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2011 BMW 5 Series Transmission

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Comments

  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    I think you are lucky you leased it. You should be able to break the lease. I am certain that they will tell you that everything is OK. I can't believe BMW hasn't solved this problem. I am told that it is software related????
    Good luck!
  • jayrandalljayrandall Member Posts: 81
    On what grounds do you think they should break the lease? I know what I am going to say, but what's your argument? Keep in mind, I haven't had the car even two weeks yet.
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    When I first complained to the salesperson who sold the car to me, he said if I had leased the car he could replace the car or I could break the lease. I did not follow up on this since I bought the car and was stuck. Just tell them the car is not performing to your satisfaction and you don't want it. See what they say. Just be insistent. Does your lease agreement include a "your satisfaction" clause? (I am not an attorney) Let me know what happens.
  • gregoryxgregoryx Member Posts: 44
    Picked up 2011 535xi last week. Spoke with sales man, svc mgr, sales mgr before purchase aboutnconcern. They flashed vehicle twice to ensure all ltest firmware and test drove b4 I arrived. So far car is great and driving perectly
  • jayrandalljayrandall Member Posts: 81
    As you read this, don't laugh (or scream too hard):

    I went to Fields BMW (Chicago area) Service today. I had called ahead so they were expecting me and knew why I was coming in.

    A neanderthal service tech guy joins me for a test drive in my car to verify the problem. He (Skip) could not have been more rude, stubborn or just plain stupid. He immediately notices the 'shudder' when accelerating from a stop. He tells me (as we are driving) that it's probably the gas that is causing the delay, aka, shudder from a stop. He then tells me to run the car to empty, and fill it up with the highest grade of fuel. The gas in the tank was from the free fill-up the dealership provided when I got the car last week. Then, he claims that all the internet information is a lie and bogus. (of course)

    Anyhow, I am going back on Tuesday and have a meeting with the service manager. I plan to tell them to fix the issue ASAP, or I am returning the car stat.

    More to come.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    Feel free to write a review about your dealership experience:
    http://www.edmunds.com/dealer-reviews/

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  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    I am interested in hearing of your results with the transmission problem. Is there anything new?
  • jayrandalljayrandall Member Posts: 81
    No, it's not resolved. And it's not unique to my vehicle. About ten days ago, I went back to the BMW service center. The techs and a manager acknowledged the problem after test driving my car with me. I left the car with them for the day for testing.

    They subsequently tested a few more cars, and confirmed that each (same year and model as mine) had the delay issue.

    I spoke to my sales rep the next morning, and I agreed to take the car and drive it for a few days, and to try to break it in. I drove it for the past week and a half, no changes, just mind numbingly annoying delays when driving. And on a few occasions, I couldn't accelerate quick enough. Safety issues now are first on my mind.

    I plan to call the dealership Monday and discuss returning the car. There is no amount of 'breaking in the car' that will correct this problem.

    What I find perplexing, is how could BMW release this car and engine to market?

