Hey all,  I have a 530i 2002 m-tech. was stopped at a set of lights this morning and the automatic transmission light came on now it feels like its pulling another car behind me...

Would anyone have any ideas what might be wrong???

Please dont say its the gear box or clutch!!!

I am hoping its the sensor!!

I have had alot of trouble with this car since I bought it in April, the trouble in the begining was coil packs but the garage sorted it out for me under the warranty.Now the warranty is out

Hi there

sorry for your troubles with the car. The light can be reset and the reason why your car is so slow now is because it went into the limp home mode and drives in 3rd gear only. DEpending on the milage and service history on the car it could be a couple of things. Low fluid level due to a leak, a blocked/shagged valve or solenoid in the gearbox or as mentioned a clutch. The first two are easy enough to fix the later isn't.

I can diagnose the fault for you if you are close to Sandyford will pm you my details

Hey..

A very nice fella came up on sat and plugged the car in to a diagnostics computer and it showed up the fault is something to do with a speed sensor, anyhow he cleared it and all seems to be going well, hopefully it will stay that way..

Cheers for all the advise 

kbannon wrote: I would imagine that Andrew Rolland will be along with his expertise.

Hi been away on holibags to Tenerife so I'm just catching up on here.

There is very little you can do with the automatic transmissions in BMWs as they are "sealed for life" and do not even have a dipstick to allwo you to check the fluid.  They are not BMW made gearboxes but ZF.  All you can do is take the car to an Automatic transmission specialist.  I have just returned home from having my transmission serviced by a specialist.  Will update http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=45542&PN=2 - this thread later .

There could be a million and one things that are wrong with the transmission in your car.  The ZF 5 speed boxes are generally pretty reliable but chances are it is an electrical fault rather than a mechanical fault.  Electronics control the point at which the transmission changes gear.  Electrical solenoid valves move to allow transmission fluid to operate the clutches and brake bands that change the gears.  I had an electrical solenoid valve fail on my E39 and it cost me £702 to fix. The ECU (gearboxes electronic brain/computer) requires inputs from loads of electrical sensors in the car, from wheel sensors to input and output torque sensors.

You mention that you have had a diagnostic check done and the car has been "re-set".  Yes this will get you going again and there is a slim chance that the fault might not re-appear (the E39 are terrible for weird electrical faults) but I reckon it will re-appear, sod's law innit!

The sensor you mention could well be at fault and needs replacing.  The problem being is that it might be a gearbox out job to replace it.  Or it might be accessible after removing the sump pan.

The only thing you can do other than listen to me speculate on what might be the problem is to take it to an Automatic Transmission Specialist for a check.  He can diagniose the problem for you and then tell you how much it will be to repair it.  Anything else is just guess work at the moment.

If the warning light does come on again only drive it to the specialist as you will damage the friction clutches driving it in limp mode as you only have 3rd and 4th gear available.

Keep us posted with the outcome.

Andrew

Cheers for all that info andrew.

I havnt been driving it all week but most likely will be back driving it next week, anything shows up and il post up,one way or the other it needs the tappets re set or what ever they do with them as there is a tappety noise out of her, she got all new tappets back in may this year and the donkey in the "BMW" garage told me they will be noisy for a while till they bed in, I am now led to believe thats a load of billix so shes needing a small bit of looking after one way or the other.

I have to say I have had 325i's, 528i and a 728i before this particular one and never had a days trouble with any of them!

This 530i is doing my head in since i bought it

There is only 69,000 genuine miles and one previous owner on her so thought I was getting a good one, oh well its probably just one of those cars i guess  

Stick with it Sam, you'll get there. BMW's are wonderful cars but sometimes need some patience!

Good luck!

Mike

samantha wrote: it needs the tappets re set or what ever they do with them as there is a tappety noise out of her, she got all new tappets back in may this year and the donkey in the "BMW" garage told me they will be noisy for a while till they bed in, I am now led to believe thats a load of billix so shes needing a small bit of looking after one way or the other.

The tappets are hydraulic so cannot be adjusted.  They use engine oil as the hydraulic fluid.  What you may need is an oil change with good quality oil.  Cylinder heads have a small plastic valve in them that stops a certain amount of the oil draining back to the sump preventing starving the tappets on start up.  If this valve fails and allows oil to drain back to the sump the engine will sound tappety on start up.

Andrew

jetsetwilly2000 wrote: Newly-installed tappets might rattle when you first start it up, but not after that.

