M135i harsh auto woes
Discussion
Just looking for the opinion of fellow M135i/M235i owners with the ZF 8 speed auto box. My car does really choppy changes from 1st to 2nd (and vice versa) with any level of throttle except a lot; and for most other gear changes it feels like someone driving a manual and letting the clutch out a bit too quickly. In general it's a difficult gearbox to drive smoothly - does this ring true for you guys too?
Full story, if you need it....
I bought the car approved used and it still has warranty. I've had it in with my local dealer three times now to look into my complaint.
The first time the car went in, they found it was low on gearbox fluid because a gasket had let go. No software update or adaptation reset was performed. I asked if the low fluid might mean damage had been done to the gearbox and was told no. They're repeated this assertion in subsequent visits.
The problem didn't go away. On the 2nd visit they reset the gearbox adaptation. It was marginally better then returned to 'bad' again soon after.
On the third visit, they did a drive with me and admitted it was doing inconsistent gear changes - it did a few changes they said were "normal" (I say "barely acceptable") then it did an especially harsh change and the engineer admitted this. They flashed it with new software and reset adaptation. They also did some kind of test, submitted the data to BMW in Germany and were told nothing was wrong. Again, marginal improvement but still harsh changes from time to time.
I've reported it's still not right and they're basically saying the only option is to try what they did last time. I'm pretty exasperated and I feel as if they think it's in my head. However, I've had multiple passengers in the car comment, unprompted, that the gear changes are a bit harsh and I've driven a (very similar but not identical, I'll admit) M140i and that did PERFECT changes.
Any advice or personal experience in this area would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.
Full story, if you need it....
I bought the car approved used and it still has warranty. I've had it in with my local dealer three times now to look into my complaint.
The first time the car went in, they found it was low on gearbox fluid because a gasket had let go. No software update or adaptation reset was performed. I asked if the low fluid might mean damage had been done to the gearbox and was told no. They're repeated this assertion in subsequent visits.
The problem didn't go away. On the 2nd visit they reset the gearbox adaptation. It was marginally better then returned to 'bad' again soon after.
On the third visit, they did a drive with me and admitted it was doing inconsistent gear changes - it did a few changes they said were "normal" (I say "barely acceptable") then it did an especially harsh change and the engineer admitted this. They flashed it with new software and reset adaptation. They also did some kind of test, submitted the data to BMW in Germany and were told nothing was wrong. Again, marginal improvement but still harsh changes from time to time.
I've reported it's still not right and they're basically saying the only option is to try what they did last time. I'm pretty exasperated and I feel as if they think it's in my head. However, I've had multiple passengers in the car comment, unprompted, that the gear changes are a bit harsh and I've driven a (very similar but not identical, I'll admit) M140i and that did PERFECT changes.
Any advice or personal experience in this area would be hugely appreciated. Thanks.
How old is the car incidentally? And how many miles?
That might have some bearing on whether it's wear and tear related (but it should still be covered by the warranty in any case).
Not beyond the realms of possibility that they try and wriggle out if its done more than average miles or an older car
That might have some bearing on whether it's wear and tear related (but it should still be covered by the warranty in any case).
Not beyond the realms of possibility that they try and wriggle out if its done more than average miles or an older car
First time I hear of an Mx35/40 owner complain of harsh gearchange with a ZF box. If you have driven a similar M140i and that was perfect, it is clearly not in your head.
As an AUC keep it in warranty and ask BMW to deal with it. Not sure how long you have had it and possibilities to reject it, but you should raise the possibility at least, to make BMW take it seriously
As an AUC keep it in warranty and ask BMW to deal with it. Not sure how long you have had it and possibilities to reject it, but you should raise the possibility at least, to make BMW take it seriously
Thanks for the replies so far. The car is a 65 plate with 19000 miles. I bought it with 12,000 miles a year ago and I'd say it's been like this since a month or two in.
Full BMW service history, nearly a year of warranty remaining.
Something I thought about today was that the dealer I'm taking it to locally is part of the same dealer group as the one I bought it from. Could they be avoiding a costly gearbox replacement/repair? Maybe I should try another BMW dealer network? Perhaps talk to BMW UK?
Full BMW service history, nearly a year of warranty remaining.
Something I thought about today was that the dealer I'm taking it to locally is part of the same dealer group as the one I bought it from. Could they be avoiding a costly gearbox replacement/repair? Maybe I should try another BMW dealer network? Perhaps talk to BMW UK?
I’d talk to BMW UK, sounds like the dealer has had a few opportunities to rectify the problem but hasn’t managed to, as for the dealer trying to avoid the cost of a new gearbox, I think the cost would be covered by BMW UK & they’d be paying the dealer for the labour so the dealer would earn out of it. I’d write up a timeline and forward it to BMW UK after phoning them & getting a contact to correspond with.
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff