Hi I just got a 2nd hand UDM, an upgrade from my old E36 325i, and while the difference in the drive are there, we wonder why they make them so lovely and so different, that you miss somethings in the old car and appreciate some of the new car, but wish that you had both the parts in the same car?Anyway, while the e36 did not have a tip/steptronic gearbox, it ran well and it handles better than the e46. Has anyone here encountered flakey or crazy gearboxes in the 325i 2002 model? i.e when you are crusing at 40-60kmh and suddenly you see this Perdana coming up your a&&#, instinctively you would floor the throttle, how can you let a Perdana take you? RIght?ANyway, if I am doing 60kmh, after a run above 100kmh, the gear switches smoothly and the Perdana's dust in the wind. BUt If I have been crusing at 40kmh (okay I know that is a little too slow for a sixer but when you have a girlfriend who drives a kenari or a mother in the car!!!) and I push the peddle it jerks a few times before the gear switches down!My old e36 only did that to me after the 'knock sensors' died, from what I know the new car does not have that bleeding sensor! So what gives?Electronics?Anyone out there know the answer to this riddle?
E46 325i 2002
- Thread starter ericlks
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koryong
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This is the 2nd time I've heard that the 36 handles better than the 46 .... uummm ..... just wondering in what sense, besides the gear jerks you mentioned.
I supposed the 46's power delivery is more refined, but how's the suspension, steering feel .. etc ? Just curious.
hi eric,
i'm having somewhat this problem of hesitation before the gear kickdown.
especially at slower speed. Just this afternoon, just after a bump, obviously not so quick speed, i half floored the accelerator, my gear jerked until my rear tyres locked for half a second - made my rear tyres screeched a bit before the gear kickdown.
quite worried actually. mine's a 02 325 FaceLifted with a mileage of 35k only. dont expect this from my UDM. was driving a year 2000 328 previously, nothing this bad
anyone knows why?
p/s notice that i sold a 3 and bought a 3! hhmmph. this gear thing ....
i'm having somewhat this problem of hesitation before the gear kickdown.
especially at slower speed. Just this afternoon, just after a bump, obviously not so quick speed, i half floored the accelerator, my gear jerked until my rear tyres locked for half a second - made my rear tyres screeched a bit before the gear kickdown.
quite worried actually. mine's a 02 325 FaceLifted with a mileage of 35k only. dont expect this from my UDM. was driving a year 2000 328 previously, nothing this bad
anyone knows why?
p/s notice that i sold a 3 and bought a 3! hhmmph. this gear thing ....
E46Fanatic
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A bit strange... The gear changes hessitate sometime in D mode, but usually I flick it to S when I want the response to tighten up. Have yet to face the issue you described... I am sure its only a matter of time LOL.
But yea the E36 feels much more direct to the road which the E46 is muted and more comfy. The E90 is in between IMHO.
But yea the E36 feels much more direct to the road which the E46 is muted and more comfy. The E90 is in between IMHO.
supergripen
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talk about responses and pleasure,having owned e30,e36 and e46 i would say the e30 was the best.loved the way the car just slingshots out of corners with just a whiff of oversteer..and its oh so flickable.but then again my e30 was a manual 325i..
the e36 i had was an m3 so no explanations needed but although it was much faster than the e30,it doesn't feel as connected and as flickable/throwable(???)..
the e46 i'm driving now feels very very muted and distant..but its very very comfortable and so easy and effortless to drive fast.a more mature car for a more mature mind i guess,but because this is the first auto bimmer for me i can't really comment or compare to my earlier cars.honestly,i'm a bit dissappointed with the steptronic.its slow witted in D,too rough in SD and step mode is just a waste of time.feels more like my dad's S320 than a bimmer..if u ask me,only a manual suits the character of a BMW.
wishlist..6speed manual for my 'Selene'.after that,the sky's the limit!!
the e36 i had was an m3 so no explanations needed but although it was much faster than the e30,it doesn't feel as connected and as flickable/throwable(???)..
the e46 i'm driving now feels very very muted and distant..but its very very comfortable and so easy and effortless to drive fast.a more mature car for a more mature mind i guess,but because this is the first auto bimmer for me i can't really comment or compare to my earlier cars.honestly,i'm a bit dissappointed with the steptronic.its slow witted in D,too rough in SD and step mode is just a waste of time.feels more like my dad's S320 than a bimmer..if u ask me,only a manual suits the character of a BMW.
wishlist..6speed manual for my 'Selene'.after that,the sky's the limit!!
