Good news

[Ferrett 1962]

I spoke to the previous owner of my 525. He got it when he was 60+ and serviced it through the dealer on time and only sold it to his daughter when they took his licence after he started to have blackouts (hence to minor damage on the front left corner only noticed because of a bad repair job) not good for him but it is good news the car has been looked after since new

[BigKriss]

has the transmission ever been serviced?

[Russell]

Plus 1. I got my e34 at 70,000 miles and the trany had never been serviced. I change fluid and filter every 30,000 and still going after 200,000.

[Ferrett 1962]

I don't know about the gearbox but he said he had all the normal services done so if that was in the normal service it should have been done. he told me he didn't drink so the car was his passion and he looked after it better than his wife

[BigKriss]

I would look into changing the trans fluid >> http://www.bimmernut.com/forum/engin...uids-post.html

or Collecting Statistics on BMW auto transmission and Lifetime ATF - Bimmerforums - The Ultimate BMW Forum

[Ferrett 1962]

Thanks for the idea and I might get the fluid changed but reading from your link it seems that there is no real evidence that keeping or changing the fluid would make a difference although common sense would say the fluid should be changed as a lot of these types of product do break down in the bottle and in effect have a best before date even if not used let alone being pumped around in a harsh environment like a gearbox so I will do some research. at the moment it seems ok but does hold gears at first use in the morning but workes well after a short distance the only thing I notice is reverse although working well feels different and somewhat rough but I don't go backward for distance so for now I need to work on waterpump and thermo housing before the next hot summer.

[whiskychaser]

at the moment it seems ok but does hold gears at first use in the morning but workes well after a short distance

They are designed to hang onto them a little when they are cold. IIRC it is something to do with reducing polution.

[Ferrett 1962]

Wht do you know about reverse I have read there can be problems with reverse on the 5 sp auto and reverse seems rough compared with forward gears although I only use it for parking so I am not too worried. And is there any way to fix coolant level indicator I get a warning when I start the car and I have tried crossing the wires and I get no warning so I think the sender has a problem is there anything I can do apatr from pulling it out to fix it.

[whiskychaser]

Change the switch on the rad. But be very careful of the threads as you can easily strip them. IIRC some E34 switches work upside down so make sure you get the correct one or you will have the warning on all them time.
Yes you can lose reverse on the 5HP18 (if that is what you have). It is often caused by the check balls wearing and getting stuck and can be fixed with a valve body kit. But check out the diff bushes, flex disc etc first. They could be causing it to go in with a bit of a thump. If your gearbox has a green plate, it is 'lifetime' fluid. So even if BMW did the servicing from new I wouldnt expect them to have touched it. I'd change the filter and ATF as has been suggested. A bonus is you get to see there is nothing nasty lurking in the pan that could indicate big problems later.

[Ferrett 1962]

I have the service manual and it shows inspection II to change oil in auto trans , rear axel and the car has had a few of these so I can hope they were actually done