|
In Reply to: Re: 740 Tranny Failure posted by AL STRECK on December 29, 2000 at 18:59:10:
Gruppe-
Am looking about for a clean '95 740. Am aware of the Nikasil block issue, but was warned by my good friend Carl Nelson at CNPR in La Jolla that he is also afraid of the transmissions. Seems that the 'lifetime' sealed units need to have their oil changed, and if it isn't done every 30K or so, at about 80-90K he is seeing the transmissions go with fair regularity. And a $6K bill.
He is starting to change the trans fluid on all the v8's he's servicing now--which according to this board is not an easy thing to do.
Comments from E38 land appreciated.
Peter
what type fluid goes in '97 740il
I would not be worried about it if you buy a relatively low mileage car (less than 50k). If it has more than that, and the fluid in the unit has been flushed, which it can be despite its the "maintenance free" nature (a good BMW tech like Carl will know how), then I also would not worry about it. I spoke to Carl about the same issue, and I think the reason he has seen so many failures is because the lifetime fluid is not changed. I think if it is changed, the chances of failure are much lower. I have spoken to several BMW techs about this issue. Also, if you are looking at an e38, you might get the extended warranty from a warranty company, as there are lots of little toys that can break, and I think that these warranties (get the longest one you can IMHO) pay for themselves on a 7 series bimmer. At the very least you have bought peace of mind and you cap your repair expense by annualizing the cost of the warranty over its period. Also, while I have a lot of respect for Carl, he was also the most negative on these transmissions of all the techs I spoke to about my car. Not that you should not listen, but if you have either a low milegae car or one that has been maintained, do not worry too much. Good luck.
© 1997 -
2008
Jump Internet Inc. All rights reserved.
