Transmission light 1993 525I

[kristinje27]

I have a 1993 525I with about 162,000 miles that seems to be running well, but occasionally the "Trans Program" light comes on. I've had the car for about a year and half and the light used to come on once or twice a month for a few months, but then completely stopped for about 7 or 8 months.

Whenever the light came on, I turned off the car (it only came on during start-up) and re-started and didn't have any problems.

About 3 weeks ago it started coming on, but instead of coming on during start-up in came on after driving for awhile. The light came on more frequently as well, for a few days in a row and 5 or 6 days in a week and a half. I was worried about it and needed a few other things done, so I took it to the mechanic and asked them to check it out.

My mechanic said that they didn't notice a problem with the transmission and after the other work was completed, the light didn't come on at all for a little more than a week. Then today after not much driving (although, a lot of stop and go) the light came on again and the problem was immediately obvious.

Now, I'm not sure what to do. If the problem isn't immediately apparent to my mechanic, he'll just assume it is not a huge issue, which is partly because he knows I don't want to pay a lot and partly because of a communication issue. But, I don't know if I should do something.

I know that the car hasn't had a transmission service in the last 2 years, but I don't have the records from before that. I remember reading something about BMWs supposedly having transmission fluid for a lifetime, which means that it is difficult to change the fluid, but I am not sure. Is it worth taking it in to a transmission specialist or a BMW specialist/dealer. Or will it not really make a difference? How much would a transmission service generally run?

I know that if I ruin my transmission then it costs more to get it fixed than the car is worth, so I really want to be smart about taking care of it, but I am just not sure what to do.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Kristin

[Jeron]

The trans service is just a fluid and filter change. I would expect to pay $100-$300. Its pretty easy to do.

It appears your tranny is a GM, it takes regular ATF and was probably not specified to be a lifetime fill. That tranny is probably very easy to replace the fluid.

Yes, a tranny rebuild will be about what the car is worth.

You need to take it to a shop than can read the BMW transmission codes. Not all shops can do it but many can. It "may" be a simple repair.

What symptons do you have besides just the light?

[kristinje27]

Thanks for the info about a transmission fluid change, and I will have to find somewhere that reads BMW codes if I want to do it.

The only other issue occurs when the light comes on. If I continue to drive after the "trans Program" light comes on, the shifting (automatic) is jerky and the car revs up a lot without much response. Sometimes this effect is minor, sometimes it is very noticeable and difficult to continue driving much. I try to stop to turn it off as soon as possible, once I do so, the light goes off and the it drives fine.

I will try to see if there are any other noticeable issues.

Thanks for the help!