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BMW M3 Maintenance and Repair

185 messages,  Last post on Aug 09, 2008 at 9:23 AM

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What is this discussion about? BMW M3, Coupe, Convertible

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#2 of 185 BMW Update for M3 Coupe/Convertible with S54 Engines by bmwna Aug 31, 2004 (7:24 am)
I'm with BMW of North America, LLC (BMW NA). BMW NA is conducting a service action for S54 engines in E46 M3 Coupe/Convertible produced from February 12, 2001 and May 22, 2003. We are in the process of mailing notification letters to affected customers.   Our ongoing quality testing revealed that the connecting rod bearings installed in certain M3 Coupe/Convertible with S54 engines were not manufactured to BMW quality standards. As a result, the connecting rod bearings are susceptible to overheating and subsequent premature failure if the vehicle is operated at higher engine speeds over an extended timeframe.   BMW conducted a service action in March 2003 involving S54 engines in M3 Coupe/Convertible. At that time BMW found certain engines experienced premature failure due to contamination of the engine lubricating system during assembly in combination with unfavorable tolerances in the engine oil pump. In addition to the service action, BMW extended the warranty for all internal mechanical engine components that are lubricated by engine oil for a period of 6 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first for all model year 2001, 2002, and 2003 BMW’s equipped with S54 engines.   We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this issue has caused affected customers. If you have any questions, please contact your authorized BMW center, BMW NA Customer Relations, (800)-831-1117 or send us an email through our website at bmwusa.com.
#3 of 185 M3 out of control by hpesq Nov 02, 2004 (1:06 am)
My 2004 M3 SMG convertible is doing this thing where (usually) in 2nd gear it starts jumping/ bucking/ hopping. It is NOT the shifting of the transmission. It is totally bizarre and the dealership keeps lecturing me on the SMG and cannot get it thru their thick heads that it is not the shifting. Has anyone else had this problem???? Replies to this message: dietcoke1 (Nov 08, 2004 3:00 am) hypnotoad (Mar 25, 2005 11:11 am) jkaytor (Mar 30, 2005 9:45 pm) m3owner2004 (Dec 03, 2005 9:39 am) phatcat1 (Apr 11, 2006 10:24 pm) disbemickey (May 10, 2006 9:01 pm) stereolofi (May 20, 2006 11:36 am) and 1 more...
#4 of 185 Re: M3 out of control [hpesq] by dietcoke1 Nov 08, 2004 (3:00 am)
Replying to: hpesq (Nov 02, 2004 1:06 am) i have the same situation. so, basically it's the SMG A-mode. the only way to avoid bucking is to train yourself to keep constant pressure on the gas while it's reving up from low gears. typically, your foot will natually lift off the gas pedal when: 1. make a turn 2. on a bumpy road and you want to slowly pass the bumps.   the traditional automatic car will simply slow down _smoothly_ after your foot is lift off the gas gradually, but the SMG won't; you will feel like it's shutting down its power all together and immediately a noticeable deacceleration occurs. then, what happens next is that you will hastely put back pressure back on the gas pedal because you think the car is slowing down too much and too unexpectedly and then the car jerks..., which i don't know exactly mechanically why. but all i know is that it's not a unique experience to just me and my M3.   but over time, i learned to drive smoothly (in A mode) in low gear and be more assertive on my pressure against the gas.
#5 of 185 SMG bucking by antrey Feb 14, 2005 (12:41 pm)
The SMG is actually a manual transmission and the behavior you describe is common in a manual car. The engine braking you describe after lifting off of the accelerator is actually considered a positive trait of manuals. I don't remember if the M3 is offered with a true automatic but is seems you would have been happier with a true auto.
#6 of 185 Re: M3 out of control [hpesq] by hypnotoad Mar 25, 2005 (11:11 am)
Replying to: hpesq (Nov 02, 2004 1:06 am) Clearly, people who have never driven a manual should not be driving an SMG either. Manual transmissions (and I believe the SMG is no different in this respect) do have what's called engine braking as antrey stated. This is a useful feature for those times when you need to slow down slightly, but not enough to apply the brakes. This is great for poor weather driving as a moderate amount of engine braking can assist you in stopping when the roads are slippery. The engine "bucking" and "out of control" aspects occur in all manuals when the engine RPMs are too low. So when you take your foot off the gas, what you should expect is a moderate amount of deceleration followed by 'bucking' if you fail to downshift/apply more gas before you reach the bottom end of the RPM range. ( In my car, a classic manual, this happens around 500-700 RPM )   HTH Replies to this message: jkaytor (Mar 30, 2005 9:45 pm)
#7 of 185 Re: M3 out of control [hypnotoad] by jkaytor Mar 30, 2005 (9:45 pm)
Replying to: hypnotoad (Mar 25, 2005 11:11 am) I read all the responces to "hpesq's" complaint, and agree in your assessment of a manual gear box and how it responds. However, I know that if you have a clutch to work with, you can eliminate a lot of the bucking and smoothly switch between gears... with the SMG, you don't have a clutch, and therefore might not have that ability for smoother transitions between gears, howbeit the characteristics will be the same if the clutch is left out....I do not own a M3 yet, but have one on order, with SMG...I am not sure now if I am going to like it better, or a strait manual gear box with clutch? Some more feedback on this issue would help me make a more informed decision. Thank You.
#8 of 185 Power windows won't roll up on 95 M3 by 95m3a May 10, 2005 (4:16 pm)
They roll down just fine. When I press the button up (hold the button or 1 push to close all the way) they go up about 5 inches, stop, and go back down about 1 inch. It doesn't matter how low the window was when I first hit the button, if it has to go mere than 5 inches, it stops and reverses. If I try it again it just goes up about an inch and then reverses back down an inch. To close it : -I pull the window up with you hand and press the button up and it don't stop. -I click the button in short bursts, it moves in 1/2 inch increments and it goes all the way up. It's a 95 M3 coupe and both windows do it. Anybody ever hear of a problem like this? Thanks, Stevan Replies to this message: simple2 (May 19, 2005 9:04 pm)
#9 of 185 Re: Power windows won't roll up on 95 M3 [95m3a] by simple2 May 19, 2005 (9:04 pm)
Replying to: 95m3a (May 10, 2005 4:16 pm) 95m3a Had the same problem with my 325 cupe. I belive this is due to the wear of the power window mechanism. I didnot get the chanse to fix it, traded BMW for AUDI. After driving A4 for a few years, feel like going back to BMW. I think BMW build bit more solid. Just need to keep it under 10 years old as they start to fail after this age....
#10 of 185 SMG- Manual Gear Box by jkaytor Jun 16, 2005 (7:59 am)
OK, picked up my new M3 with SMG.... I can now speak from experience, this vehicle is like a dream come true. I haven't owned a manual for about 20 years or so. Everything come back a far as what a manual gear box does. You can not stall the SMG. If you don't gear down, it automaticlly switches down to 1st upon stopping. Starting up from stop is a little heasatant, but once the gear clickes in, you take off like a bat-out-of-HELL ! I LOVE this Car !
#11 of 185 BMW M3 2004 by dzh Jun 17, 2005 (11:24 am)
I have a problem with my M3 that has only 24,000 miles. "Service engine soon" indicator came on and the dealer proceeded to fix a part in the gas tank. This was a solution that worked only fro a one week. Once I was on the open read and rev-ed up the engine to the higher RMPs the problem repeated itself...   Any thoughts on this? Thanks in advance.   DZ

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