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5-Series (E12,E28, E34, E39, E60)Chat relating to the BMW 5-Series of all generations. Specific models include: BMW 518, BMW 520, BMW 520i, BMW 530i, BMW 528i, BMW 530i, BMW 518i, BMW 524d, BMW 525i, BMW 525e, BMW 528e, BMW 540i, BMW 535i, BMW 520d, BMW 525td, BMW 525d, BMW 530d, BMW 525i/xi, BMW 530i/xi. (BMW 5-Series Forum)
I am shopping for a used 540i and would prefer an automatic for commuting. My greatest concern is reliability: I've heard the BMW autos are more suspect to catastrophic (expensive) failure than most. I've had friends with 740s that had their trannys go out in less than 100k. The repair costs were several thousand dollars.
Is there any reason to shy away from the automatics, or are these just 740 issues?
According to my BMW mechanic, he seldom come upon a transmission job on the V8 5ers. And he runs a busy business! He says they are built good and strong, But if it fails, the 540's transmission can cost up to $5k to replace! And he says it's one of the heaviest transmissions he has ever worked on!
Where are you located? I might sell my 540i if the offer is good.
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