The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com) - View Single Post - Clutch advise please

Teutonaddict · 30th July 2002, 22:37

...but mine started at 35K miles. It continued to deteriorate--sporadically--over the next 7K miles. I just got my baby back today with a new clutch.

In my case, the Self-Adjusting mechanism failed prematurely, causing the clutch to slip. After an extended p*ssing match with BMWNA, they agreed beforehand to split the replacement costs with me 50/50, unless a defect was found and it would be 100% warranty. In the end, they covered it 100%.

Since there was a chance of me having to pay for it, I asked to see the guts once the tranny had been pulled. The master tech showed me how the clutch disk was NOT excessively worn (possibly indicating abuse), but also how the mechanism was causing the pressure plate to induce slippage.

The irony is I requested the Field Service Engineer to test drive the car to diagnose the slippage. He came back with "none whatsoever. hooks up as strong as my M5 w/ 8K miles!" To which I responded "yeah. right. let's go for a ride with BOTH of us in the car and let me show you how it slips." Bottom line, we rode together, and the tune miraculously changed to "you need a new clutch!" Followed very soon thereafter by "I have yet to see a failed M5 clutch that wasn't due to operator error."

Well, let me be your first!

Above dialogue is accurate. Taken directly from the pages of "How to Make Friends and Influence the Top 2% of Your Customer Base That has Purchased Five or More New Bimmers From Your Employer!"

After I get done breaking in my new clutch, I'm gonna have to write a (thoughtfully stated) nasty-gram to those folks in NJ!!

30th July 2002, 22:37	#5 (permalink)
Teutonaddict M5 Guru (>2000 posts) Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Austin, TX, USA Posts: 2,680 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	That's how it started for me.... ...but mine started at 35K miles. It continued to deteriorate--sporadically--over the next 7K miles. I just got my baby back today with a new clutch. In my case, the Self-Adjusting mechanism failed prematurely, causing the clutch to slip. After an extended pssing match with BMWNA, they agreed beforehand to split the replacement costs with me 50/50, unless a defect was found and it would be 100% warranty. In the end, they covered it 100%. Since there was a chance of me having to pay for it, I asked to see the guts once the tranny had been pulled. The master tech showed me how the clutch disk was NOT excessively worn (possibly indicating abuse), but also how the mechanism was causing the pressure plate to induce slippage. The irony is I requested the Field Service Engineer to test drive the car to diagnose the slippage. He came back with "none whatsoever. hooks up as strong as my M5 w/ 8K miles!" To which I responded "yeah. right. let's go for a ride with BOTH of us in the car and let me show you how it slips." Bottom line, we rode together, and the tune miraculously changed to "you need a new clutch!" Followed very soon thereafter by "I have yet to see a failed M5 clutch that wasn't* due to operator error." Well, let me be your first! Above dialogue is accurate. Taken directly from the pages of "How to Make Friends and Influence the Top 2% of Your Customer Base That has Purchased Five or More New Bimmers From Your Employer!" After I get done breaking in my new clutch, I'm gonna have to write a (thoughtfully stated) nasty-gram to those folks in NJ!! __________________ *BOTH SOLD!!* '00 Carbon Black/Black All-Leather/Sportive '01 Imola Red/Black 740i Sport #101421 Kinesis K-58s full polish ~ StopTech 355mm BBK ~ KW var.2 coilovers ~ Dinan 17mm adj. rear swaybar ~ SuperSprint exhaust and X-pipe ~ UUC s/s and Rogue tranny mounts ~ a/d/s/ 2x10” a-series subwoofer ~ MTX Class D monobloc sub amp ~ MBQuart component drivers ~ Hardwired V1 & BCT-12 ~ Schroth Rallye 4 harnessbelts ~ M-Technic brake ducts ~ Angel Eyes NOW: '05 X5 4.8is Sapphire Black/Black Nappa