I did wonder that but that would imply that a new car would have rattley tappets.....but a new car doesn't have rattley tappets.  Until they fill with oil tappets will rattle, once they are full of oil they shouldn't rattle.

I know what will be up with it if its not sorted MACGIURE AND PATTERSON springs to mind 

Although I will not claim to know much about an engine but I didnt think tappets needed to bed in either but being a woman I was not going to say that and maby look like a right egit if I was wrong!!!

The BMW garage did put in fresh oil when that work was done on the car but what type of oil they put in I do not know..

I am wondering if maby it needs a lighter oil in it so the tappets will fill up????

Well even after being out i the car its still tappety when I get home.

Would 1 or more tappets maby need to be replaced???  

Oh meant to say cheers  for the advise and comments lads.

Re. tappet noise.  Have you dipped the car for oil recently?

Being a 530i, these can be fond of a drop of oil.  I know you said that oil was changed along with the tappets but how much mileage has been completed since then?  A 530i can use a litre in a thousand miles.  A drop in oil level, and therefore oil pressure, may mean that there isn't enough oil circulating to the head and tappets.

With my recently departed 330Ci I could always tell by the sound of the engine if it needed dipping and a top up.

Dergside wrote: Re. tappet noise.  Have you dipped the car for oil recently? Being a 530i, these can be fond of a drop of oil.  I know you said that oil was changed along with the tappets but how much mileage has been completed since then?  A 530i can use a litre in a thousand miles.  A drop in oil level, and therefore oil pressure, may mean that there isn't enough oil circulating to the head and tappets. With my recently departed 330Ci I could always tell by the sound of the engine if it needed dipping and a top up.

Im not actually driving it at the moment as I have something else for a couple of weeks, so shes just sitting in the garden but did have her out for a spin on sunday!

Since they did the tappets that tappety noise is there,so brought it back and they told me the tappets have to bed in!! (rubbish) NO point in me bringing it back warrenty is out since July!!

Id say approx 1500miles since it got that work done. 

I'm wondering if it was a pinking noise?  A light ticking noise that could be casued by faulty ignition system may sound like a tappety noise.  New coils would go someway to help a pinking problem but wouldn't explain why you are still getting the noise.

Were all 6 coil packs replaced?

There is no way that tappets can be mistaken for a fault with coils.

Andrew Rolland wrote: I'm wondering if it was a pinking noise?  A light ticking noise that could be casued by faulty ignition system may sound like a tappety noise.  New coils would go someway to help a pinking problem but wouldn't explain why you are still getting the noise. Were all 6 coil packs replaced? There is no way that tappets can be mistaken for a fault with coils.

So brought it back to the garage (and this went on for just under 3 months) and they plugged it in and it showed up that it was coil pack no 5 then from there I went back collected the car and one by one each time I picked it up it had to go back to get another coil pack done,so after all that the last time I brought it back they decided to reset the ecu and replace the tappets and said that noise was normal oh incidently they checked the oil leak and said that it was a loose nut in the sump,so they tightened it and it didnt leak oil while it was sitting in the forecourt.

I have noticed that while I have not been driving it does not constantly leak oil its just when the car is started or driven,im sure from the pressure the engine is under. So thats the whole palava!!!

Now the lad that came up and plugged it in for me said it sounded like a tappet needs to be replaced at the back??? But again he would have to go through the whole thing to find out,he seemed genuine enough as he did not charge for calling out to plug it in and he cleared the fault with the automatic transmission light that came on.

Anyhow I hope ye all dont think im just farting around on this forum,I am just trying to find out as many possabilities as to what the problem could be so that I am not ripped off where ever I end up bringing it to, to be sorted out.

I know what these garages are like when they think you do not have a clue what your talking about!! 

Im bilixed after all that

samantha did you get this from fk is so get on bmw ireland and let them know, and see what they will do for you, tell them that its one of ther garages that has your engine in bits with oil leaks etc etc, and even thought its out of warrenty that this work was carried out before then ,

just my two pence

regards 

greg

ps im only down the road in dunshaughlin if you need a hand with anything 

jetsetwilly2000 wrote: This tappety noise worries me - either they are just wrong/lying when they say it's normal, or it is normal.  You should be able to find out which by taking it somewhere else and asking them what they think - or by posting a .wav of the noise on here I guess.

I would agree with you. 

There was no need to mess about with the tappets if the engine mangement light came on.

I would get a second opinion on your car and certainly if you can make a mobile phone recording of your car engine sound and post it on here that would certainly help. I did that and someone on here got what was at fault.

