Volvo to Bimmer

[helmus]

Hey all. I'm ready to make the switch from my 90 740 Turbo (great car, but getting old), into a 328i/is. I refuse to buy front wheel drive cars, so a bimmer is the only logical alternative. My question to all of you knowledgable BMW people is what your thoughts are on the automatic version of this car, both from a performance point of view as well as reliability (vs the manual of course). I am planning to check out a few this week, all of which are '98s. I know these engines are pretty much bullet proof, just concerned about the trannys. Thanks in advance.

Elmer, Toronto Canada.

 

[Tom]

Congrats and welcome aboard. Please post some pictures.

 

[Big Daddy]

Yes welcome! I am not sure how the transmission holds up on a 328 at say 100k. I assume with proper service (I disagree with "lifetime" fluids) would be fine. I would have the transmission serviced, flushed. Automatics are expensive to replace, and with the manual you have clutch assemblies to worry about. What type of driving are you going to be doing?

 

[Kirby]

Bimmers use the same manufacturer of auto tranny as your 740 - ZF. (I had an 87 740). ZF transmissions are hit and miss. I got 150K miles on the 740 before it died, and that was caused by a bad radiator that allowed water to get into the tranny cooler.

Others have reported BMW autos failing at 100K - 125K miles, for what it's worth.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

Make sure you look into the history of the car, the E46 engines are far from bulletproof if it's been driven abusively... As for the transmissions you can expect them to go south once they hit 100k.

 

[fritchy]

According to a book written by Richard Dredge through Haynes Publishing called, "You & Your BMW 3-series; trouble with the auto trans is very rare and it should just keep on running. The manual trans however will need new bearings at 80k miles, but is also as reliable.

I don't know where the info about them dying at 100-125k is coming from. That sounds absolutely absurd. Even Chevys and Fords can beat that. BMWs wouldn't be worth crap if their trannys had to be replaced every 100k.

 

[Big Daddy]

I replaced one at 120k. The manual transmission im my 91 318is had over 164k when I sold the car and never had any bearings replaced, as a matter of fact it still had the factory clutch parts. Maybe I was the exception rather than the rule.

 

[Kirby]

The high failure rate of BMW automatic transmissions is frequently discussed in various tech articles in Roundel magazine.

 

[helmus]

Let's just say my drag racing days are over. I drive fairly hard but @ the same time don't abuse them. (if that makes any sense) I'm probably leaning towards a manual, seeing as how I'll be buying one with at least 100000kms on it. Clutch replacement is something I can do in the comfort of my own garage, so if it feels OK during the test drive I should be could for a while. Thanks all for your input. I'll post some pics of the beast once I get it.

Elmer

 

[dblE]

My auto tranny has 139k and it takes a sec or two for it to go into gear...however, I like big daddy..also flush my tranny as well. that's my two cents. I'm traveling over 90 miles on the highway now, and my tranny works even better now.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

I also think the auto transmission problems could be due to the way the car was driven, I'm sure if you take care of the tranny (never shift when in motion, flush, and avoid hard acceleration all the time) it'll probably last twice as long. So if you own the car and properly maintain it then the 100k+ problems don't really apply to you.. but since he's interested in buying used it's relevant...

 

[fritchy]

Well I have researched and found that the bearings will go generally after 60,000 - 80,000 miles and that the differential oil seals can give way, allowing lubricant to leak out. I have not yet heard of bimmer's auto trannys DYING shortly after 100k.

 

[jrt67ss350]

Well I have researched and found that the bearings will go generally after 60,000 - 80,000 miles and that the differential oil seals can give way, allowing lubricant to leak out. I have not yet heard of bimmer's auto trannys DYING shortly after 100k.

Like BigDaddy has said, I have never heard of BMW manual transmissions requiring new bearings at 60,000-80,000 miles. I have over 290,000 miles on my '87 5-speed, and it has never had any internal parts replaced. In fact, the clutch lasted 260,000 miles before it finally needed to be replaced. The transmission had never been removed from the car until that point.

BMW manual transmissions have always been bulletproof, with the exception of some of the E36 5-speed transmissions (some of them have problems with 2nd gear synchros wearing out prematurely).

The real-world experiences of the automatics, on the other hand tends to be different - just do a quick search for the word "Sliptronic" in the E46 section of this site.