auto gearbox help needed ???

[Guest]

Hi Guys,

I need help from some of you on here who maybe has some knowlege of automatic gear boxes, i was out on Friday and was pulled up by a van driver behind me to tell me there was something leaking out the car so i stoped after i got round the next corner and looked and there was a puddle under the car which was found out to be auto brake fluid ? so i called the RAC who came looked at it said i had damaged the auto gear box sump so they arranged a truck to pick up the car and bring it home for me, so anyways today i called a auto specialists who said i could have damaged the gearbox beyond repair and would be looking at a bill of Ԛ£1500 plus VAT ??? i really dont know what to do now ? i thought all the car would need was a new sump and gasket set ???

Lars

[MONSPORT42]

Sorry to hear your news. You must have given it quite a whack at sometime to damage the gearbox sump! I'm sure it doesn't sit low enough to get damaged even when 'grounding' the car over speed humps - the exhaust will take the knock first. Unless you've seen the damage for yourself, I'd say it was more likely to be a gasket or front end seal that's gone.
I've just had my switchable Sport auto gearbox rebuilt and fitted for less than Ԛ£1200 including VAT at a well known BMW independent down here so I would say your quote sounds expensive.

[jonb]

have they actually replaced the sump?

if not i would sugest doing this, then have a proper flush, not just the pan, the whole box and torque converter. then see how the box drives.

[Guest]

car has just been taken away by a local garage to have it looked over and see the damage wont know any more until its been on the ramps and they have checked it over so i have a sleepless night ahead !!!

Lars

[mrLEE30]

sorry to hear that mate, guess you dont have to worry about your kick down problems any more!! but yes as said it is difficult to break the sump unless you hit something hard, a gasket or something simpler is likely, and anyway why wouldn't you just change the sump rather than whole gearbox?? But in my opinion would be cheaper to go down to a scrap yard, but a rusty old manual 325 and do the conversion, no way it would cost that much (1500 squids??!!??!!) Doesnt sound too hard if your handy with the spanners and have a place to do it.

mrlee

[Guest]

cheers for that mate but it was only the pipe that runs between the sump and the bottle at the top so its all sorted now cost me Ԛ£85 for the labour new pipe and the auto transmission fluid but i dont car as my baby is sorted and back on the road

Thanks again guys for all the help and advice,

All The Best
Lars

[MONSPORT42]

Glad to hear you're all sorted - I hate that nagging feeling I get in the pit of the stomach when my car's sick.
So much for a gearbox damaged beyond repair!!! I wonder how many people (without friends on a zone like ours) might have believed what both the RAC and the gearbox specialist said and shelled out Ԛ£1750? Just goes to show that it's always best to get a second opinion - or 3,500 opinions in the zone's case!

[Guest]

true so true mate and thanks again for all the help and advice given on this and everything else i am just glad shes ok and back on the road and when it was in i got a new air filter fitted by the same garage i bought from that undergroundstyling.com thats on here and now its running even better than before so i am over the moon i was thinking about selling before but now i may just keep her for a while to come

Lars

[MONSPORT42]

Thanks for that. Lovely car - glad to hear you're keeping it!