Hah ha ha ha!
thats what alot of people say about the e30, for experiences of the cars I have owned....!
Started with a '82 728i, real horrid car, it broke down every other day. But I was in college and my grandad wanted a car that I could come back home safely in. No impressions, it was fast on the highway, but hell to park!
Then came my '93 993 C4, had it for six months before the crash of '94 took it away from me. It was a beauty even with the tip!
Then it was the e36, it was a great car, but it had too much plastic parts, kept on falling apart, last straw was when the engine leaked petrol out of the return valve....!
The e46, as you mentioned, comfy but removed! Not to mention you have a tough time keep straight! Oh well....a bmw is a car that one loves and complains about, like that ballerina I dated awhile back!
thats what alot of people say about the e30, for experiences of the cars I have owned....!
Started with a '82 728i, real horrid car, it broke down every other day. But I was in college and my grandad wanted a car that I could come back home safely in. No impressions, it was fast on the highway, but hell to park!
Then came my '93 993 C4, had it for six months before the crash of '94 took it away from me. It was a beauty even with the tip!
Then it was the e36, it was a great car, but it had too much plastic parts, kept on falling apart, last straw was when the engine leaked petrol out of the return valve....!
The e46, as you mentioned, comfy but removed! Not to mention you have a tough time keep straight! Oh well....a bmw is a car that one loves and complains about, like that ballerina I dated awhile back!
supergripen
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love the e30..still do
and yeah,forgot to mention about the keeping straight thing on the e46..now whats up with that!!!???! but otherwise a nice car,much nicer with a manual box me thinks :wink:
Hey dude,
Had a similar problem at low speeds when the pedal is not pressed hard. Like when im climbing a small slope, I get this light vibration from the rear. (almost sounds like a problem with long shaft coupling) It goes off when I press the pedal harder or even let it go a little.
The other "standard" problem is that you get this hollow light growl from the rear box just before down shifting of the gear. Apparantly a common thing esp with the 328. Switch on the radio and you wont hear a thing.
After the above, i got a lil paranoid and changed the gbox oil and axle oil 2 weeks back. Seems smoother now but not that much different. The old oil was dirty, so theres one reason to change. (eventhough AB says the gbox oil is for life)
FYI, there is a 2001 325i AB maintain with gbox failure at beemer auto. AB says to change the box for RM25K. Selvam has rebuilt it for RM6K, not sure about warranty, etc. This BM only had 65K kms on it.
We need to pray for all of our gbox and that they last.
Romeo
Had a similar problem at low speeds when the pedal is not pressed hard. Like when im climbing a small slope, I get this light vibration from the rear. (almost sounds like a problem with long shaft coupling) It goes off when I press the pedal harder or even let it go a little.
The other "standard" problem is that you get this hollow light growl from the rear box just before down shifting of the gear. Apparantly a common thing esp with the 328. Switch on the radio and you wont hear a thing.
After the above, i got a lil paranoid and changed the gbox oil and axle oil 2 weeks back. Seems smoother now but not that much different. The old oil was dirty, so theres one reason to change. (eventhough AB says the gbox oil is for life)
FYI, there is a 2001 325i AB maintain with gbox failure at beemer auto. AB says to change the box for RM25K. Selvam has rebuilt it for RM6K, not sure about warranty, etc. This BM only had 65K kms on it.
We need to pray for all of our gbox and that they last.
Romeo
supergripen
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seems like the stepbox ain't perfect after all..i've got the same sound from my car but i'm not sure if its from the 'box.terribly irritating..i hate that sound,it robs the car of that signature 6cyl thrum as u pull away..
thot i'll cure the problem when i changed the backbox to ACS items but hey whaddaya know!!! its still there...bummer
Don't know about that bro...but transmission problems usually only plague the 325s.....!
My old E36, the last time I changed the oil at 186,000km it just fell apart had to change the entire gearbox.....! Hated to part with it, it has an interim owner at the moment, but I think I will take it back soon and change the engine.
The stories I have heard about the e46 325i is around the same except it takes a longer time for it to go...! (hopefully)
Anyway, we buy the car for the whole experience don't we?
Like a beautiful lady, if we're that lucky....3/4s of the really pretty ones can't speak to save their lives...! (defect!) but we still love'em!
Best e46's to buy.....the 318i and the 328i.....! Lesser probs! That doesn't include trashing the car!
My old E36, the last time I changed the oil at 186,000km it just fell apart had to change the entire gearbox.....! Hated to part with it, it has an interim owner at the moment, but I think I will take it back soon and change the engine.
