2008 6MT replacement?

[Seattle S65B40]

Does anyone know if 08 6MTs that have received a completely new transmission by dealers is warranty work being done pursuant to a TSB of any kind? If so, does anyone have the specific number handy? How about an SIB #?

Who here has had their tranny replaced? Did you have any issues following replacement?

I have seen many members on here talk about 1 -> 2 grind, and otherwise, in the absence of grinding, complain of just a notchy second or third gear, and they have had their entire tranny replaced by BMW under warranty.

I would like to be able to reference the specific TSB # if possible next time I go in to see if I'm eligible for this (assuming that it did not make matters worse..). I have grinded a few times in my day and have some general notchiness.
Thanks!

[Sean05]

i got my entire tranny replaced cause of the 1st and 2nd grind... well it was a grind and having hard time putting it in 1st and 2nd...


EDIT: ill see if i can find the records regarding that replacement... wasnt sure if it was a TSB... i think PUMA suggested that the entire tranny must be replace after replacing the 1st and 2nd gear and synchro and still did not work.

[saeedg48]

Originally Posted by Sean05

i got my entire tranny replaced cause of the 1st and 2nd grind... well it was a grind and having hard time putting it in 1st and 2nd...

AHAH that's awesome - what dealer?

[Seattle S65B40]

Originally Posted by Sean05

i got my entire tranny replaced cause of the 1st and 2nd grind... well it was a grind and having hard time putting it in 1st and 2nd...


EDIT: ill see if i can find the records regarding that replacement... wasnt sure if it was a TSB... i think PUMA suggested that the entire tranny must be replace after replacing the 1st and 2nd gear and synchro and still did not work.

Sweet man. Any issues since the complete replacement?

[Sean05]

Originally Posted by saeedg48

AHAH that's awesome - what dealer?

PACIFIC BMW IN GLENDALE CALIFORNIA

[Sean05]

Originally Posted by Seattle S65B40

Sweet man. Any issues since the complete replacement?

No issue what so ever... its been 30k miles. they replaced it when i had 10k miles on the car.

BTW ill try to take a shot of the reciept friday night. just hope someone can remind me by pm.. i tend to forget.. LOL

[Seattle S65B40]

Originally Posted by Sean05

No issue what so ever... its been 30k miles. they replaced it when i had 10k miles on the car.

BTW ill try to take a shot of the reciept friday night. just hope someone can remind me by pm.. i tend to forget.. LOL

Word. Thanks! I will be sure to remind you.

So, let me just get this straight real quick.

First, you took the car in and complained of 1 -> 2 grind. Did they try to replicate the issue? The end result was that they changed the 1 and 2 synchro.

Then you still had issues and they replaced the whole tranny? clutch and everything?

[LateBraking]

Originally Posted by Sean05

PACIFIC BMW IN GLENDALE CALIFORNIA

It was YOU! (Maybe?)

I had my transmission in my old 2008 M3 replaced a long time ago. At Pacific BMW in Glendale. This was back in 2009, I think. They told me "yeah, we just had another car in for the same problem...." when I went in.

Currently in a 6MT 2011.5. Couldn't be happier.

Anyways, back on topic. tech drove it, said nothing's wrong. I ask for the shop foreman. Shop foreman drives it with me as a ride along, says nothing's wrong, just slightly stiffer than usual, but every car is different. 1 block away from dealer, he shifts into second. *CRUUUUUUUUUNCH* He goes "well....I now see what you mean by "intermittent". Whole transmission was replaced. You wouldn't believe how much trouble I had getting that thing replaced though.

When I went in though, there was no TSB for this.

[Seattle S65B40]

Originally Posted by LateBraking

It was YOU! (Maybe?)

I had my transmission in my old 2008 M3 replaced a long time ago. At Pacific BMW in Glendale. This was back in 2009, I think. They told me "yeah, we just had another car in for the same problem...." when I went in.

Currently in a 6MT 2011.5. Couldn't be happier.

Anyways, back on topic. tech drove it, said nothing's wrong. I ask for the shop foreman. Shop foreman drives it with me as a ride along, says nothing's wrong, just slightly stiffer than usual, but every car is different. 1 block away from dealer, he shifts into second. *CRUUUUUUUUUNCH* He goes "well....I now see what you mean by "intermittent". Whole transmission was replaced. You wouldn't believe how much trouble I had getting that thing replaced though.

