Automotive Repair Guide

An automatic transmission is just that- automatic, consequently most people tend to pay very little attention to it until a major problem rears its ugly head.

Picture the scenario- you are driving along in the lap of luxury, the satellite radio blaring and the heated seats on. You have become accustomed to the comfort level and great driving experience brought to you by BMW.

You decide to stop at the local convenience store on your way home to grab some ice cream for the kids and a bottle of water for yourself. Upon returning to your car, you start it up, check your rear view mirror, put the shifter in reverse and then the unthinkable happens- the engine just revs as if it is in neutral and the car goes nowhere!

This article deals with the reasons behind an unexpected loss of reverse in certain BMW automatic transmission equipped vehicles, specifically the 3 series and 5 series vehicles that use the ZF5HP19 or steptronic transmission. This includes the popular 323i, 323ci, 325i, 328i, 330i, 525i, 528i, 530i, X3 and X5 models well as some others built in the 1999 to present model years.

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There is never a fun time to find out you need to perform repairs on your vehicle. There are many things that can go wrong with your automobile and this article will outline some of the problem areas and what you might expect.

Flat Tire
This is a common problem with cars and trucks and is relatively easy to fix, especially if you have a tire jack and a spare in the trunk. You can also try those flat in a bottle sprays that will help seal up the tire and may let you drive home and get a permanent fix. Flat tires can be caused by nails, glass or you might be driving along too fast and hit a dip in the road real hard.

Transmission Trouble
This is one problem that is not fun to hear. If you have trouble shifting or your car is automatically shifting when you don’t want it to, that’s a sign that you may need your transmission looked at. A simple fix might set you back only $500 or so, but those are rare. Often if there’s something really wrong with the transmission it may need to be totally rebuilt. If your tranny needs to be completely redone, you could be looking at a $2,000 problem, unless you want to buy the parts and tackle the problem yourself.

Broken or Chipped Window
If you do much freeway driving invariably a small rock or pebble will bounce up and hit you in the windshield. If you see a tiny little ding or crack, take it to a window repair shop right away as they might be able to seal that up before it blows up and ruins the entire window. If the window gets wrecked you could be looking at a $250 to $500 fix depending on the type of car or truck you have.

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When to change spark plugs is something that a DIY mechanic usually doesn’t know because of all the things involved that determines whether it is time to change them. The common excepted time frame to change them is usually around 30,000 all the way up to 100,000 miles. This still is not a very good way to determine whether or not they need to be changed because it is to vague a time frame. It does not consider your specific vehicle with your specific mileage along with your vehicles specific requirements. Before we dive into all the different factors that determine when to change spark plugs, let’s first take a closer look at the spark plug and it’s importance in the optimal performance of your vehicle.

Even though it is a small part of the engine it plays a very big roll. In an internal combustion engine, it is what is used to create the spark that lights the air fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. It’s basically made up of individual components that consists of the terminal, insulator, ribs, insulator tip, seal, center electrode and metal case. Over the years there have been many improvements on the design in order to extend it’s life, provide better spark ignition or both. With the new design changes and improvements came more efficient vehicles with better fuel mileage along smoother running engines and better overall performance.

In order to keep your vehicle running at its best you will need to check the spark plugs in order to determine if they need to be replaced. The easiest way to determine if it is time to change the spark plugs is to remove a couple of them and inspect the insulator tip, which is the part that protrudes into the combustion chamber and is where the spark occurs. If the tip is tan or light grey in color then that will indicate normal wear. If there is any unusual wear, carbon build-up, oil fouled, overheated, or mechanical damage then it is time to replace the spark plugs.

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