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      02-26-2013, 12:52 PM   #1
ReCovery
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Auto Transmission not shifting smoothly

Hi Everyone,

I'd really appreciate some help!

I have a 2009 135i Coupe, Auto Transmission.

First, I noticed my transmission shifts really rough, especially when upshifting at low speed (2nd-3rd most noticable, but it also does it in other gears also), it jerks a little bit, but nothing serious.

I drove a 2013 X5 and 2013 X3 (3.5) and they both shift a lot smoother than mine.

Is this a common problem?

Also, my car is about 36k miles on it, what is the time interval to change transmission fluids?

thank you everyone!

Last edited by ReCovery; 02-26-2013 at 01:11 PM..
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      02-26-2013, 02:53 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ReCovery View Post
Hi Everyone,

I'd really appreciate some help!

I have a 2009 135i Coupe, Auto Transmission.

First, I noticed my transmission shifts really rough, especially when upshifting at low speed (2nd-3rd most noticable, but it also does it in other gears also), it jerks a little bit, but nothing serious.

I drove a 2013 X5 and 2013 X3 (3.5) and they both shift a lot smoother than mine.

Is this a common problem?

Also, my car is about 36k miles on it, what is the time interval to change transmission fluids?

thank you everyone!
Do you have any warranty left? If you do, I would run to the dealer.
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      02-26-2013, 03:33 PM   #3
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Are you driving in DS mode? DS mode's shifts are jerky and aggressive if you are using it with very little gas. There's really no need to hang in a higher gear if you are just driving Miss Daisy in traffic. If you are just barely making it to 3k rpm for the upshift, it is indeed clunky in DS mode.
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      02-26-2013, 09:39 PM   #4
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The car adjusts to the driver's way of driving. If you bought used I would run a quick throttle reset and see if that helps...

1) Push the key in the ignition without foot on break.
2) Press the ignition button to get AUX Power
3) Press and hold the accelerator all the way to the floor for 20-30 seconds
4) Turn off power
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      02-26-2013, 10:40 PM   #5
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@Satalite Not that I don't trust you, and actually I drive a manual, so this is purely curiosity asking: How do you know this and do you have a source?
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      02-27-2013, 01:03 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Satalite View Post
The car adjusts to the driver's way of driving. If you bought used I would run a quick throttle reset and see if that helps...

1) Push the key in the ignition without foot on break.
2) Press the ignition button to get AUX Power
3) Press and hold the accelerator all the way to the floor for 20-30 seconds
4) Turn off power
Quote:
Originally Posted by avholloway View Post
@Satalite Not that I don't trust you, and actually I drive a manual, so this is purely curiosity asking: How do you know this and do you have a source?
You can find the reset sequence in other posts as well, it's fairly common knowledge.

BMW says lifetime for transmission fluid changes....not buying in to that!

I've personally done the transmission adaptions reset...it works*, but may or may not be the OP's problem.

Having just read up on transmission fluid changes...my car has 30K miles on it and will be doing a fluid change soon. Some have reported that helps and seeing nasty fluid even with that kind of mileage. I'm not doing it because mine is rough, but because of the demands I'm placing on it. Will also be upgrading the transmission software to the Alpina B3 for faster and more robust shifts, but that's a whole different thing.

*During the course of tuning and dialing in my car, I noticed a hesitation when the car shifted in to second, especially when cold. I did the transmission adaption reset and it actually did make a notable difference (I bought mine used as well). However, it was short lived as it wasn't the root cause for my particular case. As the car relearned, it came back a short time later. Ultimately I think it ended up being dirty injectors or crap in the fuel system. I did a couple of iterations of redline injector cleaner and it really made things a lot smoother. However, that said, I have a lot of other variables (as you can see by my sig). So this may or may not help with your situation. Not sure why it initially improved it either...kind of wierd, might of had to do with timing drops and less aggressive shifts during the adaption process...
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      02-27-2013, 02:01 AM   #7
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OP what size of the wheels you are running ? Is it rough when oil is cold?
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      02-27-2013, 06:42 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ReCovery View Post
Also, my car is about 36k miles on it, what is the time interval to change transmission fluids?

