6MT: FULL Clutch & Flywheel Replacement**

[saeedg48]

recently i've noticed on 2nd to 3rd downshifts/ heel and toe when i release the clutch after matching the revs to the transmission speed, the clutch gets stuck halfway in and wont come out unless i stick my foot under the peddle and gently pop it out. usually only does this when the cars been driven for more than and hour at a time. almost feels like the clutch cant take it anymore. also it's popped out of 1st gear three times in the last three months. the first time in May i was so worried i opened a thread i literally felt like i drove into a wall when the car came out of gear. i also opened two other threads about wear and tear because i felt like the car had been acting up. thread 1 & 2

the power delivery during acceleration feels the same in all conditions and i've never once felt the clutch slip.

after experiencing these issues numerous times i took the car to crevier bmw. i explained the issue to the service adviser and it was clear that this doosh didn't want to do anything about it. he told me that the bmw clutches are race clutches and they're designed to last a hundred thousand miles etc. etc.. ok good for bmw now why am i experiencing these issues?! "well we're going to have to take your transmission apart and inspect the issue further. if it doesn't have any issues you're going to have to pay for the service hours that the tech put into it".. even though i have warranty!? i emediatly left that dealer, clearly they didn't want to help!

on my way home i thought i try my luck at bmw irvine and see what they could do about it. i talked to a tech and he got me a drive with the shop forman to see if i could duplicate the issue. so we drive about three miles and what do you know i can't duplicate the problem. honestly it only happens when i'm driving it aggressively and there's no way i'm going to drive like that with a random person in my car on public roads. so i pulled over and gave him the wheel. when he put the clutch down he immediately noticed that the clutch felt different than the other m3s he's driven. he started to rev-match downshift and get on and off the gas to see what was going on.. long story short he was convinced something was wrong with the clutch plate. "the first 80% of engagement is normal but then it just drops, weird"

i dropped the car off at 10 am on day one. on day two at 3 pm i get a phone call. they decided to open up the transmission and they found a major problem. all the mounting points on the pressure plate of the clutch broke! every single one of them

the best part, everything is covered under warranty! the shop forman said that my clutch is in good condition and doesn't look like it's been abused or anything. clearly the mounting points are the issue here.

i never thought i'd say this but praise bmw irvine and their awesome staff. the shop forman was super chill and knew his stuff for sure. for taking my inquire seriously and opening it up. ps f*ck you crevier bmw, i wrote you guys a good review for your good service back in May 2011 when you did a simple oil change but i take it back, you fools.

thanks for reading.

1. my only question what went wrong and how does this happen? how do these mounting points just break like that

2. how do i break in a new clutch and flywheel properly?

[Seattle S65B40]

That's crazy. Glad it's covered!

[Prince_of_Persia]

Glad it worked out for you!

[Radiation Joe]

Congrats on solving the problem fairly quickly.

Sounds like it wasn't too much of a problem to get diagnosed once you got to the right dealer.

Crevier Service adviser ...

[Simma]

Nice ... its a good feeling when you can point out and fix the exact faulty parts.

[chmura]

If I were you I would make a complaint against that Service Advisor at Crevier BMW. That is no way to treat a customer.

[MaxBoost335]

I had a similar situation happened to me at Crevier when I still had my 335 with steering issue. They quickly blame and accuse me of tampering with the suspension. One thing had nothing to do with the other and I ended up getting the problem fixed under warranty at Century BMW.

[OC3]

Tear'em (the SA @ Crevier BMW) a new one at Dealership Review Thread:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=560411

[karussell]

too bad you can't have a lighter flywheel and single mass clutch put in. would do wonders on throttle response.

[karussell]

break in new components by warming up car first and then be smooth with all inputs. acceleration, heel-toe, don't use the engine to slow the car down, of course don't ride stops on the clutch pedal.

[a burrito]

holy crap! how many miles on your car?

[Grail05]

Glad it worked out.

[persian54]

Good thing it worked out

how did you get in there to take the pics??

[saeedg48]

Originally Posted by persian54

Good thing it worked out

how did you get in there to take the pics??

snuck back there

[Alias]

Do you even have a relationship with a SA @ Crevier?

I've never had any problems there and I know there a quite a few people that do go there that haven't had any problems either.

And yes I have had major work done under warrenty