    Thoughts?
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    I agree: "how could BMW release this car and engine to market?"
    I don't know. My car is slightly improved...about 50%. Sometimes the transmission is OK; other times it is still jerky in the first 2 or 3 gears. There is still a delay when trying to pass. My transmission was supposedly re-programmed at about 7500 miles. I now have about 10,500 miles. They said that the transmission was re-learning my driving style after programming.
    I have a friend who was an auto engineer for a major manufacturer. He said the transmissions are software driven and very complex and that the problem is probably faulty software which needs further "tweaking". I recently had an "oil low" warning light and the steering wheel did not return to the pre-set position. Naturally, they found nothing wrong. Hopefully, they will come out with further software upgrades....soon.
  • jayrandalljayrandall Member Posts: 81
    How many months have you had your 535? Did you lease or buy ?
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    I have a 528i, which I purchased 9 months ago. This problem is with several models.
  • jayrandalljayrandall Member Posts: 81
    ok, but the problem is no where near as pronounced on a 528i compared to a 535. I say this because the day I brought my car to service, they put me in a 2011 528i and I commented to the service guys that the 528 had much better 'take off' from a stop then my car.
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    The problem was quite pronounced initially in my car. There are some cars without any problems. So it can vary. I hope you can obtain more satisfaction than I have.
  • bmwowner5bmwowner5 Member Posts: 2
    edited November 2011
    After waiting most of a year for a software fix for my jerky transmission problem on a 2011 BMW 535i, I finally received some relief. So far, the jerky moves from a slow start have been removed and it moves off smoothly as it should. I have also noticed that the steering is much tighter than before. More like the 3 Series models that I driven in the past. Needless to say, I am very pleased with it at the moment. It drives like the car I expected to buy nearly a year ago. It is a much different car.
    The dealer indicated that this software update was only just recently available to them and that they had only done one other car (successfully they said). Anyone with this problem might check with their dealer and indicate that there have been successful changes made to correct this transmission flaw.
  • jayrandalljayrandall Member Posts: 81
    edited November 2011
    Great to hear, but is there a technical note or reference number I can reference for my BMW service center ?
  • houssichoussic Member Posts: 1
    I am in the same boat with Jay Randall. Do you have a code that I can tell the dealership so we can get the same software update? Our 528i is pretty bad.
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    1 3 3 6 I S P S
    1 0 1 7 7 V E H I C L E S O F T W A R E L E V E L @ I S T A 2 . 4 1 . + .
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    The above jibberish is what they told me when I requested the software version. My transmission is improved but intermittently it is still jerky at lower speeds. I will check with the dealer next week to see if a newer transmission software version is available.
  • bmwowner5bmwowner5 Member Posts: 2
    The dealer says that they have no specific "code" or id number. They say that any BMW dealer should now be aware of the software fix for the jerky transmission issues; they are now well-known by most everyone. As I said before, my dealer has just recently received the update so it appears to me that it would be available to any dealer if they just asked for it from BMW.
    Good luck. bmwowner5
  • jayrandalljayrandall Member Posts: 81
    What is your dealer name? Aka, bmw service center.
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    edited November 2011
    IRVINE BMW in Irvine California
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    I checked with my dealer today(11-22-11) regarding availability of new software for the transmission problem. I was told that they were not aware of new software. They said that BMW would have notified them of a fix if there were one.
    If you have any other information on this problem, I would appreciate your help.
    Thanks
  • sthakursthakur Member Posts: 2
    Today while I was driving I got this warning message "Transmission Malfunction" Please contat dealer. Before this message, I did observer jerky transmission. I have only less than 6k miles on it. I am worried about this. Can some one advise what needs to be done. I have called BMW Road side Assist, they are towing my car to BMW Dealer tomorrow. Is this major issue ?
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    I have had the same transmission problems. The dealer has yet to completely resolve them. So far, they have re-programmed the computer with slight improvement in jerky transmission. Mostly, they have denied any problems. Just this week I took the car to the dealer. They have had it for 4 days so far. I am awaiting a report. Read my previous posts for more details. Keep us informed with your situation.
  • sthakursthakur Member Posts: 2
    I have towed my car to Dealer on Friday 9th of this Month and Service Advisor called me back after several hours and said "We have a fault stored for transmission gear ratio monitor,sent information to BMW PUMA for diagnosis.Still waiting for a reply". And today I have called dealer about my vehicle status, he said "Still waiting on parts". I am not sure whats going on with my Car. Even though dealer provided loaner car (535i BMW). I dont know how long they will take. Will update as soon as here from the dealer. Please keep us post with your vehicle status. Thanks
  • nickel2nickel2 Member Posts: 19
    My car still has the transmission problem although not as bad as previously. The dealer finally admitted that BMW has a transmission problem. They said that re-programming solved 75% of the problems but 25% were still a problem. I am one of the 25% I suppose. However, not all of my visits to the service department were documented by the dealer and they claim that I was negligent and that my problems are not too bad. I appear to have been screwed by the dealer.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    I would visit another dealer and call the BMW customer service line. There really isn't any kind of maintenance "negligence" that should cause transmission issues in a less than 2-year-old vehicle.

