Well I keep forgetting to post this but I forget what post I read it in so started a new one so nobody would miss this. If you have an auto and experience any "rough" shifts. For example for me it is when I would downshift from 3-->2 and ESPECIALLY from 2--> 1, it would feel like my car was a rocking chair.

Well then someone posted a tip and links to other threads on this in different forums I believe and was confirmed by a BMW tech who chimed in on the thread-and it WORKED well for me.

You put your key in/hit start ONCE so the electronics of the car come on but it is not started.

Then hold down the gas, past the downshift point to the floor for 25-30 seconds straight.

If you listen, at about 25s exactly you will hear some "noise" and that is the tranny "resetting" itself to factor specs

Like I am sure you know these cars are smart and the auto tranny is no exception. It adapts and learns your driving style-but the catch is, which is why I noticed an improvment. Apparently it "learns" for about 1000 miles and then kind of "locks" those settings in so-to-speak. So however you drove the car off the lot or whover drove it off the lot-it was really those first 1k that determined how the autobox shifted itself.

So anyway after I did that my downshifts were like 10 times smoother and overall shifting was much crisper and smooth.

Definetly try it out if you have an auto. It will just re-adapt to your current driving style-which is great since I totally drove different when I first got the car.

 

This is surely very odd. BMW recomments you drive the engine belwo 4000 rpm and 100 mph for the first 1200 miles for breaking in. Surely the driving characteristics are not normall during tne first 1000 miles for them to be used to "lock" in the driving style.

Would my other learned friends on this forum verify or confirm this. Can it really be reset? Why is it not in the manual. Surely this needs to be done often if the ownership or the car changes over time.

ASenna04

 

Im definately going to give this a go tomorrow morning before I set off for work.

Ive noticed over the last few months since my DMS remap was done that the autobox seems to downchange too readily when instead all I want to do is "surf" the torque wave in a higher gear which is the way it behaved when I first had the remap done.

Driving in steptronic manual seems to have helped a bit as the box seems to learn from the manual changes you make but I miss the short shift effect the car used to be so good at.

I have noticed a few rough changes of late too (particularly 2nd to 3rd), so fingers crossed.

 

Okay, I just tried it.

First I wasn't sure about the "press ...ONCE" part. That only turns the radio readiness on; the engine electronics aren't on until you press it a SECOND time. Let me know if I'm wrong. I also read about this in another forum and they said press the button so the engine light comes on. This again would be the second push.

In any event I tried them both.

I took a test drive first to have a benchmark. Then performed the sequence (both ways) then immediately drove the vehicle again. It really seemed to help!!

I'm not sure yet, first that I performed it right, then second that I'm not experiencing a placebo effect. So more time will have to pass to see if it's really better.

I plan to have my daughter drive (without telling her anything) with me as a passenger. She is notorious for not being able to guage the throttle without jerking you around. She'll be my acid test.

As others try this, we'll see if it works when we get the reports. I'll report back again also as I test it under more conditions.

So for right now, it SEEMS to have made a difference. The trans shifts softer. Not sure I like it, but it appears to have loosened it up a bit. Maybe once I get my right foot back into it on a regular basis, it'll re-learn my aggressive style and give me more abrupt shifts again. We'll see.

Carlos

 

Yes sorry-you do it until the electronics come on-I Believe if you stick your key in first and then it just takes hitting the button once but I am not sure since I have comfort access and never use my key-you are right-I guess you do hit it twice.

And hey dont worry-a heavy right foot for a few days will whip that gearbox back into the rough changes shape it was in-mine sure has re-learned itself but maintened the smooothness of that I6 N52-I just cant get over the smoothness of my downshifts now and I LOVE to downshift to hear my car roar (have intake-obviously stock bimmers dont roar haha)

Anyway this definetly has nothing to lose by trying it-a few people asked- and I am sure you all are smarter than me and the guy who posted but obviously you cannot flood this engine like old cars with carbs-so no worries about doing any damage.

But every time I do it -I hear the computer resetting and making noise so just listen carefully and you should hear the same.

You can call your bimmer dealer and speak with a tech and they should confirm this.

And I dont think anything to do with re-setting electrnocs or computer codes is ever in the manual-I am sure bmw assumes people will enjoy the adaptive gearbox and will not notice anything is different or wrong but obviously it does get rough shifting

 

How about for early model owners who don't have the start/stop button? Can you put your key in and do it in the same manner?

 

Thanks Guys!

I tried this on my 535d this morning and it seems to have made a difference. I've noticed that the box changes gear (down) more readily before I "kickdown" and it seems smoother overall. The dreaded pause between pressing the throttle and actually moving forward is also gone!

acribb, mine doesn't have a stop/start button. I just put the ignition to stage 2 and depressed the accelerator pedal for about 40 seconds.

Cheers
Matt

 

I have a 2004 545 and made a few posts early on when I got the car stating that transmission was horrible at low RPM's.

Anyways, I tried the fix noted in this thread and I am floored by the fact that it indeed works. I really cannot believe that I had to put up with this for 27 months of ownership despite the fact that I have mentioned this problem to my service department on numerous occassions.

Once again the board has proven itself to be the premier place to obtain valuable information concerning our cars.

Thank You to everyone that contributes to this board.

 

Worked on my car too. Car now changes gear when it should and you can take advantage of the monster diesel torque without trying to fight the gearbox.

Cant believe something so simple could have such a positive effect

 

Tried it yesterday also, because my gearbox was struggeling with the extra Nm's from my remap...
Now it's awesome, a quick downshift, and a good upshift on slow driving!

very good tip

Thx guys..