When I went in though, there was no TSB for this.

Interesting, so there is going to have to be some replication of some sort of issue before they consider it - simple notchiness alone probably won't be enough i'm guessing.

I really don't want to have to replicate anything with them or worse yet, let them replicate it ... "hey, Jimmy. take this M3 out and see if you can get it to grind at high RPMs..." ha! no thanks...

That's why if there is a TSB, I would have a lot less of an uphill battle.

[Sean05]

Originally Posted by Seattle S65B40

Word. Thanks! I will be sure to remind you.

So, let me just get this straight real quick.

First, you took the car in and complained of 1 -> 2 grind. Did they try to replicate the issue? The end result was that they changed the 1 and 2 synchro.

Then you still had issues and they replaced the whole tranny? clutch and everything?

No 1st i complained about the 1st and 2nd gear being notchy and a little bit hard to put them in place... they decided to replace the 1st and 2nd gear and synchro and the technician test drove it and had the same problem..So PUMA case decided to just replace the entire tranny case solve. the clutch was not replace, it does not say it on the reciept so im guessing it was just the entire tranny.

it took them a whole month cause no one had a spare tranny in the US... tranny was shipped from Germany. after that my tranny is fresh and new without being nocthy and shift like butter even on cold start up.

[Sean05]

Originally Posted by LateBraking

It was YOU! (Maybe?)

I had my transmission in my old 2008 M3 replaced a long time ago. At Pacific BMW in Glendale. This was back in 2009, I think. They told me "yeah, we just had another car in for the same problem...." when I went in.

Currently in a 6MT 2011.5. Couldn't be happier.

Anyways, back on topic. tech drove it, said nothing's wrong. I ask for the shop foreman. Shop foreman drives it with me as a ride along, says nothing's wrong, just slightly stiffer than usual, but every car is different. 1 block away from dealer, he shifts into second. *CRUUUUUUUUUNCH* He goes "well....I now see what you mean by "intermittent". Whole transmission was replaced. You wouldn't believe how much trouble I had getting that thing replaced though.

When I went in though, there was no TSB for this.

yes i believe that was me and yes it was back in 09...

also yes there was no TSB for this at the time, and i believed that there still no TSB on it.

[Seattle S65B40]

Originally Posted by Sean05

No 1st i complained about the 1st and 2nd gear being notchy and a little bit hard to put them in place... they decided to replace the 1st and 2nd gear and synchro and the technician test drove it and had the same problem..So PUMA case decided to just replace the entire tranny case solve. the clutch was not replace, it does not say it on the reciept so im guessing it was just the entire tranny.

it took them a whole month cause no one had a spare tranny in the US... tranny was shipped from Germany. after that my tranny is fresh and new without being nocthy and shift like butter even on cold start up.

THANK YOU! This is all I want. Is that too much to ask of this car? I mean, mine is buttery smooth in 3,4,5,6 but the lower gears are notchy, especially when cold, and it's killing the 6MT experience for me...

[Navin323i]

Originally Posted by Sean05

i got my entire tranny replaced cause of the 1st and 2nd grind... well it was a grind and having hard time putting it in 1st and 2nd...


EDIT: ill see if i can find the records regarding that replacement... wasnt sure if it was a TSB... i think PUMA suggested that the entire tranny must be replace after replacing the 1st and 2nd gear and synchro and still did not work.

Was this issue 1st and 2nd gear grind affecting only 2008 M3s or does it affect 2009 thru 2011 as well?

[Seattle S65B40]

Originally Posted by Navin323i

Was this issue 1st and 2nd gear grind affecting only 2008 M3s or does it affect 2009 thru 2011 as well?

Good question, Navin. The grind appears in all 6MTs as far as i know and is considered normal feature of the tranny. I don't think it's as bad on new ones, but it's just how BMW trannys are. All mine have done it.

