Questions on a used 2009 E90 M3 DCT

[Weiser]

Hi all, I'm finally trying to make the plunge into M3 ownership and I have a few questions I'm hoping you all may be able to help me answer.

I'm looking at buying from a dealer way across the country and I had a friend go to the dealer and take a look at it today. He test drove it (his first time in a M3) and raised a few minor concerns.

It is a 2009 with less than 17,000 miles and every option but premium sound. As the title says it is a DCT. He drove it in "power" mode the entire time as he really wasn't sure what that did overall. Here were his concerns:

• dealer explained launch control, but then said he couldn't use it because it would void the warranty if used too much. Is this true? Is there a certain number and can the current number of uses be pulled from the computer? I'll ask the dealer to do this but wanted to be prepared to respond if they say it isn't possible

• the EDC and DSC buttons were quite worn according to my friend. The rest of the interior was immaculate which made my friend feel that the buttons have been used a lot which might indicate an aggressive previous owner. Should I be concerned about this even if they were using them a lot? From what I've read I'm thinking no, but wanted to ask regardless. Do the buttons wear easily?

• Last thing he said was that the transmission was a little jerky when it shifted while moving slow and driving "normal" and he felt he could shift it better in manual himself. I told him that this was possibly because he was in "power" mode but that I would investigate anyway. I'm guessing it is just normal for DCT but looking for feedback. He also said in reverse it drifts a little before you hit the gas. Again I think this is normal DCT with the auto/manual functionality but wanted to throw it out there.

Otherwise he had a blast driving it. He said he almost got a ticket driving by a cop with his head down at like 90. I had asked him to push it a little to make sure he tested it under the right conditions.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I hope I haven't asked to much on my first new thread.

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by Weiser

Hi all, I'm finally trying to make the plunge into M3 ownership and I have a few questions I'm hoping you all may be able to help me answer.

I'm looking at buying from a dealer way across the country and I had a friend go to the dealer and take a look at it today. He test drove it (his first time in a M3) and raised a few minor concerns.

It is a 2009 with less than 17,000 miles and every option but premium sound. As the title says it is a DCT. He drove it in "power" mode the entire time as he really wasn't sure what that did overall. Here were his concerns:

• dealer explained launch control, but then said he couldn't use it because it would void the warranty if used too much. Is this true? Is there a certain number and can the current number of uses be pulled from the computer? I'll ask the dealer to do this but wanted to be prepared to respond if they say it isn't possible

• the EDC and DSC buttons were quite worn according to my friend. The rest of the interior was immaculate which made my friend feel that the buttons have been used a lot which might indicate an aggressive previous owner. Should I be concerned about this even if they were using them a lot? From what I've read I'm thinking no, but wanted to ask regardless. Do the buttons wear easily?

• Last thing he said was that the transmission was a little jerky when it shifted while moving slow and driving "normal" and he felt he could shift it better in manual himself. I told him that this was possibly because he was in "power" mode but that I would investigate anyway. I'm guessing it is just normal for DCT but looking for feedback. He also said in reverse it drifts a little before you hit the gas. Again I think this is normal DCT with the auto/manual functionality but wanted to throw it out there.

Otherwise he had a blast driving it. He said he almost got a ticket driving by a cop with his head down at like 90. I had asked him to push it a little to make sure he tested it under the right conditions.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I hope I haven't asked to much on my first new thread.

1. launch control - no it's not the GTR, dealer just wanted to protect their car before it's sold
2. it sounds like the previous owner had some type of OCD. Some people feel like they need to scratch, rub, or repeatedly touch certain things, and that's likely what happened here. I can't imagine how many times you have to push a button to make the words fade away...
3. normal

So go for it man, if it's a good deal.

[ss134]

As for the 'jerky' DCT shifts - there are 6 settings for the speed/aggressiveness of the shifts in both manual (S) mode and Auto (D) mode. Sounds to me like he was in S5. In D2 you can barely feel the shifts and it is very smooth around town.

[Weiser]

Thank you to both of you. Just spent the last hour or so searching the forums and everything I read confirms exactly what you just told me. I'm sure he was in S5.

I think I'm buying!

[E90_SG]

I just bought my 09 E90 DCT last week and test drove a few before purchasing. The jerkiness takes time to get used to (at least for me) but not long. As others have mentioned, play around with the settings and you'll find the sweet spot.

[Weiser]

Sweet, looking forward to being in your shoes soon!