I'm looking at a few 2001 through 2003 3 series and I heard the auto transmission for these cars (this particular generation) is troublesome. Is this true? Should I stick to the MT?
Also, is the 2001 more prone to problems compared to the rest of the production years for the E46?
2007-04-20 18:28:16 · 1 answers · asked by kimchee_boi 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ BMW
Go check out the forums in www.roadfly.org
Yes, the AT in the early E46 are prone to failure as early as 75,000miles for some, or if you're luckier (like me), at 115,000miles (if you can even call it lucky!)
The problem is BMW's claimed "lifetime fill" transmission fluid.
Nothing is lifetime... so in the end, the transmission dies due to lack of fluid change.
My transmission died on my 2000 323ci and it was of course out of warranty. I however printed all the cases I found online (mainly from roadfly), fedexed to their HQ, and they finally agreed to pay about half the total costs. I still needed to fork out about $2k in the end.
The common symptom is "One day, I suddenly lost reverse gear without warning! I shift into reverse, the car acts as if it is in neutral - except that the reverse lights are on".
Either stick with a MT car or go for a low mileage car with AT, then quickly do a fluid change.
bavauto.com has everything you need for the procedure. Call them for advice.
2007-04-20 22:10:07 · answer #1 · answered by Snowie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
How reliable is the automatic transmission for the E46 3 series BMW?
I'm looking at a few 2001 through 2003 3 series and I heard the auto transmission for these cars (this particular generation) is troublesome. Is this true? Should I stick to the MT?
Also, is the 2001 more prone to problems compared to the rest of the production years for the E46?
2015-08-18 18:23:28 · answer #2 · answered by Gertude 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
E46 Automatic Transmission
2016-11-10 07:51:11 · answer #3 · answered by Erika 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