Notchy Gearbox - What BMW said...

[judderman]

Hi all,

I have read about notchy gear changing in the 3.0l before, but I thought when I was having my car checked for some other things to mention it in passing.

Basically what I asked is if they could ask their technicians if my Z4 box was what they would consider normal for a Z4 box. I have no idea, since I've never driven any other Z4s bar my own. They came back to me and said they did believe it was quite notchy. It's fine in 3rd to 6th.

So here's my issue - the car is still under approved used warranty. They said they could check the gearbox/clutch mechanism, but in order to do that they would have to take things apart. The kicker is that in order to check, I would have to pay for this exploratory session. If there was a mechanical fault, I wouldn't pay this - if it was wear and tear (and thus not under warranty) I would have to pay for it.

The service representative said to me there's a possibility the clutch could be worn. This baffles me a bit, because the clutch seems fine to me. I go through 3rd to 6th smoothly.

Can anyone advise me as to what they would do in this situation? Getting in to 1st is notchy as bejesus - and i've only driven 6000 miles in the last year. The car currently has 43k on it.

Are BMW taking me for a fool? I have a few days before I need to make up my mind, as the car is having something else replaced under warranty.

[StevenH72]

Might be worth taking it to a reputable specialist for a 2nd opinion before getting BMW to do anything.

[Dale_B]

Might be worth taking it to a reputable specialist for a 2nd opinion before getting BMW to do anything.

Agree. Last thing you want is BMW taking it all apart to find nothing at fault, then you are faced with a substantial bill from the dealers.

Like you mentioned these gearboxes are particularly notchy, more so when cold. I find myself struggling to select 1st on occasions, other BMW's also suffer from this characteristic, can be frustrating times but is 'normal' to a certain degree.

[Kar]

Hopefully you consider this relevant...my wife had a BMW Mini approved used...the car had a number of faults and we eventually sold it after the warranty ran out. During ownership the gearbox failed (my wife drove it all the time...no problem to me cause I didn't like the car to small). I knew something wasn't right just by driving the car out of the garage. We booked it in to BMW and they contacted my wife stating the car was fine...I then called the dealership and advised the gearbox was faulty and needed replacing and argued successfully with the service department....the same thing happened a few months later when the steering rack failed...BM denied it after inspection until I pursued it with them....and they conceded. The point being they will try and fob you off in my opinion...either the car is fit for purpose or not! if they are not prepared to carry the cost of the investigation then request an extended free warranty on the gearbox until you sell the car.

[judderman]

Kar - I do consider that relevant. And thank you all for your responses.

They said the 'exploratory' session with their technicians could cost £300+

I would love to drive another 3.0 to see how it compares to mine. This may not be relevant, but I was randomly driving my brothers megane (to take rubbish to a skip hehe) and was somewhat taken aback by how easy it was to throw in to gear. Very smooth! I have become used to the coupe at this stage.

I'm fairly terrible at being assertive in situations like this. And another thing that doesn't help is that I feel a bit out of place in the BMW dealership in jeans and plimsolls - it all appears to be suits and businessmen. Most people in there are (I imagine!) having their £30,£40,£50k+ cars looked at and I'm in for my lowly coupe I should probably get over myself!

[Bing]

Your lowly coupe probably cost £30k+ when new, my 3.0Si roadster had a list price of over £36k including options - just know what you want, be polite and don't back down

But I'd go to a decent indie for a second opinion as said.

[Smartbear]

Give it a gearbox oil change (won't cost much) & see if that helps first.

[BRC]

They said the 'exploratory' session with their technicians could cost £300+

£300+ to explore! Makes you wonder what calibre of technicians they employ if this is how much it costs to identify a possible fault.
I too would agree the gear change is dissapointing when compared to more "lowly cars" and in my mind this shouldn't be so on a premium brand product.
Good luck with the investigation and I hope it's nothing major.

[Babw]

Drivetrain issues are nearly always mechanical and for this things have to stripped down for visual inspection. Unfortunately it's also a part of the car where poor use/drive error can cause premature wear. Even though as a customer I'd like for diagnosis to be free I can see how this isn't possible. There's a chance the previous owner may have missed a gear and crunched a synchro, if this is the case the inspecting dealer wouldn't have a warranty claim via BMW and if you're not willing pay for the diagnosis then who's going to cover the costs?

An alternative would be go to an independent with cheaper labour rates to diagnose and see if you have a possible warranty claim with BMW. If you do then you could take it back to BMW and hope for the best but again with a mechanical part the cause of the issue is open to debate i.e independent may say faulty part BMW may say rubbish driver.

[Dale_B]

OP; are you any further forward with this issue?
Interested in the outcome.

[judderman]

Hey All,

I'm waiting on BMW to get the parts that are going to be replaced under warranty in (for another issue) - they're to call me this week some time. I haven't had the clunky gear change resolved yet. I feel that I may very well just get BMW to look at it. The car is still under warranty, and I know I may end up paying for it in the end, but I'm willing to take that chance.

BMW may say 'rubbish driver' but I've definitely not been driving it hard since I bought it - like I said, 6000 miles in a year. It was very notchy to begin with (when I bought it). It feels like there is a sort of double-click sound (actually I think I just feel the double-click) as I notch it in to gear,going to first, and from first to second. The previous owner may have been more rubbish with gear changes than I.

When I know what the outcome is, I'll be sure to relay this to all of you.

Cheers,

Judderman

[judderman]

Hi All,

Just a quick update on my car. I've had it through the MOT in the last few days successfully, but only just left it in today for the notchy gearbox problem.

I decided to take the gamble and left it in to have BMW look at it, and they've just let me know the repair will be done under warranty...which is great! Something about a flywheel - part will be replaced tomorrow and I have the car back then.

A bit of a relief, as I didn't know how much this was going to cost, and now it'll cost me nothing

[Dale_B]

The gamble definitely paid off, pleased to hear the work will be getting done under warranty.

Also thumbs up on the MOT

[Geezah]

Good news. I have to say though, that I would have to think long and hard to find a notchier gearbox in all the cars I've owned.

[judderman]

Yeah I was pleased about the MOT - My used warranty runs out today so this has been all very good timing! Though BMW said they would honour any fixes after my warranty lapsed because I started this whole process before it expired.

Yeah Geezah, I'm definitely not expecting miracles with this, I am used to the notchy nature of the box, but there's notchy and there's just plain awkward - I'm fairly certain it wasn't as it should be. The double-thunk type feeling that I was getting going in to first didn't feel (nor sound) right.

In any case I'm hoping it's better tomorrow - will report back!