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01-08-2013, 09:45 AM | #1 |
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Do's and Dont's for preserving DCT life
So I wanted to speak more about DCT with non-supercharged cars as that has been addressed but has sparked some interest in terms of behaviors tha may wear our DCT trannies out prematurely, especially for anyone planning on keeping the car out of warranty or long-term.
From what I gather reading there are a few things but I am not sure if they matter if you are not supercharged and on stock power/bolt on power. 1-In D mode, using D to kick down several gears slips the clutch in a way that creates a lot of heat for supercharged cars with power but is this something prematurely wearing out our cars when done often? 2-Punching it from a dead stop without launch control is not good 3-not letting the car/tranny warm up obviously The one I was curious about is what about simply downshifting and letting the car rev match and downshift to the lower gear before you accelerate again? ie. Driving at 75 on the freeway, click the paddle down to 3rd and have foot off the accelerator during the process to let it totally engage the gear and than plant your foot? I find if you keep the accelerator pressed during a downshift it does not give you that "punch" forward in acceleration. But is it inherently bad or is it better to drop it into gear off the accelerator? |
01-08-2013, 10:55 AM | #4 | |
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I am simply stating that if I owned a DCT, I would make sure I maintained a warranty because repair costs can be significant. |
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01-08-2013, 10:56 AM | #5 |
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Drives: 11 E90 M3 Individual
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I wouldn't drive around in D5/S5 all of the time.
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01-08-2013, 11:11 AM | #6 |
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Common DCT failure rate is extremely low since its first debut on the M3. There is not enough data to gather.
By the way, the cost of repairing DCT has gone down significantly over the years due to the fact that more models are using it now. Eventually, maybe more models (like 335iS, maybe 550iS, or 650iS?) are going to switch to DCT because of better fuel efficiency (mandate) and lighter weight. I heard the first DCT failure cost $15,000 plus labor to replace. The last time I heard it's $9,500 plus labor to replace. Supply and demand dictate the cost of repair. Plus, if you're only talking about changing the clutch, it's a lot cheaper than replacing the entire unit. As long as you don't abuse it everyday, following proper procedure BMW states that the DCT is good for the life of the car, not life of the warranty. See http://www.motor-prime.com/content/m...h-transmission. |
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01-08-2013, 12:09 PM | #7 | |
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See also this good recent piece from Chris Harris: http://www.pistonheads.com/news/defa...?storyId=26917 |
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01-08-2013, 01:28 PM | #9 | |
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All we have are isolated incidents (via extensive abuse) and the most famous is the DCT lag which was fixed by software update. |
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01-08-2013, 01:36 PM | #10 | |
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http://www.europeantransmissions.com...ansmission.htm http://www.dctfacts.com/emerging-tec...s-dct-bmw.aspx Other than that, it still boils down to cost, supply and demand that dictates the wide availabiliy of the transmission type. |
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