E46 M3 SMG Owners Chime In

[Otruba_843]

I've started to look at 2006 E46 M3's under 60k. How do you like the SMG tranny? I've seen a few reviews that don't mind it and some that absolutely hate it. Does it shift fast or no and why do people hate it so much? I would prefer a manual, but it's tough to find a manual with the options I want. They all end up being SMG's. Thanks Guys!

[TrevorM3]

people hate it because it's unreliable, and it was jerky, and because the shifts were too slow. This car came out in 01' let's not forget that.


I had mine for 2 years, 0 issues, never a hiccup. S6 mode was plenty quick for me, but one thing i liked to do was to lift my foot when shifting, (it was a little smoother).

It has a good manual feel. Just be prepared in case anything fails. Very high failure rate, i lucked out

[PINeely]

SMG is shit. The gear changes are incredibly rough, makes the whole car buck. When it fails (not if) you'll be out 10-14k to replace it.

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by TrevorM3

people hate it because it's unreliable, and it was jerky, and because the shifts were too slow. This car came out in 01' let's not forget that.


I had mine for 2 years, 0 issues, never a hiccup. S6 mode was plenty quick for me, but one thing i liked to do was to lift my foot when shifting, (it was a little smoother).

It has a good manual feel. Just be prepared in case anything fails. Very high failure rate, i lucked out

Originally Posted by PINeely

SMG is shit. The gear changes are incredibly rough, makes the whole car buck. When it fails (not if) you'll be out 10-14k to replace it.

Thanks, looks like I'll stay far away from it. Back to the drawing board now.

[P1]

My brother has an '04 M3 w/ the SMG transmission. He's put about 25K miles on the ticker and he drives it hard. Knock on wood: zero issues. But it's jerky as hell. Almost as bad as the DCT transmission...

[bumere90]

Originally Posted by TrevorM3

people hate it because it's unreliable, and it was jerky, and because the shifts were too slow. This car came out in 01' let's not forget that.


I had mine for 2 years, 0 issues, never a hiccup. S6 mode was plenty quick for me, but one thing i liked to do was to lift my foot when shifting, (it was a little smoother).

It has a good manual feel. Just be prepared in case anything fails. Very high failure rate, i lucked out

true..but the jerky transmission was fixed by a software update. SMG's are very very unreliable.

[KwlAznKid]

loved my smg, best car ive owned, i personally liked my e46 m3 smg better than my 911 996 manual if that puts things into perspective a bit. jerky yes, but if u really want smooth shifts, release the throttle when u shift, like in a 3 pedal manual car, this decreases the jerk

[TrevorM3]

Originally Posted by PINeely

SMG is shit. The gear changes are incredibly rough, makes the whole car buck. When it fails (not if) you'll be out 10-14k to replace it.

Calm down there n54.


My SMG never bucked. The only time that car bucked was if for some reason i accidentally pressed the gas awkwardly from a stand still.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by P1et

My brother has an '04 M3 w/ the SMG transmission. He's put about 25K miles on the ticker and he drives it hard. Knock on wood: zero issues. But it's jerky as hell. Almost as bad as the DCT transmission...

I was gonna laugh at your comment about dct but it's so false I can't. Please don't spread incorrect information

In regards to the smg, I've usually heard it's not the best thing out there. For track use it does the job but anything else will be a nightmare. Also that water will go out. Wait it out for the right one with manual you won't regret it

[Kong Sheng Han]

Originally Posted by PINeely

SMG is shit. The gear changes are incredibly rough, makes the whole car buck. When it fails (not if) you'll be out 10-14k to replace it.

Bullshit. It's $3-3,500 at most.

OP. The big problem with the SMG transmission is that the SMG pumps like to fail, and they cannot be repaired. A new pump must be purchased and usually range from $2,000 and $2,500.

I got really lucky. I was about to purchase a 2002 M3 with SMG and delayed my purchase by about 3 weeks (had a deposit on the car so they couldn't sell it). They messed up on the paperwork and delayed by another few days. The day I was supposed to take delivery of it, the pump and actuator failed . Bought a 6MT M3 a week later with the same colors and options. Wait for the right manual M3. Trust me.

