I got the RED COG yesterday and my M5 is hard down. Had to get it towed and now they can't look at it until Monday. I got my first RED COG at around 32,000 miles and got the Clutch and Flywheel replaced. My M5 is now at 59,000 miles. This time it was different. I fear my SMG pump may be bad. The last time I had a RED COG it took them 2 weeks to repair. But, I am glad that it happened now as my aftermarket warranty is up in May 2011. I'm still hoping that they will cover the repair under my extended warranty. In any case I thinking about selling my beast after they make the repairs. I do believe that my car is a March '06 build, I'm starting to think that maybe 2006 models are plagued.
2nd time I've gotten the RED COG on my M5
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Update for the community:
So here's what my service advisor has told me so far.
At first the techs found out that my driver's side rear passenger door sensor was faulty and causing the battery to drain all of the time and the tech's thought that a low voltage situation was causing the transmission to fail and give me the Red Cog.
After they replaced the sensor, the car was still throwing a transmission malfunction, so they decided to go ahead and replace the clutch position sensor which has already been replaced once. That didn't fix the problem.
I just authorized my dealer to take out my transmission so they can inspect the clutch and flywheel. I really think my clutch might be bad again. I really don't understand how my clutch can die again when I had it replaced 27,000 miles ago. I have never used launch control and I drive the car moderately most of the time. The only thing that I can think of that would have worn my clutch out is the fact that I live downtown where every day I drive from stop sign to stop sign and traffic light to traffic light.
In any case, my extended warranty company is Warranty Solutions which I bought directly from the BMW dealer where I bought the car. My service advisor just told me that my extended warranty company is not going to cover the cost of labor to pull the transmission out. Is this normal? The last time I had the transmission removed it was under the original factory 4 year warranty and I didn't have to pay for anything. Is this not right? Should I be paying out of my pocket for this work when I bought an extended warranty? I want to see what other board members here have to say before I call a lawyer.
Thanks for reading everybody, hopefully the problem is just my clutch and not the flywheel too. :crying:
So here's what my service advisor has told me so far.
At first the techs found out that my driver's side rear passenger door sensor was faulty and causing the battery to drain all of the time and the tech's thought that a low voltage situation was causing the transmission to fail and give me the Red Cog.
After they replaced the sensor, the car was still throwing a transmission malfunction, so they decided to go ahead and replace the clutch position sensor which has already been replaced once. That didn't fix the problem.
I just authorized my dealer to take out my transmission so they can inspect the clutch and flywheel. I really think my clutch might be bad again. I really don't understand how my clutch can die again when I had it replaced 27,000 miles ago. I have never used launch control and I drive the car moderately most of the time. The only thing that I can think of that would have worn my clutch out is the fact that I live downtown where every day I drive from stop sign to stop sign and traffic light to traffic light.
In any case, my extended warranty company is Warranty Solutions which I bought directly from the BMW dealer where I bought the car. My service advisor just told me that my extended warranty company is not going to cover the cost of labor to pull the transmission out. Is this normal? The last time I had the transmission removed it was under the original factory 4 year warranty and I didn't have to pay for anything. Is this not right? Should I be paying out of my pocket for this work when I bought an extended warranty? I want to see what other board members here have to say before I call a lawyer.
Thanks for reading everybody, hopefully the problem is just my clutch and not the flywheel too. :crying:
It sounds like what many others have experienced -- throwout bearing to guide bush wear, i.e. galling of the interface between the two. With a lot of around town driving, the SMG places a high duty cycle on the t/o bearing resulting in the more rapid-than-expected wear problem. The clutch disc/pressure plate are likely fine. Make sure they replace the "guide bush" when they put in a new clutch kit.
the warranty isn't a BMW warranty but a third party warranty. They should have given you a policy that desribes what is covered and what is not. Some warranty companies treat the SMG as an automatic some don't. If they don't then they treat the clutch and fly wheel as a wear item and you have to foot the bill. Since you have to take the tranny out to see what is wrong they won't pay for it unless they find a part that is covered by warranty that has broke, in that case they will usaually will pay for the removeing and replacing the tranny as it was a covered part that required the removal of the tranny. Hope this helps and good luck with your problem. I don't think a lawyer will be of much help.
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When did you get your clutch last replaced? BMW has a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty on any part/service they install/conduct.
Oh I've never heard of that?! My last clutch was replaced 18 months ago or 27,000 miles ago. Hmmmm......
