Shifting Woes

[usdeg]

I bought my 2003 325xi in Jan this year. Its my first manual car. I am still not comfortable with the gear shifting, specially the first gear. I am trying to figure out whether its me or the car. Basically I am trying to achieve a smooth take off. I have tried changing to second gear at 2500, over 3000 and near 4000 rpm and yet the everytime I release the clutch after shifting to second, one can feel a slight jerk. Once in a while I would get a smooth transition on releasing the clutch. I have driven my friends Miata and was able to switch gear seamlessly right from the get go. Has anyone else had similar experince. This whole gear shifting thing is making my manual car experience very frustrating. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[MrElussive]

Let's say you go to like 3,000 or 3,500 rpm in 1st gear. Then let go of the gas while pushing the clutch in. Then shift to 2nd and then give it gas while engaging the clutch in 2nd gear, but also to engage the clutch slowly. That should make for a smooth transition. I used to be like you, but after experimenting a lot, I can do very smooth shifts from 1st to 2nd.

 

[usdeg]

Thanks for the input...I will keep looking for that sweet spot. My car had a burnt clutch the very first day. And then it burnt again after 500miles. After changing the entire clutch and fly wheel assembly, the car has been running fine. I have experimented quiet a lot to find a smooth clutch engagement at Second.

 

[Wadula]

my aim is not to shift as smooth as possible to get close to a auto tranny. it is a manual and i like to feel it. sure, the head should not hit the windshield, but there is nothing against a little feeling of the gear change.

 

[MrElussive]

I agree, wadula. They even say, manual is not even supposed to be smooth like an automatic. Manual is a manual, and that's the way it is.

 

[usdeg]

Well, I do a lot of spirited driving with the manual. But when u are commuting to work(short distance) and other days when u are not in hurry or mood for pushing the car, I like to ride it "smooth".

 

[Wadula]

all together:

That's the way......aha aha I liike it....aha ahaa...that's the way....aha aha I liiike it

 

[///M SPEED]

Did you burn the clutch(s) out trying to find the sweet spot or did you just have 2 defective clutch(s)? That can become very expensive. Good luck on finding the right clutch to gas/release point.

 

[Wadula]

i do not understand why there this huge hype about driving a manual....that is a piece of cake!!!

 

[epj3]

WHen you push the clutch in, push the gas down the entire way and drop the clutch in all gears you go really fast.

 

[wookie]

Thanks for the input...I will keep looking for that sweet spot. My car had a burnt clutch the very first day. And then it burnt again after 500miles. After changing the entire clutch and fly wheel assembly, the car has been running fine. I have experimented quiet a lot to find a smooth clutch engagement at Second.

How did you burn your clutch, mind if I ask ?

 

[wookie]

all together:

That's the way......aha aha I liike it....aha ahaa...that's the way....aha aha I liiike it

That's the way......aha aha I liike it....aha ahaa...that's the way....aha aha I liiike it

 

[wookie]

WHen you push the clutch in, push the gas down the entire way and drop the clutch in all gears you go really fast.

I'll bet whoever that services your transmission is rolling in wads of cash and LHAO

 

[usdeg]

How did you burn your clutch, mind if I ask ?

The flywheel assembly was not installed correctly by the factory. The first time, the dealership changed the clutch assembly only. When it happened again, they figured it must be the flywheel. Since then, I did not have any problems. I also took the car to the temple for blessings from the prist. So not sure of its the flywheel or the blessings that fixed the problem .

It was quiet a sick new- car experience. The engine compartment started smoking. The smell was so sickening that I could throw up. The gear wouldn't shift to 1-2. Stayed in 3-4. I had to drive back to dealership in 3rd with smoke coming out and horrible smell. I wish the Greman cars were as reliable as the Japanese.

 

[Wadula]

with a wrongly mounted flywheel even a japanese car is not reliable

just wait, now that it is okay and fixed, you'll have a fun time.

 

[JamieD22]

The flywheel assembly was not installed correctly by the factory. The first time, the dealership changed the clutch assembly only. When it happened again, they figured it must be the flywheel. ...It was quiet a sick new- car experience. The engine compartment started smoking. The smell was so sickening that I could throw up. The gear wouldn't shift to 1-2. Stayed in 3-4. I had to drive back to dealership in 3rd with smoke coming out and horrible smell. ...

Hence why I'd feel more comfortable with a 1 yr old CPO than a new model... Sorry to hear of your trouble, hopefully it's all behind you.

 

[MrElussive]

Why is it exactly, that Japanese cars are more reliable?

 

[Wadula]

i can confirm that though. i germany the AAA equivalent runs statistics every year how many shop times a brand and series has per 1000 cars for example and compares the results. japanese cars always participate in the first few places. anyway, bmw is in that area as well. i posted that in the old forum. i see if i find it somewhere and post it here again.

 

[usdeg]

Why is it exactly, that Japanese cars are more reliable?

In the Pre 80s era, the Germans had a good handle on the Luxury car market. Their engines were powerfull and yet reliable. Then came Acura legend and later Lexus. These cars were not performance oriented but had a lot of luxury features for a good price. Since the design was grounds up, these cars were very well designed and integrated. As they ate into the luxury market share, suddenly German manufactures had to come up with more car for less money and hence their quality and design suffered. I still feel that the built and the engine of a German car is very solid. However, eletronics and luxury features have poor reliability since they are not integrated well with the car. Germans are very good at mechanical engineering. Eletronics, which huge part of todays cars, was never their strong part and Japanese excel in that.
The average wait period in the Service dept of any German Car in my area is 2-3 months. Which tells the story.
Inspite of all this, I still would buy a German car. First for the performance and second for the prestidge values(come guys, we all love to show off our beamers).

 

[Wadula]

yeah todays cars are overloaded with electrical goodies....

but one thing, wasn't it toyota, datsun and honda who entered the us market with cheap and easy models? they got good shares but when they wanted to grow into higher levels of the market their reputaiotn was in the way. and that rep was easy and cheap cars. no one wanted to buy a upperclass toyota. that's why they introduced lexus (toyota), Acure (honda) and infiniti (Nissan=former datsun)?