Did my mechanic make a mistake and is now trying to avoid the blame for it?

[apistat1]

Sorry for how long this is but I think the context is important to figuring it out.

I have an automatic 2004 325i with about 138k miles on it. Last week I took it into the mechanic I've been using for the past 8 or so years (with no complaints or issues) because it wasn't running smoothly the last couple days. It felt like it was sputtering somewhat frequently, like it couldn't keep smooth acceleration or maintain rpm/speed. A few times it sputtered I also heard a corresponding grinding noise.

They had it for a few days and said they couldn't recreate the problem when they drove it and couldn't find anything wrong with it. I wasn't too surprised by this because while I was driving it over to them it was running like normal. While they had it I asked them to do the overdue 120k Inspection II, and a transmission service/flush.

I got it back on Friday night. It was driving like normal Friday and Saturday; I probably put around 40 miles on it freeway and city. On Sunday I'm driving on the freeway and it feels like the acceleration stops responding, and the "(!)" transmission light comes on. I'm able to get it off the freeway and barely make it into a parking lot; it won't accelerate and by the time it's parked it's smoking. From the time it went wrong to when I parked it I probably drove about a mile. It's leaking a lot of transmission fluid in the parking lot. I have it towed to the same mechanic.

The tow truck driver was telling me it sounds like they might have not properly tightened the plug after the transmission service and it fell out. Here's the email I got from the mechanic after they looked at it today:

Quote:

We took a look on your BMW today and found the transmission fluid is leaking out from the torque converter inspection hole. We double checked the transmission pan gasket and plugs are all properly tightened and no leaks come those area. When trans fluid leaks from that hole, it means the internal components like torque converter, converter seal and/or input shaft might be having problems. We will have to drop of the transmission to confirm that. Here's the video of where the fluid is leaking from.

And here's the video they sent: https://streamable.com/ok4fs

So this leads me to a few questions:

1) Does that explanation sound plausible? Is the video useful at all?
2) What are the chances this failure was related to the initial problem I brought it in for? Is there a chance something they did caused this?
3) Is it something they should have found the first time they had it, especially when they were doing the transmission service?
4) What kind of problems could this cause and how much might it cost?

I've never had a reason to distrust them before, but I just can't over the fact that they specifically worked on the transmission and then it immediately fails two days later.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

[Breeze1]

Sorry for how long this is but I think the context is important to figuring it out.

I have an automatic 2004 325i with about 138k miles on it. Last week I took it into the mechanic I've been using for the past 8 or so years (with no complaints or issues) because it wasn't running smoothly the last couple days. It felt like it was sputtering somewhat frequently, like it couldn't keep smooth acceleration or maintain rpm/speed. A few times it sputtered I also heard a corresponding grinding noise.

They had it for a few days and said they couldn't recreate the problem when they drove it and couldn't find anything wrong with it. I wasn't too surprised by this because while I was driving it over to them it was running like normal. While they had it I asked them to do the overdue 120k Inspection II, and a transmission service/flush.

I got it back on Friday night. It was driving like normal Friday and Saturday; I probably put around 40 miles on it freeway and city. On Sunday I'm driving on the freeway and it feels like the acceleration stops responding, and the "(!)" transmission light comes on. I'm able to get it off the freeway and barely make it into a parking lot; it won't accelerate and by the time it's parked it's smoking. From the time it went wrong to when I parked it I probably drove about a mile. It's leaking a lot of transmission fluid in the parking lot. I have it towed to the same mechanic.

The tow truck driver was telling me it sounds like they might have not properly tightened the plug after the transmission service and it fell out. Here's the email I got from the mechanic after they looked at it today:

Quote:

We took a look on your BMW today and found the transmission fluid is leaking out from the torque converter inspection hole. We double checked the transmission pan gasket and plugs are all properly tightened and no leaks come those area. When trans fluid leaks from that hole, it means the internal components like torque converter, converter seal and/or input shaft might be having problems. We will have to drop of the transmission to confirm that. Here's the video of where the fluid is leaking from.

