comments on Steptronic clutch patch fix

[donmbmw]

I know there are many threads about the "sliptronic" but this is specifically targeted to board members who had the problem repaired with the clutch patch fix. How is it working? I am scheduled for this repair in a couple of weeks so would like info. thanks

 

[cdotger]

Donmbmw,

I have the clutch pack fix..... There is absolutely nothing wrong with this repair. The TSB that BMW has for this problem states that you need to have your tranny replaced. But, You can ask for the clutch pack fix... The only diff is that the clutch pack fix is actually done @ the dealership (A trained BMW tech authorized ti open the tranny has to come to the dealership to do the work) The dealership itself is not allowed to open the tranny. With the replacement tranny, the fix is done @ a factory and then shipped to the dealership for replacement.

I know all of this due to one of my close friends is a tech @ my local BMW dealership... Unless there is a long wait for replacement trannies the dealership may not even do the clutch pack fix for you due to the increased cost of having to get a authorized tech there.

Please resist the urge to listen to car_54... he is an uninformed moron who insists on making outlandish claims with no backup....

You can verify the info that I have given you with your BMW dealership.

 

[kumafa124]

I had a clutch pack fix ... a little over a month ago. My car doesn't slip anymore in the morning. so yes ... the fix did work ... if anything changes, I'll let everyone know.

 

[Toby_72]

I know there are many threads about the "sliptronic" but this is specifically targeted to board members who had the problem repaired with the clutch patch fix. How is it working? I am scheduled for this repair in a couple of weeks so would like info. thanks

All the reading I have done indicates this was one of the first attempts to fix. BMW has a bulletin telling dealers to replace the transmissions.

 

[LarryE]

All the reading I have done indicates this was one of the first attempts to fix. BMW has a bulletin telling dealers to replace the transmissions.

Not sure what you mean ... there have been "attempts" to fix the sliptronic problem for many months now ... and based on info from other owners on this board, the sense is that the truely corrective trannys may have been available since around December, 2003.

Check http://www.bmwboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5815&highlight=poll
and http://www.bmwboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6857&highlight=poll

 

[LarryE]

Mine was replaced in January. Tranny definitely feels fine and doesn't hesitate when applying significant acceleration. However, first thing in the AM when shifting into "D" for first time, engine revs from about 800-1100 rpms with no further increase in forward speed. My dealer has tested and retested, but not at such slow speeds. I'm still trying to get my dealer to retest soon. This may be normal ... not sure. Dealer claims that I was one of the first to get the trannys with the final fix in them.

 

[jarelj]

Mine was replaced in January. Tranny definitely feels fine and doesn't hesitate when applying significant acceleration. However, first thing in the AM when shifting into "D" for first time, engine revs from about 800-1100 rpms with no further increase in forward speed. My dealer has tested and retested, but not at such slow speeds. I'm still trying to get my dealer to retest soon. This may be normal ... not sure. Dealer claims that I was one of the first to get the trannys with the final fix in them.

Don't know what the stall speed is on the torque converters in our tranny's, but that may be the normal full engagement at around 1100 rpm. Maybe someone with the specific tech specs can chime in.

 

[LarryE]

Don't know what the stall speed is on the torque converters in our tranny's, but that may be the normal full engagement at around 1100 rpm. Maybe someone with the specific tech specs can chime in.

This was the dealer's explanation also.

 

[jarelj]

I'll pay attention to the revs in mine next time I back out of the driveway and see if I can tell where it catches. I guess I don't normally notice, since I usually step on the gas fairly hard!!

 

[izzyracer]

I did not have the clutch pack thing change but my Tranny was changed. If indeed this fix is the same as the tranny being change, then there should be no lag at all after moving from P, R to D. As soon as you start stepping on the gas that car should start moving.

 

[cdotger]

I have the clutch pack fix and do not have any lag.... I will double check though tomorrow morning.

 

[LarryE]

I did not have the clutch pack thing change but my Tranny was changed. If indeed this fix is the same as the tranny being change, then there should be no lag at all after moving from P, R to D. As soon as you start stepping on the gas that car should start moving.

The car is actually moving forward very slowly (maybe 5mph) as soon as I shift into "D" without pressing on the gas. It's when I begin to depress the gas pedal very lightly (going from 800rpm to 1100rpm) that there is NO ADDITIONAL INCREASE IN FORWARD MOTION ... until I get to around 1300rpm. At that point, there is additional increase in forward motion.

 

[Car_54]

This is correct

I did not have the clutch pack thing change but my Tranny was changed. If indeed this fix is the same as the tranny being change, then there should be no lag at all after moving from P, R to D. As soon as you start stepping on the gas that car should start moving.

If the engine is revving and the car is not responding proportionally energy is being lost. Simply stated the STEPTRONIC TRANSMISSION IS S L I P P I N G This is the kind of problem that WILL ONLY INCREASE OVER TIME

 

[LarryE]

If the engine is revving and the car is not responding proportionally energy is being lost. Simply stated the STEPTRONIC TRANSMISSION IS S L I P P I N G This is the kind of problem that WILL ONLY INCREASE OVER TIME

You may be right. That is why I'm having mine tested again. But you may be wrong, as this may be the way the torque converters work.

