Hi,

Since I got my car (may 2004) I'm having problems with the auto tranny (I think it's the transmission)
I will do my best the explain the situation/problem.
When I drive my car at 80-90 km/h and when I floor the pedal, the transmission makes ' a hiccup ( :ermm: no other way to explain this), it's . It's not a hesitation like described in other topics here online of having to wait almost a second before the accelaration takes place, but a real mechanical issue (between 3-4 and also 4-5 gear). Sometimes a real hard bounce, my passengers ask me 'what the hell was that!' :'(
My dealer told me it could be a software issue, but after installing 13.23 I still have this problem. The longer this continues, the more I'm getting sure that indeed a mechanical problem is the cause. :angry:

Another time I visited my dealer there was an engineer from BMW Belgium, he told my keep driving until the problem was getting too serious (I wouldn't have to be afraid that my car would stop driving, he said :wacko: ). Then they would change my transmission (under warranty of course)
Thing is: I don't want to wait until this happens, I want a car that runs perfect (well considering the software-issues, that's too optimistic) not a car that has the hiccup!!

Someone else having this problem?

dvw

Does the trans. seem nervously shifting between 2 gears (eg 4&5th or 5&6th) but can't seem to make up its mind?

Bunbun

Well, the hiccup cetainly occurs in the gray 'zone' between 2 gears.
In this zone when the software decides to shift up, you can play the pedal until it almost shifts up. When you reach this point and the software decides to shift up, the problem sometimes occurs. :blink:
When I floor the pedal without a 'my' hesitation in this gray zone, I do not get the problem.


It's not easy to explain when it occurs, but it certainly does not look normal to me!!


DVW

I notice the same thing in my steptronic - abrupt downshifts when coasting or strange upshifts when NOT pressing the pedal hard, i.e., slogging through traffic. I'm sick of it. Unfortunately, it's a hard thing to recreate, thus the dealer says, "Non-issue". Please let me know what you find out.

I'm really sick of my car not being 'Perfect'. This is my first BMW, and while the car looks good, i'm SERIOUSLY thinking of selling it. This car is driving me (and my wife) crazy.

Maybe i'm just a perfectionist, I don't know.

In my opinion though, a $52,000 car should not shift strangely, it should not make a strange click noise when turning the steering wheel left, it should not rattle within the cabin, it should not make a strange loud noise from the power steering pump when backing out of a parking space(intermittent) - it should be one solid driving machine. Period. :|

Of course I just got the car back from the dealer last night and have only driven it 20 miles or so. I've got 13.2. Maybe the tranny is still 'learning' my driving style. Doubt it......

Hi Both

This gear hesitation is also present in my car, but happens only rarely. And when it does happen, it only happens in slow speeds (ie <30 km/h). By shifting the gear to DS mode, the hesitation goes away. I spoke to my service manager, they had supposedly "reset" the gearbox but it happened still one other time after the reset. But like I said in my case, it happens only very rarely so Im not yet very concerned.

Dvw, I feel your pain. This is my third BMW, all my previous BMWs have these so called minor problems. Yet I must say, they are the best "driver's car" when they're not acting up.

Bunbun

Hi DWW,

I have EXACTLY the same problem, and I know of another guy in Sweden, who has it also.

I've tried to explain it to me dealer, and hope they can fix it, when it goes in for the first service check on Nov, 8, 2004.

All the best

Peter
Sweden

DVW,
I found that at cruising speed of about 89 to 90 km/h, sometimes when I accelerated there was a loud grumbling noise, the car hesitated and then carried on OK. The noise was like when you drive over rumble strips in the road.
I couod not reproduce the problem all of the time but when it happened it caught me by surprise each time.
I had ver 13.0 installed and it has not done it again in the last 3 weeks.

I do however have a big lag in D if you are driving along and lift your foot, revs drop to say 1200rpm and then accelerate hard, the car hesitates for about half a second and then goes. My 3.0D X5 does not do this so, does your 530D do this?

I want to find out if this is normal turbo lag, a pedal response problem or a transmission problem.

Streak
530D

I don't think the transmission learns driving style over the long term. Just how you have been driving since you last started the car or over the last few km or something.

I have not seen such behavior and hope I never do. Some lag in drop-down when I step on it but nothing approaching what you are describing. Wonder if this is a diesel thing.

I live in the U.S. I don't have a diesel, just a regular 530i. Unfortunately, it seems, the delayed pedal response and sluggish transmission are characteristic of this car.

As DVW I'm sure that this is not a software but a transmission problem. I've just returned from a short ride, and kicked down at about 80 km/h, and the transmission sounded terrible for a short moment, and then it "got into gear" and continued. It never happens when you drive it manually.

Regards,

Peter