The transmission warning light (your original reason for posting) will have come on as the engine was developing a fault and the transmission will have been upset at the input torque fluctuations from the engine missfiring from the dodgy coils.  I doubt very much that there is anything wrong with your transmission.

Well cheers all 

Going to get on to the garage I bought it off in the first place and see what kind of reaction we get!!

Il post up any new information!!! 

UPDATE:

Sarsfields taking the car back Monday!!

So we shall see what happens,hopefully they will get the finger out this time because I am not taking it back till I am happy with it! 

Well!

Havn't forgotten about yous, my car is still in the garage, Sarsfield decided to flush out the engine before they brought it back to the BMW garage that originally did the work on it, WHY i don't know, but surprisingly they came back with one of the tappets was f****d in it!!!!     

Like "surprise surprise" 

So anyhow that part was due in last Monday morning and I havn't heard a thing since so il give them a ring tomoro and see what they have to say!

HEART ACHE

Mick525i wrote: Hi Samantha, Just saw this thread now. This sounds fishy to me..... Coil pack failed so lets replace the tappets... Dont think so....I have heard this diagnosis before but its wrong as far as I know. Get a second opinion. We need AutoFix's input here... Alan where are you?? As for the place you bought the car.... Are you sure of the history???? The M54 can rattle at start up with the wrong grade of oil and an oil treatment can help but as for replacing the tappets that sounds mad.... What ever sarsfield tell you get a second opinion. AC cars would be a good choice... Mick

Hey Mick.

I know what your saying its all sounding a bit mad alright.

I have decided when the car comes back "fixed" not taking it back till they sort it out properly I am going to sell her on....

I loose interest when a car starts to give trouble!!!

I still do not have it back yet its 3 weeks now.I checked the mileage and all that stuff on Cartel and according to their records all is correct.

If they do not sort it out this time round I might just get a Solicitor on to it..

Thanks for the info!  

samantha wrote: Well! Havn't forgotten about yous, my car is still in the garage, Sarsfield decided to flush out the engine before they brought it back to the BMW garage that originally did the work on it, WHY i don't know, but surprisingly they came back with one of the tappets was f****d in it!!!!      Like "surprise surprise"  So anyhow that part was due in last Monday morning and I havn't heard a thing since so il give them a ring tomoro and see what they have to say! HEART ACHE

Well still waiting for you to show up for the diagnostic......

For a start BMW categorigly states NO ADDITIVES shoul be used in the engine. (e.g engine flush). The M54 is an all alloy engine and hates theese things. If BMW finds out any possible goodwill will go out the window. Sencondly this issue coul;d be alot o things from wrong oil to tappets to ignition to knock sensors and so on so it NEEDS A PROPPER DIAGNOSTIC from someone who nows what hes is doing. oil should be fully synthetic 5/30 Castrol

I was going to say I didn't think flushing out BMW engines was recommended.

Doing something like this may damage sensitive hydraulic components in the engine like the Vanos units (variable valve timing hydraulic adjustment units) and tappets.

BMW do not even recommend the use of fuel additives like Redex etc. to clear out fuel injectors and the like

beemerchris wrote: samantha wrote: Well! Havn't forgotten about yous, my car is still in the garage, Sarsfield decided to flush out the engine before they brought it back to the BMW garage that originally did the work on it, WHY i don't know, but surprisingly they came back with one of the tappets was f****d in it!!!!      Like "surprise surprise"  So anyhow that part was due in last Monday morning and I havn't heard a thing since so il give them a ring tomoro and see what they have to say! HEART ACHE   Well still waiting for you to show up for the diagnostic...... For a start BMW categorigly states NO ADDITIVES shoul be used in the engine. (e.g engine flush). The M54 is an all alloy engine and hates theese things. If BMW finds out any possible goodwill will go out the window. Sencondly this issue coul;d be alot o things from wrong oil to tappets to ignition to knock sensors and so on so it NEEDS A PROPPER DIAGNOSTIC from someone who nows what hes is doing. oil should be fully synthetic 5/30 Castrol

Hi

Still havn't got the car back yet, Im seriously begining to think by that shower flushing out the engine in the first place they actually did all the damage themselvs!!

With the  information you have given me it has been thrown at them so it's a case of the car is 110% when I get it back OR I want my money back, failing that I will pass it on to a Solicitor.

I know I could bring it to yourself but why should I have to pay for their mistakes!!!

Thats the only reason they have the car..

