NEW BMW M3 is having Transmission Failures (MDCT Transmission)!

From M3POST.COM

Well, I hate to be the first (I think), but appears my MDCT is toast. Major problemos. I had my 1200 mile service performed today and was really excited to get a little sideways at least once. I didn't have a chance to open it up at first because I had my kids with me, and as I was pulling into a parking lot, I switched from "D" to manual mode...engine quit and the "Transmission Failure" warning came on. Well, I restarted and all seemed fine. So, dropped the kids off and decided it was time to see the shift lights in action. I pushed the "M" buuton which put it in M-Dynamic mode, Power button on, suspension full tight and nailed it...sputter...and a little vroom, but not a whole lot. No warning light so I decided it was just a one time thing maybe. So at the next turn I cut all the computer stability systems and nailed the gas. Car just dove to the pavement then revved hard, inertia pushed my hand forward on the dive causing a down shift...so I feel the rev limiter kick in and the car just started lunging and braking uncontrollably. Subsequently, I was able to reign her in but only 3 out of the 7 gears would engage...limped to BMW service (luckily only a few blocks away) and dropped her off. They were in shock. They were certain the 1200 service was performed correctly. (Earlier I did tell the service advisor that the car seemed sluggish occasionally and he said they would be taking the governor off during the 1200 mi service. I'm like..."what governor?" No real answer from them.)

So now I am waiting for the verdict to come in tomorrow. I have the only MDCT in town as far as I know and there are no spares here...maybe I will be in a loaner until a new tranny comes from Germany?? What would you do?
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CLK63BlackSeries - 5/22/2008 3:20:55 AM

+12 Boost

wow! what would i do?! i would demand a new damn car!!!

CLK63BlackSeries - 5/22/2008 3:25:31 AM

+10 Boost

but seriously though, i used to have a 2004 745i and i blew the differential twice and had to get it replaced. this cost the dealership, and not me luckily, 3000 dollars. now that was a MAJOR problem. it felt like i was driving with a jack on the rear wheel. all i could really do was enjoy the shit out of my rentals if you know what i mean. here's your chance to go sideways... except this time it's with the e-brake =]

simmonsdp - 5/22/2008 3:30:05 AM

+6 Boost

OH yes, a damn new car, and now!!

EI34 - 5/22/2008 7:18:34 AM

+2 Boost

Why are you complaining?
Remember: 3 years of free maintenance! You will make 1000 trips to the shop but, hey its FREE! GO BMW!

blueshirts0819 - 5/22/2008 8:40:29 AM

-8 Boost

Why are you complaining?
Remember: 3 years of free maintenance! You will make 1000 trips to the shop but, hey its FREE! GO BMW!

What a retarded comment!! All the time lost waiting for a tow truck and going to the dealership. I guess time is not money or maybe you don't have a job since you have a rich mommy and daddy.

0to60 - 5/22/2008 8:53:29 AM

+8 Boost

blueshirts0819 - I think that was sarcasm...

lexusrox123 - 5/22/2008 9:01:26 AM

+17 Boost

*gasp* anti bwm news! i thought i'd never see it on this site. lol

007vehispy1 - 5/22/2008 5:09:58 PM

0 Boost

CLK63BlackSeries are u on myspace/ what is a good way to contact you.

007vehispy1 - 5/22/2008 3:27:15 AM

+4 Boost

hey clk63blackseries, do u really have a CLK63 Black Series?! that is an insane car! where are u located?

i would be darn right pissed if me new m3 had a blow tranny when i just got it, shouldn't blow ever in this car.

CLK63BlackSeries - 5/22/2008 3:31:28 AM

0 Boost

lol yeah, i have the black, and it's insane alright! i am located in central cali.

Bored - 5/22/2008 5:03:43 AM

0 Boost

@ CLK63,
Took a look at your agentspace....
You are a brave soul to have someone else park that close to your baby!!!

@007vehi,
Sorry for your WTF moment with your M3. I'm guessing its all covered by BMW's new owner warranty and maintenance plan? Did you get the 2 or 4 door? Just curious because I was watching Motorweek recently and they mentioned that the 4 door was about $2-4K cheaper.

S4cabriofoxone - 5/22/2008 10:47:37 AM

0 Boost

He doesn't have an M3. He said "If I had one..."

CLK63BlackSeries - 5/22/2008 11:09:32 AM

+1 Boost

lol @ bored... nah, that is the BEST spot for my car since i park as close to the curb and as far away from the person next to me as possible. i only park my car on spots where there is only parking to the left of me for that reason. also, that is my friends car =]

Hwany - 5/22/2008 4:58:42 AM

+1 Boost

wow... yet another misleading title.

