2007 328xi: Transmission failure in reverse

[328xiGuyNYC]

I've got 53,000 miles on my 328xi. It's been driving just fine, until today, when it failed to go into reverse when shifted. It's fine in Neutral and Drive, but simply doesn't go into gear for reverse. I know from research that this was a problem on older model in the 90s and 2000...Clueless as to what could be the problem. But I'm almost certain it's out of warranty. Insights welcome. thanks.

[mhunter29928]

Had an X3 with the same problem. The gear selector shaft (#10) was broken. Not too terribly expensive to fix. Cheaper than a new transmission anyway...
361.png
Oh wow, small picture... here's a link: http://realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/i/o/361.png

[328xiGuyNYC]

Brought it in to the mechanic yesterday and he said he ran through electronic codes and tried to isolate it, but that the transmission has to be rebuilt: $3,500. I'm still reeling. But at this point, to get a second opinion on a car that travels only forward isn't easy. I've dealt with him once before and he seems honest and reliable, but now I'm concerned that the car might never be the same.

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MHunter--was its malfunction spontaneous or did something happen to cause it? '07, too?

[mhunter29928]

Well, it's kind of a funny story. The customer dropped off the vehicle to our dealer for regular maintenance. When my service writer was parking the car he found it to have no reverse. So naturally he included a line on the repair order for this problem. I diagnosed it and went to tell the service writer -who was out to lunch at the time- that the part would need to be ordered. So I had a different service writer call the customer... The customer had NO IDEA what the hell we were talking about! Apparently this thing failed in our parking lot! But yeah, it was spontaneous. I don't remember the year, doesn't really matter.

Is your 'mechanic' a BMW specialist? Does he have BMW specialized diagnostic equipment? The reason I ask is because my dealer level diagnostic equipment led me straight to the gear selector shaft. In this case I don't think even a GT1 will cut it. He would need up to date ISTA. Without it I probably would have condemned that transmission also. For the sake of your wallet please have him at least pull the pan and check that shaft.

[urotech]

we have fixed 4 of these so far this year the manual valve rod will shear off at the plastic adapter where the shifter connects to it as well as the selector lever switch assy. it is a simple fix. The valve body does has to be removed to install new valve. Make sure you have the special socket for the gm6 valve body. I replace the factory fluid with redline d6 for better shifting. I would also recc installing new sealing sleeve kit between the valve body and trans, filter, gasket and electrical connector sleeve. and while your in that area change the transfer case oil!!

[ubla]

I trusted BMW to stand for quality. Who needs (7) year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty those are for compromised American brands or new Korean ones without a track record. O boy! I was wrong to learn that BMW does not give a crap about quality and customers. With a car just out of the 50,000 mile warranty failing the transmission is normal thing you are on your own.

So here is my case 2008 328xi with 54,000 miles stopped going in reverse. Call BMW north America and per advise took it to the dealer (BMW Bloomfield NJ). After 2 days of working with BMW Noth America engineers (by themselves they had no idea of what to do) and $465.99 they find the problem : (Manual Valve Rod In Transmission Broken) Repair cost $1,442.46. Raising hell at BMW North America (800) 831-1117 with an agent Shawn Reilly at extension 8538 I was offered half of the $1,442.46 as BMW good will but nothing on the diagnostic cost. This is unheard it is like me an Architect charging a client because I have to learn to do something.

Let me tell you this was may last BMW. We owned in the family several ones 2003, 2006 and this 2008 one.
To be honest I liked the old e49. The new ones 2006 and 2008 have inadmissible suspension problems shocks bottoming out and the horrid run flat tires. Then, the acorns dent the hood (they not dented the e46 or may wife’s C300 Mercedes)

I am disgusted of this Brand.

[aromao]

Any updates on this im stuck with the same problem no reverse. Bmw states they need to replace the whole transmission and my 3rd party warranty will only cover up to 3500. Anyone else have luck with this issue?

[bmwdirtracer]

As discussed above, by many pro techs, the issue is almost certainly a broken selector shaft rod. Replacing this will be MUCH cheaper than replacing the transmission -- copy this thread, and especially hunter's picture, and take it to the dealer, and ask them to check that item, or use ISTA (ISIS) to diagnose the issue.

