Second man ual transmission just blew on my 525i. i hate this car.

[bimmerd00d]

It is now up for sale, best offer, it drives, but makes all sorts of noise in first and second gear. I am tired of dealing with this car, little repairs dont bother me, this is getting on my last nerve.

'93 525i 205k engine is perfect

Any acceptable offers will be taken, or convince me to keep the car. :(

[Derek A.]

It is now up for sale, best offer, it drives, but makes all sorts of noise in first and second gear. I am tired of dealing with this car, little repairs dont bother me, this is getting on my last nerve.

'93 525i 205k engine is perfect

Any acceptable offers will be taken, or convince me to keep the car. :(

What do you keep doing to these transmissions ?

[Dick Schneiders]

faulty and poorly maintained, or your driving habits are causing the situation.

What does your transmission shop say? BMW manual transmissions are usualy very reliable and bullet-proof, but you can't drive a 525i like it was a drag racer. Not saying you do that, but many younger owners of 525i's seem to think that, since they are BMW's, they should be faster and drive them to the max. Certainly, postings on these forums about how to make a 525i quicker and accelerate faster are very common.




It is now up for sale, best offer, it drives, but makes all sorts of noise in first and second gear. I am tired of dealing with this car, little repairs dont bother me, this is getting on my last nerve.

'93 525i 205k engine is perfect

Any acceptable offers will be taken, or convince me to keep the car. :(

[bimmerd00d]

trust me, i learned not to beat the crap out of the driveline after the first trans. died. I have babied this car since then. This transmission has less than 20k miles on it, and i have not driven it hard, or launched it like a cobra mustang or any of that. Something is not right with the transmission. I spoke to the shop that replaced it the first time, and there was a 2 yr warranty on all the parts, and it was about 2.5 yrs ago when i had it replaced. Should i bother replacing yet another transmission, or part the car out and get something else?

[Paul in NZ]

how about a 535 manual.......hehehehe,seriously i would ask the place that replaced it.....its worth try

[bahnstormer]

what do u mean blew up?
the syncros are ****ed? that's what it
sounds like. stop throwing a sissy fit
and use your head.

[bimmerd00d]

sissy fit? a syncro doesn't go out after 18k miles. Especially of 80% highway miles. If i were using my head, i would have sold the car a long time ago when i started having these problems.

[Scott C]

sissy fit? a syncro doesn't go out after 18k miles. Especially of 80% highway miles. If i were using my head, i would have sold the car a long time ago when i started having these problems.

Sorry to hear that d00d...

I know mine has kept my wallet empty with more cash going out than I planned, so I sympathize.

Scott

[Mitch90535im]

Since you started with, "I hate this car", I would definitely recommend selling it.

E34's are like women - if you don't love them, and they're not making you happy, you sure as Hell don't want to live with them amd keep pumping more money into them for nothing.

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

I know the d00d has a love hate relationship with his car. I've heard him go both ways. I dono, maybe Mitch is right. subconsciously you prolly have had it with the repairs. I also think you just have had a run into some bad luck though. I've got two e34's and have had to perform very few repairs on them. Way less than many of the other posters that complain about the car eating your money. My two e34's have been very economical. Yeah, but so has the Z3. The 740 is the car that has had a few nibbling problems that has made me feel slightly negative about it. And they've been the instrument display pixels and the check engine light. Other than that, all my bimmers have been great, I can't see ever getting rid of them.

D00d, if you like the brand, maybe it is time to try another bimmer to see if it likes you a little more then the current one!

[bahnstormer]

what are the specs on your car if u're selling?
leather good condition? heated seats? pics?
i need a spare parts car =]

[JonE]

Maybe you should try the robust and reliable E34 with the automatic transmission...or you could be the first to do a reverse manual conversion. Probably a few good slushboxes out there. ;^) Really, as stated it probably is just synchros, I don't know how many bearings are in there, could be those, too. Was it a rebuilt or used tranny?

[philbyil]

one tranny going out with age/abuse, I can understand..but two?
Well, if the second tranny wasn't new, it COULD be that tranny #2 was not the "best" rebuilt unit around!

Yer pays yer money and all that......

I have to say that in over 40 years of owning ANY type of transport, I have only ever experienced one tranny failure. In that particular instance, it was the layshaft bearings in a 1971 Ford Capri 1.6 GT GXL...

Personally, I put it down to my anal maintenance schedule...Well, it could be just pure darn luck :D :D

[Mitch90535im]

My two e34's have been very economical.

I've been blessed with my 535i too. If you don't count normal maintenance and the parts I've replaced unnecessairly due to my problem mis-diagnostics, in three years the only true cost I've incurred was a radiator replacement that I spent ~$200 on.

