DCT clutch needs replacement at 98K miles

[adit313]

My car was very jerky and slow off the line for the past 2 months, took it into BMW, and they are saying it needs a new clutch. We have a warranty on the car, but they are saying it isn't covered since it is just 'normal' clutch wear.

It's a completely stock car, only street driven, and only has 98K miles.

Has anyone else experienced their clutch wearing out to the point they need a replacement on a DCT in under 100K miles? I feel like this is abnormal and might be related to a malfunction and the dealer might just be trying to get out of the warranty coverage.

Also before I took it into the dealer, I pulled all the codes and the transmission was throwing a 5A74 error for it's input speed sensor. I can't help but feel that it was grinding the clutch because the speed sensor was faulty and BMW is trying to just switch the clutch and hope I don't notice.

Is it normal for a DCT clutch to wear out in under 100K miles, I searched the forums like crazy and it seems most people are easily seeing 150K+ on their original clutches.

[Redd]

Aside from a few drag cars who burned their DCT clutches, I don't think anyone else has changed their DCT clutches. So absolutely not normal to wear out at 100k miles.

[TrAcK TRaP]

DCT should last over 150K miles easy on these cars.. I would just flush the fluid and do DCT tune..

[adit313]

Thanks guys, I decided to take it to an indy shop to get a second opinion. For anyone who is curious, the official BMW price for just a clutch change on a DCT is a little over $8,000... Maybe I should have gotten the MT.

[SYT_Shadow]

I doubt it's the clutches... the DCT is very reliable

[bmwfst1]

check the fluid in the dct. They are known to leak and when the fluid gets low it does many strange things.

[///Mobbin]

Originally Posted by bmwfst1

check the fluid in the dct. They are known to leak and when the fluid gets low it does many strange things.

I second this, had strange shifting behavior on a prior car and a leaking lower DCT pan, swapping to a new pan, new filters and properly flushing/filling with new fluid solved it for me. If you are looking for a longer term solution (assuming leaking fluid is your problem) then I would suggest OE pan + viton gasket, Fall Line pan from slicer (also comes with a viton gasket) or SLON pan. A few others out there but those seem to be the forum favorites. For a street only car I would steer you towards the first two choices listed.

Also possible you have a side or top leak btw: LINK

[SLBMW]

Had a similar issue however when I did the fluid change I noticed my fluid pump was cracked. Not sure how but it may be a possibility for you as well? The P/N is 28107842838

[omgzirra_exe]

fluid change will go a long way on the DCT. upgrade ur pan as well since ur there.

[joshmkb24]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I see people suggesting a fluid change. I recently bought my M3 and took it to the dealership to have all the fluids changed as I would on any car I bought so I have peace of mind I know when it was done. They told me they don't recommend changing the fluid in the transmission unless something is wrong. They said topping it off is suggested, but don't open up the transmission. I called a BMW specialty shop and they told me essentially the same thing. It runs against my basic car logic of fresh fluids are always good

[Kelse92]

Originally Posted by joshmkb24

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I see people suggesting a fluid change. I recently bought my M3 and took it to the dealership to have all the fluids changed as I would on any car I bought so I have peace of mind I know when it was done. They told me they don't recommend changing the fluid in the transmission unless something is wrong. They said topping it off is suggested, but don't open up the transmission. I called a BMW specialty shop and they told me essentially the same thing. It runs against my basic car logic of fresh fluids are always good

It's supposed to be "lifetime" fluid or whatever, but my car is tracked and changing the fluid and replacing the gasket is good preventative maintenance as these cars age.

[Redd]

Originally Posted by joshmkb24

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I see people suggesting a fluid change. I recently bought my M3 and took it to the dealership to have all the fluids changed as I would on any car I bought so I have peace of mind I know when it was done. They told me they don't recommend changing the fluid in the transmission unless something is wrong. They said topping it off is suggested, but don't open up the transmission. I called a BMW specialty shop and they told me essentially the same thing. It runs against my basic car logic of fresh fluids are always good

Utter nonsense. In the 5 years I've owned my M3 I've changed the DCT fluid 3x, filters 2x, and the pan 2x. I replaced a weeping DCT pan with stock, and then a 2nd time when I got my Slon pan.

