tonylauno1 7 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 (edited) Hi Everyone, E46 & E36 Suspension A search on the Internet forums reveal that a whole bunch of people are having problems with the rear subframe tearing away from the chassis. Just go to any search engine and type "E46 rear subframe" E46 Transmission There is also a website dedicated to E46 having no reverse gear http://www.noreverse.org/ and a mechanic I spoke to say that he has come across a few E46 where the driveline was not align or something along those lines. E36 Transmission There has been a few people who have had their transmission reconditioned. What is the story with E36 transmission? My brother is thinking of getting one. Has anyone in NZL ever experience any of this? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I decided to include transmission to this thread as there were no appropriate forum and it would be easier to discuss them together. Let me know if there is a better alternative and I will repost. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edited December 28, 2007 by tonylauno1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zenetti 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 (edited) Hi Everyone, E46 & E36 Suspension A search on the Internet forums reveal that a whole bunch of people are having problems with the rear subframe tearing away from the chassis. Just go to any search engine and type "E46 rear subframe" E46 Transmission There is also a website dedicated to E46 having no reverse gear http://www.noreverse.org/ and a mechanic I spoke to say that he has come across a few E46 where the driveline was not align or something along those lines. E36 Transmission There has been a few people who have had their transmission reconditioned. What is the story with E36 transmission? My brother is thinking of getting one. Has anyone in NZL ever experience any of this? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I decided to include transmission to this thread as there were no appropriate forum and it would be easier to discuss them together. Let me know if there is a better alternative and I will repost. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey mate the rear subframe issue has happened to 2 people I know of. They were both E46 coupes, and it only happened because both cars were excessively lowered around 70-80mm form memory. Hopefully this puts some of your fears to rest and it may also encourage the SLAB's to have a bit of a rethink. Edited December 28, 2007 by zenetti Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobimmer 694 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 I can imagine how it would rip the subframe to bits,halfshafts etc being on such an angle. Heres hoping it don't happen to me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eef48 0 Report post Posted December 29, 2007 Ive read the same thing about the auto's in the 323's giving grief. Its been a big problem in the states. The gearboxs in question as I understand it where made by GM {enough said} and some small part in the auto was failing and causing the revese gear issue at around 60000mls on. I don't know if every model was a problem but there seemed to be alot of it happening with the 2000 e46 323 which is what I have. I decided to take out a 3 year warrenty on the car when I brought mine just to be safe. Mine is a jap import and has only done 45000klms so I hope I don,t have any issues in the short term but who knows. Im not sure if the auto's in question is a global thing or only in certain areas. A $6000.00 repair bill is probably what your up for if things do go wrong. Get a good warrenty and don't worry about it. My mate brought a brand new Holden and it seized the first day he had it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonylauno1 7 Report post Posted December 29, 2007 Since I don't even have plans for M-Sport suspension, let alone a 70/80mm ride I guess I will be okay. If the auto is a problem for 323's then it would be the same throughout or does different models use transmission from different manufacturers? It's a shame that GM makes so many parts for so many different manufacture. I hope these mechanical warranty will cover suspension bushing. Soon I will need two trailing arm bushing at $390 each. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted December 29, 2007 Hi, I've had the loss of reverse gear in my auto. Its a design flaw in the auto box pistons... Cost me 6000NZD to fix as I had to get the whole box refreshed (clutches / pistons). The only way around this is preventivly getting the defective piston replaced or just get mechanical insurance ... sorted. The subframe vs unibody issue is only and issue if you run excessively low / tight suspension. Its much of a non issue and there is no reason to get the problem happening if you lower your car properly in the first place. I have had both lowering springs (about 50mm) and now coil overs ... and have no issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonylauno1 7 Report post Posted December 30, 2007 Sounds like mechanical insurance is definitely needed. Thanks