RPM drops and transmission clunks

[Maxsensation]

I have a 2011 128I auto. never had this issue until today. While my car is idling, the rpms will drop and you will hear, which I believe is the tranny, clunking. like the transmission is searching for a gear but missed engaging onto a gear.

I tried leaving it into different gears. in neutral, nothing. gear 2... nothing. gear one... after about 10 seconds of idling, the rpms will wobbel again.

I have no error codes, car drives fine when driving. Havent really went over 50 yet since i was in traffic all day.

Anyone know what the issue my be? i read here it may be plugs / coils or Valvetronic eccentric shaft sensor issue?

[RoundelM3]

Valvetronic eccentric shaft sensor issue - happened to my wife's 2011 128i 6MT convertible a few months ago. Flaky idle, surging while at cruise speed. Had it repaired at an Indy shop here in the area for almost half of what the local dealership wanted. Genuine parts used, including gaskets, etc. They wanted to replace the actual valve cover itself as well, as it sometimes warps over time, but with only 40K miles at the time, I deferred on that one. Cost a little over $900 and it runs better than ever now.

[Maxsensation]

I drove it this morning and its gotten worse. Bogs in neautral and when i press on the accelerator hard. Feels like one of the pistons is not working and no fuel is getting into it.

I booked aservice with bmw. Hope it doesnt cost an arm and a leg to repair.

Sadly im not to familar with the indy shops here ... Although i rather pay less then what the deelaler wants

[pj.rodriguez]

Oh man. Dealer will steal from you. Take it to an Indy shop. As long as they have BMW experience and good reviews, I wouldn't worry about it.

Alternatively, DIY is your friend.

[RoundelM3]

If it's the eccentric shaft sensor, DIY is not your friend. I'm no stranger to DIY and turning wrenches, but with where that sensor is and all you have to go through to get to it, I wouldn't try tackling it at home. BMW will verify what the problem is, although you could check for fault codes first and see what it says. I did that on our 128i - checked and cleared 3 times, and every time the same code came back. Depending on your local dealership, it will cost more than an Indy shop, but how much more is a tossup. By shopping around, I was able to save about 45%.

[Maxsensation]

as much as i want to DIY, i Don't have the time to do it my self either. Given how this seems to be an engine, Ill let the technicians take care of it.

I'm just a bit sour how my car is having issues already and its only has 77k kms on it, which is about 48k miles. Not a whole lot.

I have a feeling this will cost me in the range of 2k!! sigh....

[RoundelM3]

As I mentioned earlier, it only cost me a little over $900 at an Indy shop. Not even the dealership was anywhere near $2K.

[Maxsensation]

As i thought. Itll cost me 2k to fix but this is with some additonal work done. Looks like i had oil leaks too
This wat the dealer offered me.
All in canadian dollars

REPLACE SPARK PLUGS AND COILS 1089.43
Oil Filter Housing Gasket/O-ring 597.72
Gas Engine Diagnosis -176.38
ECCENTRIC SHAFT SENSOR SEAL 142.94
or
Valve Cover Gasket 943.32 which includes sensor

I opted for one coil tat was causing the bogging isse. 330
Valve cover 943
Oil filter house 597
Comes up to around 2k

They wanted me to change all my coils and spark plugs. Which i didnt think was nessary. I could change myself inthe future. Cheaper too

[Eins Suchtig]

Jezz! , I got a bad coil about 3 months ago. $39 for he new one and I replaced it myself...

[Maxsensation]

Tell me about it. The coil costs 100 at the dealer sadly. Only did it cuz i need my car the the coming weeks and i dont have time to fiddle around with the car during the winter months. I know its pretty easy to swap out the coils and plugs. Will prob do the remaining 5 the coming spring. At least i know whats wrong with the car now.

[Eins Suchtig]

Just try it yourself. If you are somewhat mechanically inclined , there are some diy's here that can guide you to change the coil. That will give you some breathing to look for a good cheaper shop to do the other things to correct the leaks. I got the issue at 41k miles and did it, and also changed all spark plugs then. Good luck!

[Maxsensation]

will definitely tackle the plugs and coils on my own very soon.

[pj.rodriguez]

I just did that in my driveway with a few tools and took me an hour to swap plugs and coils. Try your best not to buy it from the dealer. I don't know where you're located, but if you're anywhere in southern ontario, I wouldn't mind actually meeting up and helping you out if you want.

[Maxsensation]

located in vancouver. Come on over

i didnt think itll be a hard job given the few videos ive watched already. looks pretty simple. I've read threads here that after market (no dealer) plugs / coils can cause some issues, which leads me to buy them at the dealer and install them myself..