And here's the video they sent: https://streamable.com/ok4fs

So this leads me to a few questions:

1) Does that explanation sound plausible? Is the video useful at all?
2) What are the chances this failure was related to the initial problem I brought it in for? Is there a chance something they did caused this?
3) Is it something they should have found the first time they had it, especially when they were doing the transmission service?
4) What kind of problems could this cause and how much might it cost?

I've never had a reason to distrust them before, but I just can't over the fact that they specifically worked on the transmission and then it immediately fails two days later.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

I'm not familiar with auto transmissions so it'll have to be confirmed by someone who is, but here is how I feel about this "story":

- Had the sputtering not been associated with grinding noise, I would have thought that it could be anything from a clogged fuel filter, a failing spark plug or coil, to a vacuum leak and a few other things in between. But it was associated with a grinding noise.
- The leak shown in the video they provided could have long been there and made the gearbox run out of/get low on oil, which could have caused the grinding noise you heard
- filling the transmission up with fresh fluid, possibly from a different (thinner) grade than the one it had before, has revealed the issue they're mentioning ("When trans fluid leaks from that hole, it means the internal components like torque converter, converter seal and/or input shaft might be having problems.")
- The car's failure to accelerate when you were on the highway could be related to other previous symptoms, only this time they resulted in total failure instead of sputtering/grinding
- the oil servicing would then be just a coincidence, which wouldn't be that surprising given how these old bimmers tend to get temperamental

If they've been servicing the car for 8 years with no issues I would give them the benefit of the doubt and politely ask if they could drop the transmission and confirm the diagnostic at no charge (given the "coincidence", the long service history and so on).

Additionally, have you ever noticed oil stains in your driveway/garage, especially around the time you started having the issue ?

Ideally, one of the techs here will give his impressions about the diagnostic.

Good luck.

[MarcoZandrini]

OP, does the shop specialize in bimmers? If not, find a shop that does at www.bimrs.org. Such a shop will have the specialized computers to properly troubleshoot and test your car.

[Critter7r]

How much did they charge for just the trans fluid service/flush portion of your service? And does the invoice specify what fluid was used?

[bmwdirtracer]

Welcome to the forum, apistat.

There is not going to be a clear answer to your question. Here's why:

You had a car that was grinding, maybe slipping, failing to maintain speed and rpm. MAYBE that was due to the transmission running low on fluid....maybe not.

The shop with which you've had no previous troubles changes the trans fluid and filter and does a service, and sends you on your way. 40 miles later you've got transmission lights, failure to move, and a significant leak.

IF TRULY the only leak was from within the bellhousing, then it's not the shop's fault. They were not ever there. But you have no way of ascertaining if this is true, or whether a mechanic made a terrible mistake.

It's unlikely that the mechanic left the drain plug loose, because he had to fill this thing from the bottom, engine running, and he would have seen the drip, I'd expect. That said....why didn't he see the drip from the bellhousing? In the amount of time necessary to fill the trans from the bottom, that drip from the bellhousing would have made a mess of his floor.

And....as Critter asks...what fluid is on your bill? Because that's a tan fluid coming out....maybe mixed with water....it is not a red fluid. So which fluid he used should correspond to which transmission you have: GM...or ZF. (Post the last 7 digits of your VIN, we'll try to figure it out)

Lastly: Same as firstly....there's not going to be a definitive answer to your concern about whether the mechanic caused the issue. Never mind what the tow truck driver said, that's useless.

I WOULD say this: There are stored trouble codes in the transmission computer and the engine computer. Tell the shop that your brother, who is a BMW dealer tech on the east coast, wants the shop to scan and print those for you, directly from their diagnostic computer...because you asked him for help, and he wants to advise you of the best course of action. Doing this may be your best way to discern whether something's being hidden.

The shop is NOT going to pull the transmission for free, by the way.

My 2 cents.

[2ndgenerationX1]

So how did this ultimately play out, OP? On a side note, abandoning a thread where several people have generously taken time to write up suggestions is very uncool..

[MauiM3Mania]

So how did this ultimately play out, OP? On a side note, abandoning a thread where several people have generously taken time to write up suggestions is very uncool..

The OP has abandoned not just this thread, bit the entire forum. He's not been back since he posted his initial message.