e36 m3 evo smg, any good?

[n_const]

Right guys find my self looking at e36 m3's cause i want more power Whats the smg gear box like ? Better off with a manual ?

Cheers

[Vixpy1]

Its not very good and breaks.... alot.

[andye30m3]

I think I'd go for a manual,

The SMG in the e36 isn't great and can be very expensive to fix.

[n_const]

thanks for the quick reply ! Thats answered that question cheers

[M3Charlie]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Avoid the smg unless u want big bills!!! And it's crap!!

[bmthnick1981]

Vixpy1 said:

Its not very good and breaks.... alot.

This. Get a manual.

[M3John]

Vixpy1 said:

Its not very good and breaks.... alot.

Exactly ^

I have spent THOUSANDS in the past trying to fix the poxy thing. Gave up in the end and converted it over to a regular stick shift. Haven't looked back since. My advice would be that if you've found the right car for you, factor in the cost of a conversion (circa £2k+) and go from there.

[markcoopers]

Not withstanding the posts above that have actually had SMG and had issues, what actually goes wrong with it? I mean if it was that bad then no dealer on the planner would touch them, so reallly is this one of those things that gets all blown out of proportion and becomes folk law perpetrated by keyboard warriors, or is it really that bad?

Just cirri us as looking for an e36 m3 cab at the mo and see a lot of SMG's around. I get that it is not as pure driving tool, so not liking is one thing, but not working and being unreliable is another

[andye30m3]

I think the main part that's likely to cause problems is the pump, which is very expensive to replace.

I've not driven one but from what I've read it's not a great semi auto system being bmw first attempt and IMHO the potential cost of replacement parts out weigh anything gained from SMG.

I personally really like the SMG2 system in the CSL but I understand this was a significant step forward from the E36

[n_const]

thanks for all the comments so far guys

Are cheap m3s worth avoiding like the plague ? Have at look at this

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

[Vixpy1]

n_const said:

thanks for all the comments so far guys

Are cheap m3s worth avoiding like the plague ? Have at look at this

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Its not cheap enough considering its an SMG

[n_const]

i thought it was but the ad said manual !

[MarkwG]

n_const said:

i thought it was but the ad said manual !

Check the photo with the steering wheel - the gear selector is an SMG version & the "0" showing in the rev counter is the gear that's selected, that would normally be an oil temperature gauge on a manual.

[andye30m3]

If buying an M3 (or any performance car), I'd always avoid the very cheapest available or at the very least have it very well inspected

A few bushes, discs and pads plus a 2 or 4 tyres will quickly turn a bargain into an overpriced shed. It's very very easy to spend £500-1000 on an M3 so look past the initial purchase price.

[M3John]

n_const said:

i thought it was but the ad said manual !

That's because on the log book it's listed as a manual. Sequential Manual Gearbox.

The gearbox still has a clutch (it's just operated automaticlly via ECU's and hydraulics) as opposed to a torque converter as used in a `regular auto box` that we all know and understand.

Edited by M3John on Tuesday 20th September 08:32

[n_const]

ah right thanks for clearing it all up ! Relatively new to m3s a you can tell lol

[M3John]

n_const said:

ah right thanks for clearing it all up ! Relatively new to m3s a you can tell lol

No worries, always happy to help.