[Wali]

Just wanted to let everyone know the same thing happened to me. No reverse on my 2008 328Xi with 67,000 miles. Read the threads here and took my car to a local mechanic to evaluate. Told him what I had read and he said that he would look at it. He said that no one rebuilds BMW transmissions and I kept my fingers crossed it would be the Selector Shaft. Got a call a few days later and wha la, it was. The part cost was $19.95. Cheaper than the transmission filter! He replaced the pan gasket and transmission fluid. Total job was $667. Half was labor and half was parts.

Wali

[mcjb]

No reverse happened last week on our 2009 BMW 328xi with 62k.

Stevens Creek said the whole transmission needed to be replaced. Patrick Minnehan in service at BMW Stevens Creek said definitely not solenoid from the scanner, and I asked about selector rod or valve body and they said stop reading the internet. They charged me over $200 for diagnostics and didn't open anything up bc they said they aren't suppose to. We found an independent mechanic, Sokol at Euro Motorcars, and he recommended talking to BMW Customer Service North America to see if we could get good will reimbursement. We talked to Lalita at BMW Corporate who said we could get 30% discount, but they wouldn't send it to us in writing. Fishy. Cost would be over $10,000 for new tranny and with the discount from BMW total would be around $7000. Trade in at Stevens Creek would only give us $1000!

It still sounded wrong so I checked online and sent some links to Patrick Minnehan and Scott Fuller with no reply:

https://wiki.bentleypublishers.com/d...rod,+replacing

and this thread.

I called Sokol at Euromotor cars, an independent BMW mechanic in SF, and he said there might be a chance it might be what I was thinking bc he just repaired one on an X3. I had the car towed to Euro Motorcars in SF and after checking it, he said 90% chance it is selector rod. He had it opened, found it was selector rod, and had it fixed later that day. He said BMW Stevens Creek didn't even do the correct obvious checks that they could have done. He had some other stuff fixed as well so repairs came to $950.

We went back to Lalita at BMW and they wouldn't acknowledge anything or pay for 3rd party. We never had replies to our emails, and Lalita wouldn't send paperwork by email most likely to leave no paper trail. They know this is a possible class action lawsuit and are trying to minimize it, at the obvious expense of their customers. Make the customers pay for new transmissions instead of opening them up and fixing easy problems.

We like BMW's but most likely will trade it in now because of our experience. I hate naming names, but people and companies should be responsible for their actions. Kudos to Sokol at Euro Motorcars in SF for his help. He is the only reason we are considering keeping our BMW.

[cheech1]

Good indy techs are like gold. As long as they keep up with info for newer models, they are often as good or better than dealer techs.

[mhunter29928]

Good indy techs are like gold. As long as they keep up with info for newer models, they are often as good or better than dealer techs.

Ahem...

I know it's popular in these forums to bash dealers and their technicians, I try not to take it personally. In mcjb's instance, it seems warranted. I also know there are good independents out there as well. Please realize there are also many, many, many independents that don't know what the hell they are doing. I've seen their handy work.

[/soapbox]

[bmwdirtracer]

And as an independent tech, I will agree 100% with mhunter.. There are good techs and there are bad techs, whether they work at the dealerships, or independents.

If anyone bashes dealerships or their techs in general, I will personally tell that person that he is a moron. But specifics are specifics, and there are certainly some idiots at the dealerships, as well as many more idiots, at independent shops.

Mcjb: this really has little to do with BMW, as a brand. It's really just the nature of the automotive business: Things fail - some people know what's wrong, and some don't. The ones that don't should do research....but some people are lazy, and would rather just throw expensive parts.

A good BMW tech - whether he works at the dealership, or an indy, is your best friend. A bad BMW tech, wherever he works, is your worst enemy. The dealership techs have better training and facilities than almost any indy; this does not mean that any particular tech paid attention.....

[cheech1]

hunter, I agree with you. I'm just saying that if you find a good indy, you are a lucky person.

