BMW 325i E46 Transmission problem limp mode 5th gear

[Marklar1]

I have a 2005 325i BMW E46 automatic sedan and have recently experienced the COG OF DEATH!! My car goes into limp mode while driving in automatic mode when the car reaches 5th gear. If I let the car sit for a minute and restart the engine, the light goes off but I encounter the same problem if I continue to drive in automatic mode. I can drive in manual mode through gears 1-4 all around town all day long with no problems and no limp mode. However, if I shift into 5th gear, the gear does not engage and again the car goes into limp mode. The videos below show exactly what happens when I drive in manual and automatic.

https://youtu.be/aI-Ksc_yoi4

https://youtu.be/jJjblHDiPB0

I do have the OEM battery in the car. It is almost 2016 now and the car is a 2005. Could this possibly cause of the problem I am experiencing? My goal is to spend the least amount of money to fix this problem (obviously) so I haven't changed the battery yet because the car runs fine except for the mentioned 5th gear problem.

[dworthy]

That "Service Engine Soon" can be causing your issues with the transmission. Get all the computers scanned for codes to see why they are not happy. The lights are there to tell you there is a problem with the car, and unlike a 1980's car where you could listen to the motor and set the timing, you just cannot do that with modern cars anymore.

[bmwdirtracer]

+1. You have to have all the computers scanned, with a good BMW diag computer. The DME, the ABS, and the EGS (trans computer) will all likely have codes which are important to diagnosing this.

Um, how many miles does the car have, and how many times has the transmission had it's oil and filter changed?