Smg

[B33mEr]

Does anyone know how much for the new/updated SMG ECU???

 

[VKS]

Man, the SMG is one exciting transmission to drive but it sure sounds like a major pain to take care of. Avoid jams? In KL? I wish I had a cute genie next to me who could blink and transport me out of a jam whenever I got caught in one.

It's just a shame that manual e46s are near impossible to find in Malaysia. The car gods made the manual gearbox for a reason - so that real gearheads can enjoy the pleasures of driving. And on an UDM, a stick would taste oh soooo good. Damn! This is depressing.

hey bro/lad pls dont compare the states with malaysia

:top:

 

[Riezal-R]

Finally, after 13 months of owning this car and and putting in about 25,000 km on it, the dreaded problem has arrived.
Car had difficulty changing into gear.
AB confirmed today it is the leaking actuator and perhaps wet or worn out clutch.
It does not happen all the time, only in bad traffic jams.
AB checked the actuator oil level at it was nearing empty level.
Any they quote me RM 2k for clutch and RM 4.6k for actuator.
Wormanship is about RM 1.5k.
Said might be other parts that need changing but depends on what they see when they open it up eg flywheel etc.
So I am facing a mnimum bill of RM 8k.
Worse still, actuator no stock and takes 10 days to arrive from Germany.
AB records show that both items wer changed in 2006 when mileage was 20k plus under warranty.
So that means lifespan of the item is about 40,000 km. and I am not a roug driver.
Luckily it is bonus month otherwise I am dead.

I have the same issue with my SMG until today. In bad traffic jams, it will not engage gears properly and behaves as if the clutch is slipping. This is due to a heat issue. It usually goes away after the actuator has cooled down. Try minimizing gear change in traffic.

Putting that aside, ozone, you have other options with the actuator. You may not need to buy a new one - but that is if you are willing to fix it the 'Malaysia Boleh' way. If you prefer fixing at AB and getting their warranty, then by all means go for it. If you want to try a much cheaper alternative, then I could point you in the right direction. I've documented my experience in another forum - I can give you the link if you're interested to know the alternatives. I solved my gear change problem by paying RM400 instead of RM4000 - that is a risk I took over 6 months ago. So far so good.

 

[Riezal-R]

Does anyone know how much for the new/updated SMG ECU???

I think YM changed his for 4k+

 

[airylush]

I have the same issue with my SMG until today. In bad traffic jams, it will not engage gears properly and behaves as if the clutch is slipping. This is due to a heat issue. It usually goes away after the actuator has cooled down. Try minimizing gear change in traffic.

Putting that aside, ozone, you have other options with the actuator. You may not need to buy a new one - but that is if you are willing to fix it the 'Malaysia Boleh' way. If you prefer fixing at AB and getting their warranty, then by all means go for it. If you want to try a much cheaper alternative, then I could point you in the right direction. I've documented my experience in another forum - I can give you the link if you're interested to know the alternatives. I solved my gear change problem by paying RM400 instead of RM4000 - that is a risk I took over 6 months ago. So far so good.

love the idea, send me the link pls. Tq

 

[airylush]

I think YM changed his for 4k+

as Mac 2009, 4.6k to be exact

 

[ozone]

I have the same issue with my SMG until today. In bad traffic jams, it will not engage gears properly and behaves as if the clutch is slipping. This is due to a heat issue. It usually goes away after the actuator has cooled down. Try minimizing gear change in traffic.

Putting that aside, ozone, you have other options with the actuator. You may not need to buy a new one - but that is if you are willing to fix it the 'Malaysia Boleh' way. If you prefer fixing at AB and getting their warranty, then by all means go for it. If you want to try a much cheaper alternative, then I could point you in the right direction. I've documented my experience in another forum - I can give you the link if you're interested to know the alternatives. I solved my gear change problem by paying RM400 instead of RM4000 - that is a risk I took over 6 months ago. So far so good.

Please let me know if there are cheaper options. Thanks !

 

[Riezal-R]

Out of respect for BMWCM, i will PM you the link

 

[B33mEr]

I think YM changed his for 4k+

as Mac 2009, 4.6k to be exact

Isn't that the price for the actuators? or just the ECU alone minus the actuator?

 

[Riezal-R]

According to YM, he changed the ECU for RM4.7k - without actuator.

 

[ALBundy]

Basically the oil seal inside the actuator leaks. All that is needed to be done is to replace the oil seal, and that seal is not sold as a repair kit. One or two indigenous mechanics would be able to sort it out.

Cheers

 

[YellowMellow]

According to YM, he changed the ECU for RM4.7k - without actuator.

correct and the invoice is still with me..

 

[YellowMellow]

Basically the oil seal inside the actuator leaks. All that is needed to be done is to replace the oil seal, and that seal is not sold as a repair kit. One or two indigenous mechanics would be able to sort it out.

Cheers

you are rite mr President.

 

[ozone]

Out of respect for BMWCM, i will PM you the link

Indeed I will go see Ah Wai and check out the possibility.
Thank you for the lead.

 

[Midnight_Cowboy]

hey bro/lad pls dont compare the states with malaysia

:top:

Sorry bro/boy, a car is a car is a car, wherever u drive it.

 

[ozone]

Indeed I will go see Ah Wai and check out the possibility.
Thank you for the lead.

Right, I have taken it to the workshop as recommended and took back my car this morning.
The seal has been changed and oil replaced.
Also reprogrammed the gearbox.
Seems to drive OK.
Total damage RM 775.00. Not cheap but less than cost of replacement of actuator and clutch.
Will use it for a while and update here whether it is works or not so other SMG owners will not have to spend obscene amount of money just because of a 10 sen coin sized seal.

 

[Riezal-R]

Hope it works well for you. I've been using it over 6 months now, so far so good.

 

[ozone]

It seems to work after more than 2 weeks and no problem seems to surface.
As such, I would recommend this to anyone with the same problem as mine.

 

[Riezal-R]

Good to hear. Have you been in traffic jams lately? If it works fine in constant stop-and-go traffic, then you are safe. That is when the clutch pump heats up the most, as there is no air cooling it down.

 

[kazuya]

I booked the 325i SMG and expect to get the car within this few days. No problem associated with SMG encountered during the test drive. Do you think if I change the 'improvised seal' (though gearbox works fine) will prolong the life of the clutch / actuator?