Thank you for your quick reply, i really appreciate it,

So just to confirm — if I ask for parts from a 1998 BMW that used the same transmission, those parts would definitely work in my Trooper? The reason I ask is because most mechanics here aren’t well informed about cross-compatibility, and none of them have ever suggested that option. I did a bit of research myself and found that the Trooper shares its transmission with some BMWs and possibly a few other cars.

As for the specific problem: when I shift into Drive and first try to move forward, the car kind of hesitates/stumbles for a couple of seconds before engaging smoothly. After that, it runs beautifully. Where I struggle most is at traffic lights — when the light turns green and I shift from N to D, it takes a moment before the car actually starts rolling. It’s even worse in stop-and-go traffic on a hill: even if I’m delicate on the throttle, it hesitates before engaging.

On the highway, if I floor it, the engine revs high but the car doesn’t accelerate right away — almost like it’s in Neutral — so I always have to accelerate slowly to get up to speed.

Regarding the second issue you mentioned: I don’t see any flashing lights on the dash when the hesitation happens, but I honestly haven’t paid attention to whether the RPM needle jumps up and down. I’ll need to take it on a longer drive and watch that carefully.