Update:
So I got some more information yesterday. I authorized them to take out the transmission. My advisor told me that my warranty company: Warranty Solutions would NOT cover the cost of the clutch in case it needed to be replaced. I guess maybe I should have read the fine print more carefully. The good news is that since I have the upgraded BMW Maintenance Plan upgrade (good til 100,000 miles and/or 6 years) that it would cover the cost of my clutch. The bad news is that they said that if it looked like there were any signs of abuse (i.e. hot spots) on the flywheel, then my clutch would not be paid for if it needs to be replaced. I think that I am still responsible for paying for labor out of my own pocket though, which I think is not right. I payed a lot of money for an extended warranty and upgraded maintenance plan for piece of mind, and now it looks as though I still may be responsible for a $5,000 repair bill. In any case I have contacted the lawyers and they agreed that I have a case and they will take my case if BMW does not pay for my repair bill. We'll have to see what happens today now.
So I got some more information yesterday. I authorized them to take out the transmission. My advisor told me that my warranty company: Warranty Solutions would NOT cover the cost of the clutch in case it needed to be replaced. I guess maybe I should have read the fine print more carefully. The good news is that since I have the upgraded BMW Maintenance Plan upgrade (good til 100,000 miles and/or 6 years) that it would cover the cost of my clutch. The bad news is that they said that if it looked like there were any signs of abuse (i.e. hot spots) on the flywheel, then my clutch would not be paid for if it needs to be replaced. I think that I am still responsible for paying for labor out of my own pocket though, which I think is not right. I payed a lot of money for an extended warranty and upgraded maintenance plan for piece of mind, and now it looks as though I still may be responsible for a $5,000 repair bill. In any case I have contacted the lawyers and they agreed that I have a case and they will take my case if BMW does not pay for my repair bill. We'll have to see what happens today now.
Keep in mind that their "argument" for "abuse" is flimsy at best. If the t/o bearing is dragging on the guide bush for example, it's possible that the clutch was being prevented from properly engaging which could result in overheating, spots on flywheel, etc. Other SMG issues related to pump, etc, can also cause undue slipping that is 100% not a function of any driver abuse. I'd wager that the SMG system (along with t/o bearing-to-guide-bush-galling problems) itself is responsible for more "abuse" than actual drivers. 
If the items are replaced under manufacturer warranty they do not carry a 2 year parts and labour warranty as ha been suggested. So if you have your clutch replaced 2 months before it expires you only get the remaining 2 months warranty. If you get the parts changed under extended warranty (ie you are paying the warranty) or you pay for the the repairs yourself then you get 2 years parts and labour cover on those repairs. Its a funny system but that the way it goes.
Hope you get it sorted.
Eddie
Hope you get it sorted.
Eddie
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421 Posts
What is your build date/VIN of your car? Take a look at this SIB regarding the hot spot issue:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e6...ms-i-am-fed-up-need-advice-2.html#post1771761
Make sure you print and be ready to present.
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+1...Ensure that they inspect this carefully. I suffered yellow/red cogs and found out my clutch actuator was bad. While in there I replaced the parks CSBM5 mentioned as they were heavily worn with only 57k miles.
Thanks for all of the help guys. Yeah my M5 is an APRIL 2006 build. I am awaiting a call today from the advisor to tell me what BMWNA has to say. They should have pulled out the clutch and flywheel yesterday and sent up pictures to BMWNA. I am going to print out this SIB also. Really appreciate it guys, but I've also got my lawyers working on it already and they said that I have a really strong case for BMW to buy my car back. So hopefully I get an update today from the dealer.
Oh by the way. I test drive one of my friends 2007 M5 and my other friends 2007 M6 this past weekend and both of their SMG's were soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo smooth compared to how mine has been driving for the past few months. So now I know that there is something seriously not right with mine.
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421 Posts
Mine drives much smoother after the service I performed on it. The 2008+ drive different too.
I've already decided no matter what happens with my M5 I am getting rid of it one way or another and possibly looking at getting a 2008 or a brand new 2010 M5. Also thinking of getting an Audi R8 but we'll see how the cards play out.
Update:
Good news. All of the repair costs are going to be covered under my warranty and my upgraded maintenance plan. I should have it back by the end of the week hopefully, and we'll see if it's any better. Overall I am happy so far with this news.
Good news. All of the repair costs are going to be covered under my warranty and my upgraded maintenance plan. I should have it back by the end of the week hopefully, and we'll see if it's any better. Overall I am happy so far with this news.
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421 Posts
Awesome! New clutch and flywheel too?Update:
Good news. All of the repair costs are going to be covered under my warranty and my upgraded maintenance plan. I should have it back by the end of the week hopefully, and we'll see if it's any better. Overall I am happy so far with this news.
Yep, my flywheel is being covered under my aftermarket warranty and my clutch is being covered by my BMW Maintenance Plan Upgrade. All of the labor costs are covered also because of my flywheel. I'm so thankful that I got both of those extra things, it goes to show everybody that having those really do pay off.
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Dave that is good to hear! I was worried when it happened, glad it's being taken care of.
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