The problem was that the dealership changed it's transmission fluid with the Manual transmission fluid and the car was M-DCT which has life-time fluid. So, that was the problem, nothing mechanically.

simmonsdp - 5/22/2008 5:49:11 AM

+4 Boost

I think it's a good and informative thread wether it's a flaw in design or mechanical or just some stupid and not properly trained mechanics not servicing the vehicle properly. If I were a M3 driver those are things that I want to know!! I am planning on buying a C63 and would want to know about any questionable items and or areas.....

xlr8 - 5/22/2008 5:27:05 AM

+4 Boost

what a crappy service dept. if that was the cause. Improper fluid I mean come on wtf.

993Turbo - 5/22/2008 6:12:53 AM

+4 Boost

I was going to buy an X6 but friends warned me away because of bs electrical and service probs with their BMWs.

Htay7500 - 5/22/2008 6:47:54 AM

+1 Boost

that's why I'd get an M3 in a stick...

gooch - 5/22/2008 7:16:10 AM

+2 Boost

You know, I've been seeing a lot of posts about how the quality of Autospies has taken a turn for the worse and this absolutely misleading headline does nothing to help dispel that notion. This is really sad, Autospies.

corelink - 5/22/2008 7:17:38 AM

-1 Boost

You have to push for a new car. I would have been doing this from the get go.

nolimt735 - 5/22/2008 8:33:17 AM

+2 Boost

MichaelTaylor if you actually read the thread you would have noticed that this was a service department problem and could have happened at your LEXUS Dealership. So until you make informed posts please dont make them at all. Atleast with BMW they will be replacing the tranny free of cost so nothing lost.

SHOWTIME - 5/22/2008 10:19:39 AM

-3 Boost

Quality and Reliability are two different things that you're confusing...

And for the record, the interior quality of my 2001 BMW 325Ci was better than the interior of my 2008 G37 I have now. However, the G37 has shown to be far more reliable so far. It is also sportier and full of features.

On with the real topic, first at fault here was BMW NA because they should have made sure the instructions were accurate for the MDCT. Second at fault would be the technician who serviced the M3 if the tranny was labeled "lifetime" as on other BMW automatic trannies. If it doesn't say "lifetime" then it's simply BMW NA who should be fully responsible.

enthusiastx11 - 5/22/2008 12:13:57 PM

0 Boost

no problems with any of the three BMWs i've owned. how many have you owned?

also, i'd rather risk a service visit to the dealer than live a hassle-free and immensely boring life behind the wheel of a tarted-up toyota. no "dismal driving dynamics" for me thank you.

ghosthunter - 5/22/2008 1:35:43 PM

+3 Boost

enthusiastx11: any car can last at least 3 years nowadays. the fact that you are impressved with you 335 not casing any troble for you so far sounded like you are living in 1990.

anyhow. BMW's realiablity has improved quite a bit. but they are far from "rock solid"

mitchelm - 5/22/2008 9:21:59 PM

+3 Boost

Well than you can buy my 2006 6mt g35 sedan from me. Thats an infiniti and I have had my engine replaced twice due to oil consumption. So much for japanese quality right? The third engine is a handbuilt version and all seems well so far, but its only been 4000 miles. The other two engines consumed 1 liter of oil per 1000 miles.

KZ258 - 5/22/2008 10:17:31 AM

0 Boost

how nice. first the 335i was having cooling issues now the brand new M3 is having failures with its transmission. looking real nice

enthusiastx11 - 5/22/2008 12:11:28 PM

-3 Boost

isolated events.
i have a 335i. it's built like a rock.
never had a problem with either of my last two bmws either.

how many have you owned?

KZ258 - 5/22/2008 12:32:57 PM

+1 Boost

i was referring back to the media you idiot. did you purposely block yourself from whatever source that said the 335i didnt have an oil cooler? it doesnt have to be from personal ownership.

golfer38 - 5/22/2008 10:20:09 AM

-2 Boost

BMW can suffer somewhat with reliability issues, however this is not one of them. Its amazing how some people can form such wrong opinions either by not getting all the facts or just simply misinterpretting. This was probably a simple but drastic error in communication between BMW and the dealer's service dept. Although sometimes it might be that the dealer just didn't pay attention to service bulletins put out by the factory.

FerrarisR4me - 5/22/2008 11:48:16 AM

0 Boost

That sucks. They should give you a new car. This time, get a stick.

enthusiastx11 - 5/22/2008 12:10:26 PM

0 Boost

that sucks.

but is ONE guy's problem worthy of a whole entry here? seems petty.

gsh23 - 5/22/2008 12:24:51 PM

-1 Boost

hey thats what you get for buying a BMW. remember, youre on the cutting edge of technology! this is just the little sacrifice you make to have to have the best. thats what the warranty is for! haha

hey enthusiastx11, did you get your fuel pumps replaced under the recall?

gsh23 - 5/22/2008 1:03:53 PM

-3 Boost

i second the VW/audi. a friend just lost his A4 1.8T because the engined block deformed due to overheating. toast!

sector - 5/22/2008 1:30:33 PM

0 Boost

Hahahaha, I told you so :) I had a gut feeling ol' BMW didn't fully test this before passing it off to its customers, the customers are their guinea pigs!

