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      05-28-2015, 05:02 PM   #1
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leakage issues (transmission/engine)

Anyone have experience or can point me the right way regarding possible leak issues for the following?
-transmission side pan
-transmission oil sump
-oil filter housing gaskets

I heard that some of these are 'common' occurrences for our Z4 but wondering how extreme is the remedy? Supposedly the leaks are very minor right now but dealer is saying that I may have to replace them. What are my options? TIA.
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      05-28-2015, 06:53 PM   #2
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As for the engine oil I would not worry too much. The transmission however is where I wouldn't wait, although it is probably a slow leak. Aslo it is a good chance to have the expensive dct oil changed. But you better find a shop that knows what they are doing. It is not a common job, but a know prb from the M3 at least.
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      05-28-2015, 07:37 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asbjorn View Post
As for the engine oil I would not worry too much. The transmission however is where I wouldn't wait, although it is probably a slow leak. Aslo it is a good chance to have the expensive dct oil changed. But you better find a shop that knows what they are doing. It is not a common job, but a know prb from the M3 at least.
You mean I could just leave the oil filter housing gaskets as-is? No concerns?

Yes, I'm thinking of getting the transmission fluid changed asap.
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      05-28-2015, 07:54 PM   #4
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oil filter gasket was a warranty fix so I don't have a copy of the price, but I think the amount submitted to BMW was ~$250 when I glanced at the copies I was signing

Agreed DCT should be fixed at a really good shop. Don't mess around with DCT now that you are out of warranty.....
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      05-28-2015, 08:10 PM   #5
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oil filter gasket was a warranty fix so I don't have a copy of the price, but I think the amount submitted to BMW was ~$250 when I glanced at the copies I was signing

Agreed DCT should be fixed at a really good shop. Don't mess around with DCT now that you are out of warranty.....
Only ~$250? Man, they wanted to charge me over $800 for that...I won't even bother scaring you w/ the quotes for the other 2 items lol.

I'm not messing around w/ the DCT fluid: it will be done at a BMW dealership.
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      05-28-2015, 10:41 PM   #6
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Time for a new dealer? Or perhaps more work is needed for your car
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      05-28-2015, 11:50 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquility View Post
You mean I could just leave the oil filter housing gaskets as-is? No concerns?
Well, what is the worst that can happen? That you need to top up engine oil a bit earlier? You will get a warning before anything explodes no matter what, so I would not worry too much... If you clean it, how long does it take until oil is visibly leaking? Probably very very long I guess? If so I would say just keep an eye on it.

The transmission is more tricky because it does not give any "oil low" warnings, and cant be topped up easily anyway. A replacement dct is not cheap, so be careful. I think I paid 2k usd here in China for two gasket replacements at bmw. A new dct is like 14k usd incl everything at bmw china (and maybe 2k if you get it from the "black" market and install it yourself... )
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      05-29-2015, 11:42 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asbjorn View Post
Well, what is the worst that can happen? That you need to top up engine oil a bit earlier? You will get a warning before anything explodes no matter what, so I would not worry too much... If you clean it, how long does it take until oil is visibly leaking? Probably very very long I guess? If so I would say just keep an eye on it.

The transmission is more tricky because it does not give any "oil low" warnings, and cant be topped up easily anyway. A replacement dct is not cheap, so be careful. I think I paid 2k usd here in China for two gasket replacements at bmw. A new dct is like 14k usd incl everything at bmw china (and maybe 2k if you get it from the "black" market and install it yourself... )
I guess, I'm not clear on such things so good to know. Btw where should I place liners on the floor to check if there actually are leaks for those 2 tranny items?
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      05-29-2015, 11:45 AM   #9
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Time for a new dealer? Or perhaps more work is needed for your car
More work? Could the price difference be justified at all cuz that is huge. Ya maybe time for new dealer.
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      05-29-2015, 11:47 AM   #10
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Btw why do I keep unsubscribing from my threads? Some site glitch?
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      05-29-2015, 07:43 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquility View Post
I guess, I'm not clear on such things so good to know. Btw where should I place liners on the floor to check if there actually are leaks for those 2 tranny items?
DCT leaks are discovered by inspecting the tranny and the area around it visually. The two items do not necessarily start leaking at the same time, and oil may not end up on the garage floor although a leak is present. On mine there was just oil on the tranny itself, near the gaskets, and on the exhaust pipe running next to it.
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      05-29-2015, 07:57 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asbjorn View Post
DCT leaks are discovered by inspecting the tranny and the area around it visually. The two items do not necessarily start leaking at the same time, and oil may not end up on the garage floor although a leak is present. On mine there was just oil on the tranny itself, near the gaskets, and on the exhaust pipe running next to it.
How's it possible for a leak to occur if it will not reach the ground eventually? How bad was your leak...I think that the full capacity is 8L? How much fluid was lost and how did you discover it?

