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      04-10-2014, 06:24 AM   #1
Kiernan
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Manual Gearbox Problems – Car not starting

I’m one of the few on here that wanted a manual gearbox, and at the moment I’m feeling a bit jealous of you guys with an auto.

In the last week the car hasn’t been starting at the first try as the electronics haven’t recognised that the clutch pedal is pushed down (with a manual, you have to press the clutch rather than the brake to start the car). I just pressed it again and the car would start. Not a biggie but something worth raising at the next service.

Got back to the car on Tuesday after work, and the car simply wouldn’t start. Pressed the clutch a few times, and the pedal stayed down – knowing that this wasn’t normal, called BMW Assist who promptly came out to diagnose……………they have no idea, and that the car would have to be transported to the dealer for further investigation.

Just been on the phone to the dealer who have told me they’re taking the gearbox out (!) as they suspect it’s a failed clutch release bearing. They’ll know more later, but it sounds like an expensive job.

The car’s only 18 months old and has less than 10,000 miles on the clock, so it won’t cost me a penny. I’ve always thought manuals were less trouble than auto’s so have always been my preferred choice, especially as the car gets older. Maybe I’ll have to reconsider……

Thank god the warranty covers this sort of thing (I hope).
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      04-10-2014, 07:01 AM   #2
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Sorry to hear you are having problems! It will be covered under warranty I am sure.

I chose auto because I spend 90% of my time in bumper to bumper traffic. I think manual is more fun to drive out on the open road though!
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      04-10-2014, 07:23 AM   #3
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Don't worry, BMW UK will cover it under the warranty. Hope you're back on the road soon!
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      04-10-2014, 07:52 AM   #4
Kiernan
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Cheers guys. I'm sure the warranty will cover it, so no harm done.

BMW have so far been great. I've been loaned a 320d Sport for the time being and it's a really nice car to drive. The engine feels much more responsive than it does in the X3 (for obvious reasons), but it's not as refined. Maybe this one's just been thrashed from day one, but the diesel noise is always present. Oh, it's also much better on fuel as I've been getting around 47 to the gallon; in the X3 I get around 38 for the same sort of use.
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      04-11-2014, 03:34 AM   #5
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Sorry to hear about your problems. I have manual gears and we have over 30 000 miles with no problems.

When guys here told that in dead battery situations it is basically impossible for a common person to get the auto transmission into neutral, I was very glad I have a manual...

We have had long and hard winters here with -30 degrees Celsius, and I only drive short trips to work and back, so the battery is in distress all the time.
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      04-15-2014, 01:33 PM   #6
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I have a manual box too, and I also had intermitent problem with the clutch. I had the pedal getting stuck about 3/4 down, but I figured I could pull it out with the side of my foot.
Also, the clutch 'stutters', it's very hard to make a clean, slow speed start. I reported these issues to the garage, who declared 'all is nominal'. Strangely, just afterward, the clutch felt considerably better (not perfect, but better)

So for your car, do check if you can pull the pedal out. Oh, also report what they find, as I'm very interested to point to this topic when my car return to the garage...
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      04-16-2014, 03:53 AM   #7
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Buze, the problem you've experienced sounds similar, but not quite the same.

My issues started about a week earlier in that the car wouldn't start first time. Seems that it wasn't recognising I had my foot on the clutch, so I just relealsed the pedal and pressed it again which always did the trick. Thought it was a minor issue so was just going to mention it at the next service. I did notice a slight 'springyness' in the last cm or so of travel jst before releasing the pedal, but wasn't sure if it was my imagination or not.

However, last week I got back to the car and it just wouldn't start at all. Every time the warning came up on the dashboard that I needed to press the clutch down, but the car refused to start. I pumped the pedal a few times, and this is when it went dead. I tried your trick of pulling it back with my foot, but it just sunk back to the bottom. The guy from BMW did the same, and this is what lead him to believe that something quite big in the clutch had gone.

Got the car back yesterday and was told that they'd replaced the clutch release bearing, the clutch plate itslef, along with the master cylinder and slave cylinder, as well as sundry pipes and clips etc.

Still not right as the stop start no longer works, the brake lights are stuck on, and I've now had warnings on the iDrive that the stability and XDrive systems have failed, and that the tyre pressure system has detected a fault (I've checked, and all tyres are correctly inflated). Looks like another trip to the dealer........
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      04-16-2014, 06:58 AM   #8
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Argh, seems they seriously messed something up on your car then :/

BTW I also have a regular 'springiness' on the last bit of clutch, when releasing the pedal; not all the time tho. Sometime it even feels like a mechanical 'click' of sort. Typically, the garage never found it.

Other than that (!), it's been quite an agreable experience, the gears are pretty well spaced, I really like the fact that in low-4th, you're at 30mph, low-5th, 40mph etc; quite handy in town.
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