Thanks for the info I will post up any new developements 

UweM3 wrote: samantha wrote: I have decided when the car comes back "fixed" not taking it back till they sort it out properly I am going to sell her on.... I loose interest when a car starts to give trouble!!! How are you going to handle this? Selling it fully working or telling the interested buyer why you are selling it? Don't get me wrong, I do understand your reasons. But I would be pretty miffed if buying a car and finding out it had a lot of trouble afterwards(maybe by joining a forum?) Myself I would try to hand it back and get my money and end the disaster.

Hey.

To be blatently honest in my opinion that car was bought in by the garage with problems and I think they were either not aware of it or just tried to get away with it.

So what did I do to deserve all that grief I do not know but I am aware of KARMA so NO I would not have sold it while giving problems nor would I have NOT informed the new perspective buyer of what work had been done on the car 

Now just to put your mind at rest they are taking the car back as it was still not right after 6weeks.

I am now awaiting another 5 series from them if that should not suit me well then I am sure they will refund me my money at this stage!

There is a lot of BAD people in this world but I AINT ONE OF THEM

I was brought up not dragged up!

samantha wrote: then I am sure they will refund me my money at this stage!

I would get that in writing from them!

Will the other 5er have the same spec as the first one you have had?

Andrew Rolland wrote: samantha wrote: then I am sure they will refund me my money at this stage! I would get that in writing from them! Will the other 5er have the same spec as the first one you have had?

Well with all the conversations recently I have every confidence that they would give me back my money.

Well good luck, hope it goes o.k.

Keep us posted.

Per chance is this the same car?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/530i-M-S/200946195872346/advert?channel=CARS - http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/530i-M-S/200946195 872346/advert?channel=CARS

Dergside wrote: Per chance is this the same car? http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/530i-M-S/200946195872346/advert?channel=CARS - http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/530i-M-S/200946195 872346/advert?channel=CARS

Its a bit hard to tell with no pic but sounds like it alright!!!

HELLO to you all.....

I just want to say a very big thank you to everyone that gave me advise on my car and to those who offered to have a look at it for me to try resolve the problems.

The garage took my car back in exchange for an almost identical 5 series,which I have to thank them for doing at least that much, so I made the exchange and followed on to trade that one in off a 04 Range Rover Vouge.

After all the grief I have had for 7 months I just thought it was maby time to try something else!

So cheers to all 

Samantha

Its just a pity that your experience of the blue propellor has been a poor one and that it took a lot of persistence on your part and a lot of faffing about by the dealer before they took responsibility for the issue.

Note to others - Wonder if they'll tell the next buyer  (carzone link).

Samantha Wrote: The garage took my car back in exchange for an almost identical 5 series,which I have to thank them for doing at least that much, so I made the exchange and followed on to trade that one in off a 04 Range Rover Vouge.

Hope that you got a decent warranty on the Range Rover. They suffer from persistant problems. Gearbox failures are common. Ride height sensors are also dodgy. My brother bought a 2004 model brand new and still owns it. His wife will not take it on long runs any more. It has broken down so often that she is literally waiting for the next time. In fairness to the dealer she gets a replacement while hers is hauled away for repairs. The replacement has always been a Range Rover and her car is returned usually in a day. Her Range Rover never had a tow hitch fitted and has recently passed the 60,000 mile mark. Her gentle handling of the car can be proven by the fact that to date, only 4 tyres have been fitted in total to the car in 60,000 miles. The only guarantee that you get with a Range Rover, in my opinion, is the guarantee of it breaking down. You might say that I am basing my facts on just one car but believe you me, their problems are well documented. If you have not got a lengthy warranty, please get one, as repairs can be pricy, and I hope that you dealt with a Land Rover dealership, or non franchised specialist on land Rover vehicles. I hope that I havent put you off, but I simply felt that I have to warn you of the dangers of ownership of this fantastic machine. I wish you luck with ownership. Maybe all failures have already been seen to, when in previous owners hands and you may have nothing to worry about. 

Well all i can say to all the info on the green oval is fingers,toes,legs and everything else thats possible to cross.

Everybody I suppose has different experiences with different cars,as I have said before I have owned 4 BMW'S over the years and not one of them ever gave me a minutes bother except for the last one.

I also just sold my Ford Sierra RS Cosworth which I have had for just over a year and used it as an every day car and got plenty of petrol through it and never let me down, yet a friend has one and he is a mehanic and cant get his to run right at all.  

I have had a very wide range of cars over the years even some of them people recomended not to go near them as they are trouble but I never had trouble with anything.

So heres hoping that trend will continue