No disrespect to the M3 owner here, he should be fully covered under warranty, I just hate it when BMW does this, last time around it was the run-flat cupping fiasco and transmission failures, starting with the 2000 3-series models failing to into reverse!

nolimt735 - 5/22/2008 2:27:46 PM

0 Boost

auto001 this issue is not a testing issue from BMW it is a mistake by a BMW Dealer plain and simple. The same thing could have happened to Lexus, MB, Audi, or Infiniti. But it just so happens to have happened to BMW. Dont bash BMW as a car maker because some idiot technician did not adhere to the Service Bulletin that was release from BMW.

autopro - 5/22/2008 1:55:52 PM

-2 Boost

Over engineering,all German vehicles suffer from the same problem!

VISO - 5/22/2008 5:59:27 PM

+2 Boost

Glad to see the resident BMW troll in full swing. What problems does MB and Audi face? Be specific.

gsh23 - 5/22/2008 7:00:27 PM

-3 Boost

with audi? are you serious? they are the only brand that still suffers from fires that i know of.

nolimt735 - 5/22/2008 2:31:01 PM

-1 Boost

Why are people on Autospies attributing this problem to the over engineering of BMW vehicles, when it is very apparent that this transmission failure is unrelated to the engineering of the car itself.

Anthony - 5/22/2008 3:15:49 PM

+2 Boost

You're right. It was the engineering of the transmission only that is terrible, so far.

nolimt735 - 5/22/2008 3:19:17 PM

-1 Boost

Anthony explain why this is an engineering problem with the transmission when in fact the problem occured from the Technician at the Dealership changing the transmission fluid with manual transmission fluid. I fail to see the correlation between engineering and incorrect service performed.

keyzi747 - 5/22/2008 3:25:37 PM

+1 Boost

This is one of the very reason I no longer drive a BMW. Don't get me wrong, I still like their cars. At the same time, I want an everyday dependable driving car, and ny CTS has filled this role very very well!

supermoto - 5/22/2008 4:58:52 PM

+1 Boost

Is this news? I've put over 200k miles total on Hondas, Acuras, and Toyotas. And there were a fair amount of problems, and more importantly the cars were built like, and drove like, crap. I've put that many miles on Audi, MB, Mercedes and Porsche and had less problems and tons more fun.

sector - 5/23/2008 11:14:58 PM

0 Boost

you're just talking out of your a$$, tons of fun.

no need to disrespect those cars that have treated you so well.

RandyM - 5/22/2008 5:18:52 PM

0 Boost

Shoulda bought an Audi...

S4cabriofoxone - 5/22/2008 6:03:26 PM

0 Boost

The idiots who are attributing this to BMW need to read the article, not just the title. Every other post is a sob story about how "I'll never drive another BMW," when it in fact has nothing to do with that.

eric452 - 5/22/2008 7:53:22 PM

+4 Boost

not suprised
its a bmw

kut17 - 5/22/2008 8:56:51 PM

+1 Boost

Sometimes even the best cars have problems. BMW isn't exempt from that.

DiamondJim - 5/22/2008 10:31:13 PM

0 Boost

awesome that he is getting a new tranny, but it was probably only after he posted about it on the foprum and made his problems public that he got attention...

Yonder7 - 5/22/2008 10:35:25 PM

+2 Boost

VISO : Do not waste yout time with amazinBimmer due he always talk with the emotions. Zero numbers, zero dialectic. He will have to dig very deep, and even if you show him evidence, he won´t accept nothimg against BMW. However I will say something in pro of BMW fans: 1 or even 2 bad cars does not means that all the cars will be bad. Just stay calm, some times things like this happens due is a brand new car and even trained people will do some mistakes with a new product. Start to be worry about if you see a trend in a big percent, for me, should be more than 5% and 2 bad cars are far away from that. Also do not blame the maintenance department, they are humans like everyone here and we do mistakes some times, and some of those very expensives. amazinBimmer I´m not sure about if you are human. >;-)

M53R - 5/23/2008 8:33:01 AM

+2 Boost

People really need to learn how to read the article before posting stupid comments.

MunichRob - 5/23/2008 8:34:52 AM

+1 Boost

Wow what a nasty piece of info this is! I would've driven back to the dealership after the engine cut out on & the transmission light came on...In a brand new M3 you wouldn't have to tell me twice!