 

[bmwrocks]

The car is actually moving forward very slowly (maybe 5mph) as soon as I shift into "D" without pressing on the gas. It's when I begin to depress the gas pedal very lightly (going from 800rpm to 1100rpm) that there is NO ADDITIONAL INCREASE IN FORWARD MOTION ... until I get to around 1300rpm. At that point, there is additional increase in forward motion.

That is just not right. If your car does not move faster with even light accelerator input, there is something wrong with that.

Does this happen all the time? Even after the initial D engagement? Or does it behave differently after the initial engagement?

The only thing mine does differently when cold is rev higher before shifting. It definitiely moves faster at any engine speed above idle (800 RPM). Mine always moves forward faster with increased RPM.

 

[izzyracer]

The car is actually moving forward very slowly (maybe 5mph) as soon as I shift into "D" without pressing on the gas. It's when I begin to depress the gas pedal very lightly (going from 800rpm to 1100rpm) that there is NO ADDITIONAL INCREASE IN FORWARD MOTION ... until I get to around 1300rpm. At that point, there is additional increase in forward motion.

What I feel is the car moves slowly but the revving from around 800 to 1100 sounds/feels low then it will come to life. I think to avoid this we need to get an M3 instead because I think it's normal in our cars. But it totally is different from the slipping problem.

 

[Kirby]

The only thing mine does differently when cold is rev higher before shifting.

Mine too, the SA told me that the software is temperature dependent to avoid cold stalling, surging, etc. It certainly makes sense. I notice the same thing on my company's Explorer.

What about the so called "adaptive" transmission feature? I've never seen it in any official literature, but I recall various posts in the past that claim the transmission adapts to your driving style. Could it be that you have a "soft" foot and the transmission adapts to a "soft" personality whereas others have a "heavy" foot and it adapts to being more responsive?

As usual the manual is somewhat vague:

Sport program
You can choose between two driving
programs: smoothly dynamic or Sport.
With the Sport program, gearshifts are
faster in sequential mode and the shift
points are adapted in drive mode.

What exactly is that 2nd sentence saying? Does "smoothly dynamic" mean responsiveness is "adapted in [normal] drive mode"?

 

[bmwrocks]

What about the so called "adaptive" transmission feature? I've never seen it in any official literature, but I recall various posts in the past that claim the transmission adapts to your driving style. Could it be that you have a "soft" foot and the transmission adapts to a "soft" personality whereas others have a "heavy" foot and it adapts to being more responsive?

As usual the manual is somewhat vague:

Sport program
You can choose between two driving
programs: smoothly dynamic or Sport.
With the Sport program, gearshifts are
faster in sequential mode and the shift
points are adapted in drive mode.

What exactly is that 2nd sentence saying? Does "smoothly dynamic" mean responsiveness is "adapted in [normal] drive mode"?

From the Technology Guide in the BMW 2004 3 Series Coupe sales booklet...in the "Transmission" section:

"BMW's optional five speed STEPTRONIC automatic transmission features three modes of operation. Put the selector in "D" and let Adaptive Transmission Control take over. It automatically "learns" and adapts its operation to how the vehicle is driven. By tracking accelerator pedal movements, Adaptive Transmission Control recognizes how aggressively or gently you drive - and shifts gears accordingly. It also detects steep downhill driving, slippery conditions, stop-and-go traffic, and cornering, which are then factored into the shift patterns."

The rest of the section mentions Sport and Manual modes, with no fanfare, just the basics we already know.

I seem to remember reading when I bought my X5 4 years ago that there are 5 patterns it can choose from. Not sure though.

I would definitely bet that the responsiveness LarryE is seeing is related to the Adaptive Transmission Control.

Hey LarryE, try some aggressive acceleration, then stop the vehicle and slowly press the pedal and see if it hesitates then. I bet it doesn't.

After turning off the key, I wonder if it stores the pattern to use for the next time you turn on the car, I bet the answer is "Yes".

 

[jarelj]

If it's like the adaptive transmission in my wife's old Mercedes, it uses more of an "average" or "recent" pattern recognition rather than immediate. So in other words, accelerating aggressively, then stopping and re-starting will not necessarily show any difference. The Mercedes salesman actually told me "Make sure you take the car out for a good run once in a while, or the transmission will feel sluggish if your wife drives mildly all the time." Don't know if that's all true or not, but that's what I was told.

 

[LarryE]

That is just not right. If your car does not move faster with even light accelerator input, there is something wrong with that.

Does this happen all the time? Even after the initial D engagement? Or does it behave differently after the initial engagement?

The only thing mine does differently when cold is rev higher before shifting. It definitiely moves faster at any engine speed above idle (800 RPM). Mine always moves forward faster with increased RPM.

Only happens when cold during the initial engagement. Dealer says likely to be the way the way that the torque converter works when cold. So you are saying that if you take it from 800 to say 1000 rpm that there is a definite increase in speed? That is interesting.