ChrissyJL

I know right! I was shocked how much I had to pay to get it all done, but I really struggled to find anywhere to do the work which is crazy. No one would touch it because of the battery. Thankfully they provide a 12 month warranty on the repairs. Yehhh I thought the same about the software update too. Surely it's not 3hrs of intense labour🤣 Thanks pal - I'm super happy I got it back finally, but I will be honest.. I have lost quite a bit of faith in the motor now for long drives, so I'm going to be trading it in.

Hi All, Thought it would be good to give you guys an update. I finally got my car back and its all working good thanks to Service 4 Service who were literally the ONLY company i could find that would work on my Gearbox. For those interested https://www.service4servicemidlands.co.uk/ They came and picked up the vehicle and returned it too which was nice. Full details and costings of what they did below; Diagnose Gearbox Issues (Free with Repairs) Labour to Power Down/Up Hybrid System - 4.2hrs - £336+VAT Labour to Remove & Refit 8sp(H) Auto Gearbox Assembly - 7.9hrs - £632+VAT Labour to Strip, Repair & Rebuild 8sp(H) Auto GB Assy - 11.2hrs - £896+VAT Multiplate Clutch Assembly - £1055+VAT Battery (Aux) - £202+VAT Front Motor - £529+VAT Master Overhaul Kit (Complete) - £1164+VAT Bearing Sets - £606+VAT Filters & Gaskets - £161+VAT Oils & Fluids - £173+VAT Programming & Software Update - 3.0hrs - £240+VAT Road Test Vehicle Vehicle Redelivery (Free with Repairs) Dual Mass Flywheel replacement - £512+VAT Valve Body overhaul - £795+VAT Total Cost £8941.20 (including the VAT) What a nightmare this ordeal has been... so saddened that a vehicle with such little milage could cost something like this to repair. Anyways, its all done and dusted now and i can now move about again. Thanks to everyone that helped or recommended garages etc on here. I really appreciated all the help and guidance. Regards, Chris

Yehh that's what alot of garages told me too. The thing is, they're having to turn alot of work away too because of it. Soooo many cars these days are hybrid, and garages simply can't work on them. It's mad really, especially with the push to switch to electric over previous years... Though I have to say, from all my looking around these past months at difference garages, I actually found quite alot of dedicated electric vehicle servicing centres by me, but not many that work on both or more specifically specialise in hybrid gearbox issues as electric vehicles just don't have them 🤣 Yehh that's fair. I ended up going with the 330e at the time as I was honestly on the fence with going full electric... The small battery in the 330e meant I could essentially do both. Using the battery for smaller journeys around town and then use petrol for longer journeys. I honestly thought at the time it would be more economical to do so. In reality it's all a bit of a farce tbh. What actually happens is once the 30mile range battery has run out, you are essentially left with a 2 litre petrol engine to pull along a super heavy weight empty battery 🤣 though I have to say when the battery was full... It was a super fun car to drive. I also bought it because it's a stunner! Not sure what I'm going to do when I get the car back now tbh 😔

Thanks for the recommendations Astonred. For your interest, BMW wouldn't take it in a part ex. They basically said that the price I got for replacing the gear box (with the good will gesture) was for me and me only, and it would be more expensive for them to replace it themselves. Basically what they were saying was that they wouldn't part ex it until I had paid for the repair. I've ended up shipping it to service4service in Luton to see if they can rebuild the gear box. Should hear back from them early next week on the verdict.

Quick update! Been in touch with VMPT Cannock. Great guys and were completely honest in that they actually cant work on Hybrids just yet. They explained to me that its not just a qualifications thing but also an insurance cost too. Its something they are currently looking into as they have to turn quite a lot of work away at the moment because of that, but its just not something they can work on at the moment ( going to keep them in mind for future though ). They gave me some other recommendations in the local area which unfortunately are a similar story. The only option that has turned up ok for me so far is Service4Service who specialise in transmissions. They have offered to pick up my car and take it to one of there specialist garages that have recently fixed a 330e gearbox with a similar problem. They have told me that they can potentially repair the gearbox, and fingers crossed get the cost closer to 6k (approximate figure). Still expensive, but much better than over 10k! and they also recover and return the vehicle. Has anyone on here had any dealings with them? The only other thing i can think of is going back to BMW and seeing if they would be willing to part ex the car.

Hi Dave, Wow, thank you so much for this advise, I'm super grateful ☺️ Makes alot of sense! I will contact them first thing on Monday morning and see what they say. Will keep you informed of the outcome. Chris

Morning Dave, Thank you so much for your quick and detailed response. Some great advice there! That's correct, car is potentially worth 18 - 19k in good condition. I didn't realise the gearbox was manufactured by a 3rd party. I'll investigate specialists nearby, Cannock is only around the corner from me too so that would be handy. Interesting point you made about the fluid leak. When it broke down I had some family close by to where I had parked over night previously, and they reported a black stain was left on the ground under my car. See image attached. Do you think this could have been a transmission fluid leak potentially? Before this I had no symptoms really, it just started to become jerky and then failed to shift up from 1st gear and went straight into limp mode with a drive train malfunction, about half hour after I had left this car park. BMW haven't given me the full diagnostic print out, but they did provide me with some of the fault codes and a brief explanation in an email.. see quoted below; "Regarding diagnosis, the fault codes which are stored are 222286, 030E0A, 421627. Our diagnosis has been discussed with BMW Technical, these are our technical team in Germany where we have discussed our findings, and they have given us the next step for repair. 12V battery completely depleted. Vehicle does not drive even with 12V power supplied. C/O full vehicle test. Multiple undervoltage faults stored. Vehicle average distance not inconspicuous with vehicle charging. C/O the test plan for the EME: DC/DC converter. Test plan states to replace EME. C/O test plan for decoupling element within gearbox, states eliminate fault for pump first. Pump fault likely consequential of low voltage. Requires new 12V battery as battery has been completely discharged. Starter battery requires further assessment. TSARA case submitted as further assistance required to determine exactly what the initial fault was with the vehicle and what faults are consequential. From the EGS fault codes that are being set the transmission will need to be replaced on this vehicle, should the customer ask for a goodwill contribution a repair clearing case will be required. If you are unable to create a repair clearing case, please refer customers services to this case to help support their decision. Once the transmission is replaced, please then reassess the complaint, 12-volt battery replacement can be registered now the 12-volt side of things has been squared off with HV now active" They seem reluctant to give me the full print out. Alot of garages I have already spoken to, even some gearbox specialists in Cannock are reluctant to touch it because of the hybrid nature of the car.

Hi all, I’m hoping someone here might be able to point me in the right direction or share some experience. I have relatively young 2021 BMW 330e (PHEV) that has recently broken down and is currently with a BMW main dealer. After diagnostics, they’ve advised that the car requires a complete gearbox replacement, with a quoted cost of around £10,000 (even with goodwill applied). This also includes the replacement of the 12v battery. As you can imagine, this is a huge amount of money, and I’m struggling to accept that a full replacement is the only option on such a young car (45000miles on the clock). I’m trying to explore alternatives such as: - Repair or partial rebuild of the gearbox - Replacement with a reconditioned or second-hand hybrid gearbox - Independent specialists with experience in BMW hybrid transmissions I’m based in the Midlands, but I’d be willing to travel if needed. My main questions are: Has anyone had similar gearbox issues on a 330e or other BMW hybrids? Are there known specialists who can repair or rebuild hybrid gearboxes, rather than just replacing them? Is the “new gearbox only” route really the only solution in these cases? Any advice, recommendations, or even confirmation of what isn’t possible would be massively appreciated before I commit to such a costly repair. Thanks in advance 🙏