SMG Share thread

[infinityKL]

open, found clutch also going south, decided to change but sadly BA only have stock for 325 ... @#$%#@$%#

some pics while at it ...

 

[infinityKL]

Nice! How much did it cost from BA and which workshop bro?

Hehe your underside looks really clean unlike mine lol

haha, seldom use la bro beemer ..

as for the the pump, bought thru Mspeed.
Total Damage $5K. 3 hour job...
$4000, Clutch Hydraulic Pump (not sure what its called)
$1000, Engine Oil, Oil Filter, Smg Oil, Hyraulic Oil, Smg - Reset, Teaching and Bleeding, plus Labour.

 

[redhybrid]

4000 for clutch actuator? grrrrr

 

[jc@]

i was charged 4k for that actuator as well.

 

[jc@]

sachseelan, how much is the clutch for 325? do you know that?
luckily you found out there's a leakage soon.
i burn taht fat fat thing below the actuator and thats another 4k, due to the leakage

 

[jc@]

recently my clutch slips again, but only when some minor trafic jam (stop and go) during uphills only.

turn off, wait it cool and its gone again.

anyone encounter this? need a new clutch?

 

[infinityKL]

Hi jc,

its about 2K for clutch from mspeed.
ya the other fat fat thing is another 4k, i got mine replaced b4 i took over the car :tongue:
tat was at 60k kms, now im at 77k kms. :motz:

as for ur clutch slip thingy, no i have not encountered this... yet .. haha

 

[jc@]

why you need to change that fat fat thingy?

does the clutch include flywheel as a set?
not very serious slip like i encounter before, but the clutch will only disengage at 1.5k rpm.

i replace both of them at 120k.

got my car with 60k km and now its 150k haha

 

[infinityKL]

my car was stagnant for over 4 months in a showroom .... itu benda hampir jam, it wasnt moving, had to like give it a knock, then oni jalan... so got the dealer to replace it, if not tak mau beli...

itu selespeed italy mari, biasa la hehe... must ride them hard daily, talk to alfaromeo pple, they will give u a good insight ... holes in pockets

and im not sure if clutch includes flywheel ...
bro i suggest, you give a call to BA or Mspeed, they will furnish you wt details ..

 

[ezzo369]

abang-abang & kakak-kakak, may i know what are the things that need to look out when driving smg? what's the different between mitsu or hondas that has paddle shifter as well? im planning my future ride thanks!!

 

[redhybrid]

honda/mitsu paddle shifter is still a torque converter auto, but for SMG, DSG or watever you call it, its a manual gearbox in which pump/actuator being u left foot...

hmmm...driving SMG...i think all of the information you need will be available from the first page of this thread, things that giving headache but seriously, get to know how it works would be a great help. read thru bro! I was doing the same when i got mine 8 months ago!

GRRRRR...welcome to SMG!

 

[ezzo369]

i see.... i read thru all the pages n still havent found clue which one is better hehe how was it driving smg compared to those paddle shift with torque converter? any significant g-force increase when accelerate?

 

[B33mEr]

i see.... i read thru all the pages n still havent found clue which one is better hehe how was it driving smg compared to those paddle shift with torque converter? any significant g-force increase when accelerate?

SMG is like a manual gearbox only w/o a clutch paddle thus it will put more power to the wheels compared to an autobox with torque converter which saps power. The throttle response is also more responsive compared to auto gearbox. You also have a launch control feature which to maximise acceleration from standstill. Having said that if you're looking for silky smooth gear change then the SMG is not for you. SMG is clunky during traffic jams and on sports mode can be brutal especially on 1-3 gears, it's made for aggressive driving not for city traffic. You have to alter your driving style to suit the driving characteristic of SMG.

When in traffic jam you have to be very light with the throttle (feather it) if not run the risk of overheating the SMG system whereby when you have rev the car 1500-1800rpm only then the car starts to move (i suspect it's the clutch position sensor) in which case the only way is to switch off the engine and restart back (10-15 seconds).

 

[swansonsz]

Bro b33mer,
Are you saying that in a traffic jam the SMG will tend to overheat automatically OR in a traffic jam, if you do not feather the pedal, the SMG will overheat. Hope you can see the different between the two.

Also, when it has overheated, only when you the RPM reaches 1500-1800 that the car will move?