TybeeZ4 - 5/23/2008 7:37:05 PM

+2 Boost

IMHO, this is the problem with BMWs. They are great cars, but when you venture into Ms, you are buying so much techno-wiz-bang stuff, you are bound to get some serious issues.
this is what makes Porsche so good (but they are starting to go this route, I fear). The M3 may be great in the hands of a savvy driver, but in the hands of an average driver, the secretary in the C63 will walk away at the traffic light. Too many button to press, too many performance options versus the C63 where you just step on the loud pedal and go... away... real fast!

JRobUSC - 5/24/2008 3:20:26 PM

+2 Boost

yeah, totally, God forbid people want to own a vehicle that rewards driver skill versus one that their grandmother can drive fast. What idiots those people are.

/sarcasm.

olscuul - 5/23/2008 7:38:21 PM

+1 Boost

great way to separate the wheat from the chaff!

nine - 5/23/2008 10:40:21 PM

+1 Boost

can't you just go back and tell them that you want the next BMW M3 they've got?

sector - 5/23/2008 11:08:27 PM

0 Boost

You'll probably get b*tch slapped :) BMW don't offer that kind of service pal.

Yonder7 - 5/25/2008 1:35:07 PM

-1 Boost

JRobUSC : Another emotional oriented guy?....sorry for you. Any professional driver will tell you that to drive the C63 you´ll need more expertise than to drive the M3. In fact is very likely that a person like you, won´t be able to drive a C63, specialy in a winding road where the inertia of the C63 is bigger than that in the M3. Of course if the only thing that you you know is stright line acceleration, then hands down the C63 is the best choice, in fact, so good that even a old lady will kick your but. For the way that you talk, is very clear that you are the worst bimmer fan in this post, also is very likely that you have no idea on how to control the M3, which have better performer in the turns than the C63. Do not try to kill your self with a C63, that´s just for pros, (not you definitely).

JRobUSC - 6/16/2008 11:45:29 AM

+1 Boost

Yonder, I prefer vehicles with higher limits that talented drivers can explore (M3, Lotus, 911, etc.) over vehicles that anyone can hop in and smash the accelerator and drive fast (C63, Mustang, etc.). I ESPECIALLY prefer the former when the latter is so uselessly powerful it becomes uncontrollable and forces the driver to back off, which is what all the C63 reviews have said.

You obviously missed the point, and based on your other posts you don't speak much English so I'm not going to try explaining. I'm glad that from my two sentence post you were able to glean that I'm the "worst BMW fan" in this thread and a total non-driver who isn't worthy of a C63 because I can't handle it. I guess all the magazines and professional drivers who said the same thing are idiot BMW fans too. By the way, I have owned a string of BMW's and used to have a supercharged Mustang making over 450hp when I was in my late teens/early 20's. It was fun torching the tires, doing donuts, and setting off car alarms with my exhaust, but I outgrew that 10 years ago. Now I'd rather have the "best overall dynamic package" versus the "giant engine shoehorned into a chassis that isn't good enough to make use of it".

You can enjoy whichever you like. I'll do the same. Fair?

flozel1 - 5/25/2008 5:54:55 PM

+2 Boost

This article will NEVER be posted by any Autospies "Agent". There should be a limit on how many articles these so-called "Agents" post here. They say the same BS over and over again, it's sickening.

stelvio - 5/25/2008 6:47:43 PM

0 Boost

whatever happened to durability/endurance testing?

sector - 5/27/2008 12:29:42 AM

0 Boost

"whatever happened to durability/endurance testing?"

same thing that happened to "spare tires" and "dipsticks". BMW threw them out the door (to increase profits)

Yonder7 - 5/25/2008 8:48:29 PM

+1 Boost

Hey....waite, do not create conlusions until you get more info.

Yonder7 - 5/25/2008 9:31:34 PM

+1 Boost

Most of people here doesn´t like to wait but that´s the only way that allow you to know what´s going on. BMW or any german brand most of time does not have the Lexus reliability, but even in that case most of people here will take the M3 over the ISF. However "if" BMW is not able to stand by their products, a lot of cosumers will start to look in other azimut, but that is not gone hapen so we have to wait until they provide technical info. Sofisticated cars demand careful attention to details. Just as an example: Ferrari Enzo use an special viscosity Shell oil for the engine and it is 60.00$ a quarter and the warranty void if you do not use that oil in the engine (12 quarters= 720.00$). Expensive, yes but if you find that expensive then you don´t have the capability to afford it. M3 is using an special transmision oil and that can make a big diference but only high tech people and engineers will understand that.

wanga - 5/30/2008 8:59:19 AM

+1 Boost

i should have bought a Granada.Bad Men Wagon