BMW 5-Series Sedans

12737 messages,  Last post on Feb 16, 2013 at 11:05 PM

You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 5 Series, Sedan

#5557 of 12737 CDV Exist In BMW 525i/530i/540i by srfast

Feb 10, 2003 (7:13 pm)

I own a 2003 530i/5spd and have a "drilled" CDV installed. I drove a 1993 325i/5spd for 10 years without any complaints/problems which wasn't the case regarding the 2003 530i. I drove the E39 for approx. 15 days with the factory CDV and then had it changed. The car now shifts as I am accustomed to - no more guessing or changing my driving style to compensate for the CDV. BTW, I had the "clinic person" mseals mentions in his post perform the work.
 
Hope this helps....JL

#5558 of 12737 CDV... by shipo

Feb 10, 2003 (7:27 pm)

Hmmm, well, I guess that I need to have my CDV done too. I had previously ignored that suggestion because I (incorrectly) thought that only the 540i had the CDV.
 
Thanks folks for correcting me.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#5559 of 12737 Warranty and Removing CDV by riez

Feb 11, 2003 (6:19 am)

Will be interesting to see what BMW will think if an owner has transmission problem and they find out you messed with the transmission. How come methinks they might have heartburn and argue that you voided the warranty as relates to the transmission? They put it there for a reason and they'll know if you messed with it.
 
I must be odd. The CDV doesn't bother me. I love my '98 540i6. But I didn't buy her to do smokey burnouts or blast away from stopsigns. I enjoy the top end power. Does the CDV have much impact on shifting at higher speeds in 3-4-5-6th gears?

#5560 of 12737 shipo by div2

Feb 11, 2003 (7:07 am)

Drilling out the CDV is the preferred technique; a dealer will probably never notice a drilled CDV. A missing one, on the other hand...

#5561 of 12737 BMW Warranty & CDV..... by srfast

Feb 11, 2003 (7:11 am)

My belief is that the only tranny problem you would have is burning out the clutch, but if you somehow manage to do that, you probably didn't know how to drive a manual to begin with. BMW puts the CDV in their clutch hydraulics to make it easier for the newbie to drive a manual. For the "seasoned" driver who has driven non-CDV manuals for decades, it is an annoyance. I went with the DRILLED CDV because no one can tell the system was modified, but removing it completely would be a dead give away.
 
Hope this helps...JL

#5562 of 12737 RE: CDV riez by mseals

Feb 11, 2003 (7:17 am)

I think div2 is correct. I don't think that a dealer would ever know that the inside of the CDV is drilled out or even think to look at that part. It is only a $13-15 part from what I have heard. I believe that the reason for the part, and any one correct me if I am wrong, but it slows the engagement of the clutch. I think this would be more noticeable at lower gears and lower speeds as shipo has questioned. The thing I hear that it really does though is take the stress off the drive shaft and half shaft. Shipo, you are correct, I didn't buy my 528i to do burnouts. I do notice though that the engagement on my car is smooth, meaning that when I accelerate hard, I am sure the clutch is slipping a lot more than I would like causing the power to be smoothly applied instead of all at once. This would make the car seem somewhat sluggish to a car that had the CDV drilled out. As for the 540i6, if I had that car, I am not sure I would drill mine out for a couple of reasons. One, that is plenty of power, clutch slipping or not. And secondly, that engine would put some serious strain on every drive componet past the transmission. This could potentionally cause problems later in life, but I am sure it would be long after the warranty is up on the car.

#5563 of 12737 530i in 540 territory... by shipo by pap5

Feb 11, 2003 (9:33 am)

Interesting theory you have there. Never heard anything like that before, but who knows? I wouldn't have had a chance to try it out even had I heard about it, since I was anal about following breakin precautions and ended my ED experience with fewer than 1200 miles on the clock. Driving on the autobahns/autoroutes, I never got north of 100 mph (well, maybe 105).
 
My 530i was built in 6/01, and delivered stateside the last week of August. I'm not aware of any modifications made by the VPC or the delivering (out of state) dealer. It may have felt better in Europe, but then again it developed two defects during the first year of ownership that greatly affected drivetrain feel and function: A bad AT valve body resulting in torque loss under load, and the sticky pedal. Both were fixed under warranty and the car now drives better, but still suffers from problems like the balkiness you document above and I have described previously. I thought the Steptronic might be the culprit, but here you are experiencing the same thing with a stick! I definitely will have my local dealer assess the engine management software.

#5564 of 12737 Pap5 by shipo

Feb 11, 2003 (10:25 am)

Hmmm, interesting. I don’t suppose that the balking started after the transmission fix? Did you have any work done on your car between April 2002 and the first half of October 2002? If you did, I would suspect that the software was upgraded at the time, and that you got the same "Mark II" code that messed up my car. FWIW, my technician at Tully was instantly able to determine that the software had been upgraded since the car left the factory.
 
I just called Tully BMW, and while they were not able to give me any kind of code release level, he told me that the date of my service call was 22-Oct-2002, and I specifically remember the technician saying that the dealership "Just got the code in two days before." Given that the 22nd was a Tuesday, I am guessing that the previous Friday (18-Oct) was the actual distribution date. The individual I just spoke with said, "Yeah, all he needs to do is have his dealership drop the latest new code into the DME." At least, I think that he said "DME".
 
Interesting side note; to me, DME means "Distance Measuring Equipment", which is used for calculating the "Slant" distance to a marker beacon for a pilot. Said Slant distance, when coupled with current altitude and the current radial to the beacon will yield a fairly precise location fix without triangulation.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#5565 of 12737 A friend bought a new toy and brought it over... by spyderred

Feb 12, 2003 (7:56 am)

I was stunned. It is a gorgeous blue 2003 awd 911 turbo with a special optional high performance engine and transmission factory package. He let me drive it a couple of times. Oh my god, the power in this car is phenominal, absolutely intoxicating. I didn't get a chance to take it through any twisties but when my friend comes back I will put it through the paces. Here are some pictures.
 

 

 

 

 
Me like, me Want.
 
Spyderred,

#5566 of 12737 RE: A friend bought a new toy and brought it over... by spyderred by snagiel

Feb 12, 2003 (8:18 am)

Very, very nice. BUT, is that a slushbox Turbo?
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