If I'd had the bad luck many of these guys have experienced I can't say I wouldn't hate mine too. To me it seems to be 95% all in how well a previously owned car has been maintained (and the owner's driving habits).

[632 Regal]

the 2nd trans was obviously not a quality rebuild or something wasnt clearanced correct, that in itself will cause it to break. Its probably a $10 part thats broke but still means you have to pull it and take it apart.

[bimmerd00d]

i spoke to the place the current rebuilt tranny came from, and i am supposed to pull it out and we'll figure out why it died. It's almost certainly not a wear issue, had to be a build error. Ed is correct, i had a sheer love hate relationship with this car. It is pure sex when it runs right, and looks gorgeous. I dont mind little headaches, but this transmission thing is getting to me.

[632 Regal]

cant stand the one you got then trade it in on a different one. Might not be everlasting love but the sex is great for a while...then trade her in for another, and so on and so on. If your lucky she'll have friends and you can trade em around to impress your friends.

What are we talking about again?

[ilya]

hey, it sucks that you're having these problems

im gonna agree with those that say your best bet is to sell it, though. as much as i love my 525i, if you're not happy with it there is no reason to put money into it.
you can always sell it and buy a new one, whether it's another e34 (hopefully ;)) or something else.


if you DO plan to part it, i'd be interested in a few things. just post on this board if you decide to do so

[George M]

If I were you, I would just sell it to me cheap. Where are you located? Besides it is underpowered with the 2.5 liter motor anyway and everybody knows the automatic Bimmers are the most reliable.
Let me know.
;)
George

[bimmerd00d]

i LOVE the car, dont get me wrong, there is not one thing i dont like about the car when it's running right. I am completely happy with the power of the M50 mated to a 5-spd. Shop owner thinks that it had a weak 2nd gear from the rebuild.

[Karl]

Shop owner thinks that it had a weak 2nd gear from the rebuild.

Then maybe you can come to terms on fixing it. A couple times I've had shops really go out of their way to fix a screw up and save their own reputation. With a little counselling, this relationship might be saved.... ;)

[bimmerd00d]

Then maybe you can come to terms on fixing it. A couple times I've had shops really go out of their way to fix a screw up and save their own reputation. With a little counselling, this relationship might be saved.... ;)


it's a give and take relationship....it gives me **** and i take it. I am naming my car Old Yeller, b/c one of these days it's going to turn on me and im just going to have to shoot it.

[Johntee540]

d00d - I would hate to see you give up on this relationship without working on it a little more. You have come this far I would hate to see you just throw in the towel.

These cars this age hit a point in the curve where they need to have a series of repairs that are fairly major. I just the other day finally got hacked off at doing it all piecemeal and took my year end bonus and did the suspension; brakes; Transmission; Manifold gasket all at once - even treated my self to a good indy to get it all done quickly.

But the most compelling reason for you not to sell this car and to live through this seemingly difficult bump in the road is that - if you sell this car - we wont have the #$%%^^& Cowbell on the board any longer. And god knows - were gonna need that cowbell. - JT

[bimmerd00d]

if i sell this car, what do you think i will replace it with?

[632 Regal]

Of course another E34, try to get a well maintaines 540 this time, you will be hooked for life man! I like my 530 but would definetly appreciate another litre of oomph especially since you can get a decent chip for them. between paarting/selling yours you should have a good step into a replacement bitch!



if i sell this car, what do you think i will replace it with?

[GAGE308]

WELL...I dont know what to say....I feel REALLY BAD for you.Ive been down that road with other cars in the past......It seems as if maybe your mechanic doesnt know his Hiney hole from a hole in the ground...BUT thats Just My old opinion....I would BET ANYTHING upon installation the syncronizers in relation to the second gear were placed in JUST after your mechanic went up in the loft and Smoked some CRACK..on a CRACK BREAK..So...MY ADVICE (since th engine is A-OK and these cars Just ROCK reliability wise)...Give it ONE MORE GO...with a DIFFERENT MECHANIC...OR one FLAWLESS Idea would be to cut holes in the floor and power it like fred flinstone...OK...LOL...Thats Enough...>GOOD LUCK DUDE

[riot]

I would give it another go also. I'd check into other things. I'm sure you may have thought of everything. I know alot of e34 owners who dont have these problems whatsoever. I had a small problem with my automatic, ended up I just needed to clean the contacts in the track at the base of the shifter. I was sure I had a jacked up transmission. BMW's are pretty reliable as most of you know. Everyone once in a while, (mainly 3 series due to hotrodding), you'll run across one that is very messed up no matter what you do. Friend of mine had a 94 3 series. Replaced two manual tranmissions then sold it. I dunno. I guess I'm sending mixed signals. Seems you have them too. You know what they say, The third time is the charm...