[PINeely]

Originally Posted by Kong Sheng Han

Bullshit. It's $3-3,500 at most.

OP. The big problem with the SMG transmission is that the SMG pumps like to fail, and they cannot be repaired. A new pump must be purchased and usually range from $2,000 and $2,500.

I got really lucky. I was about to purchase a 2002 M3 with SMG and delayed my purchase by about 3 weeks (had a deposit on the car so they couldn't sell it). They messed up on the paperwork and delayed by another few days. The day I was supposed to take delivery of it, the pump and actuator failed . Bought a 6MT M3 a week later with the same colors and options. Wait for the right manual M3. Trust me.

Link? Cheapest I am seeing is $4300 for a rebuilt one. That isn't including labor.

[Kong Sheng Han]

Originally Posted by PINeely

Link? Cheapest I am seeing is $4300 for a rebuilt one. That isn't including labor.

Here's three:

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-53...FdEF7Aodgl0AlA

http://www.importecwarehouse.com/BMW...29-715-OES.htm

http://parts.bmwofsouthatlanta.com/p...wd=&origin=pla

[PINeely]

Originally Posted by Kong Sheng Han

Here's three:

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-53...FdEF7Aodgl0AlA

http://www.importecwarehouse.com/BMW...29-715-OES.htm

http://parts.bmwofsouthatlanta.com/p...wd=&origin=pla

Oh you mean to replace the pump. The price I quoted was to replace the transmission.

[Otruba_843]

Thanks guys! I think I'm going to look for some 6mt N54 335's as well. I like the more usable power band for around town.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by Raypan

His statement is true. Thx for playing.

Are you serious right now? You're stupid enough to believe that dct is "as almost as jerky as smg"? Lol you know I drive a dct

[Kong Sheng Han]

Originally Posted by PINeely

Oh you mean to replace the pump. The price I quoted was to replace the transmission.

You don't need to replace the transmission when the SMG pump fails. Whoever told you that is misinformed.

[P1]

Originally Posted by rjd598

Are you serious right now? You're stupid enough to believe that dct is "as almost as jerky as smg"? Lol you know I drive a dct

My wife's 135i has one. Coming from a standstill or driving around town or in traffic, it's jerky to the point it's just plain annoying to drive it. The car either doesn't move or it just shoots you forward. If it's hot outside and the A/C is on and you're in traffic, the RPMs drop low enough to where it's stalled twice. Lovely.

The Nissan GT-R DCT is the worst of all though. I feel like the entire car is about to fall apart when you drive that around town.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by P1et

My wife's 135i has one. Coming from a standstill or driving around town or in traffic, it's jerky to the point it's just plain annoying to drive it. The car either doesn't move or it just shoots you forward. If it's hot outside and the A/C is on and you're in traffic, the RPMs drop low enough to where it's stalled twice. Lovely.

The Nissan GT-R DCT is the worst of all though. I feel like the entire car is about to fall apart when you drive that around town.

E9x m3 dct vs. 135i dct. There is a difference, but didn't know it was that different. My friend had a 335is with dct and he never mentioned any problem with it. It wasn't as good as the m3 dct but still he didn't mention any of the issues you have and he is picky. You might need some updated software for the transmission it shouldn't be that bad

[P1]

Originally Posted by rjd598

E9x m3 dct vs. 135i dct. There is a difference, but didn't know it was that different. My friend had a 335is with dct and he never mentioned any problem with it. It wasn't as good as the m3 dct but still he didn't mention any of the issues you have and he is picky. You might need some updated software for the transmission it shouldn't be that bad

I didn't know there was any difference at all, so that's a good point. My mother has a 335i with the DCT transmission, but I think it's a 2010. She never complains about it. Maybe it's the DCT in my wife's 1-series. I don't think the software was ever updated. I'll look into it.

[Razzy]

The amount of misinformation in this thread is downright disgusting. To the OP and other members, take all responses about the SMG and DCT "issues" and "opinions" with a grain of salt.

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by Raypan

Serious as a heart attack, and no I am not stupid

Please don't have one. Your jimmies might get rustled. I wouldn't want that

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by Raypan

You're an idiot.

Ahhhhhh man don't say that. Now my jimmies are rustled. What am I gonna do