Hi all took my sg (47k) to westerly exeter today and explained my clutch issues within normal spirited driving and was told the fault is down to a worn clutch ie:87mm of travel as opposed to 350mm when new and out side normal spec i explained about software upgrades(clutch wear recognition) that i have heard about three in 04 but their reply was bmw had not released any up dates! and it was outside of warranty (uac) which i find unfair having only owned the car for 5 months and have covered only 3.5k with only one trip to the ring, any help and advise much appreciated.
-
-
Only thing that can really be recommended is to make the massive journey up to see Andy at Murketts as they seem to be the only dealer that actually understands these cars. There have been updates for sure though.
Has it ever had a clutch before? If not then maybe it actually is worn? 47k miles is a fair distance.
PS. 350mm of travel? where is that measured? Not at the clutch I assume? -
You could also ask them to take it out and mesure the clutch plate.
If it is below the clutch plate limit you will have to pay but if the clutch plate is over the min thickness they should cover it ok :thumbs:Comment
-
the first thing they will do is reteach it over about 1/2 hour. If you go to Lydney and see Simpsons Motorsport, Ant will do that for next to nothing. All your bitting points will be learnt afresh and updated software loaded up. From Devon this is your best first step.Originally posted by grumps
Then see if anything comes back.
My first clutch was replaced at 42k miles BUT as is wasnt fully worn out it was replaced under BMW good will (no warranty) so i paid half labour which gave me 2 years warranty. second clutch now being done at 67k miles f.o.c under warranty.Comment
-
There's actually 3 adaptation settings for the SMG clutch alone.
The first is a clutch curve reset (done with the car off)
The second is clutch take up point reset (done with the car off)
the last and most important is the clutch slip reinitialisations (done with the car on)
Personally I think the last re-adaptation makes the biggest difference to the way the clutch behaves (I reset each separately on mine to see what the difference was and it was only on the last re-adaptation that I really noticed a difference). This last re-adaptation change the tolerance given for clutch slip and takes into account wear and the SAC (Self Adjusting Clutch pressure plate) self adjustments.
My clutch is really new however and even that makes a difference to the way it would engage (most noticeable on take off and initial engagement).
I didn't have any slur as such, but did notice a slight slip on intial engagement - it was only upon the last re-adaptation that this cleared completely.
I am making it a habit now to re-adapt the clutch setting on a regular basis and hopefully this will prolong my clutch (theoratically it should) - we shall see!!Comment
-
-
Take it somewhere else, the amount of times now I get a call about dealers not knowing the CSL is almost at epidemic levels now.
THe only places I personally know have a good idea on CSL's are either Murketts or BMW Battersea.Comment
-
Can we have your input here John? Do you get these cars in with the slur and are you able to put it right without a new clutch?
NZ_M3
I've done those resets and teach ins multiple times but it doesn't help, infact sometimes it makes it worse. If there is anything specific about the procedure you know please let us know. (Car hot or cold? I'm starting to think I need to do it stone cold in the morning)
Mole
To do this you need a BMW Diag system (GT1, DIS etc) or a 3rd part tool such as AutoEnginuity.Comment
-
Take it on a track day and give it loads of abuse, always feel sharper after that IMO.Comment
-
well you asked for it so here is my view
ive read it before but i believe there is a problem with the SMG clutches with adjusting the bite points whilst it wears and is being used and abused, probably made worse when it is used hard over time
my first clutch lasted 42k miles but was slipping on and off for the last 10k miles. had a few teach sessions on it and went and away and came back still the same after a while
second clutch had hard use mostly on track but not only and has started to slip now in less than 2 years with 25k miles. I think if it would have been not under warranty i would have put up with it, played with it, made it better but eventually it would have needed changing
Somewhere the mechanics or the software on worn clutches deosnt work properly and it will be a big cost item in these cars if they need changing every 25-40k miles
Just have to keep mine slipping under 2 years! :smt055Comment
-
Shimmy is in part right, there is certainly an issue in the interface between the clutch and the software, the problem is that the software is unable to adjust fast enough to allow for mechanical wear that the clutch naturally suffers, this wear also manifests itself in dirt build up etc, basically anything that causes the mechanical interface to differ (wear or lots of time in traffic - essentially the same thing to some extent).
The solution is regular re-calibration, think of it like rebooting your PC, every now and then you do that to clear out memory, IE cache etc etc, the PC doesn't 'need' it per se but it works better after its done. Sadly this re-calibration can only be done with a handful of diagnostic tools, we sue the Autologic (which is by far the most expensive but also the most sophisticated, with upgrades its nearly £15k) or even an older GT1 but these are rapidly getting out of date. BMW continually update the software (I'm not sure if they're trying to fix it or whatever) so you do need things updating.
Only advice I can give is do as we do and make sure every time your CSL goes into a dealer or indy for service is to ensure that the SMG calibration (full not just the bight points) is re-done each time, we include as part of any CSL we see even those in for a quick look over etc, it only takes 20 mins or so, less than that really. The alternative is to rag the crap out of the car regularly, this has the effect of keeping the clutch/flyhweel clean but it wont re-calibrate the software, theres no alternative really.Comment
-
i had mine adjusted made a difference for a while.. seems the harder you drive the better the change :bigcry: i do find if i do a journey switch the car off then back on whilst its still warmed up I get a crisper change ?Comment
-
Im off to Murketts next week to get mine sorted,and a couple of other things under warranty.Must be the longest distance for warranty work anybody has travelled.:whistle:St.ives to St.ives[well huntington] 366 miles.
Comment
-
I'll be phoning Andy tomorrow, the software updates have really upset the car :banghead: put your foot down and the dsc kicks in big time ! just no pull and feels like you've knocked the gear stick into neutral :banghead:Comment
-
Unless you pay a contribution, which I doubt they will let you, your new clutch will only have warranty until your warranty expires on the clutch they are replacing now. So you wont get 2 years on it I'm afraid shimmy.Originally posted by shimmy View PostComment
Comment