notchy gearbox

[jabber]

hi all 1st and 2nd gears on my 2003 3.0 are very notchy more so when cold. the car has done 61k i have changed the gearbox oil and done the cdv mode but still the same. Does this sound like a problem with the box and is it fairly common on z4s.

 

[Jimmy Gee]

Thats just how they are. I wondered the same thing myself when I got mine its just the same as you said 1st and 2nd gear seem to be notchy.

Apparently if you buy a weighted gearknob it dramatically transforms the gear change. The one that most go for is the zhp gear knob although I think it looks a bit plain so im looking for something a bit different.

 

[Deneva]

Thats how it is mate. When i first bought my Zed, second hand. I thought the gear change was notchy from 1st to 2nd. I thought this was a poor show from BMW. Maybe it,s due to the fact they mainly manufacture Auto boxes. My 10 year old run about has a smoother gear box.

 

[ferrelscent]

Same here and I got used to it. 1st to 2nd involves a fair amount of elbow power when cold. And with the CDV involved the whole process of changing gear is a lot more mechanical than on a standard run about. I think I read somewhere on this forum that it was designed specifially for that notchy feel..though I may have dreamed that up.

 

[inkey$]

Thats just how they are. I wondered the same thing myself when I got mine its just the same as you said 1st and 2nd gear seem to be notchy.

Apparently if you buy a weighted gearknob it dramatically transforms the gear change. The one that most go for is the zhp gear knob although I think it looks a bit plain so im looking for something a bit different.

+1 If there's nothing mechanically wrong, then it sounds very much like a normal, notchy BMW box to me. Try the weighted gear knob, otherwise you may just need to get used to it (which happens quite quickly btw). ZHP is fine. I went for a Storm Motorwerks which a few of the guys on her have. Big improvement.

 

[Ronaldo88]

Hi,

Please excuse my ignorance but by notchy do you mean difficult to get into gear? I haven’t got a clue about mechanical stuff involving cars!

I just got my Z4M last week and I usually have to go at it twice to get it into gear (unless I push hard which I was scared to do).

Is this normal? I just went out and bought a warranty plan on it because I thought the gearbox was on its way out!