Gearbox Issue? .... The honeymoon is over before it's started! ......

[Flinders]

Well I think there may be a problem with the gearbox. I said in my last post it wasn't smooth in changing gears. The changes are worse when going uphill and it seems to rev into the 3000's and not be able to shift up then when it does it lurches. I put this down to learning my driving style but it's getting worse.

Today we had cold frozen snow so was a cold start and the engine just stopped at first junction from home. It started first time and carried on as normal. It was parked up at work all day and in the shade so sunshine not warmed it up all day and pretty cold again. Set off from work and in low gears up hill it jerked forward like a hiccup 2 or 3 times before changing up a gear and then lurched and overrevved up to the next change. This got less obvious thenfaster we went as in nearly normal in the higher gears.

All this was while in D drive but a quick switch over to sport and it still behaved the same just felt faster. The X6 is a 59 plate 35d and has 57700 miles on the clock. We asked for the gearbox oil changing by the garage we bought from before we bought so this has been done and was done only last week. Is this the usual death of gearbox after an oil change problem or something else? The car is still under 3 month purchase warranty and we have also taken 2 year extra warranty out. Is there anything we can do to point out where the garage need to look at as this garage certainly isn't BMW although I do know that it was BMW gearbox oil they used?

Hope this can be sorted was just starting to get used to the drive and got my seat all sorted into its comfiest position! Lol!  ::)

[X5Sport]

You need to get the fault codes read as that will tell you what is actually wrong.

It could be the wrong fluid or wrong amount as low pressure will cause issues - and that will also damage the clutch and brake packs - so it needs sorting.  Limit the driving as a failed clutch pack means box out and rebuild and that is upwards of £1,500 plus VAT and Labour.  It doesn't have to be BMW oil and it is a ZF gearbox, it must be the right oil which isn't cheap.

Very rare to have any gearbox issues on the E70 and E71.  It sounds (to me) as if if they messed up and there is a very strict procedure that must be followed when changing the oil - not just drain and refill!  Do it wrong and things break!  If they didn't use the correct oil or process then they are facing a repair bill.  It needs to be done with the system at the right temperature, using certain gears, and checking the levels all the time.

Did they also change the filters?  That is part of the (proper) process and the pan must come off to do it.

[Flinders]

Oh dear that doesn't sound good  >:(. When you say limit use do you mean not drive it at all until it goes to garage? We are 15 miles away from garage and I need to use for work for next 2 days as it is booked in already on Friday as the sat nav disc is constantly wurring round and round now I have map showing on my screen permanently.

Just one thing after another with it already  . I have no faults showing on any screens other than SOS failed whatever that is. Would there be faults coming up on screen?

Thanks again for your knowledgable answer again 

[Steamyrotter]

May not help the gearbox side, but could sort the sat nav..

Disconnect the battery for 5 mins and reconnect.


if nothing else its worth a try!!

[Flinders]

Thanks Steamyrotter it's going back to the garage tomorrow so hopefully it will get sorted.

Update on the gear/lurching problem. I was really low on fuel when it had started this and I had filled up from the local village jet station on Saturday. Filled up from shell on Wednesday night and all the lurching/stuttering and stalling has stopped! So it was either real crappy diesel or because the fuel got low. Big lesson!

Not driven it for a couple of days as husband has had it at home cleaning and pampering it!

[Flinders]

Bit of an update on this and a few other issues we had with the X6 since purchasing. Thankfully it is still under the 3 month warranty from the dealer and we have taken extra warranty out for a further 2 years.

The issue with gearbox and stalling first thing was down to the dealers not putting enough oil back in when they changed the gearbox oil! It was short by 2lts!  :'(. They have completely replaced the gearbox oil again and refilled with correct level so problem solved.

They have carried out a software update on the whole car....not sure what this does but its been done.... Do any of you know what this is?

The automatic lights were not working as in they were on all the time even in bright sunlight. They have sorted this and it was something to do with wiring?

Sat nav was constantly wurring and they have also sorted this not sure what they have done but it is sorted 

they have had the car since Monday and my husband has been and picked him up today so can't wait to get back behind the wheel to see how he feels to drive .... although I have got rather attached to my husbands RRS but don't tell him that because he wants my X6! lol!

[IanP]

I really hope you didn't drive too far with a low gearbox oil level....... I would make it abundantly clear to the supplying garage that any gearbox fault in the next couple of years will be laid squarely at their door. It's certainly a quick way to destroy an auto box 

[X5Sport]

As above, low fluid means low pressure means slipping clutches!  They need to guarantee that for at least two years!

Auto lights could have had a sensitivity change done.  All of my cars with auto-lights will come on in bright sunlight as the sensor sees a blue sky as grey but fluffy clouds in the view give a variation which it correctly interprets and turns the lights off.  It was a common issue with photography in the tropics causing the light sensor to misread the exposure and underexpose!

Sat Nav could have been an erm...... 'non-OEM' disc  :pimp:

[Flinders]

Not thought about the damage that could have been caused by the low oil in the gearbox  >:(. It is documented at BMW about the low oil so the dealer knows this and we have 2 year warranty so fingers crossed no damage was done. It won't have done anymore than 100 miles with 2lts too less oil. My husband couldn't tell the gears weren't smooth so good job I held my ground and said something is wrong or it would have gone on for much longer!

The auto lights not come on yet but they said it was a wiring problem. Will see if they come on at night which may be winter by time we drive at night.

The sat nav disc is a genuine one but has scratches and BMW said they do wear so new disc if it does it again. Have seen loads of the copied discs on eBay when I was looking before it went to BMW in Leeds. They were great at Leeds so it will be going there for anything else it needs under warranty.

What is the software update that they will have done? Is it better for the running of car?

[X5Sport]

There are probably a number of software patches that got done.  These are all normally done at a Dealer service and might cover any part of the systems.  Mine has had one update or another every time it has gone in.  In the past they have been security patches, updated Bluetooth, updated entertainment to match revisions of IOS.

Puzzled how a Nav disc can get scratched as it is normally put in the car and left there.  Nothing for it to contact so nothing to scratch it!

Being the suspicious sort, I am wondering if it was a Dealer disc not the car one...... >:(

[Flinders]

I had read about software updates for the security of the car so at least we know it's had the latest updates needed.

The disc is scratched as I've had a look but whatever they done it's sorted the constant wurring of it whilst driving! Not looked to see if they changed the disc as I daren't get it out again in case it sets it all off again!

Thanks for all the help