Look What I Found in My Transmission Pan!!!

[ross1]

IMHO there is about as much sense in this as saying dirty oil is good for your engine. I've only changed the ATF in a dozen or so boxes with good results so perhaps I have been lucky. Good spot btw. Looks like somebody didnt do their homework when putting that box together

Agreed^.
Also, regarding this transmission's inherent strength or weakness. It is a derivative of a tried and true GM design, albeit at it's torque capacity, built by the frogs and all this compounded by BMWs recommendation NOT to change the trans oil.
Given good care it's just fine. I'm not going to mention the mileage on the wife's example so as not to jinx myself.

[ishcan]

Ahhh, found it. Coincidentally, almost one year after identifying the part the same happened to me. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...Fffffuuuuuuuuu!!

OP, what ended up happening with the tranny?

[Binjammin]

OP's last activity was almost a year ago to the day. I would wager the tranny died and he sold the car for scrap.

[katit2]

Ahhh, found it. Coincidentally, almost one year after identifying the part the same happened to me. http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...Fffffuuuuuuuuu!!

OP, what ended up happening with the tranny?

Bump it again. What happened to your tranny? Did it eventually brake?

I have same problem.. https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...7#post29806157

[Layne]

Removing the broken plastic ring from the pan certainly didn't kill it. Changing the fluid on an old transmission that hasn't been changed regularly can kill it though. The fluid has a ton of detergent and washes loose crap from inside that then clogs it up.

Is there first-hand knowledge of this or is this internet lore that has gone around? The detergents scrubbing things up makes sense to me but a flush and filter change are on my list of maintenance things to do to the touring.

IMHO there is about as much sense in this as saying dirty oil is good for your engine. I've only changed the ATF in a dozen or so boxes with good results so perhaps I have been lucky. Good spot btw. Looks like somebody didnt do their homework when putting that box together

5 years later... I now believe most of the stories are probably from people who change the fluid after the trans started showing symptoms of failure, and then it died. Not necessarily caused by the fluid change.

It would be the same as new oil messing up your engine.... if you went 100k miles on the same engine oil, like people often do with transmission oil. Changing the engine oil after 100k miles (if it could even make it that long) would almost certainly dislodge enough crud to block up the oil intake.

I still think changing the trans oil sooner than later is worth the potential risk, it's not like you can change it all at once anyway. If you already have symptoms though, don't assume new fluid will save it. Although it often does.