Redrum

Hi

I have a manual 530d E60 around five months old. When I change from 1st to 2nd gear I sometimes get a "clunk" sound from the gearbox - I can hear it even with the stereo on. The change doesn't feel smooth and its becoming annoyong in stop start traffic. Other times when I change from 1st to 2nd it's like a knife through butter, no clunk and very smooth. the problem happens when the car is warmed up after a decent run and at different rev's. My dealer has said they can't find anything wrong, and I went for a drive with the tech to show him the problem. The dealer doesn't have another manual 530d to check it against, as they said it was a rare config, so I think they won't take it any further.

Any fellow manual users have a similar experience with a clunk or pop type sound?

Apart from that I love this car, great drive with a bit of nip - couldn't live with an auto though, will have to live with the clunk I suppose.

Red

AlwynMike

Red,

Can't help you with your gearbox problem I'm afraid, as mine is fine, although better when the oil has warmed up. Far better than the manual box that was in my 330d.

I'm glad there is someone else like me who prefers a manual 'box - I thought I was on my own!!

Mike

MTRHEAD

>The dealer doesn't have another manual 530d to check it against, as they said it was a rare config, so I think they won't take it any further.

>Any fellow manual users have a similar experience with a clunk or pop type sound?

I have a manual 530D and no such problems at all. This sounds like a BS excuse to me, I'd be tempted to try a different dealer if I were you



>I'm glad there is someone else like me who prefers a manual 'box - I thought I was on my own!!

Me too, I love it even though the sales guy looked at me all weird when I specc'd it and the nightmare I gave them having to find a manual diesel demonstrator anywhere in the UK at the time.

More driver fun, stump pulling torque and not to mention the routine 36mpg (pretty good compared to my 520i E39 that gave me 29mpg under the same driving conditions)

AlwynMike

MtrHead,

Yes, the (used car) sales person looked at me strangely too (something I've got used to, over the years ). He reckoned that they couldn't sell Manual's. At the time they had two in, mine and an E61 530d. (A good job I'd agreed to the E60, as I'd have had the E61 - I'd never seen a Manual E61 advertised anywhere - even though it was ?10k dearer!!). When I spoke to him later, he told me that mine had been sold within a week, as had the E61, and he was surprised. I said that they didn't sell Manual's because they were afraid of buying them in. I could see him thinking that there were two "easy" sales, as those of us who prefer Manual will actively pursue them, rather than idly browsing. I haven't checked their website recently, but I would hazard a guess that they would be having more Manual's on the Used stock list.

The cynic in me says that New Car sales people like to get the car's specc'ed up with as much as possible so they get more commission!!!

Redrum

Mike

If you are happy and don't have any symptoms like mine, then maybe I do have a case to push with the dealer. There just doesn't seem to be that many manual 530d owners to get a response from.

My last car was a 330d and I really noticed the difference in 1st gear pull offs compared to the E60 - felt quicker, but I hated the tramlining and ride quality.

I have to say the E60 gearbox is far easier to live with especially in stop start traffic - I don't fee knackered like in the 330d. Couldn't live with an auto - manual for me.

Cheers

Red

Redrum

I didn't realise at the time my spec was so unusual. Definately more fun for me than an auto, and I'm getting 37.1mpg on 19 mile motorway and 7 mile stop start journeys. Took me a while to get a good driving position, but I really love the mix of practicality and torque - I might just have to turn the stereo up loud enough to block out the occasional "clunk".

Cheers

Red

AlwynMike

Red,

Your comment that :

"My last car was a 330d and I really noticed the difference in 1st gear pull offs compared to the E60 - felt quicker, but I hated the tramlining and ride quality."

got me thinking - Did you mean that the E60 was quicker, but the E46 tramlined?? My experience was that the E60 seemed quicker all round - especially at the top end. The E46 ride quality I could only class as AWFUL round town, but OK on the "open road". As for tramlining, my E60 was WORSE THAN AWFUL until I threw away the Runflats, now it's a lot better. I dread to think what your 330 was like if your 530 tramlines less!!

Mike

Redrum

Mike

The E60 feels quicker overall but not at pulling away in first - the 330d felt nimbler/lighter at junctions etc. My 330d tramlined very badly. Glance away from the road for an instant and you were heading for a ditch. Journeys were not relaxed and I always felt tired after a long run. It also had a hesitaton problem that BMW were unable or unwilling to admit existed. The E60 has a much lighter steering response and even with Goodyear RFT's doesn't tramline, so long trips are very relaxed for me. The ride is less harsh than the 330d, although I've had a hard time finding a comfortable driving position.I think the "gap" at the base of the seat doesn't like my spine.
A quick spin in the wife's Passat confirms that the E60 ride is not too harsh, although I find my car skips over undulations on the road, especially on bends, which is a bit disconcerting.

What tyres did you replace your RFTs with and what is the ride quality like now? - Does it affect your warranty or insurance?

Cheers

Red

AlwynMike

Red,

I threw away Dunlop Runflats and went to Pirelli PZero Rosso's at just over a ton a corner. I also got a "chocolate button" spare wheel and tyre for ?85 just in case. The proper tyres made an enormous difference to the car, it was much smoother and quieter and a lot more comfortable. The godawful tramlining has almost disappeared. When they were new I thought that there was no difference to the cornering ability. Perhaps, with the benefit of hindsight, they do encourage the car to roll just a little more when you're pressing on. Whilst I've never got to the limit of either the Dunlop's or Pirelli's (I'm chicken!), objectively, the Pirelli's give more confidence and I am able to take the same corners at higher speeds comfortably. In my view, it's a worthwhile modification. There have been posts by Anti-RFT members who went to non-RFT's and had problems with high speed straight line stability. I have had no such problems (up to 150mph anyway) although I have dropped my pressures from standard.

Your comment about the tyres skipping in corners brings to mind a bend I use often, its a tight uphill left hander, with a "washboard" effect on the surface. With the RFT's, the car would judder a lot (although not lose grip) when taking the corner with some verve. With the non-RFT's, the judder is gone, although you can tell the road surface is bad from the noise. Probably the softer sidewalls are helping the suspension cope with the undulations a little.

No problems with either warranty or insurance (as long as you get the correctly rated tyres). After all, you can still get E60's with 16" non-RFT's as standard. BMW frown on mixing RFT's and non-RFT's though, which I suppose is fair enough.

Tuga

Never had a problem with the gear box on my previous e60 530d manual.
Neither with my e39 -525d or e34 -525 TDS.
Smooth gear box.