Rebuild Or Replace zf Transmission

[kevinandkay]

Hi,

I am in the unfortunate position of having blown up my transmission today on my 2003 330cic. There is 125k miles on the car I had it towed to a reputable transmission repair shop in the Denver/Englewood area and they said the codes are saying there is too much torque converter slippage, that there is a gear ratio error for 4th gear and that I have a couple of unrelated oxygen sensor codes appearing. They also said the fluid was very dark and burnt (I had it replaced less than one month ago) They are quoting me about $3000 to $4500 to rebuild the transmission (and not replace with a rebuilt one), that would include a replacement/rebuilt torque converter as well, they also said they would rebore the pump as that is a common failure point for this transmission. This would come with a 3yr warranty. Alternatively, a bmw shop where I have had a fair amount of work done in the past has advised me that I would be better off putting in a rebuilt ZF transmission with a new torque converter ($4100).

So my question is should I have the current transmission rebuilt or am I better off getting a replacement rebuilt transmission. In addition, if I go for the replacement, is there anything in particular that I should avoid or a particular manufacturer of rebuilt transmissions/converters. If I go the rebuild, are there any upgrades that I should have done or avoid having done. Finally, are there any questions I should be asking that I am missing.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

Kevin

[MarcoZandrini]

The transmission shop provides a three-year warranty. Have you read the warranty paperwork? The three-year warranty may not be all inclusive.

What is the warranty on the ZF rebuilt transmission?

Personally I'd prefer a transmission that has been rebuilt by the manufacturer.

[SexualChocolate]

Find a used one and replace because at 4000 you're into it for about 3/4 of what your car is worth on the open market (depending on what your local market is like).

[DAES]

Find a used one and replace because at 4000 you're into it for about 3/4 of what your car is worth on the open market (depending on what your local market is like).

+1

Does anyone knows how much would it be just to make the car manual tranny?

[kevinandkay]

The transmission shop provides a three-year warranty. Have you read the warranty paperwork? The three-year warranty may not be all inclusive.

What is the warranty on the ZF rebuilt transmission?

Personally I'd prefer a transmission that has been rebuilt by the manufacturer.

The warranty is 2yrs/24k miles. The rebuilt is offering 3yrs/36k miles. As for the manufacturer, this is not a BMW rebuild, I do not know what company is doing the rebuilding.

[kevinandkay]

Find a used one and replace because at 4000 you're into it for about 3/4 of what your car is worth on the open market (depending on what your local market is like).

In my market these were selling for about 12k last summer. Also, we are planning to own this for the long haul, so I don't mind putting a little more money in now if it is worth it in the future.

[Jaybird180]

In my market these were selling for about 12k last summer. Also, we are planning to own this for the long haul, so I don't mind putting a little more money in now if it is worth it in the future.

What did you ultimately decide to do? I'm looking to have a transmission overhauled.

[RobertDenali]

My $.02.... these cars are in yards everywhere. You can probably pull a used trans for $350 or less.

If you plan on keeping the car for many years than maybe get a rebuilt or get your trans rebuilt.

If no plans to keep for many years than probably get it from a yard.

[Jaybird180]

My area it seems that transmissions are a little more pricey at ~$1500-2000, and we still would need to swap the mechatronics (valve body), which is $500-1000 PLUS r/r labor IIRC ~$350.

[RobertDenali]

According to car-part.com the AT trans non-xi are $300 - $400.

Maybe you live in a more expensive area.

[Jaybird180]

Thanks for that site! I’m looking at it on my iPhone. I hope there’s a way to download a spreadsheet so I can narrow down the parameters to find a good compromise. Problem is that my mechanic is a stickler and would insist on having a say in the selection. It’s a double edge sword.

[Jaybird180]

My mechanic says that the mechatronics will need to be implanted into the donor transmission and that by the time that is done, the all up costs will compete with or exceed rebuild costs. FWIW, he doesn't do rebuilds but he would do the transplant- so he's losing my business by recommending I go the rebuild route. This is assuming that a good quality donor would be around $1200, not the $3-400 proffered above.

If there's a better way, I'm all ears.

Sofar, I have a quote for $3200 completely buttoned up with 12mo/12k warranty. I'll talk with 2-4 more shops before making a decision.