Help Newbie Please

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rx7walker

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I purchased a Certified 2002 330i with sport package with 31,000 miles two days ago. when I test drove the car i did not drive it real hard and just shifted normal and everything felt ok except for the clutch pedal felt a little high on engagement but never having drivin a bmw i thought with 31k it probably fine....well now I believe I was wrong. yesterday i decided to see what kind of power it had and turned off traction control< held button until brake light turned orange>reved to around 3500 rpm's and dumped the clutch well no tire spin no engine bog just what felt like slipage only no smell-after taking car back to Towne BMW in Buffalo N.Y. the dealer tells me its fine that BMW designed the clutch to be the weak point so that you wont damage tranny and or motor--Yea right --so i tell him he's full of shit and after like 10 minutes he brings out what he claims to be 1 of the top 10 bmw techs in the country--so i explain to him whats happening and he say he wants to drive it great now were getting somewhere--WRONG he gets in and drives like miss daisy with me in the pass. seat--and says its fine i say would you launch it hard he says these cars aren't meant for that and that he seen people smoke clutches in M3's and M5's in just a few days because BMWdesigns the clutch to be the weak point--ok sounds like why it took 10 minutes for the dealer to get this guy out to my car...now i'm pissed they are completely blowing me off..Please tell me if you think my clutch is shot or are these guys right--because i cant believe such a performance orientated car would have a complete mush clutch system--i think the person who had the lease did not know how to drive stick and rode the damn pedal. Thanks in advance Ryan Walker [:(]
 
Chesty Bonds

Chesty Bonds

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I'm not sure that these people at the dealership are entirely wrong... The E39 M5, for example, is known for its habit of chewing through clutches. Indeed, the clutch on this M5 is too small for the torque of the motor (500NM) at only 9". It has occurred to me only after reading your post that perhaps BMW have engineered the car this way so as to protect the drivetrain.

I will say that I can see you're a driver who loves the performance of a BMW. I'm exactly the same; I just love to get my car out on the twisty stuff or the freeway and give it a good belting. However, I am certainly not in the habit of dumping the clutch as I see it as merely car abuse that's not really necessary in any way. I really don't want to sound like I'm lecturing you or anything like that but my honest belief is that this is not how a BMW is meant to be driven. This sort of driving is more applicable to cars like Camaro SS's or Dodge Vipers for example.

Actually, one of my mates had an E36 325i and on the first day that he had it he took me out for a drive and wound the engine to 6,000rpm and dumped the clutch from a standing start. Absolutely nothing happened. 141kw of power went absolutely nowhere except for frying the absolute bejeebus out of his clutch. I know, I smelled it. Your post makes me wonder if this was what's meant to happen when you dump the clutch in a BMW.

Of course, I know a lot of people are going to disagree with what I've just written vehemently and to a degree I can see why. BMWs should be made for this kind of thing, you say. Well, I'm suggesting that they aint'. After all, a new clutch kit is a lot cheaper than a new gearbox no?

I do hope this helps.
 
Chesty Bonds

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Yeah the CDV is definitely an issue. It ruins our E46 325i but would certainly save the drivetrain in sidestepping-the-clutch situations.

Only problem is that it ruins the driving experience because it's applied to accommodate for the lowest common denominator.
 
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BMWJO

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OK, I'm stupid I really don't know how to drive a stick I guess.

rx7walker: I have the same car with 38k miles and when I drive it I also feels like the clutch a bit mushy... and mine is CPO as well. Granted I don't know how to drive it correctly. I noticed that the stick is sometimes a little hard to get it in to the gear. I don't know if it's the machine or if just me because I suck at shifting properly.

Can someone tell me how to drive this car properly? I mean school me in manual driving please? Sorry I kind of high jacked your thread dude.
[confused]
 
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rx7walker

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ahh

Big Daddy said:
He is not entirely wrong, BMW does in fact install a valve (Clutch Delay Vavle) in the clutch line to cause the cluth to slip for various reasons. This can be undone however. See this link: CDV Link

See also: zeckhausen Racing
Click to expand...
Thanks what you are describing seems to be exactly what happens and why I get no clutch burn smell but my next question does removing this cdv or modifying it void any warranties because mine is certified and is good till mid 2008 or 100K.Thanks again..Ryan
 
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Big Daddy

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I am sure that it would as far as anything clutch related goes. I doubt however they are going to climb under the car and look for the CDV if your in for an A/C fault for example. Should you need clutch related service, climb under the car and re-install the valve before seeking service!
 
Chesty Bonds

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BMWJO said:
OK, I'm stupid I really don't know how to drive a stick I guess.

rx7walker: I have the same car with 38k miles and when I drive it I also feels like the clutch a bit mushy... and mine is CPO as well. Granted I don't know how to drive it correctly. I noticed that the stick is sometimes a little hard to get it in to the gear. I don't know if it's the machine or if just me because I suck at shifting properly.

Can someone tell me how to drive this car properly? I mean school me in manual driving please? Sorry I kind of high jacked your thread dude.
[confused]
Click to expand...
With regards to your gearshift feeling hard to master, are you talking about when the car is cold? Because when the gearbox oil is cold it is that much harder to get all the moving parts going smoothly. My car is the same. What I do is rev-match the gearchanges when the car is cold, especially for 1st to 2nd gearchanges. When I go to change to second I just give the throttle a little blip to speed up the synchros and the gearbox becomes less intransigent.

But I will say that the E46 gearboxes are a little notchy (at least our 325i is anyway) and it falls a long way short of the quality gearboxes that BMW have made in the past. Thankfully, this can be overcome by altering your driving style a little and, if you're up to it, removing the bloody CDV.
 
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rx7walker

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thanks

Big Daddy said:
I am sure that it would as far as anything clutch related goes. I doubt however they are going to climb under the car and look for the CDV if your in for an A/C fault for example. Should you need clutch related service, climb under the car and re-install the valve before seeking service!
Click to expand...
well another good point time to remove that little cdv bugger!!
 
Average Jae

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maybe you need to dump the clutch at 4k rpm? [:D] i've done some hard launches and had the tire smoking and everything.

i thought the best way to launch is around 3k or so, so that there is no tire spin, just a little chirp and off you go. peeling out is fun, but it does nothing but smooth the pair of rubbers in the back! imo.

oh and the CDV. i don't know too much about the life w/out the CDV, but i really want it gone!! what's good enough for an m is good enough for my 330 imo. i dun need to stinkin CDV! (or so i think [:D]
 
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