2000 BMW 540IA User Comment / Complaint

After approximately 75,000 miles on my bmw 540i, the transmission will not go into reverse. the dealer says it has internal slippage/damage and will have to be replaced with a remanufacuted one. i found out that this is a common problem with bmw - see http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/bmw_trans.html for testimony of lots of other bmw owners who lost reverse. it surprises me that bmw doesn't warranty their transmissions/drivetrain as long as the "lower quality" american and asian vehicle makers do. but if the tranny routinely quits around the 60-80k mile mark, i guess it's a smart business decision for bmw!