Hello, I just wanted to say hello and mention my appreciation for the club and all the info available here. This is my first BMW and I'm enjoying the experience. I purchased it used from Fairfax Honda but the car had an extended warranty and seems fine. Today I had the trans filter and fluid changed and the Herndon Reston Transmission repair shop in Herndon VA mentioned there was alt of sludge in the magnets and "this is what it looks like when they are going bad or need a 3500 rebuild. I was going to upload some pictures as it looked to me, a thin layer of sludge on the magnets and dark fluid would be normal for 101k miles. Any help or comments are appreciated! thanks, Mike
Welcome! I, too, have had sludge on the magnets when changing A/T fluid on my E28. I'd think it's normal. See how it does after the fluid change. You're fortunate to be part of a very active chapter, so I hope you'll come out and meet some of the other devotees soon! http://www.nccbmwcca.org/content.php