pitbull turbo]

hi
i am having another problem with my 330 auto convertible.
i was stuck in a bit of traffic on the m25 then pulled up to my girlfriends work to pick her up and a warning sign came up next to the auto boxt display and now the car makes a nasty clonk noise when selection drive and it feels like it is stuck in a high grear. it won't allow you to put it in maual mode and sports mode won't change the gear either.
i am guessing its the torque convertor box or something.
main problem is i have only had the car a month and it is still under a warrenty but it only covers £500's wprth of repair in one go and i am sure it will cost more than that by a long way to repair.
any help guys?

[f1stoxfan]

Go back to the dealer,and ask him nicely to fix the problem,regardless of the warranty claim limit,he has to by law fix the problem within a reasonable time period,a grey area i know but its generally up to 6 months,being a car dealer i know this from experience! Hopefully its nothing too serious in any case

[pitbull turbo]

the problem is i have had issues with the car from day one and it started off with the cd changer not working which i fixed, then the heater failed and i am still without a heater as he won't fix it and that happened a week after i bought it and now this a month on.
he just thinks as it was working before i bought it he is ok. i have spoken to trading standards but i am wporried it will go to court and he will win.

[f1stoxfan]

there is no way in the world he will win if it goes to court, the car has to be fit for purpose,i would get an independent aa or rac report done on the car,and we all know that they will find more faults then you have found with the car,then go back to him and see if he is any more helpful after that,you do have to give him the chance to rectify any faults,but by the sound of things he is not being reasonable,if he still isnt being fair,take him to court.Hopefully you have paid via credit card which in that case they can get you your money back if the problem isnt resolved

[pitbull turbo]

well i paid some on a card some on finace and some p/x
he isn't being fair and trading standards don't think he is either but for a cost of a heater unit is wasn't going to risk it but everything has got alot more serious now as a new gearbox is about 3700 + fitting!

i think i will phoneed the warrenty place monday as i can't get home in time to phone them today and then if its not going to cover it phone trading standards and get a inspection done.
what put me off was i spoke to a bmw dealer and they said i stood little chance and trading standards wouldn't want to back me up.

[f1stoxfan]

us dealers will try to get away with as much as possible if we can! but a heater not working and not putting it right is a bit unfair,its not the end of the world cost wise,any half decent warranty should cover that part of your problem,the gearbox is a bit more of a worry,maybe just a switch or software upgrade will cure the problem,but impossible to say without proper diagnosis,worst case maybe recon gearbox approx £1500 again your warranty should pay towards the cost.I just cant understand a dealer why a dealer wouldnt want to help you so soon after purchase or at least contributing towards repair costs.Maybe going back to the dealer when he has a few customers wandering around may change his attitude!

[pitbull turbo]

yeah it is really bad. in the end i got him to pay for labour and il pay for the part on the heater although the heater part was £300 and the labour was 1 hour! it was his mates garage to so i bet paid nothing but the garage then got it wrong and said sorry the part isn't at fault and you will now need to take it to bmw to fix as i don't have any diagnostic equipment! he also was the guy who done the inspection2 and said he is a bmw specliest even though he has no diagnotic stuff!
the warrenty does say it will only cover £500 which is rather crap for a 13k car!

i think i will be talking to him and trading standards again on monday

[f1stoxfan]

hope you get a result,good luck

[pitbull turbo]

thanks mate :-)
if it doesn't go well and he refunds me i might be making a vist to your show room :-) need a run around anyway so do you have a link to your website?

[pitbull turbo]

i have also noticed it reverses fine but the mirror doesn't drop down> it makes a littlewhine noise but nothing to bad and almost seams like clutch slip but why would it fail like that and also why reverse fine? it just finds it really hard to pull away like no clutch or in 5th.

[v8guinness]

From a purely technical point of view for a second, it sounds like the gearbox is in a limp home strategy, and may well only be allowing one gear in Drive, you'd need to get the codes read to find out why, it may not be major, but then it might be...

