BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine

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Mon 5 Oct 2015 14:32
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - teasel jack

MY 2001 530DSE AUTO HAS STARTED TO WHINE WHEN ACCELERATING IN LOW GEAR. THE NOISE STOPS WHEN I LIFT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND IS NOT PRESENT AT HIGHER SPEEDS. SHOULD I CHANGE THE GEARBOX OIL AND FILTER? BMW SAY THEY ARE SEALED FOR LIFE BUT IN LAST WEEKEND'S DAILY TELEGRAPH YOU ADVISED SOMEONE WITH A DIFFERENT MAKE OF CAR TO CHANGE THE GEARBOX OIL TO CURE A SIMILAR WHINE. IF I DO NOTHING WILL THE GEARBOX BE LIKELY TO FAIL? A LOCAL GARAGE HAS SAID CHANGING THE OIL MIGHT MAKE IT WORSE. PLEASE ADVISE

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Mon 5 Oct 2015 14:42
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - RobJP

'Sealed for life' should be read as 'designed to fail once the manufacturer has no legal liability'.

Yes, changing the oil MIGHT make it worse - if the gearbox is pretty well knackered. It MIGHT also give it another few years of life.

That's the risk you take with a car of this age. Basically, the garage are (understandably) wanting to cover themselves. It is entirely possible that they could do this job and the gearbox fails completely a few weeks later.

I'd get it changed - but make sure the garage know how to do the job, as it's VERY particular regarding making sure the gearbox is properly filled with fresh oil.

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Mon 5 Oct 2015 15:09
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - gordonbennet

'Sealed for life' should be read as 'designed to fail once the manufacturer has no legal liability'.

That sentence should be a sticky in bold type at the top of the page.

applies to all parts of the vehicle in various ways, the maker is there to sell you another new car in short order, it is not in their interests you to run the present one indefinately.

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Tue 6 Oct 2015 14:51
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - galileo

'Sealed for life' should be read as 'designed to fail once the manufacturer has no legal liability'.

That sentence should be a sticky in bold type at the top of the page.

applies to all parts of the vehicle in various ways, the maker is there to sell you another new car in short order, it is not in their interests you to run the present one indefinately.

A logical theory, with the corollary that the durability of a car and its components should be directly proportional to the length of the manufacturer's standard warranty 3,5 or 7 years. (manufacturers assume most buyers will use manufacturer's dealer for servicing for the warranty duration,won't they?)

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Wed 7 Oct 2015 14:12
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - slkfanboy

I think you miss understand the term sealed for life. It has been shorten from the term ' sealed for the life of the warranty'.

I asume your BMW has the ZF 6HP26 gearbox which is a very good box which ZF who make them say you should change the gearbox and filter. BMW don't because its not cheap to do.

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Wed 7 Oct 2015 14:36
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - RobJP

Would it not be the GM gearbox, in a car of that age ?

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Wed 7 Oct 2015 16:28
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - pd

Would it not be the GM gearbox, in a car of that age ?

Yes, it would. The 6-speed ZF wasn't used until the E60 IIRC.

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Sat 10 Oct 2015 15:36
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - colino

From memory it is the ZF with the 5 speed on that and an oil and filter change will either kill or cure it. Get on to ebay and get the full kit, long-life transmission fluid, filter, seal and bolts and get it done. Ignore the off-putting rubbish from BMW, as long it is up in the air square, it can be done on jacks and/or ramps, it isn't a difficult job. You don't need a temperature probe, you don't need a BMW diagnostic tool, just a bit of common sense.

The most difficult part will probably be getting the filler plug undone.

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Sat 10 Oct 2015 23:00
BMW 530DSE AUTO - automatic gearbox whine - John F

I think you probably have the widely used ZF 5 HP 19 which indeed carries the recommendation 'sealed for life' and is virtually bullet-proof. Are you sure the whine is from the g/box?

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