2006 BMW 330xi manual transmission issue.

If one gear slips then all the gears slip since it is the clutch that is the real culprit. Gears in manual transmissions do not slip! I would skip this one but if you are set on it then have a good BMW specialist check it out.

@Full_of_Regrets So this seller is misinformed? Someone suggested it was the gear forks, and another suggested a fluid, and filter change. But I'm looking at a clutch issue?

The seller is mistaken or lying. Drive it and punch it in other gears and if the clutch is slipping you would know it. Gears can't "slip". If the transmission jumps out of gear or can't go into 2nd at all then there are serious internal issues that cost a lot more than a clutch to fix. Have it checked out and offer a price that is in line with the repair costs or walk!

Hes selling it for 5,435

He says it will go into second if you baby it.

I think it is not slipping but has some other problem with 2nd gear that he does not understand and calls it "slipping" . If one gear has quit working the others will follow very soon! A new BMW trans has got to be a lot of money.

If you don't have a Beemer specialist check it out first you will be sorry and that is a guarantee your mechanic will take all the way to the bank!

LSx22-. I'm sorry, BUT, you're asking for problems... Look, I had an old VW that would NOT shift easily into second gear, the suggestion that you shift from 1st to 3rd is complete bullshit . I'm guessing that the synchros are bad, probably needs a new throw out bearing and worse a complete manual transmission overhaul including a new clutch. Wrong, wrong, wrong.... Skip it and at 125,000 miles this thing has been a terribly neglected vehicle. I wouldn't even pay $3,000 for this piece of shit.

Wow Mark! What got you all riled up?

The price is non-negotiable. I live in Wyoming, and there's no way i'm gonna find a BMW specialist unless i go very far. Is it possible to continue driving around shifting first to third?

Well, first of all, I hate seeing people taken for a %@$@ ride. The seller didn't say how long this has been going on, but, who knows and shifting from 1st directly to 3rd is awfully hard on the engine and it has to labor to pick up speed. This is NOT GOOD. Anytime someone drives a car with a bad transmission, it makes the engine work a lot harder and if the seller of this vehicle wants pretty much the top trade in price for this car with everything wrong with it, he's out of line. Look at the value on NADA below, http://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/2006/BMW/3-Series/Sedan-4D- 330xi-AWD/Values

If one gear is failing the rest of them will fail soon. COUNT ON IT. If there is no good BMW specialist within driving distance then that is another strike against this car.

The fix could easily cost more than the car. Think about it.

YES, full of regrets is absolutely correct.....they'll all fail. And, BMWs are VERY EXPENSIVE parts and labor.

A rebuilt transmission could realistically cost you $5,000 or more not even counting what else may be wrong with this car, see this , And the article below says that expensive cars like the BMW especially with AWD, is certainly more expensive than domestic cars. Have we collectively convinced you to keep looking at other cars?? www.transmissionrepaircostguide.com

Mark, there is not really any danger to the engine from missing one gear out of 6 but the repairs costs will make that cheap car expensive.

I will continue looking at other cars, but keeping my eye on this situation because I have a really bad case of tunnel vision. Is it possible it's a clutch issue? Or would that only be a possibility if all the gears were slipping?

(Maybe not slipping, but having this issue)

Full_of_Regrets, - YES, it's only one gear out of 6, but, the fact that it's 2nd gear is worse than if it were one of the higher gears because it takes more torque to get the car going from rest. Especially when you're slowing down and can't realistically shift into first unless you're almost stopped. And, as you so elegantly stated they all are going fail. If the problem were with 4th or 5th, that might be a slightly different issue and skipping that gear would be easier. As for our friend looking to buy this car, please take it from us older guys that have been through this and look for another car. No, its probably NOT just a clutch.

No

06 330xi is worth buying a new tranny. Its an awsome car but deduct the labor and tranny price from the 5.000 or w.e he is charging you thos car is a beauty.

it appears that some people can't be swayed from making bad decisions and purchases. This guy wants us to tell him that all is well when those of us with age and experience know better. LSx22, go ahead and buy the defective BMW because it so pretty and is so clean. When the trans fails, and it will, and you have the big repair bill facing you; remember there were a couple guys telling you so. Go ahead and buy the car. What do we know. And yes, I am truly a certified auto technician, not a parts changer, I have seen this problem many times. But go ahead and listen to these guy s that only buy a car because it looks good or has a color they like. Stop asking for advise you do not intend to listen to.

I have the same make and model vehicle same year but mines is a automatic I had an issue with the spark plugs and I had a leaky gasket but I had gotten that taken care of didn't really cost me that much because the technician was a certified BMW technician and he didn't hardly charge me anything to do it but I got to get the code cleared because he didn't have the machine to do that but it still runs really really good I don't have no other issues but yeah take it from these gentlemen that know what they talking about they are much older and wiser don't base the car on the color Or the look judge it on a performance if it performs well then it's worth buying if it don't perform well then it's not worth buying make sure you have your certified technician on hand to look at the vehicle with you to make sure if you making a right decision