Any BMW technicians on Beyond?

[Graham_A_M]

Hey guys, just have a few technical questions to ask. I hate asking the local stealerships because they give me a (warrenty related) run around, in the unlikely event the clueless service advisors actually understand what it is that Im asking about.

I have a few serious questions to ask about some quirks that have come up, basically related to the SMG tranny and swapping it to a conventional 6speed manual.

Thanks.

[scat19]

I doubt a technician has seen a crazy swap like that!

Check out the BMW forums (bimmerfest, etc) to see if other people have done it and what was needed.

Alternatively, go to projjectechnik.com (local BMW forum), and a fellow on there called "E30TECH" is a tech at gallery I believe.

[benyl]

The SMG tranny and the Manual 6 speed are the same.

The only difference is that you don't have a clutch pedal or a directly link to the shift mechanism.

I have not looked into it, but I suspect you will need a new ECU in order to do this. The ECU controls the throttle during up and downshifts.

Honestly, why wouldn't you sell your car and buy the car you want with the transmission you want?

[qmf]

Agreed

[AE92_TreunoSC]

You'd need a wiring harness from a 6 speed, probably need the engine management from a 6 speed and the pedal hardware as well.

Vitek put a working SMG in a M3 for my shop for around 5000 I believe, definitely cheaper then attempting to swap it.

[Graham_A_M]

Thanks guys. I called Sheni's auto trend today, and he'd charge $600-1000 for the swap. yes the transmissions computer (& various wiring harnesses) need to be changed. He quoted 6-10 hours work to do the full swap. At $105/hr thats not too unreasonable.

Yeah Im about ready to toss in the towel and just rid myself of that fucking SMG tranny. Its almost consistently getting lost when downshifting from 3rd back down to 2nd.
There is a lot of clicking (of gears not quite engaging) while the engine just revs freely, until I downshift way back down to first. From there, the tranny seems to find 1st gear quite normally.

I can tell there is some shift solenoid (or the like) that is not working properly to complete the shift. Im not too sure what it is, but this tranny has been a source of absolute grief and dispair for as long as I've owned the car. Im just absolutely frusterated, as this tranny seems to be too technical for its own good. *WHEN* it runs right its like a Swiss watch. But thats about 40% of the time at best.
A decent used tranny is about $1800 USD, so for $3k I get a decent car that wont give me all this trouble. :nut:

I think BMW over-engineered this SMG tranny. When *one* sensor doesn't work properly, the car does not run properly at all. This tranny has more sensors & monitors then I can count, so when something acts up: its several thousands of dollars to have it fixed.

(And yes Benyl, Im really contemplating upgrading to a Z4M roadster)
Its times like these I wish I would have bought a Z06 Vette and be done with it. Shit.... :banghead:
Sorry for the ranting, but man... I JUST spent $1,500 on (driveline & rear end) repairs, only to have this happen 100kms later...... :(

[buh_buh]

why would you swap? You throw money at it, and it just devalues the car even more. Just upgrade to the Z4m and call it a day. Its a no-brainer if you're deciding between doing a tranny swap on a 3.0 and a Z4M. It may cost you $3k now, but it'll cost you a lot more when you sell it.

[01RedDX]

.

[Graham_A_M]

^ Is he an importer or a mechanic?

Thanks BTW.

Yeah I think I can sell this for what I paid for it: and get a Z4M Roadster for a couple thousand more after the importing costs...
I have some homework to do before commiting to selling it.

I guess my biggest worry now is its odometer rating, as Im a HAIR below 100k kms. I wonder how much of a hit I'll take because its so high in relevance to other Z4's. :dunno:

[Graham_A_M]

Alright, a bit of an update. I found its the clutch that needed to be replaced as its quite worn: and hence thats why it has a hard time completing the shift.

(be nice if it notified me when the clutch gets worn since I have no way of knowing otherwise).


Anyway, is there any good clutch manufacterers out there that make a variety of clutches for BMWs?
If I stick with the OEM BMW clutch, its $1300 for a new one installed. For 100k km's, thats not cool :(
Just wondering if I can install a decent aftermarket one, preferbaly one that'll last.

[01RedDX]

.