DCT replacement?

[M3JayM]

I’m experiencing very similar noises to those discussed here:

https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1349482


I took it to my shop today and the tech’s conclusion was that there is a faulty/failing bearing somewhere in the transmission and they quoted me for a complete DCT replacement. Car has 90k miles on it.

I’m a little shocked. I don’t know what to do. He told me that it will probably last for “thousands of miles” and that if it was his car he would just not worry about it and keep driving it until the transmission completely fails.

Their quote for new DCT plus labor was just shy of $20k including taxes. ($15k for new DCT)

I see a used DCT on eBay with 72k miles for $2750….

[M3JayM]

Will likely get a 2nd opinion from a different shop. Potentially the center drive shaft and not the DCT?

[PapaMurph]

I'm not a certified mechanic but I have done plenty of DIY and nothing about that sound makes me think it is the DCT. I would lean towards driveshaft or wheel bearing.

[Scrippy]

So the noise described in that post could just be a failing center carrier bearing. It could also be a failing “velocity joint” or CV connecting the diff most commonly called. Neither are transmission related and are super cheap and doable by yourself. Have you looked at any of these yourself? The center bearing rubber usually cracks and starts disappearing and commonly makes noise switching between forward and reverse and can make a cowbell noise or grinding. You should jack up the car and look at the driveshaft for any rubbing which would be obvious as the driveshaft is flat black. See if there is an abundance of play with car off, in gear, in the air and parking brake set our DCT’s are pretty dang robust and rarely fail when not hammered on and sometimes even when being hammered on.

[M3JayM]

Right. The more I was thinking about it the less sense the transmission failure diagnosis made…. The car drives perfectly.

[Scrippy]

A Complete driveshaft will have all the parts I spoke about. So a lil over 2k in parts and you’d be good. IF……..this is the issue.

[rosemont83]

Originally Posted by M3JayM

I’m experiencing very similar noises to those discussed here:

https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1349482


I took it to my shop today and the tech’s conclusion was that there is a faulty/failing bearing somewhere in the transmission and they quoted me for a complete DCT replacement. Car has 90k miles on it.

I’m a little shocked. I don’t know what to do. He told me that it will probably last for “thousands of miles” and that if it was his car he would just not worry about it and keep driving it until the transmission completely fails.

Their quote for new DCT plus labor was just shy of $20k including taxes. ($15k for new DCT)

I see a used DCT on eBay with 72k miles for $2750….

Bad shop

[M3JayM]

Taking it to a different shop next week for diagnostic appointment. Thanks guys

[M3JayM]

UPDATE: Very likely the center driveshaft bearing. Quoted $900 all-in to fix. Relief.

[Scrippy]

The carrier bearing is between $120-250 depending on your source. I hardly think a shop with a lift would take 3 hours to do this. IMO that quote is high. Ask them to inspect the guibo/flex disc and provide pictures of any cracks or damage they might find. It’s one of those parts that fall under the ole “we are already here” parts to consider. They’re pretty robust so it’s probably just fine.

*What was the name of the shop that quoted you a new DCT? It would be good to list their name and city so the rest of the forum can AVOID THEM.

[M3JayM]

Scrippy

The $900 included some diagnostic time and the job was done in a day and a half so I’m very satisfied with the service. No more embarrassing noise.

Said the guibo looked fine. I think the part was like $160 or $180.

Bimmers Service Center (Decatur location) quoted the new DCT. Unbelievable. I had been going to their Roswell location exclusively for 10+ years without an issue. Something changed with them recently. Happy to have found Harrison Motorsports in Alpharetta.

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by M3JayM

Scrippy

The $900 included some diagnostic time and the job was done in a day and a half so I’m very satisfied with the service. No more embarrassing noise.

Said the guibo looked fine. I think the part was like $160 or $180.

Bimmers Service Center (Decatur location) quoted the new DCT. Unbelievable. I had been going to their Roswell location exclusively for 10+ years without an issue. Something changed with them recently. Happy to have found Harrison Motorsports in Alpharetta.

Well I’m glad your baby is back! Kinda pisses me off that they suggested such an expensive fix after “diagnosis”. This is what my local BMW dealer does. I no longer use them and I should have my own lift by the end of this year. Enjoy the ride buddy!

[Zhirm3e92]

Originally Posted by M3JayM

Right. The more I was thinking about it the less sense the transmission failure diagnosis made…. The car drives perfectly.

Mine was doing that cow bell for ages and my car had 278k miles before some one ran into me

[daitheflu20]

Originally Posted by M3JayM

Scrippy

The $900 included some diagnostic time and the job was done in a day and a half so I’m very satisfied with the service. No more embarrassing noise.

Said the guibo looked fine. I think the part was like $160 or $180.

Bimmers Service Center (Decatur location) quoted the new DCT. Unbelievable. I had been going to their Roswell location exclusively for 10+ years without an issue. Something changed with them recently. Happy to have found Harrison Motorsports in Alpharetta.

Back when I had a Mini, Bimmers Service (Kennesaw location) wasted 500-something dollars diagnosing overheating. Nothing they did fixed the issue. That was ALOT of money for me back then. Broke and without a car, I sold it to a retired mechanic who had it running great before I could even find the title. I'm still sour about that and will never take any of my cars back.

[M3JayM]

Originally Posted by daitheflu20

Back when I had a Mini, Bimmers Service (Kennesaw location) wasted 500-something dollars diagnosing overheating. Nothing they did fixed the issue. That was ALOT of money for me back then. Broke and without a car, I sold it to a retired mechanic who had it running great before I could even find the title. I'm still sour about that and will never take any of my cars back.

Prior to the last couple months, I felt like they had always charged me fair prices and got the work done for me very quickly, always with the expected/desired results. I really enjoyed talking to Don, as he is extremely knowledgeable about BMWs.

I used to be so confident in them that I didn’t hesitate to have them replace my rod bearings when I was ready to do it last year.

But now I will be taking my car to Harrison Motorsports for all future service.