While my car is 99% fine, the notchniess of 1 to 2 or 3 to 2 is what's really bothering me these days (probably because i spend so much time on here reading about issues with the car that i tend to over diagnose my own). If I can get it replaced and eliminate the issue while at the same time getting a new tranny on the house, why not? I know there were some 2009 6MT tranny's that had theirs replaced as well. I have not heard of any issues with 2011...

[Sean05]

Originally Posted by Navin323i

Was this issue 1st and 2nd gear grind affecting only 2008 M3s or does it affect 2009 thru 2011 as well?

I have an 08 not sure of production date dont even know where to find it, also i have not heard of 09 having this issue.

[elp_jc]

Originally Posted by Seattle S65B40

I mean, mine is buttery smooth in 3,4,5,6 but the lower gears are notchy, especially when cold, and it's killing the 6MT experience for me...

Not that this makes it right, but the great majority of manual transmission cars I've owned have or have had a notchy 1-2 shift, especially when cold. Downshifting to 2nd does not exhibit that, however. You definitely have to shift slower to 2nd than the other gear changes, but that doesn't mean there's a problem. If I try to rush it, it'd grind, no doubt, but so far, has never grinded. At least in my case, I don't care because never drag race anyway. A fraction of a second slower 1-2 shift is absolutely no problem for me. But yes, wish it was smoother. Changing to Royal Purple Synchromax oil definitely helped, to the point my tranny is almost perfect now. I also have a very slight notchiness on the 4-5 shift. But again, 6-5 is perfect. Issue is the gates are very narrow, so if you hit them just right, gear change goes in perfectly. Otherwise, you feel the notchiness. I just learned to live with it in all my manual cars. Don't let it get to you, unless you have a real issue. Many times is wrong technique, like releasing clutch to soon before gear change is complete, and such. I'm still learning on my car at 8,000 miles, but those miles are mostly highway, plus I drive other manual cars, so remembering the quirks of each car is a lot harder . Good day.

[Sean05]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Not that this makes it right, but the great majority of manual transmission cars I've owned have or have had a notchy 1-2 shift, especially when cold. Downshifting to 2nd does not exhibit that, however. You definitely have to shift slower to 2nd than the other gear changes, but that doesn't mean there's a problem. If I try to rush it, it'd grind, no doubt, but so far, has never grinded. At least in my case, I don't care because never drag race anyway. A fraction of a second slower 1-2 shift is absolutely no problem for me. But yes, wish it was smoother. Changing to Royal Purple Synchromax oil definitely helped, to the point my tranny is almost perfect now. I also have a very slight notchiness on the 4-5 shift. But again, 6-5 is perfect. Issue is the gates are very narrow, so if you hit them just right, gear change goes in perfectly. Otherwise, you feel the notchiness. I just learned to live with it in all my manual cars. Don't let it get to you, unless you have a real issue. Many times is wrong technique, like releasing clutch to soon before gear change is complete, and such. I'm still learning on my car at 8,000 miles, but those miles are mostly highway, plus I drive other manual cars, so remembering the quirks of each car is a lot harder . Good day.

Agreed i had a S2K with tranny problem that found out later that is not a problem anymore being notchy 1st and 2nd. when i got the ///M i assume it was suppose to be that way since it was new... but when i test drove some of the M3 friends and even the one at BMW lot it was smooth as butter 1st and 2nd even at cold start. I understand that fact that some of the cars are meant to be notchy but BMW shouldnt do that.

well i basically prove it that after they replace my tranny 1st the 6th shifts smooth as butter.BMW probably knows the issue with the 08 since no issues with 2009 6mt tranny. Also replacing the tranny oil does not completely fix the problem it will for couple weeks until the oil settles then notchy feeling comes back. usually when notchy tranny is a problem with the synchro usually fixes the problem but replacing the sychro sometimes does not fix the problem. when i had the synchros replace on my S2K they had to replace the gears as well after the fact the synchros were installed.

[Navin323i]

Originally Posted by Seattle S65B40

Good question, Navin. The grind appears in all 6MTs as far as i know and is considered normal feature of the tranny. I don't think it's as bad on new ones, but it's just how BMW trannys are. All mine have done it.