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  • robert191robert191 Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 2011 535i "Launch Edition" when the new models were introduced in June of 2011. I had owned 3 different 3 series cars over the years and liked them all. However, this month I sold my 535i after 11,000 miles because I could just not tolerate the jumpy and jerky transmission on this car anymore. I have had it to two dealers close to 10 times looking at it and even had the BMW tech rep come and drive the car. The transmission has been reset and reprogrammed twice, all with little or no impact.

    Those of you hoping and waiting for some software fix, I would suggest you give up hope. After a year of talking to BMW people at dealerships and corporate, this tranny is just the way it is, which is a pretty substandard experience for a $50K+ BMW.

    Some cars are better than others (I have driven several during the past year) and some drivers are more tolerant of the low speed jerking and fishing for the right gear that the transmission goes through, but this issue permeates all 2011 535i's in some form.

    My experience with BMW on this will probably cause me to not buy any more BMW's for a long, long time.
  • flipfloppyflipfloppy Member Posts: 2

    I know this thread is old but I am sitting in my dealership at Brian Harris BMW in Baton Rouge. The jerkiness of the car and the slow starts are annoying for such a "well-made" expensive machine. I hope they correct the transmission problem and do not try and get me to pay for it. I was told that I may have to pay even though the preowned car was purchased just two days ago. Hoping for the best as I sit here. Will update after I hear back from the service department.

  • flipfloppyflipfloppy Member Posts: 2

    UPDATE:
    Car needs a 350 dollar part. I asked if they were going to cover it and he said "we're going to try and help you" - part takes three days to arrive. I will continue to edit before posting my final commentary.

  • bootleg101bootleg101 Member Posts: 1
    nickel2 said:
    I have had NO RESPONSE so far from "customer service". I have nitrogen filled tires. I receive a monthly email from the dealer reminding me to bring the car in for a tire check. The last time I was told to ignore the email and just check the tires every 6 months. I asked them to check the tires anyway since I was already there and they refused. The Dealer is hopeless. (Irvine BMW, Irvine, Calif.) I will give customer service more time to give me the courtesy of a response. If there are enough unhappy customers, perhaps we should consider legal action.
    Hi Nickel2 did you ever get a response from your dealer or corp?  I have the same car and started having the issue about a year after i got the car and it was fine until these last few months it's seems to be getting worse.  The dealer still finds nothing wrong like always but I showed them a picture i took of the error I see when it's really bad and he ran a thorough engine check and guess what they found the transmission has a problem, go figure ("found fault for trans. solenoid valve-open circuit").  They want $13k for a brand new one that's just B.S. I always maintain my car and i dont mistreat at all just use it for work and to get me where i need to go.  I love my car but at this point I don't know if I want to keep it.  I care for that price.   Anybody have any recommendations?  Legal action sounds good to me.
  • bissdalbissdal Member Posts: 1
    My 2011 535i is currently at the dealership. Same rough shifting in low gear. $12.800 plus labor for a new one.
  • lweatherslweathers Member Posts: 2
    I experienced the same problem with my 2011 535i along with a slight hesitation when accelerating slowly from a dead stop. Dealer claimed problem was not there.
    johnbomb said:
    I have a 2011 535i and experience jerking at low parking lot speeds. Anyone else have this issue? Does BMW have a fix (software update) for the transmission?
    johnbomb said:
    I have a 2011 535i and experience jerking at low parking lot speeds. Anyone else have this issue? Does BMW have a fix (software update) for the transmission?
    johnbomb said:
    I have a 2011 535i and experience jerking at low parking lot speeds. Anyone else have this issue? Does BMW have a fix (software update) for the transmission?

  • lweatherslweathers Member Posts: 2
    Early production 2011 528i. 60,000 miles.
    My Transmission Malfunction light finally came on yesterday as car was downshifting in Sport Mode. It had downshifted roughly during deacceleration. Then it went into "limp mode".
    The bumpy acceleration/deacceleration problem has existed prior to & following BMW's extended warranty expiration. Issue usually goes away after a day's driving, sometimes it's two or three months between occurances. Now to call BMW customer service. Hope to get some assistance; if not, this will be my first & last BMW.
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