Pre 5/00 clutch problems - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

rennen · 5th November 2002, 02:11

In my other thread about my second clutch slipping some people mentioned that the pre 5/00 cars had problems with the self adjusting system. My car was a 2/00 build, 23,000 miles and ready for it's third clutch. I know what I'm doing, do not drop the clutch, get on the gas before fully engaged etc. I do drive the car hard, but not abusive. I'm talking to the rep on thurs and wanted any input from people with the early cars that may have had problems with the self adjusting mechanism or any thing else.
Thanks

Stem · 5th November 2002, 03:11

I had a 10/99 build, and my clutch worked until about 57,000 miles. It finally gave up the ghost at Watkins Glen on about the 15th day of Track events.

I am also a "spirited" driver. I think the reason my clutch lasted so long was that I engage the clutch hard, as in try to "pop" it rather then "feather" it, when I'm putting the wood to it!

greg · 5th November 2002, 04:03

02/00 build, 32K miles, lots of "city" driving (i.e., LOADS of launches) - clutch still going strong.

MJ · 5th November 2002, 05:42

After 4 M5's I am convinced the clutch-crap is driver error.

MJ
'03

Boston m57777 · 5th November 2002, 05:54

I agree my clutch has held up until 33,000 miles when it was replaced because the pressure plate was wearing. But I bet the clutch would still be in use at 35,000+ miles if my bmw m mechanic friend did not replace it. DO not launch hard, just blip the throttle let of the clutch then stomp it.

1C00lVC · 5th November 2002, 08:04

I think a little bit of both. The clutch on our M5 is engineered very close to its limits. If you mind your driving you can preserve the clutch for many thousands of miles. And although I am minding my clutch, sometime I wish BMS had over-engineered the clutch just a bit, so every so often I could have some unadulterated fun launching the clutch at 4K RPM....

rennen · 5th November 2002, 08:22

My Porsche, which I beat the hell out of has 35,000 miles, and not one sign of slipping. Car has been through countless track events and autocrosses. Nothing is wrong with my driving. If anyone has any useful technical info it would be appreciated, but spare me the bad driver speach.

greg · 5th November 2002, 08:49

Rennen - you may well have some problem. You've owned a number of high-torque cars, although I doubt any of them had the deadly torque/weight combination of the M5.

I have ridden with a number of guys (who have asked me because a while back I was the board clutch theory goto guy) who believed they were doing nothing wrong. A few of them were right. But some of them also had pretty bad clutch technique. The M5 makes so much torque so fast that it is easy to let a launch, or more typically, an upshift "get away" from you. In many other cars, you "ride it out" and the clutch slips, the car accelerates, and the clutch hooks up before reaching terminal temperatures. The M5 design is definitely not overly robust - so making this mistake in the M5 will ruin the clutch fairly quickly.

We have had guys go through them in 5K miles, and others (who track their cars and drive aggressively) getting 40, 50 - even 60K miles. So I don't know that there is an across the board design flaw. However I've heard lately a few diagnoses, such as the failure of the auto-adjustment mechanism - that could explain premature failures as well. SO - could be the driver, could be mechanical, could be a combination of the two.

Your Porsche comment probably isn't too relevant, though. The Porsche is lighter, has much less pedal travel between start of engagement and fully released throwout bearing, and has WAY less torque below, say, 2500 rpm. Taken together all these factors make it much harder to abuse the Porsche clutch.