How reliable are transmissions on 94 525i?

[Anton CH.]

Buddy of mine is looking at a 94' 525i w/ 125k mi auto.

[winfred]

generally trouble free up to 120 or so, with regular service you can sneak up on 200k and they can get goofy in their old age

[RobPatt]

I've got a 93 525ia w/127K and it's fine..... considering getting the dinan a/t chip but don't want to tempt fate..... cheers, Rob.

Buddy of mine is looking at a 94' 525i w/ 125k mi auto.

[Dick Schneiders]

and I have had no issues with either of them. One car has 160,000 miles and the other has 140,000 miles.

Dick Schneiders


Buddy of mine is looking at a 94' 525i w/ 125k mi auto.

[George Davis]

I hate to be the only one sounding a negative note here, but according to the tranny shop that rebuilt mine, they can die at any time after 100k. Death can be sudden, with no hint it's about to happen. Hope for the best but plan for the worst.

[Russell]

I have 100,000 on mine. I serviced it (fluid, filter, cleaning and BG additive) for the first time at 77,000 just after my purchase. Ran fine before and after service. Still seems ok now. Just worried/concerened/watchful.


and I have had no issues with either of them. One car has 160,000 miles and the other has 140,000 miles.

Dick Schneiders

[Dick Schneiders]

around 20,000 mile intervals. This doesn't get all of the fluid, but doing this regularly is a good idea, I think. I also drop the pan and change the filter, along with the fluid, every other tranny fluid drain or about every 40,000 miles.

This schedule isn't as often as some people, but I know that it is a lot more often than a lot of people - some think these trannys never need the fluid changed!

When I first bought the cars, I changed the filter and fluid and then drained and refilled the fluid a couple of more times within a few hundred miles or so. I did this to get as much of the old (and unknown age) fluid out of the system as I could and replaced with fresh fluid.

Dick Schneiders



I have 100,000 on mine. I serviced it (fluid, filter, cleaning and BG additive) for the first time at 77,000 just after my purchase. Ran fine before and after service. Still seems ok now. Just worried/concerened/watchful.

[Dick Schneiders]

it doesn't seem to be what happens to the vast majority of the auto trannys in these cars. Sure, some will fail after 100k (some will also fail before 100k), but if they are given regular fluid and filter changes, they should last much longer than that.

The main problem is that many owners think wrongly that they don't need to ever change the fluid and filters in these trannys, often because their tranny shops tell them that they are sealed trannys with lifetime fluid - which is totally wrong.

Dick Schneiders


I hate to be the only one sounding a negative note here, but according to the tranny shop that rebuilt mine, they can die at any time after 100k. Death can be sudden, with no hint it's about to happen. Hope for the best but plan for the worst.

[Russell]

Thanks for your advice.
My car does not have a dipstick. It just seems rather difficult to do my own trany service without a lift and no dipstick. My indy charges about $175 for a complete service inlcuding filters and oil. Have not (afraid to) priced the dealer.

Do you have any shortcuts?

Thanks again.


around 20,000 mile intervals. This doesn't get all of the fluid, but doing this regularly is a good idea, I think. I also drop the pan and change the filter, along with the fluid, every other tranny fluid drain or about every 40,000 miles.

This schedule isn't as often as some people, but I know that it is a lot more often than a lot of people - some think these trannys never need the fluid changed!

When I first bought the cars, I changed the filter and fluid and then drained and refilled the fluid a couple of more times within a few hundred miles or so. I did this to get as much of the old (and unknown age) fluid out of the system as I could and replaced with fresh fluid.

Dick Schneiders

[winfred]

91 was about the only year the chevy tranny came with a dipstick


Thanks for your advice.
My car does not have a dipstick. It just seems rather difficult to do my own trany service without a lift and no dipstick. My indy charges about $175 for a complete service inlcuding filters and oil. Have not (afraid) priced the dealer.

Do you have any shortcuts?

Thanks again.

[Russell]

What was BMW's logic on the dipstick vs non-dipstick issue? It seem so obvious that quality maintenance will extend the transmission's life. Why make it so hard to even check the fluid, much less change?


91 was about the only year the chevy tranny came with a dipstick

[Dick Schneiders]

which makes the process of draining and refilling much easier. I think that BMW dispensed with the dipstick in late 1991. One of the reasons that so many E34 owners feel that they have a tranny with the "lifetime" fluid. They are told they have a "sealed" tranny, when it is no different than my tranny with the exception of the dipstick, and the fluid used is certainly not lifetime.

I don't know any shortcuts for the cars without dipsticks, other than putting a dipstick in the tranny. Several people have done it, from what I have read.


Thanks for your advice.
My car does not have a dipstick. It just seems rather difficult to do my own trany service without a lift and no dipstick. My indy charges about $175 for a complete service inlcuding filters and oil. Have not (afraid to) priced the dealer.

Do you have any shortcuts?

Thanks again.