The dealer techs that I've had experience with when my car was under warranty were all very good, as is the indy that I've been bringing my cars to over the years. My indy also had a tech that was awful, he was actually the brother of the owner. Owner finally wised up & fired his own brother. Drugs.

[bmwdirtracer]

We're all good here, my friend cheech. You said nothing out of line, unlike some of the less knowledgeable posters, who insult dealer AND indy techs in general, mainly because those posters know little about cars, and even less about the automotive repair business.

For mcjb, and anyone else who hopes to constructively use the information you receive here: NEVER say you "read it in a forum", or "on the internet". Tell them your brother the BMW tech told you! Some of the stupidest crap in the world comes from internet forums -- Luckily, this particular forum is heavily visited by BMW pros, as well as some of the very most knowledgeable "home techs" I've ever known. BS dies quickly here.

A great tech at the dealership has some advantages that no tech at any indy shop will ever enjoy. And VICE-VERSA. The very most important words are :"great tech." When you find the guy you trust, keep him -- wherever he works.

[mary6411]

Same thing happened to us last night with our 2008 328 xi wagon with 132,000 miles. We have been driving BMW's for over 10 years and never heard of this issue. Thank you for posting this! We are also in the Bay Area and will be calling Sokol at Euromotor cars.

[Crusaderpride08]

I was hoping someone might be able to provide some insight into a problem I have been having with my 2007 BMW 328xi (Engine: 3.0L L6 DOHC 24V), car has 106,000 miles on it. A little while ago I took it to a friend of a friend who said he did side work on BMW's. I had him replace the breaks, spark plugs, coils, valve cover gasket (small leak), and the gear selector valve b/c the car stopped going in reverse. When I got the car back I noticed that the car was shifting very roughly between 1st and 2nd, as well as 2nd and 3rd. Shifting in the higher gears seems to be normal. Also, when going up a hill in the lower gears it sometimes feels like the car "rocks" (for lack of a better term) forward and back.

I took it to the dealership and they quoted me over $12,000 to replace the transmission. Obviously this is not an option as the car is only worth about $10,000. A few independent mechanics also recommended replacing or rebuilding the transmission but none I found would do a rebuild, only replace. One indy suggested I change the transmission fluid first to see if that fixes the issue. Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this?

Any insight or suggestions are very much appreciated! Thanks! - Andy

[dworthy]

I was hoping someone might be able to provide some insight into a problem I have been having with my 2007 BMW 328xi (Engine: 3.0L L6 DOHC 24V), car has 106,000 miles on it. A little while ago I took it to a friend of a friend who said he did side work on BMW's. I had him replace the breaks, spark plugs, coils, valve cover gasket (small leak), and the gear selector valve b/c the car stopped going in reverse. When I got the car back I noticed that the car was shifting very roughly between 1st and 2nd, as well as 2nd and 3rd. Shifting in the higher gears seems to be normal. Also, when going up a hill in the lower gears it sometimes feels like the car "rocks" (for lack of a better term) forward and back.

I took it to the dealership and they quoted me over $12,000 to replace the transmission. Obviously this is not an option as the car is only worth about $10,000. A few independent mechanics also recommended replacing or rebuilding the transmission but none I found would do a rebuild, only replace. One indy suggested I change the transmission fluid first to see if that fixes the issue. Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this?

Any insight or suggestions are very much appreciated! Thanks! - Andy

Like posted above, replace the plastic part, and get a fluid and filter replace, that should fix the forward shifting and your reverse issue.

[Otto17222]

Like posted above, replace the plastic part, and get a fluid and filter replace, that should fix the forward shifting and your reverse issue.

Ok guys first off this thread has been amazing, thank you for all the insight and saving a TON of money. My GF has an 08 328xi with around 120xxx miles. Recently it wouldn't go into reverse so I drove it to my mechanic (roughly 18 miles) to have em check it out. No dice so I drove it back and parked it. Sat for maybe a week. Now it no longer has forward gears either. Got it towed and torn apart and the selector was replaced as mentioned on the thread, along with of course fluid and filter changes. With everything all buttoned up the car now ONLY drives in reverse. Is there a DIY fix for this as well or is it time to swap a transmission?