530i Transmission Woes

[Waxhead]

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I need some help for a poor friend of mine who can't seem to get a straight answer from the dealership. Firstly, we live in Indonesia and great service can often be difficult to find as well as inexpensive spare parts. I realize this is a somewhat older BMW, but it is in pretty good nick with very low mileage compared to its age.

That being said, the problem with the transmission is it intermittently functions. It is an automatic that seems to have a mind of its own. He states that when it shuts down and doesn't function, he can occassionally get very low-torque, high-gear movement, and it actually moves, albeit extremely slowly.

The dealership has run a computer diagnostics that originally stated that sensor "A" was malfunctioning. According to the dealership, they replaced sensor "A", and then ran another diagnostics. The report stated that sensor "A" had no problem. The service manager then stated that they are searching for the problem throughout the entire electronic system; this process has taken a number of days. Concerning the dealership itself, is this normal protocal for testing? How long does a diagnostic test take? Is this just a load of dung? Is this a typical 530 problem?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

American lost in Asia

[OKCSuburban]

Check in the Roundel, their tech advisor is really good.