Transmission fluid leaking after service?

[bavautosport]

Hi everyone. Wanted to get a second opinion before bringing back to the shop. My car ('15 xDrive x5 35i) at 100k miles and just got the transmission service per an indy shop's recommendation. This includes the new pan, filter, bolts, fluid, etc. The car ran fine without issues post pickup, but I noticed the following seemingly fluid leaking of some sort. It's yellowish, clear, and appears to be tranny fluid. Just wondering if it's something that was overfilled and the guy did not clean up completely, or an actual leak. Will bring the car back regardless, but wanted to see if you've experienced similar issue either before or after service. In the picture, the leak is from the passenger side. Thanks in advance!

[F15_SGM]

I think it's an active leak because the belly cover is oily as well and if the shop overfilled it most likely that would have been removed while he serviced it and while changing the transmission pan. Go back to the shop and simply ask them. I wouldn't risk killing the trans by low fluids. I just had a catastrophic zf8 transmission failure on my f15 x5. My cars in the shop getting new trans installed and it's not a fun experience.

[bavautosport]

Originally Posted by osmansiddiqui95

I think it's an active leak because the belly cover is oily as well and if the shop overfilled it most likely that would have been removed while he serviced it and while changing the transmission pan. Go back to the shop and simply ask them. I wouldn't risk killing the trans by low fluids. I just had a catastrophic zf8 transmission failure on my f15 x5. My cars in the shop getting new trans installed and it's not a fun experience.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm taking the car back to the shop this AM to get this inspected/fixed as needed. Hope your problem get resolved properly.

[F15_SGM]

Originally Posted by bavautosport

Thanks for the feedback. I'm taking the car back to the shop this AM to get this inspected/fixed as needed. Hope your problem get resolved properly.

keep us updated on the outcome.

[bavautosport]

Originally Posted by osmansiddiqui95

keep us updated on the outcome.

Took the car back to the shop and showed them the photos I took. They put it on the lift immediately. Upon closer inspection they identified no leaks, citing that it was just some residual fluid that was overfilled by the procedure. Cleaned everything up again and I was on my way. Been checking everyday day and after every trip now without any further issue…Thanks everyone for your feedback. Happy driving!

[crystalworks]

Good to hear. From the photos and location being in close proximity to the fill plug, I was fairly sure it was a sloppy job of not cleaning after filling the trans.

They probably put everything back together before filling and so the tray held some fluid and spilled slowly later on. Sloppy, but it's a shop so they have production in mind rather than cleanliness much of the time. As long as they cleaned it and you have a warranty on the work I wouldn't hold it against them too much.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by bavautosport

Took the car back to the shop and showed them the photos I took. They put it on the lift immediately. Upon closer inspection they identified no leaks, citing that it was just some residual fluid that was overfilled by the procedure. Cleaned everything up again and I was on my way. Been checking everyday day and after every trip now without any further issue…Thanks everyone for your feedback. Happy driving!

Thanks for sharing. Excellent outcome with no additional budget impact.