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2006 BMW 3-Series repairs by problem area
Engine (35%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (7%)
Brakes and Traction Control (3%)
Suspension and Steering (10%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (30%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (8%)
Other (7%)
Select a problem area
- Engine
- Transmission and Drivetrain
- Brakes and Traction Control
- Suspension and Steering
- Electrical and Air Conditioning
- Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim
- Other
Chart based on 923 repairs.
2006 BMW 3-Series transmission repair cost distribution
$2500+ (5%)
$1000 - $2499 (21%)
$500 - $999 (30%)
$100 - $499 (8%)
< $100 (37%)
Chart based on 63 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2006 BMW 3-Series
Engine not specified
| 107260 mi C $250 |
Repaired diff leak. |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Wagon
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 127000 mi US $2400 |
trans pan leaking |
| 56000 mi US $450 |
Transfer case leak, output shaft seal broken. |
| 94240 mi C $2200 |
Also a transmission oil leak at the wiring harness where it enters the transmission. |
| 147000 mi | Trying to address a rough shift into / out of gears. Raised the car level, and adjusted the ATF level. Reset the adaptive shift memory on the computer. Repair does not seem to have fixed the issue. |
| 170000 mi US $40 |
Replaced outer CV boot. |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Wagon
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual AWD
| 65720 mi C $500 |
Front driveshaft coupling was replaced 4 wheel allignment. |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 113000 mi US $694 |
replaced transmission oil pan |
| 115000 mi US $780 |
Transmission seal leak |
| 48300 mi | Previous leak re-diagnosed as Transmission leak and fixed. Free under CPO warranty but had to mildly fight to get them to waive the deductible as a redo. |
| 148000 mi US $1495 |
leaking Transmission oil pan. Transmission Flushed, oil pan and filter replaced. |
| 48500 mi US $1300 |
leaking mechatronic sealing sleeve in transmission. replaced |
| 54000 mi US $1100 |
Transmission fluid leak. Pan replaced. |
| 68000 mi US $50 |
Transmission issue, mechatronic sleeve, seal and fluid replaced. Came from factory with slight leak in seal that was replaced. |
| 129724 mi US $700 |
guibo |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 37000 mi | Transmission fluid leaked due to infrequent driving. The vehicle has not been started for over 6 months and the transmission fluid stayed idle and generated pressure to the gasket. The gasket and transmission fluid were both replaced. |
| 49500 mi US $2645 |
Installed new shifter because auto-manual mode stopped working. Vehicle was drivable with "D" not "SD". Price includes power steering fluid, brake fluid, oil change, front tires and adjusted alignment. |
| 93000 mi US $925 |
Transmission leak. Had the pan and fluid replaced. seems like a common design defect |
| 49000 mi US $50 |
Independent mechanic noticed leaking at rear of transmission at mechatronic interface. Dealer replaced sleeve. |
| 66000 mi | trans pan leak trans pan gasket still leaking; renewed 2nd time this time replaced gasket at cables/selector connection; seems to have fixed leaks. |
| 62000 mi US $430 |
Wiring seal leaking, seal replaced along with fluid and pan. |
| 76000 mi US $100 |
Rear wheel bearings were worn out and replaced. |
| 154000 mi US $2400 |
Axle replaced |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 50000 mi US $40 |
Replaced output shaft seal on transmission. Had slight leak. |
| 129000 mi US $800 |
Clutch and flywheel replaced |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual AWD
| 30000 mi | Transmission replacement due to metal shavings in fluid. |
| 123000 mi | Noise from front differential, metal came out. No repair available, would need new differential. Decided not to keep car. |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 74700 mi US $903 |
Replacement of transmission harness seal housing and flush/refill of transmission fluid. |
| 104000 mi US $450 |
Replace sensor (don't recall name) |
| 72000 mi US $900 |
Replace mechatronic sleeve. |
| 92000 mi US $500 |