The stories I have heard about the e46 325i is around the same except it takes a longer time for it to go...! (hopefully)
Anyway, we buy the car for the whole experience don't we?
Like a beautiful lady, if we're that lucky....3/4s of the really pretty ones can't speak to save their lives...! (defect!) but we still love'em!
Best e46's to buy.....the 318i and the 328i.....! Lesser probs! That doesn't include trashing the car!
well, i'll go with the buy a car for the whole experience thing. given the same budget, if i had gone for other makes, i would just end up in another forum, talking about other problems with my car.
after changing a few makes, i have also concluded that 'all' cars have problems.
*not entirely trying to tell myself nice things la ... a little bit la, but no la*
what i'm hoping for here is to make my UDM problems more anticipated and the repairs (if necessary) more manageable.
therefore, please please input your gearbox triumphs and woes. your feedback is 'ultimately' appreciated.
p/s : again i wanna go with the UDM = female thingy. It's just ..... the truth
cheers
after changing a few makes, i have also concluded that 'all' cars have problems.
*not entirely trying to tell myself nice things la ... a little bit la, but no la*
what i'm hoping for here is to make my UDM problems more anticipated and the repairs (if necessary) more manageable.
therefore, please please input your gearbox triumphs and woes. your feedback is 'ultimately' appreciated.
p/s : again i wanna go with the UDM = female thingy. It's just ..... the truth
cheers
supergripen
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as u can see from all my earlier posts,i hate the steptronic gearbox.having owned 2 6cyl manual bimmers before this strengthens that feeling..it sucks all the fun out of having a perfectly balanced chassis and a wonderful 6cyl engine.not that its giving me huge problems now though,its still doing its job as designed by its maker..apart from that 4th to 5th upshift hesitation. but still,u lose gobs of power,u lose full control and also that oh so good feeling when u master the technique through a nice short shifter..
i dunno la..maybe its just me.
...plus the only reason the car is still with me is because my wifey likes it so much and wudn't let me change it..so i guess the bmw and chicks thingy rings true!! :yes:
..and like i said,my next car AIN'T GONNA BE AN AUTO!!!! no matter how good they say it is,NOTHING beats a manual..
I think it is the characteristic of the steptronic box.
In D mode, it is civilised to a fault. (Not wanting to spill your mother-in-law coffee kind of civility).
theoretically you can train the box to your style of driving but I am not sure to what extent.
S mode will give more immediate response but can feel relatively jerky (with emphasize on relatively..)
Try the manual override. It is still an auto but at least it can select the gear to your needs.
I am not an expect, just what I gather from my own experience and what i read.
In D mode, it is civilised to a fault. (Not wanting to spill your mother-in-law coffee kind of civility).
theoretically you can train the box to your style of driving but I am not sure to what extent.
S mode will give more immediate response but can feel relatively jerky (with emphasize on relatively..)
Try the manual override. It is still an auto but at least it can select the gear to your needs.
I am not an expect, just what I gather from my own experience and what i read.
supergripen
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well,i guess it all boils down to personal preference la.i HATE the bloody thing..
been tring to 'korek' more about converting it to a 5speed manual but till now,no one in this forum can help..not even the slightest hint of anything..
so i guess i'll have to go elsewhere to find out more..
still sad at the lost of oppurtunity of getting a real nice STi AWD with a nice 6speeder..well,the quest goes on..............
supergripen
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don't get me wrong,i love my bimmer..its just that the stepbox takes the life out of the car la.
volvos are nice in a straight line but the handling is a little on the loose side for me.but i heard the new S40/V50 handles quite well owing the the Focus chassis..
volvos are nice in a straight line but the handling is a little on the loose side for me.but i heard the new S40/V50 handles quite well owing the the Focus chassis..
3er
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GROAN! I hate my auto tranny / steptronic. In D its extremely lazy to the tune of wrong gear selection out of slow 20km/h corners. I have to hammer it to make it respond. Maybe i'm just pussy footing around. In S its slightly better but only at higher speeds. In city traffic its only marginally better. Steptronic manual just isnt manual and the gear change is still too slow. GROAN!
I took it back to AB complaining about it and they have uploaded the latest software or re-mapped the gearbox ECU. It works fine for a week and its back to its lazy mode again.
Maybe i should re-train the driver....
I took it back to AB complaining about it and they have uploaded the latest software or re-mapped the gearbox ECU. It works fine for a week and its back to its lazy mode again.
Maybe i should re-train the driver....
