03 TT. car has 14k miles. Never any hard launches.

I really dont feel like the clutch is slipping or anything like that. when i shift 2nd to 3rd, to 4th, to 5th, clutch grabs right away with no problem whatsoever. so i highly highly doubt its a bad clutch.


only problem, say im in traffic and i keep going back and forth from nuetral to 1st... i feel like the car sputters easily sometimes i feel like when the clutch catches, it sputters a little, about to stall, so i give it more gas...

sometimes i feel like im giving enough gas, but it overrevs...

the whole transition from N to 1st isnt smooth enough. many times the car feels like its not gettin enough gas, say when im backing out of a driveway and it feels like its going to stall.

do others experience a rough transition from n to 1st gear.
in my other bmw's, including m3s i never had a similar problem.
i have been driving stick for years, never had to change a clutch, and know it cant be me not knowing how to drive stick.

any advice appreciated.
thanks.

 

Doesnt sound right, you must still have a warranty, take it in. Good luck

 

I don't have this problem...I'm a little confused though...you are backing out and going into first???

How long? No CELs? Last Tune-up? Type of gas?

 

no cels, oil change 4k miles ago. gas 93 octane.

either neutral to 1st or neutral to reverse...
basically when you let out the clutch and apply gas i feel like the transition isnt smooth enough. i feel like my footwork is smooth, i apply gas slowly, say till the rpms hit 1, slowly ease off the clutch and feel like the needle drops quickly so i have to give it more gas.

once in 1st gear...thier is no problems or hesitions in other gears.

the problem exists only going from neutral to 1st or neutral to reverse.

i do have some warranty left. just wanted to get some ideas or know if this is normal.

 

The problem is letting out the clutch then...not going from N-1 or N-R. I'm not sure how "bad" it is, but I think it is fairly typical to have to give it a little gas as you release the clutch (I'm not trying to be a smart@ss). It may be different than you other cars...every one of my Porsche has been different.

 

It sounds like your clutch line needs to be bled. You might have air in the line. Air in the line can definenlty cause an inconsistent clutch. The other possibility is that if you didn't buy the car new maybe it was the previous owner burning up the clutch and now it needs replacing.

 

Oh, it sounds like you are just having trouble getting used to the engagement point. I have that problem too. Definately tricky to master.

 

guys..appologies...my explanation was a bit off.
Yes, the engagement of the clutch seems a bit inconsistent.

I think i made it sound like a shifting/shifter problem.

Anyone have a good "test", so i can find out if my clutch is bad...

(something that i highly doubt.....shifting between other gears shows no signs whatsoever of clutch slippage)

I will look into bleeding the clutch line. anyone else think this might be it?

In regards to mastering the engagement point, it just feels very inconsistent. If i give the same amount of gas when i let the clutch out, i feel like the result is inconsistent.

I have the car for a while now and never had a problem like this.

In general this is not a big problem, i just want to know if its normal.

any other suggestions?

 

If the question is, "is that normal", then the answer is no. I think most with this car are very proud of how well and smoothly these cars shift, IMO anyway.
My car even with the SSK and LWFW is smooth as silk going up and down. Take it in for a warranty check.
PS, do not under any circumstance mention the car was ever on, near, or used on a TRACK, or for sure you will need a tranny rebuild and FOR SURE it WILL NOT be covered by warranty because it was abused at a track!!
If you want details of this horrible experience PM me and that way I can spare all the gory details

 

I noticed the same symptoms at roughly the same mileage as your car. The car would hesitate and sometimes stumble just off idle in first gear. Try cleaning out the Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF). You'll have to get a torx security bit (available at Sears) to pull the MAF and then use CRC's MAF cleaner or other residue-free eletronics parts cleaner. After I cleaned the MAF the car ran noticably smoother and no more stumbling off idle.

 

I was thinking the same thing about the MAF. I would do that first, it's easy enough and if that doesn't do it get the clutch line bled. There's a good thread by Ruiner that describes the process. As AlanS said make sure the product you use leaves no residue and is safe for use on plastic. My car was rough running at and near idle speed especially when cold and cleaning the MAF took care of it which also made the process of slowly accelerating from a stop much smoother.

 

i actually cleaned my maf last month...

ill give it a shot again, but i highly doubt it.

worst comes to worst ill take it to the dealer so they can bleed the clutch line.
that should be under warranty. right?

 

I think I know exactly what your talking about. The clutch engagement point going from a standstill to going is very short. I tend to do the same....either not enough gas...makes the car kinda buck, and sound like it is going to stall to over-revving the car. Worst thing was when I went from driving the Turbo to the M3. The clutches were completely different, and I would always over-rev the M. I would say it takes some getting use to to get it right.

 

My M3 had a similar issue. The clutch was defective and did not release fully with the clutch pedal fully depressed right from the factory, creating a "drag" and notchy feeling. It was often very hard to get into gear at a stoplight and had to be forced in. It took some effort to get the dealer to replace under warranty since a barely slipping clutch at all times looks exactly like abuse (burnt clutch and flywheel surface).

Sadly I felt my M3 never recovered due to wear damage of the first and second gear syncros after 12K miles of this issue.

I suggest immediate attention.

 

Hey Ari, my M3's clutch was kinda hard to get used to also. From my M days, I had taken the CDV (clutch delay valve) out to help assist in getting quicker engagement. After I took this out, the cars clutch engaged so much quicker and "sharper".
Wonder if the Turbo has a similiar device installed?