I have tested a 325 SMG and this wkend will test another SMG and an auto to feel which suits me better. Last wkend test drove a 325 SMG and it was excellent! Loved it!! True that you have to feel the throttle when changing gears but thats what an SMG is for, a manual gb without having to work out my left calves haha.

SMG is like a manual gearbox only w/o a clutch paddle thus it will put more power to the wheels compared to an autobox with torque converter which saps power. The throttle response is also more responsive compared to auto gearbox. You also have a launch control feature which to maximise acceleration from standstill. Having said that if you're looking for silky smooth gear change then the SMG is not for you. SMG is clunky during traffic jams and on sports mode can be brutal especially on 1-3 gears, it's made for aggressive driving not for city traffic. You have to alter your driving style to suit the driving characteristic of SMG.

When in traffic jam you have to be very light with the throttle (feather it) if not run the risk of overheating the SMG system whereby when you have rev the car 1500-1800rpm only then the car starts to move (i suspect it's the clutch position sensor) in which case the only way is to switch off the engine and restart back (10-15 seconds).

 

[ezzo369]

bro b33mer, do we need to feather even in C mode? how is the gear change in C mode? what needs to be look into to prolong the gearbox age and what are the common failure part for smg?

 

[morrogan]

Was at Ingress during the clutch change. If not mistake, they are OEM stuff from LUK.

 

[B33mEr]

Bro b33mer,
Are you saying that in a traffic jam the SMG will tend to overheat automatically OR in a traffic jam, if you do not feather the pedal, the SMG will overheat. Hope you can see the different between the two.

Also, when it has overheated, only when you the RPM reaches 1500-1800 that the car will move?

I have tested a 325 SMG and this wkend will test another SMG and an auto to feel which suits me better. Last wkend test drove a 325 SMG and it was excellent! Loved it!! True that you have to feel the throttle when changing gears but thats what an SMG is for, a manual gb without having to work out my left calves haha.

It will overheat if you don't feather the throttle. It's not the gearbox ( gearbox is SOLID) it's the hydraulic system and the electronics that will overheat. So during traffic jams you have to be real smooth, no prodding of the pedal.

Yes the car start to move around 1500 - 1800rpm or even higher from my experience when overheat.

i would recommend you to test drive the SMG again but during peak hours say around lunch time and see whether you can live with it or not :4: If you still set on buying it thentry to get a written warranty from the car dealer (3-6 month should suffice).

It will give you griefs for sure but that's where this thread comes in handy where owners share information everything about SMG plus the driving experience and pleasure it gives (for me anyway) makes up for it LOL keen drivers need only apply hehehe

 

[B33mEr]

bro b33mer, do we need to feather even in C mode? how is the gear change in C mode? what needs to be look into to prolong the gearbox age and what are the common failure part for smg?

C mode is Cruising mode and the shift point is done automatically at 2000rpm thus you can't be doing aggressive driving. If you do aggressive driving on C mode that's when the SMG gets clumsy the shift point will be erratic and unpredictable ... Try it when you do go for a test drive you will know what i mean :4: Pressing the sport button or using the paddle shifter will disable the C mode.

The No.1 most common failure would be the clutch actuator which cost RM 4k, the o-ring in the actuator would start to fail and cause the hydraulic leak but there is a cheap fix - please refer to earlier post in this thread), others can be the pressure accumulator tank and the SMG pump itself though not as common.

Changing gearbox oil using MTF-LT2 or Redline MTL, changing the hydraulic fluids using Pentosin CHF11s or other compatible hydraulic fluids helps in prolonging the SMG gearbox- Change fluids every 40-50k km. Your driving style also helps in prolonging the SMG gearbox i.e. smooth with the throttle during city traffic, don't drop down gears often

 

[swansonsz]

Bro B33mer, thanks to your reply. Am going to look at a 2nd 325 SMG today in Kajang. Had my first stint last week on the old subang airport road. Loved it!

Maybe if today's car looks more promising (the maam has to be happy too hehe), i might need a couple of second pair of eyes to check on the car. Will ask the seller if next time its ok to bring to workshop. My friend intro me to Jason of Optimum Automotive. So most probably i'll go there. Since the car is in Kajang, any nearby trusted workshop that i can bring it to?

Btw, i hail from subang too. Maybe next TT i can join.

 

[swansonsz]

Here's the car i'm viewing soon. Any comments?

http://www.oto.my/car-for-sale/619/2003-bmw-3-series-e46-smg