Insanely Harsh Shifting - Day 2 of ownership =/

[SnakeyesTx]

I went to the car wash tonight which is about a mile and a quarter away from my house. Dash showed the trans program in "Economy" which is from what I understand is default. The second I get out of my driveway to move, the 1 - 2 shift was so harsh that the rear of the car even dipped. When I stopped, the downshift back to first was just as bad. As I went down the road, 1 to 2 was harsh, the rear dipped again, then it did the same thing from 2 to 3. No error messages came up on the display whatsoever. When I got about 300 yards from my destination, shifting was back to normal, and even the whole trip home was fine as well.

In a nutshell I had violent shifts in all gears on both up and downshifts for over a mile, but then it mysteriously stopped. I didn't mess with the selector to Manual mode, nor did I move the shifter out of "D" the whole time.

Any ideas?

addendum : I did a search before posting and it seems like this topic hasn't been brought up before for automatics (actually most of the hits back were about the trans not shifting at all or going into "Trans Program" mode, which didn't happen to me)

[Qube]

You pushed the ///M button didn't you? Kidding. I drive a stick. Hopefully someone can help.

[632 Regal]

was that car was a do it yourself job? Try to clean under the hood? Hmm...

[BillionPa]

i dont drive my car untill the engine temp leaves the blue, then the tranny shifts smooth, otherwise, its like you are describing.

my trans fluid was in good shape when it was changed, didnt have any discoloration or smell, so i figure i will just let it warm up to what it wants and its ok.

[SnakeyesTx]

Funny that you should ask that, I was on my way to clean under the hood, but it did that before I even got there. XD

[ThoreauHD]

Change the transmission fluid/screen. Replace the guibo- it will be worn.

[Russell]

Trany is designed to shift a bit firmer and quicker when cold for the first 3 minutes or so. It feels and acts much like the sport mode. However, if it is slam shifting, you may have a problem. As others have suggested, a trany oil/filter change is in order. On the 95 it should be done every 30,000 miles.

Has it every been changed? Do a search of the archives on trany servicing. There are many opinions of what to do if the trany has never been serviced.

[RobPatt]

...can't vouch for their "technical" accuracy though....

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E36-Tranny_Fluid_Auto/E36-Tranny_Fluid_Auto.htm

I also took a few gallon pan and marked fluid level lines on the outside... a line at 8 ounces, 16 ounces, etc, up to about 6 quarts... so I'd know exactly how much was removed....