[Dick Schneiders]

suspect that BMW wanted to discourage owners from doing their own fluid changes. Perhaps they were concerned that the system would be underfilled/overfilled or that the wrong fluid would be used. I, also, think that it was a horrible decision because so many owners don't even realize that this fluid should be changed, let alone checked. I am shocked at how many car owners even let their engine oil go unchecked for long periods of time, but if there was a dipstick/fill tube on the trannys most would figure out that this fluid needs attention.

On my first 1991 525i that I bought about 5 years ago. A few months after I had purchased it a tranny fluid leak developed. It was not a large leak and didn't occur all of the time. I didn't know that the car had a tranny fluid dipstick/fill tube as it isn't mentioned in the owners manual. Everybody I talked to, and what little research I did on the Internet, lead me to believe that my tranny was "sealed" and had no dipstick. I saw the cap (which was the dipstick cap) but couldn't get it to come off as it takes a special "push and pull" technique that isn't intuitive. I didn't trace the tube to see where it went to and figured that this was something else and that the "cap" wasn't really a cap and wasn't supposed to come off normally. Back then I was really mechanically challenged and didn't even change my own oil and filters. Anyway, the leak was a main seal and because I was concerned about the fluid level in the system I went ahead and had it replaced immediately, at a cost of around $800, at a time when I was a bit financially strapped. If I had known of the dipstick (and how to get the cap off) I would have probably lived with the small leak for some time until I was in a better financial situation. It is a bit of solace that I sometimes see questions on these groups about how to get this dipstick cap off, so I know that I am not the only dummy when it comes to this stuff.


What was BMW's logic on the dipstick vs non-dipstick issue? It seem so obvious that quality maintenance will extend the transmission's life. Why make it so hard to even check the fluid, much less change?

[ryan roopnarine]

if i were somebody with a dipstickless 525i, i'd find out what the volume of the pan drains in say, 30 mins cold, shut it back up exactly after that time, and use that volume (along with a marine bottle pump) to fill it back. this wouldn't work for a filter change, i guess, but it would let you change the atf at each oil change with not too much trouble. i change atf at 3500 mi for conventional (when i can't find a syn motor oil I like) or 6500 for the synthetic. it comes out looking fresh each time, and it helps amelioriate any fears i have about having to get some douchebag scam artist that wants to charge a premium for "a bmw transmission" rebuilding it anytime soon. oh, and btw............


I have a 1992 525i
it was made in 07 of 1991
it has a dipstick
if i get some free time, i'll take a pic of my vin and a pic of the dipstick, i'm certain ;) it is there, or i'd have a much harder time changing my transmission fluid

[Dick Schneiders]

have the dipstick. I think that all of them, like yours, were built in late 1991 and that soon after that was when BMW stopped making them with the dipstick. So, yes, there are some model year 1992's with a dipstick.

Did you figure out how to remove the dipstick immediately? I tried everything, but the right way, on several different times before I decided that it was something that was not owner friendly.

Dick Schneiders (not quite as particular (anal) as Ryan is! :-0 )





I have a 1992 525i
it was made in 07 of 1991
it has a dipstick
if i get some free time, i'll take a pic of my vin and a pic of the dipstick, i'm certain ;) it is there, or i'd have a much harder time changing my transmission fluid

[ryan roopnarine]

no, bill had to tell me that that thing was the dipstick....i thought it was part of the air conditioner because i couldn't get the cap off. i had never checked it previously because i thought the fill plug was under the car.

[winfred]

i like the later 960 volvos, they have a dipstick you can't reach it from the top, it's a foot long


no, bill had to tell me that that thing was the dipstick....i thought it was part of the air conditioner because i couldn't get the cap off. i had never checked it previously because i thought the fill plug was under the car.

[Dick Schneiders]

one of my BMW repair manuals. The Bentley mentions it, and even has a picture of the lower portion to show how to read the level, but doesn't say where it is or anything about how to remove it. I couldn't see the cap in the picture, so I made no connection to the funny capped tube under my hood as being the tranny dipstick. However, my usually worthless Chilton's manual had a diagram of the cap and instructions on how to release the locking mechanism. I saw that by accident when looking something else up. I suppose I should read these manuals cover to cover, but don't.


no, bill had to tell me that that thing was the dipstick....i thought it was part of the air conditioner because i couldn't get the cap off. i had never checked it previously because i thought the fill plug was under the car.

[Derek A.]

The transmission is a GM made 4l30e. Its a 180C with an tacked on overdrive unit. The transmissions roots like in postal vehicles and the good ole Chevette. The trans is used in the BMW 3 & 5 series, Izuzu Trooper, Honda Passport, Cadillac Catera and the the Geo Tracker. BMW does not service anything internal for these transmissions - if you need internal parts BMW will not help. The transmissions are not overly complicated its just a pain to track down internals if you damage anything beyond the soft parts. There are plastic thrush washers in these transmissions that break and wear out, once they break you have very little time before you start grinding hard parts together. Basic rule of thumb.. if the trans acts up DO NOT DRIVE ON IT !! - The repair bill will increase drastically !