hybrid, sorry to hear about your NZD6000 gearbox. ouch! It sound just like what these guys are describing at noreverse.org Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmw325i 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2008 hey i've had the problem with the e36 auto trans, well not me personally but my parents own a e36 328i coupe that was aquired through their truck company as a trade in. Its an import and at about 140000k i noticed it starting to get rough with 1st to 2nd gear changes a i was the one driving is while i waited for my car to arrive from japan at the time. It kept getting worse and eventually got sent in to be looked at. The auto got rebuilt and we were originally quoted around 1800-2000 just for a minor part to adjust the tensioners or adjusters in the auto to tighten the gearing up (according to the guy at the shop) but the old man pretty much told him where to put that price and we got it all fixed for 500 if i remmeber correctly. A good family friend also has a 328i coupe which is in an extreme case of the 1st to 2nd rough change when its cold. It nearly puts you through the back of your seat when it FINALLY changes gear. that started doing it around the 110000 mark. So i definatly advise you to check that if your looking to buy an auto e36. I know a few people with 320, 323 and 325i's and they dont seem to have the problem that the 328's have. Hope this helps. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonylauno1 7 Report post Posted January 6, 2008 When making comments about gearboxes it would be beneficial to differentiate between imports with original local market components (JDM with Jatco) and fully built up export (ex Germany ) vehicles. This would identify if the problem is ( as generally peceived) with jatco or any other third party geabox e.g. the suggested GM box as opposed to ZF or Getrag. According to this all e36, e46 & e39 uses GM or ZF transmission. So if they are Japan import then all those GM & ZF are built with local market components? http://www.bmwtips.com/tipsntricks/Tranny/SD92-113.pdf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonylauno1 7 Report post Posted January 6, 2008 hey i've had the problem with the e36 auto trans, well not me personally but my parents own a e36 328i coupe that was aquired through their truck company as a trade in. Its an import and at about 140000k i noticed it starting to get rough with 1st to 2nd gear changes a i was the one driving is while i waited for my car to arrive from japan at the time. It kept getting worse and eventually got sent in to be looked at. The auto got rebuilt and we were originally quoted around 1800-2000 just for a minor part to adjust the tensioners or adjusters in the auto to tighten the gearing up (according to the guy at the shop) but the old man pretty much told him where to put that price and we got it all fixed for 500 if i remmeber correctly. A good family friend also has a 328i coupe which is in an extreme case of the 1st to 2nd rough change when its cold. It nearly puts you through the back of your seat when it FINALLY changes gear. that started doing it around the 110000 mark. So i definatly advise you to check that if your looking to buy an auto e36. I know a few people with 320, 323 and 325i's and they dont seem to have the problem that the 328's have. Hope this helps.I got the same problem with 97 528i at 125k mileage even after transmission flush, change is very rough from 1st to 2nd - it's a little better after warmed up. So what was the problem and where did your old man go to fix the problem?Another problem I am having is the at low rpm changing from 3rd to 2nd it takes a second or two before it changes. The mechanic said it's the rubber lining inside the chamber which is leaking therefore it takes a second or two longer to build up pressure before it can change. He is going to get some Wurf addictives for me but I didn't ask him about the rough change from 1st to 2nd. Both of these problems exist in my old high mileage Honda and after a bottle of Motorup for the transmission all problem has disappeared... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grant 4 Report post Posted January 6, 2008 Never heard of BMW using GM transmission - but that does not mean it is not true It is true, I'm not sure what other models use the GM transmission, but the 318ti that my parents have has a GM Transmission in (it is one of the older E36 4speed auto's...'95 from memory). Cheers Grant Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grant 4 Report post Posted January 7, 2008 The early E26 320i's (jap imports) also have the GM tranny. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yuen 16 Report post Posted January 7, 2008 FWIW, my E36 320i was a Japanese import, production date 91/8, had the Jatco A5S300J transmission. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grant 4 Report post Posted January 7, 2008 Very interesting.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westy 614 Report post Posted January 7, 2008 NZ new 328s use the ZF 5hp18 trans. Havnt heard of problems with it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
