I think of buying a used 550i for my wife. The car has almost 70k and comes with SMG tranny. It has a salvage title as it was in flood. The owner told me that the clutch was recently replaced. Is this normal? I understand the driving style has a lot to do with how soon it's going to fail but still...
I called dealership and was told that owner came for a diognostic as he saw the transmission failure error. Dealership wasn't able to reproduce the problem. I believe the clutch was replaced afterwards (something I need to ask for). The car was serviced twice after that but no indication of transmission problems.
How this car reports potential issues? Is that a scrolling text on the cluster? Do I have to navigate somewhere in IDrive?

 

I would be extremely reluctant to buy a car that was in a flood. Flooded mechanical parts aside, there are so many computers in this car you could be in for a lifetime of gremlins. Unless the price was really really good, and/or you have some watertight warranty, or you have money to burn (in which case you could buy a new one)??

 

Thanks for the response twh. I'm trying to weight in pros and cons. The price is ok for the car with salvage title but I haven't tried negotiating yet. I will check with another dealership on the clutch replacement as it was serviced in a different city.
When you guys adjust the front seats do you hear any sounds except for the motor? The owner said it's the leather that makes the sound. When I adjust the seats in my acura it sounds different.

 

ok, I checked with the dealer where it was serviced and was told the complete clutch kit was installed. Then the car came back in less than 2 month with the same problem. The repair was covered by the warranty but the owner had to pay for control module replacement. Total repair cost of ~$8k since March.

 

I don not like that SMG transmission. I would either get a full automatic or a real manual transmission for the wife. I've heard of quite a few people experiencing costly problems with SMG at 70,000 miles and up. And i drove an M3 with SMG, i did not like the feel it gave me between gears. There is always a slight hesitation in shifting. Just my opinion.

 

It gives you the same feeling that a traditional manual gives. I never had a problem with it, the feel or the actual SMG. But water damage? hmmmm, has to be a complete steal to get me in it. Nowadays the engines last forever and the electronics fail or go haywire causing all sorts of headaches. And water damage complications can take a while to surface.

 

I didn't like 1 to 2nd gear shift. It's very weird but you can get used to it. Though it may become annoying in the slowly moving traffic. I should probably pass on this car as I am already biased towards japanese based on reliability charts. According to dealership service rep there were no electrical problems though they are the most common problems with this car. I did like how this car handles though. Oh the first dealership did mention that one of the wheel paddleshifts wasn't working though I didn't use it during test drive. I assume it is fixed now.

 

Ive got manual but I love smg. As everyone suggest be weary of the electrical probs that can come from a water damage car. Though in my opinion correct me if im wrong guys wouldnt all problems surface immediately as oppose to later down the line?? The way I look at it, pretty much if it were to fail it wouldve done so already not months or years down the line. For me its all about the price.

 

The car was flooded in 3/2010. The current owner had it for almost a year. Neither dealership where the car was serviced indicated any electrical problems (except for steering wheel paddle shifter. Neither dealership has a record that it was fixed. No information in BMW centralized system most likely due to salvage title (voided warranty). Only what was done at a given dealership. So basically a car with limited history. No idea how it was maintained by previous owners. On the other hand it has most upgrades with 19 inch rims (though not in very good condition and may require refinishing). Outside is not in perfect shape, has some scratches, small dent in the rear bumper. Inside is very clean. I should probably wait for the price drop on 2008 model.

 

Not sure if this is the case, but if you are looking for an "automatic that is a true manual when you want it to be" an SMG is not for you. The SMG in auto mode is absolutely useless so unless your wife wants a manual or wants to shift every time she drives manually than an SMG is not the right choice.

The new double clutch in the m3 is an absolute vast improvement on automated manual technology and drives smoother than a true auto in auto mod and yet shifts quicker and more abrupt when you want it to in manual mode. An absolutely amazing technology. SMG is very dated at this point and costly to repair