I can never come to a complete stop smoothly because when I'm braking, the computer disengages the clutch and its a little rough. The whole cabin jerks a bit, almost as if I'm a teenager trying to learn to drive and can't stop smoothly. I try to compensate for this by trying to anticipate the disengagement, and slightly lifting off the brake pedel, but it doesn't really help. Its pretty annoying in traffic and I can imagine my passengers thinking that I don't know how to drive smoothly. Its worse in Sport mode since the disengagement is faster/rougher.

Anyone experience this?
Anything I can do?

 

Are you downshifting or letting the car do it for you? I've found that the best way to come to a smooth stop (and the safest way) is to downshift manually well before the car does.

If you're not manually downshifting the car, read the following thread (especially my posts about what I do) to see if that helps you out...

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=...1&st=0&p=187122

 

Finally someone describes the same issue I have been describing for a year now!!!!! (sorry, it is not about you having this....)

And it doesn't matter if I manually downshift or not (its a little better with the manual downshift). The car opens the clutch too fast and the entire car shudders. Its only from 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st. I can even hear a cluncky noise from the driveshaft. It is worse in stop and go traffic. If you come to a fast stop, its better, but rolling to a stop can be very jerky.

I have had several passengers ask me what is wrong with my car.

 

I've never experienced it. Sounds like you may have a problem.

 

Neither I.

 

If you want to come to a smooth stop, you can put the SMG in neutral right after you start applying pressure to the brake. That way, you don't have to worry about downshifting. The main thing to remember is to put it back in gear, or when you try to take off you'll feel like an idiot as your engine revs and you go nowhere. (Not admitting to actually doing this, but, uh, I have a friend...)
That's an option - I usually downshift manually but I know what you mean when the car lurches a little bit as it takes the trans out of gear. Just goes to show that BMWs are made to just keep going...

 

This is the only way for me to get to a non jerky stop. And it looks like we have the same frined...

 

If I had that problem, I would be on the phone with the dealer right away.

 

Yes I usually manually downshift. But its worse in 1st gear...

It actually seems like its smoother if I don't downshift, because the clutch disengagement is the roughest when I'm in 1st gear. If I come to a complete stop in a higher gear, its not as bad, even though I can still feel the disengagement a bit. But lets say I'm stuck in traffic and am in 1st gear the whole time. When I brake to a stop, its jerky when it disengages the clutch.

So if you guys don't feel this either (except drjochen), then it sounds like my car does have a problem. I might have to try shifting into N before the computer disengages the clutch in 1st gear.

drjochen, have you reported this to the service dept? What did they say?

 

Yes I have. I was at my dealer 3 times for this, had written to BMW in Germany and they quickly activated BMW NA.

The service guy at my dealer keeps telling me everything is normal (the jerkyness, the banging noises, etc.), but it seems he has never driven another 5 series with SMG. They found errors in the SMG memory, but couldn't explain it to me. The last time the SA just brushed me off. Also, they don't want do drive with me in the car.

I had dropped the ball on meeting a BMW NA field engineer last fall because my father got very sick. Now it would like to do exactly that, but they don't even return my phone calls....

...oh, and since you are in NY, we could almost meet half way and compare the cars. I have never driven another E60 SMG (I have driven M3 SMG on the track and in regular taffic - totally different), but I have no comparison how the E60 should behave.