[noremaC]

Originally Posted by joshmkb24

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I see people suggesting a fluid change. I recently bought my M3 and took it to the dealership to have all the fluids changed as I would on any car I bought so I have peace of mind I know when it was done. They told me they don't recommend changing the fluid in the transmission unless something is wrong. They said topping it off is suggested, but don't open up the transmission. I called a BMW specialty shop and they told me essentially the same thing. It runs against my basic car logic of fresh fluids are always good

Here's the problem: the DCT is known to "seep" or leak fluid. As soon as there is a detection of fluid loss, strange things begin to happen. I've been through 1 DCT replacement (likely mechatronics failure) and have multiple fluid/filters changes across 2 E9x cars. Fluid changes get expensive because you need to replace the entire lower pan, which is ~$200, plus fluid, filter and labor costs (if not doing yourself. You can lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of DCT fluid changes by investing in a reusable billet DCT pan (i.e. Slon Workshop).

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Redd

Utter nonsense. In the 5 years I've owned my M3 I've changed the DCT fluid 3x, filters 2x, and the pan 2x. I replaced a weeping DCT pan with stock, and then a 2nd time when I got my Slon pan.

Agree with changing also the DCT fluid is good, curious thought if it was discolored when changing that relatively often mate?

[joshmkb24]

Ok thanks! I'll look into the Slon pan.

Sorry OP for hijacking the thread. I did a search when I went to get service and couldn't find anything on the forum I was looking for and just figured maybe it is what it is, but then saw your post so wanted to ask!

[Redd]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Agree with changing also the DCT fluid is good, curious thought if it was discolored when changing that relatively often mate?

The first change was when I bought the car 5 yrs ago @ 70k kms - New fluid only, and the fluid was black as hell. That stuff had probably been in the gearbox since it left the factory.

2nd change was 20k kms later, with new filters and stock oil pan due to a weeping pan. Fluid was relatively clean.

3rd change was 30k kms later. A bit excessive, I know, but I'm OCD that way. Fluid was relatively clean.

4th change was 30k kms later with new filters, when I installed my Slon pan. Stock pan was still in good shape.

So it's been 4 DCT fluid changes in 5 yrs/70k kms. Gearbox is in superb shape, shifts are swift and sharp. I also have an Alpine GTS DCT tune. I'll probably do fluid changes every 40k km/2 yrs moving forward.

[kyrix1st]

If the previous owner drove around in D all the time, I could see the secondary clutch(for 2nd gear) being worn out as these cars like to stay in economy mode as much as possible. I always make sure to downshift to 1st before accelerating from a stop.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Redd

The first change was when I bought the car 5 yrs ago @ 70k kms - New fluid only, and the fluid was black as hell. That stuff had probably been in the gearbox since it left the factory.

2nd change was 20k kms later, with new filters and stock oil pan due to a weeping pan. Fluid was relatively clean.

3rd change was 30k kms later. A bit excessive, I know, but I'm OCD that way. Fluid was relatively clean.

4th change was 30k kms later with new filters, when I installed my Slon pan. Stock pan was still in good shape.

So it's been 4 DCT fluid changes in 5 yrs/70k kms. Gearbox is in superb shape, shifts are swift and sharp. I also have an Alpine GTS DCT tune. I'll probably do fluid changes every 40k km/2 yrs moving forward.

Cheers mate. Got a new box installed at 30k km (due to dealer poured MT fluid in). At 76k km now and plan to get the box down for sensor shift, workshop suggest new filter/fluid which sounds I might as well get done then.

Sounds like you do the fluid change yourself, according to BMWs procedure with engine running at 2k RPM etc?

[Redd]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Cheers mate. Got a new box installed at 30k km (due to dealer poured MT fluid in). At 76k km now and plan to get the box down for sensor shift, workshop suggest new filter/fluid which sounds I might as well get done then.

Sounds like you do the fluid change yourself, according to BMWs procedure with engine running at 2k RPM etc?

Nope. I send it to the shop. Labor is very cheap in my country so it's actually not worth it to do my own work. But yes, we follow recommended fill procedure.

[Richbot]

The dealers have no idea what they're doing with a DCT post-warranty. The pre-warranty failures are almost always complete unit changes, just swap the whole box and send it to the remanufacturer. Post-warranty failures are rare and when they do occur, go to an indy half the time, or get traded in when they start showing symptoms/leaking.

Definitely good to ask around first. It's not blinker fluid, it really can get low over time

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Redd

Nope. I send it to the shop. Labor is very cheap in my country so it's actually not worth it to do my own work. But yes, we follow recommended fill procedure.

Got it, cheers Redd.

[brettcp]

Its not a difficult DIY job, I did the DCT service - new fluid, new filters (there were two I believe - the transmission filter and the suction filter), and new lower pan at around 100k miles. I seem to recall it was less than $400 in parts and maybe two hours of my time, never having done it before. There's a good guide in the DIY section of this forum I followed.