Concrete block hit transmission, how hosed am I?

[E88Vert2212]

I have a 2013 135i equipped with the DCT trans (and running on some very fun Dinan S3 boost). Unfortunately today as I was leaving a parking lot, I drove over a manhole cover and somehow managed to kick one of the loose pieces of concrete around it up into the transmission with enough force to pierce the housing. I didn't notice immediately, since it honestly felt like a pretty mild pothole compared to some of those around the CO roads, and managed to drive maybe 500 yards in 2nd gear before the car threw a 'transmission malfunction' CEL so I quickly came to a stop. Despite stopping fairly quickly and only having traveled a short distance, it seemed like there was quite a bit of smoke coming from under the hood (which may have just been trans fluid leaking onto the DP/exhaust. As seen in the photos, the car lost a significant amount of fluid, which definitely felt like transmission fluid (too thin for engine oil, too viscous for coolant).

Worst case scenario, what do you think I'm looking at here damage-wise? I'm hoping I didn't drive far enough to damage the clutch packs, but if there's a hole in the body of the transmission I'd expect that'll be the least of my worries. Assuming that it needs a full transmission replacement, I'm guessing that the repair bill is going to be pretty gnarly. Obviously I'll try reaching out to whoever is in charge of maintaining that section of road, and seeing if my insurance will cover it as a road hazard, so fingers crossed that I won't end up footing the entire bill.

Watch out for those road hazards man, they can really mess up your day!

[GoRomeo]

Dang sorry to hear it. Lets hope its only the tranny pan and fluid. Take it to a shop and have them look under. 🤞

[E88Vert2212]

Originally Posted by GoRomeo

Dang sorry to hear it. Lets hope its only the tranny pan and fluid. Take it to a shop and have them look under. 🤞

Cheers, forgot to add that pic in! Wasn't able to drop the skid-plate and get a full view, but fingers crossed its nothing too bad.

[jwolf]

If the pan was hit so hard as crush the pan and damage the machined mating surface, you will need a new transmission housing I would think. Can't imagine that is an easy swap and it would be a whole unit if insurance is involved. I Can't imagine it got hit that hard. Good excuse for a flush. Do maintenance on it while you are in it.

[GoRomeo]

Honestly it does not look that bad.

[Dieselboy]

You can find used auto transmissions for approximately $400. I have one sitting in my garage with 45K miles on it.

[aresfiend]

Originally Posted by Dieselboy

You can find used auto transmissions for approximately $400. I have one sitting in my garage with 45K miles on it.

He's got the DCT, not the TC auto.

OP, it might just be a new pan. From my own experience with doing something eerily similar (storm drain instead of manhole cover) my trans case was fine but my pan looked like Quasimodo and bent enough to gush fluid out of the side where it meets the case. Granted this was an a Mercedes 722.6 but I've seen it on a variety of trans pans because they're usually super thin.

I'm not familiar with the DCT pan but I'd hazard a guess that's a possibility. As far as the potential internal damage nobody knows until you at least get a new pan on and fluid in. I've seen trans pan failures on TC auto transmissions that were being pushed very very hard even after the pan failure that didn't smoke a ton unless the trans fluid got on their exhaust.

[Afam28]

Originally Posted by Dieselboy

You can find used auto transmissions for approximately $400. I have one sitting in my garage with 45K miles on it.

You bought a transmission with 45k miles on it for $400?
How did you manage that lol!

[E88Vert2212]

A bit of good news for anyone interested; dealer finally got around to assessing the damage and it looks like the road debris compromised the DCT pan (only about a 3" hole just near the drain plug), but managed to miss pretty much everything else under there with the exception of a small dent in one of the exhaust pipes. Right now I'm just looking at a new pan+fluid and then we'll see if everything is operating within spec. Thankfully seems like the skid plate took most of the impact.

[jdt10768]

That's good news, have you checked with your local DOT to ask if they will take any responsibility? I bent the hell out of a wheel because they were working on road, and it was not marked as under construction ( I could not see the hole). They paid for the repair, but it took a while to find the correct contact for reimbursement

[LaKuan]

Maybe you can weld the crack on the housing?

[amg6975]

Originally Posted by LaKuan

Maybe you can weld the crack on the housing?

It's a plastic pan.

[LaKuan]

Originally Posted by amg6975

It's a plastic pan.

Oh i see. You can still weld plastic, or “panel bond” it lol. But at that point it better to replace. Ive seen them go for around 3hunch on FCP.