While my car is 99% fine, the notchniess of 1 to 2 or 3 to 2 is what's really bothering me these days (probably because i spend so much time on here reading about issues with the car that i tend to over diagnose my own). If I can get it replaced and eliminate the issue while at the same time getting a new tranny on the house, why not? I know there were some 2009 6MT tranny's that had theirs replaced as well. I have not heard of any issues with 2011...

Originally Posted by Sean05

I have an 08 not sure of production date dont even know where to find it, also i have not heard of 09 having this issue.

Thanks fellas.

One of the reasons I asked (other than the obvious fact that I was concerned since I'm getting an '11 M3 with 6MT) was because if this issue potentially impacts ALL 6MT transmissions thru all the E92 M3 years then there is a chance that the replacement tranny that Sean got will potentially have this same issue repeat itself at some point, in which case the one solution to avoid this ever from happening again would be to do a tranny swap to DCT.

Last thing I ever want to do ever again is do another tranny swap ($$$)... my 323i came with the steptronic (auto) tranny and reverse gear eventually failed so I underwent tranny swap to 5MT. My 323i is perfect now with no mechanical or electrical issues from the swap (feels like the car came from the factory with a 5MT).

[Seattle S65B40]

Originally Posted by Sean05

Agreed i had a S2K with tranny problem that found out later that is not a problem anymore being notchy 1st and 2nd. when i got the ///M i assume it was suppose to be that way since it was new... but when i test drove some of the M3 friends and even the one at BMW lot it was smooth as butter 1st and 2nd even at cold start. I understand that fact that some of the cars are meant to be notchy but BMW shouldnt do that.

well i basically prove it that after they replace my tranny 1st the 6th shifts smooth as butter.BMW probably knows the issue with the 08 since no issues with 2009 6mt tranny. Also replacing the tranny oil does not completely fix the problem it will for couple weeks until the oil settles then notchy feeling comes back. usually when notchy tranny is a problem with the synchro usually fixes the problem but replacing the sychro sometimes does not fix the problem. when i had the synchros replace on my S2K they had to replace the gears as well after the fact the synchros were installed.

Yes, I agree to some extent that all MTs have this issue. However, when I compare 1 -> 2 in this car v. my E46 M3, I can feel much greater resistance while shifting. Based upon that, and what i've read on the forums, i feel i may have an issue. I would love it if someone else with a 6MT E92 M3 drove my car and reflected on any major differences between theirs and mine. Given Sean05's improvement in feel, I think there may have been some issues with 2008s. However, on the flip side, it is DRIVING just fine - so why mess with it? I am hesitant to take it in for this reason...

Originally Posted by Navin323i

Thanks fellas.

One of the reasons I asked (other than the obvious fact that I was concerned since I'm getting an '11 M3 with 6MT) was because if this issue potentially impacts ALL 6MT transmissions thru all the E92 M3 years then there is a chance that the replacement tranny that Sean got will potentially have this same issue repeat itself at some point, in which case the one solution to avoid this ever from happening again would be to do a tranny swap to DCT.

Last thing I ever want to do ever again is do another tranny swap ($$$)... my 323i came with the steptronic (auto) tranny and reverse gear eventually failed so I underwent tranny swap to 5MT. My 323i is perfect now with no mechanical or electrical issues from the swap (feels like the car came from the factory with a 5MT).

Tranny swap in the 323? Nice! I wouldn't worry about your 6MT E92. It should be fine on the newer ones. Even with mine, it's not enough for me to switch to DCT (yet). After 11 years with MTs though, it's becoming apparent that I will one day hang up the MT for good

[Sean05]

Originally Posted by Seattle S65B40

it is DRIVING just fine - so why mess with it? I am hesitant to take it in for this reason...

mine was the same thing until i just got tired and compain about it. i told them that this is not normal and drove several e92 ///M3 and theres is normal not notchy feeling. Try to bring it... ill try to post my reciept on saturday or friday night.. just remind me

[RaceCarDriver]

Originally Posted by Seattle S65B40

Yes, I agree to some extent that all MTs have this issue.

I have an 08 with a MT and have no issues. shifting and tranny are just fine.

[Seattle S65B40]

Originally Posted by RaceCarDriver

I have an 08 with a MT and have no issues. shifting and tranny are just fine.

You've never once grinded or needed extra effort to get into second (on either up or downshift?)?