Clunk when downshifting finally fixed :)

[03745Li-chicago]

Well I finally got my clunk resolved this past week. My car would clunk during downshifting, right before I came to a stop. The problem got worse with time, and the clunk surfaced upon applying the throttle gently after a few minutes of coasting. The problem originated years ago, and has been a pain in my ass since. To troubleshoot the issue, the dealer has replaced :

tranny
rear diff
guibo/flex disc (2x)
multiple software updates
other stuff I don't remember

Well this past visit, the dealer replaced the drive shaft and that did it !! BMWNA also sent my dealer a laptop with some "special" software for the vehicle. I think the software addressed the jerkiness, and the drive shaft took care of the clunk. I had to wait about a week for the drive shaft - apparently there is a shortage of them in the US and they had to get one from Germany. The tech indicated that he has never replaced a drive shaft on an E6x - this was the first time (this dealership services numerous 7 series, prob the most in the Chicagoland area).

I really hope this clunk is gone - I've driven the car for about 500 miles, and havent heard anything yet. I hope it stays that way.

Hope this helps someone out.

[bumpersignal]

Nice! Any idea how many hours labor it was to replace that?

[03745Li-chicago]

No idea - when i looked at my repair order, it had all 0s since the CPO warranty addressed it. According to realoem.com, the drive shaft alone runs about $1,200.

[visionthedj]

Which dealership did you take it to? I have a service appt coming up for several things, scheduled it at Patrick BMW in Schaumburg.. but if you recommend one of the others I may change it:

-A noise that sounds like something is vibrating when car is idle and when accelerating when under 20mph. Some sort of rattle but I don't feel anything

-iDrive will not load address book in Treo 800w (approved phone that should have all functionality but iDrive just says "Please Wait"). Maybe needs a software update?

-On occasion fuel gauge reads empty even when tank is full

-Power/volume button on radio is loose

-Logic7 subwoofer is out (passenger side), although I don't feel much bass from the drivers side either

-Light under passenger side door is loose

[diznik007]

congrats chicago. hope it holds up. my 2nd--->1st clunk is still gone post PUMA case but the sloppy 7ser tranny IMO is the worst thing about this car. car is super responsive for a few days then all the sudden it feels sluggish. i'm so tired of resetting the transmission. i know it only takes 30 seconds but its a PITA when you got screamin' kids in the back.:(

[bigthumper]

Just got the DME retrofit, and less than 1 week later, the tranny problem is back. I'm not sure what it will take to get the dealer to replace the drive shaft.

[03745Li-chicago]

Which dealership did you take it to? I have a service appt coming up for several things, scheduled it at Patrick BMW in Schaumburg.. but if you recommend one of the others I may change it:

-A noise that sounds like something is vibrating when car is idle and when accelerating when under 20mph. Some sort of rattle but I don't feel anything

-iDrive will not load address book in Treo 800w (approved phone that should have all functionality but iDrive just says "Please Wait"). Maybe needs a software update?

-On occasion fuel gauge reads empty even when tank is full

-Power/volume button on radio is loose

-Logic7 subwoofer is out (passenger side), although I don't feel much bass from the drivers side either

-Light under passenger side door is loose

I've realized that all service dealerships are created equal - one has to get lucky and get a tech that actually takes pride in his work. I've yet to find one in my area. I really wish BMW_tech was in the Chicagoland area. The only reason my car has got the attention it has is b/c the service dept gotten to know me unfortunately. I had an 03 that was bought back by BMW years ago. So these days when I go to service, I only deal with the shop foreman located at the dealership in downtown Chicago.

Your problems should be easy to address. The only issue you might have trouble with is the vibration during idle. I would take a tech on a ridealong to demonstrate the concern when you drop it off - this way, you wont get a call later on stating the dreaded NPF.

Good Luck.

[03745Li-chicago]

congrats chicago. hope it holds up. my 2nd--->1st clunk is still gone post PUMA case but the sloppy 7ser tranny IMO is the worst thing about this car. car is super responsive for a few days then all the sudden it feels sluggish. i'm so tired of resetting the transmission. i know it only takes 30 seconds but its a PITA when you got screamin' kids in the back.:(

Thanks Diz - I've been driving the car pretty hard since I got it back from service about a few weeks ago. So far, so good. It feels pretty weird without the clunk and I'm still getting accustomed to a smooth stop. My car got so bad, that the damn car would clunk when I would shift from R to D or sometimes even from P to D. Now its perfect and quiet.

I have to admit, I am a little jealous that your vehicle responds to the resetting of the tranny. I've tried it numerous times, and I don't feel anything. When the dealer clears out the EGS adaptations (or whatever its called), the car shifts super smooth, but only for a few days, maybe a week if I'm lucky.

[03745Li-chicago]

Just got the DME retrofit, and less than 1 week later, the tranny problem is back. I'm not sure what it will take to get the dealer to replace the drive shaft.

If your car is not shifting properly, then you might need another tranny. However, if you hear clunks

(like metal on metal type clunks) during downshifting right before a stop or
upshifting (from coasting) or
clunks when you shift from R -> D or from P -> D

then it might be worthwhile to have the dealer get a drive shaft from another vehicle and install it on yours to ensure that is the culprit - thats what my service dept did before placing an order for my drive shaft. You might have to go through the guibo replacement and some software updates before they start swapping out the big ticket items.

Good Luck.