I've had conflicting advice as to where those tranny parts are: someone said that it was between the engine and seats and another said that it was ahead of the rear axle? Could someone please confirm?
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      05-30-2015, 12:38 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquility View Post
How's it possible for a leak to occur if it will not reach the ground eventually? How bad was your leak...I think that the full capacity is 8L? How much fluid was lost and how did you discover it?

I've had conflicting advice as to where those tranny parts are: someone said that it was between the engine and seats and another said that it was ahead of the rear axle? Could someone please confirm?
No idea how much was lost. Also I drove for several months between the first and second gasket leaks happening.

Question two. You have to get the car on a lift. The tranny is after the engine, not far from the area below where the gear selector is. The rear axle is further back. Both are covered partly by pans, but you will probably be able to spot signs of leaks without removing anything.
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      05-30-2015, 03:56 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asbjorn View Post
No idea how much was lost. Also I drove for several months between the first and second gasket leaks happening.

Question two. You have to get the car on a lift. The tranny is after the engine, not far from the area below where the gear selector is. The rear axle is further back. Both are covered partly by pans, but you will probably be able to spot signs of leaks without removing anything.
So I probably have to line the full length of the floor between the axles then as my layman's way to testing for leaks.
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      05-31-2015, 01:20 AM   #15
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Highly recommend not checking for dct oil leaks in this way. Use a lift.
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      05-31-2015, 01:49 AM   #16
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Quote:
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Highly recommend not checking for dct oil leaks in this way. Use a lift.
I have no access to a lift so should I just take the dealership's word for it that those 2 transmission items need to replaced?
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      05-31-2015, 01:10 PM   #17
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Use a lift at the dealership? Ask them to show you where the leak is? I would have done so immediately the first time they mentioned it.

Actually I often use my local dealership's lift for a few minutes if I want to check something. Usually there are no questions asked, except if I have been out drifting lately or similar small talk... they have more than ten lifts in there, and there is always at least one available if I go on a regular week day. Weekends are a their busiest times, so I avoid those.
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      05-31-2015, 05:04 PM   #18
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There were drops of oil on my garage floor from the oil filter housing leak on my car.

It is hard to say because of the underbody trays

You need to visually inspect on the lift.
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      05-31-2015, 06:21 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asbjorn View Post
Use a lift at the dealership? Ask them to show you where the leak is? I would have done so immediately the first time they mentioned it.

Actually I often use my local dealership's lift for a few minutes if I want to check something. Usually there are no questions asked, except if I have been out drifting lately or similar small talk... they have more than ten lifts in there, and there is always at least one available if I go on a regular week day. Weekends are a their busiest times, so I avoid those.
For free? Dealerships here seem to want to charge for everything. Well, since I need to fix my front bumper, I'll ask at a bodyshop.
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      06-01-2015, 10:59 AM   #20
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I got a new DCT when I was still under warranty because BMW could not figure out how to fix my leak after 3 tries.
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      07-13-2015, 06:38 PM   #21
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Bumping this as this is still o/s on my 'to do' list. Supposedly to replace the transmission side pan it will cost ~CAD1,600 (~USD1,280) and to replace the transmission oil sump ~CAD$1,300 (~USD1,040): does this sound right? The reasoning is due to supposed transmission fluid leaking.

For those that have done it, how much was it to change the transmission fluid (for DCT, if that matters)?

Thanks, guys.
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      07-14-2015, 12:03 AM   #22
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I think I paid around 17k rmb for reparing both in total, including new dct oil. A new replacement dct from the chinese black market is cheaper, but then you have to install and perhaps code it by yourself.
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