I don't know if anyone else has experienced this or not, but my clutch was 'burnt' out according to BMW service tech. I have '00 M5 w/ 17K miles. He said since nothing broke, just extreme wear and tear, that it wasn't covered under warranty (~$1850..ouch). The kicker to this is my car was fine last Thursay when I dropped it off at the valet at the airport and something happened while I was out of town until Sunday. The car wouldn't even move at all, even though no signs of slipping ever before. The BMW tech said that someone must have just dropped the cluth with some high revs or really didn't know how to drive a stick at all. Of course, I am 'in discussions' with the valet place, but I'm curious about others experiences with clutch issues. Too bad Dinan's clutch isn't out yet...
P.S. Dinan Stage 3 suspension is great, for all 2 days that I had it. I should get my car back tomorrow.
Ouch, Did you note the milage on the car before you left it? I would defintely have a chat with the airport valet... I dont think a clutch would give out all of a sudden even if you yourself have burned it beforehand, it will start slipping more and more but not like not connect and move at all... good luck on it tho!
I have to agree - it wouldn't have let go fully, and even if by some freak it did, how could the valet have gotten the car back to the lot? I suppose they could have towed it back...just the thought of that pisses me off! I have to suspect that you have a diferent problem, but I don't know enough to guess, other than maybe the hydraulic self adjuster? Just a WAG.
The more I hear of clutch problems, the more I am convinced that there is a MAJOR problem. It is happening to WAY too high a percentage of owners for it to be a "fluke." Mine went at 11,700 miles. Dealer "said" that some oil had leaked onto the clutch, and fouled it. I'm not sure whether BMW took care of the repair under warranty, or if the dealer fixed it out of their "goodwill" fund. Either way, it cost me nothing.
I have sent a priority email to BMW (bmwusa.com owner's circle) requesting more information about a possible recall. I recommend that anyone else who has clutch problems also go there, and do the same.
If enough of us make a stink, they may have no choice but to recall the clutch for a higher performance one. It is obvious that the stock clutch is significantly under-engineered to handle the horsepower and torque of the E39 M5 engine.
hey guys,
first off, your valet didnt do it. This is unfortunately a problem lots of us are facing. In my opinion, the dealer took you, not the valet service. It is too high a percentage for this to be a fluke, sorry, i cannot believe it. For those who say it because we have 400hp, sorry i just cannot believe that to be the reason. The clutch is underengineered, that is the reason. I mean why is the weak link the clutch? shouldnt it be the tires (letting loose on the asphalt)? Anyway, i think paying for this is an insult to whoever pays 80k for their car.
stevep, what's goin on man?! listen i wrote to bmwna, not even a freakin call back, not an email, nothing. i wrote to them again (always from the website mind you), nothing, a third time, nothing. i called them finally, and somebody explained to me again (like my service rep) that i am probably a bad driver, they dont see this to be a trend, and that the full maintanence to be full of crap for this issue. just has me mad, im trying to either find a better alternative, or do it under warranty. its really annoying.
My 2 week old (35 miles) M5 is already exhibiting the telltale signs of a problem. It started at 50 miles and is intermittant now. Be sure to see the thread on the petition to BMW.
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Joe Lapicki
2001 M5 Titanium/Caramel
2000 M Roadster Titanium/Black
1998 540i Arctic/Black
joe, please fill out the petition that we are organizing. please put down you comments also. that is truly incredible if you also are noticing it here is the link to the petition, and to everybody else, please fill out the petition. problem or not,you never know when it could happen to you.
thanks
fas http://www.petitiononline.com/bmwm5fas/petition.html
I posted feedback on problems the Europeans were experiencing with the M5 over a year ago (oil consumption, brake problems, clutch & trans problems, and wheel bearings) and a rep from BMW said I was full of it. These must be very isolated instances. SD
I have to agree with the theory that the clutch is underengineered (and most likely the valet service had nothing to do with it).
When I attended the M5 Experience back in early 2000 I dropped the clutch at around 3000rpm when attempting the 0-60-0 test. The clutch just slipped and never regained grip. What I note from this, apart from the fact that a decent launch always takes place below 1500rpm is a) a decent clutch should have still gripped and the DSC should have kicked in to get the rear wheels to grip and b) even with this clutch abuse, once I let the clutch cool down the next launch at 1400rpm worked out just fine ... gotta imagine that the valet service would have to do this over and over again to actually wear the clutch out unless it was faulty.
Guys. I just had mine replaced under warranty. I have a little over 15k on mine. Also, a clutch can easily be worn down to nothing in a matter of minutes. This has to be a deliberate act, though. If you sit and rev with the clutch out barely enough to ALMOST catch, it will wear in a matter of minutes. This is usually done when a clutch is replaced under warranty to ensure that BMW covers the dealer on the parts. Dont ask...what pisses me off is that some dealers do this, some dont. I have a bad feeling about getting my streaked rims looked at next week by the rep. If he hasn't seen the problem, then he will probably tell me too bad. Good thing for this list...as I have evidence of others with the same probs. Good luck all.
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Dave
00 Anthracite///Black Sport
FAST4DR@aol.com
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