Transmission went into failsafe mode. Retrieved slip codes via INPA, gambled that the issue might be in the valve body (common ZF 6HP19 fault), got a set of replacement solenoids and replaced along with fluid and various rubber bits. |
| 57000 mi US $600 |
Leaking auto trans pan. Was shifting very hard. Replaced pan (made of plastic w/integrated filter) and required a liter of auto trans fluid after reusing what was left in there. |
| 47120 mi | Leak detected in automatic transmission. Identified as a transmission connector sleeve. Opted to go without the repair for now as coordinating timing. |
| 47120 mi C $560 |
Automatic transmission connector sleeve leak |
| 212000 mi US $967 |
Replace defective rear drive shaft |
| 12500 mi US $31000 |
Jan 2008 - replaced rear end differential @ 16,000 miles |
| 58000 mi US $50 |
Slow leak of ATF from improperly installed Transmission sleeve, noted in TSB. Covered under terms of Certified Warranty. |
| 140038 mi US $1100 |
Transmission sleeve was leaking. It was covered under the optional warranty I purchased from the dealership. Rear differential was leaking. |
| 81000 mi US $1950 |
Fluid leak |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD
| 156000 mi US $1000 |
front shaft replaced, $500 fort part, rest for labor |
| 48000 mi | Car was leaking transmission fluid. Connector failed. Replaced. |
| 118420 mi C $1100 |
replaced transmission pan, sleeve, valve body adapter when fixing a transmission seal leak |
| 108500 mi C $3500 |
Trans oil pan leaking and replaced Rear bearings and differential |
| 14000 mi | Other than routine maintenance, they had to replace the automatic shift knob . |
| 19457 mi | Oil leak found, Megatronic Sleave defective, transmission pan & sleave repaired under warranty. |
| 70000 mi US $725 |
Transmission leaking |
2006 BMW 3-Series 4dr Sedan
215-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 31000 mi | Car (with manual transmission) would not go easily into first gear occasionally. Transmission fluid was checked for debris indicating abnormal wear. Found none, so changed the fluid. Problem seems much reduced or eliminated. |
| 51200 mi US $1100 |
Replaced seals on transmission and differential |
| 7000 mi | Clunking noise from the rear differential when changing gear (manual transmission). Replaced driveshaft and rear differential. Must have been expensive! Seems to have been a known issue with the previous generation BMW 3-series. |
| 28000 mi | Clunking noise from rear axle. |
| 30000 mi | Clunking in rear axle. |
| 100000 mi US $2000 |
Manual transmission shift and output seal leaking. Both seals replaced. "Lifetime" fluid replaced.. |
| 36580 mi | driveshaft hanger bearing needed replacing |
| 38000 mi | Clutch replaced. |
| 146000 mi US $800 |
shifter seal worn. replacement seal didn't fix problem. rebuilt transmission required after pressurizing transmission to factory specs caused car to pop out of R and 1st gear. Took weeks to repair because a new transmission had to be shipped from Germany. |
| 139200 mi US $775 |
Replaced drive shaft/U joint |
2006 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe
333-horsepower 3.2L I6 6-speed automated manual RWD
| 27000 mi US $20 |
the yellow cog warning light presented itself. I replaced the salmon relay and topped off the fluid. |
| 12000 mi | SMG accumulator dead- replaced under warranty |
2006 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe
255-horsepower 3.0L I6 6-speed manual RWD
| 63000 mi US $500 |
Sloppy worn shifter. Installed BMW short throw shifter and flushed Radiator/Tranny/Rearend |
2006 BMW 3-Series 2dr Coupe
235-horsepower 3.0L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 117000 mi US $1175 |
Transmission fluid leak. Replaced gasket. |
2006 BMW 3-Series 2dr Convertible
333-horsepower 3.2L I6 6-speed automated manual RWD
| 21000 mi US $1400 |
Right rear axle and pinion seal leaking. Replaced all necessary parts. |
2006 BMW 3-Series 2dr Convertible
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD
| 74000 mi US $500 |
Transmission fluid leaking on exhaust causing burning oil smell. Found 2 leaking o-rings. Required replacing o-rings and wiring harness. Required dropping pan replacing gasket and additional transmission fluid. |
2006 BMW 3-Series 2dr Convertible
184-horsepower 2.5L I6 5-speed manual RWD
| 72000 mi US $850 |
Rear differential seal was cracked and leaking. Replaced seal. |
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