[pitbull turbo]

i would say that to and it seam more limited rather than something crunching and grinding .

[taylor86]

my mate just chopped his 330 cab in at a dealer because the gearbox was clunking just like yours and wanted to avoid an inevitable bill, he also had a faulty heater...yours isnt reg no. LM52 NKG is it???

The box can do that from not changing the box and diff fluids, the service book says it should be done at 60k in insp 2 but i would get it done every 30k.

i searched on other forums for this symptom and what causes it, the gearbox is basically on its way out, something do with a bearing, i cant remember the exact problem as it was a while ago i will have another look if i get a chance.

As for the mirror not dipping in reverse are you sure you have switched the mirror switch on the drivers door to the right?? put it in reverse and switch it left and right to see if that works.

[pitbull turbo]

great i really don't need a new gearbox. lets hope changing the fluid will help. it should be going to a indy in the next couple of days for repair. it doesn't seam to clonk now though just not wanting to go forward properly.
what sort of costs would a gearbox be as i have heard they are £3700 from bmw but im sure it can be done cheaper.
i might have to get it fixed as cheap as posible and then sell it as im not liking this car at all and it has been the worst car i have ever owned!

its not your mates car. its a 53 plate.

i will try the mirror. :-) i was hoping it was just a solinoid or a switch that had gone.
can this box be rebuilt?

[john_p]

Limp home mode means it stays in 3rd IIRC, so it'll drive pretty badly. Gearbox oil should be filled for life, and there is no clear consensus on whether changing the fluid helps or not - however as the gearbox is already having problems then it's probably worth a try. The procedure has to be done properly so you are best taking it to a auto transmission specialist.

Have a search about for decent specialists - get them to diagnose the problem - then negotiate with the supplying dealer about covering the costs, whatever's required.

If it needs a new box, then budget £1000-£1500 for a recon gearbox from a specialist.

Edited by john_p on Sunday 13th December 16:08

[pitbull turbo]

i am going to phone a couple of bmw indies in surrey tomorrow asap.
hopefully they can tow the car as i am guessing its not safe to drive.
the car also has other issues so i can get them to look at these to.
i know the dealer will refuse to pay as i have had this twice now with him, so i will ask him to pay but i bet money on another phone call to trading standards for legal advice.
i am very happy that a refurbished box is only about £1000-£1500 as i had horrible images of getting out a loan to cover thousands of pounds worth of damage wheres a grand or so i can cover without getting a loan.
also means i will either be without a car over xmas or get a hire car as i will have to be able to get around otherwise it will be a horrible christmas.

there isn't a away of resetting the car to see if i can get it out of limp home mode?

[Vee]

pitbull turbo said:

yeah it is really bad. in the end i got him to pay for labour and il pay for the part on the heater although the heater part was £300 and the labour was 1 hour! it was his mates garage to so i bet paid nothing but the garage then got it wrong and said sorry the part isn't at fault and you will now need to take it to bmw to fix as i don't have any diagnostic equipment! he also was the guy who done the inspection2 and said he is a bmw specliest even though he has no diagnotic stuff!
the warrenty does say it will only cover £500 which is rather crap for a 13k car!

i think i will be talking to him and trading standards again on monday

Whatever is wrong with the heat, it isn't your problem.
Have you at least got the new part or has his mate kept it and told you that it wasn't faulty ?

Stop thinking about the warranty limit of £500 - you should not be claiming off this warranty.
I'm sure major faults like the heater and gearbox, within 3 months, are the dealers problem.
Make one phone call to tell him that he either agree to fix it or you'll raise the issue with your credit card company. I believe that they'll take the money back from him if he doesn't give them good reason. If this isn't a large amount then also tell him you'll get it repaired as he's refusing to do so, and then take it to the small claims court.

[pitbull turbo]

yeah that is exactlly what i will do but i need to find out whats wrong and any other issues it might be and then i will send him letters asking if he will pay and if not take him to a small claims court