What does a BMW gearbox fault mean?

A BMW gearbox fault means there is an issue with your transmission. If there is a problem with the transmission on your BMW, you could experience a range of issues with your vehicle and even find it goes into ‘limp mode’ to prevent further damage – meaning it needs to be towed to a mechanic. Limp mode means the transmission stays in second gear and will no longer shift. Therefore, if you find the transmission fault warning light is lit up on your BMW, it’s important to book in for a BMW service Essex.

Signs of BMW Transmission Problems

A gearbox issue with your BMW can present itself as a difficulty shifting gears such as jerking, the clutch squeaking, gear-shift hesitation or worrying noises. You might experience the car stalling or find yourself at a high or low RPM for longer than you should. Other issues could be the car vibrating or shaking when travelling at fast or low speeds.

Another sign is if you spot fluid leaking beneath your vehicle, transmission fluid will usually look a reddish-brown or vibrant red.

As mentioned, if the car goes into limp mode to protect the engine, you could find yourself stuck in second gear so we can’t exaggerate enough the need to get it checked out by a professional as soon as possible.

How to Reset the Warning Light on BMW

It may sound like a cliché but turning it off and on again is worth a try. Find somewhere safe to pull over and turn the engine off, wait at least one minute and restart the car. This can sometimes reset the engine control unit (ECU) and the message may disappear – but it’s still worth getting your BMW checked out.

If your find your BMW is shifting erratically or is not responding to the gas pedal, there may be an issue with the shift points. In this case you can try the following to reset the adaptive settings on your transmission:

Turn on the ignition – If your BMW has Start/Stop then press the start button but not the brake pedal. The dash lights will turn on, but the engine should be off.

Press the gas pedal to the floor and keep it pressed for 30 seconds – release the gas pedal and then start the engine and drive.

BMW Transmission Fault Warning Light

Of course, the best way to remove the BMW transmission fault warning light is to take it to a BMW specialist such as Power Developments to run diagnostics and fix the issue. Running diagnostics will allow us to identify the fault code and locate and investigate the issue. At Power Developments, we don’t just find the fault code and try and fix it through the process of elimination, we investigate manually to find and fix the problem for good.

If your BMW transmission fault warning light is showing, book your BMW in with us as soon as possible.