Just rolled over 100K miles...my take on BMW

On Nov 23, 6:45 pm, "Dave Plowman (News)" >
wrote:
> In article
> >,
> > wrote:
>
> > > Why don't you just scrap it, and buy yourself a car you like ? That's
> > > more useful then to keep ranting about your problems here.
> > I feel I'm possibly preventing others strolling by from buying
> > from the same untrustworthy automakers.
>
> You don't seem to have much support here from others who find their BMW
> very unreliable

What people like you fail to understand is that I do not seek support.
I'm just conveying my thoughts through my fingers. I refuse to
do business with people who have proven to be sleazy. If others
choose to live by different principles, fine with me. I consider
my posting a community service, if you will...

>- and there will be thousands that read this group.

Hmmm, I doubt it. IMO, USENET is dying a slow death.
This group here is not what it once was.

> > Forget all the
> > electrical problems that BMWs have, how could they
> > explain their way out of putting those crappy GM transmissions
> > in their "ultimate driving machine" bummers? I had one clown mechanic
> > at a local BMW shop tell me over the phone that BMW did
> > not put GM trannies in their cars.
>
> Well not all models are fitted with GM transmissions.

But MINE was, and he knew what model I had, and that it
had the GM, but hilariously tried to deny it.

The shop I ended up using were much more on- the- level
with the situation. I don't do business with liars if I can
help it.

In article
>,
> wrote:
> > And what is it about the GM model that fails?

> Obviously poor design, or cheap parts, or a combination
> of both. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that
> BMW got them cheap, but they obviously didn't pass along
> the savings to the customer.

> My guess is that they felt they could get away with this bit
> of sleaziness in American models due to the time the average
> American owner would keep the car after buying new. These
> sorry transmissions usually lasted past 70k miles or so. That's
> over 4 years' use even for a fairly high mileage owner. BMW
> knew that when they started failing, they could always claim
> it was because of abusive driving, climate, etc., (the usual
> excuses they ended up using when the huge number started
> failing) I mean, how could a particular owner who bought
> used know that the previous owner didn't abuse it, or drive
> it in an extreme climate? I think the thing they didn't count
> on was just how many would fail.

None of that makes the slightest sense. BMW fit ZF autos in countries
where their cars are more 'ordinary' than in the US - like Germany and the
UK. US spec cars are always fully loaded unlike the basic models available
elsewhere - with ZF autos. There would also have been a considerable cost
to re-engineer for a different make of box. My guess it was done to
placate some pressure group by using local content. In the same way as
they now manufacture some models in the US. Which can't make much economic
sense.

--
*I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:53:17 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

>Even though well maintained and only driven by me (and still looks
>great), I have to conclude the car has been.let's say, a bit of a POS....list
>of electrical ailments a mile long, total transmission failure at 86000 miles, and
>more electrical problems. By FAR, the most problematic pain in
>the ass car I have ever owned.
>
>My advice to anybody cruising this group thinking about buying a
>BMW: don't.

Like Einstein said, stuff is relative. Mine have been trouble-free.
epbrown
--
How can you know where I'm at if you haven't been where I been?
Can you see where I'm coming from? "How I Could Just Kill A Man" Cypress Hill

Scott Dorsey wrote:

>Can the 5-speed be retrofitted
>into the American models?

The GM tranny under discussion is a 5-speed.

In article >,
dizzy > wrote:
> Scott Dorsey wrote:

> >Can the 5-speed be retrofitted
> >into the American models?

> The GM tranny under discussion is a 5-speed.

Don't think the GM 5L40-E was fitted to any BMW. It was the 4L30 they used.

--
*Black holes are where God divided by zero *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

> dizzy > wrote:
>> Scott Dorsey wrote:
>
>> >Can the 5-speed be retrofitted
>> >into the American models?
>
>> The GM tranny under discussion is a 5-speed.
>
>Don't think the GM 5L40-E was fitted to any BMW. It was the 4L30 they used.

I believe that you are mistaken. I know for a fact that my 2000 323i
has a 5-speed auto. (It's not "steptronic".) I also am certain that
I saw, years ago, the GM Powertrain Web site that claimed that their
5-speed was used in BMW's.

In article >,
dizzy > wrote:
> Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

> > dizzy > wrote:
> >> Scott Dorsey wrote:
> >
> >> >Can the 5-speed be retrofitted
> >> >into the American models?
> >
> >> The GM tranny under discussion is a 5-speed.
> >
> >Don't think the GM 5L40-E was fitted to any BMW. It was the 4L30 they
> >used.

> I believe that you are mistaken. I know for a fact that my 2000 323i
> has a 5-speed auto. (It's not "steptronic".) I also am certain that
> I saw, years ago, the GM Powertrain Web site that claimed that their
> 5-speed was used in BMW's.

I can't be certain of course but if you download the ZF North American
list from this page it seems to say different.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP19_transmission

I did find an article from GM claiming their 5 speeds would be used in the
future - but that's all.

This list seems to show it not being fitted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L40-E_transmission

--
*Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice?"

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

> dizzy > wrote:
>> Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
>>>
>>>Don't think the GM 5L40-E was fitted to any BMW. It was the 4L30 they
>>>used.
>>
>> I believe that you are mistaken. I know for a fact that my 2000 323i
>> has a 5-speed auto. (It's not "steptronic".) I also am certain that
>> I saw, years ago, the GM Powertrain Web site that claimed that their
>> 5-speed was used in BMW's.
>
>I can't be certain of course but if you download the ZF North American
>list from this page it seems to say different.
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_5HP19_transmission
>
>I did find an article from GM claiming their 5 speeds would be used in the
>future - but that's all.
>
>This list seems to show it not being fitted.
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L40-E_transmission


Looks like wikipedia is wrong. Check this:

http://www.noreverse.org/docs/SB247500.pdf

But it's *still* not at all clear, to me, whether it's the GM or the
ZF that supposedly is "bad".

Note the photo on the home page, obviously showing a steptronic
shifter:

http://www.noreverse.org/

Again, mine is *not* a steptronic, but it *is* a 5-speed. The date of
manufacture is 8/99, meaning it must have the GM 5L40-E. I think that
one theory of mine is correct - the GM 5L40-E was non-step, and
steptronic was introduced with the ZF.

Now, why would "noreverse.org" put a picture of the steptronic shifter
on it's home page, if it was the older, "non step" trannies that were
bad?

In article >,
dizzy > wrote:
> Looks like wikipedia is wrong. Check this:

> http://www.noreverse.org/docs/SB247500.pdf

Right. Confusion reigns . ;-)

> But it's *still* not at all clear, to me, whether it's the GM or the
> ZF that supposedly is "bad".

> Note the photo on the home page, obviously showing a steptronic
> shifter:

> http://www.noreverse.org/

> Again, mine is *not* a steptronic, but it *is* a 5-speed. The date of
> manufacture is 8/99, meaning it must have the GM 5L40-E. I think that
> one theory of mine is correct - the GM 5L40-E was non-step, and
> steptronic was introduced with the ZF.

> Now, why would "noreverse.org" put a picture of the steptronic shifter
> on it's home page, if it was the older, "non step" trannies that were
> bad?

I dunno. I've not heard of there being a problem with ZF Steptronic 5HP18
or 19 as regards losing reverse. Nor is there IIRC any difference in the
actual transmission between Steptronic and ordinary which might effect
this failure. In the UK Steptronic was an option on the ZF for several
years. As I said earlier, Ebay is quite a good indicator of the
desirability of such units secondhand - the Steptronic has been around for
10 years or so, so plenty would be going down that route for spares if it
was a common failure.

--
*Fax is stronger than fiction *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.