BMW says the trans fluid is Lifetime. The people who make the trans for BMW (ZF) say the fluid SHOULD be changed every 80K kms.

IF you change the fluid... only use an approved ZF fluid and I would also replace the trans filter inside the AT pan. You will also need a AT pan gasket and new bolts.

These guys make some nice ZF servicing kits. You just need to know which ZF trans you have(you can look on the AT trans pan area).

http://www.thectsc.com/index.php?p=c...parent=61&pg=1


New AT fluid will make the trans shift smoother. I would also say you should check your electrical system. A bad alternator or battery can make the trans do strange things. Use a simply Volt/Ohm meter and check the standing battery voltage at the battery. It should be at least 12.8 volts with the engine off, and at least 13.4 volts with the engine running. Also check for AC voltage across the battery with the engine running... you should have less than +1ACvolts. AC at the battery indicates a bad alternator.

Dack
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      02-27-2013, 12:15 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RimasRS View Post
OP what size of the wheels you are running ? Is it rough when oil is cold?
I'm running stock wheels and tires, and yes, it's especially noticeable during cold mornings (I park my car outside most of the time since the garage is taken )
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      02-27-2013, 12:16 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
BMW says the trans fluid is Lifetime. The people who make the trans for BMW (ZF) say the fluid SHOULD be changed every 80K kms.

IF you change the fluid... only use an approved ZF fluid and I would also replace the trans filter inside the AT pan. You will also need a AT pan gasket and new bolts.

These guys make some nice ZF servicing kits. You just need to know which ZF trans you have(you can look on the AT trans pan area).

http://www.thectsc.com/index.php?p=c...parent=61&pg=1


New AT fluid will make the trans shift smoother. I would also say you should check your electrical system. A bad alternator or battery can make the trans do strange things. Use a simply Volt/Ohm meter and check the standing battery voltage at the battery. It should be at least 12.8 volts with the engine off, and at least 13.4 volts with the engine running. Also check for AC voltage across the battery with the engine running... you should have less than +1ACvolts. AC at the battery indicates a bad alternator.

Dack
thank you, sir!
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      02-27-2013, 12:19 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JuuS View Post
Are you driving in DS mode? DS mode's shifts are jerky and aggressive if you are using it with very little gas. There's really no need to hang in a higher gear if you are just driving Miss Daisy in traffic. If you are just barely making it to 3k rpm for the upshift, it is indeed clunky in DS mode.
Well, in regular D mode, its during the low RPM's that are a little jerky, it's really not that serious, but it started to bother me after i drove the newer cars (X3, X5).

I agree, in DS Mode it is clunky if just driving around the city.
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      04-11-2014, 08:21 AM   #12
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ReCovery, did you get the issue solved?

I too have noticed that on cold mornings, my 2008 128i shifts from 1 to 2 to 3 are clunky.

I have about 110,000km and bought 4 years used. I haven't done a transmission fluid/pan/filter change as yet though I am planning to. I have also ordered new spark plugs and am wondering if changing them will also result in better shifting.

Curious to know if you solved your problem, and if so, how.

Thanks!
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      04-11-2014, 11:02 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TPithawala View Post
ReCovery, did you get the issue solved?

I too have noticed that on cold mornings, my 2008 128i shifts from 1 to 2 to 3 are clunky.

I have about 110,000km and bought 4 years used. I haven't done a transmission fluid/pan/filter change as yet though I am planning to. I have also ordered new spark plugs and am wondering if changing them will also result in better shifting.

Curious to know if you solved your problem, and if so, how.

Thanks!
hi there,

i got spark plugs/oil change/fuel injectors changed under warranty about a month after i posted this, everything is good now.

hopefully if you get the service done, everything turns out for the best!
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      04-29-2014, 02:13 PM   #14
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My '11 E90 has hard shifts too... really bothered me. I took it to the dealer twice and they couldn't find anything. Finally, last week, I took it in again and the service manager rode in the car with me. Not only did the transmission shift hard, but a few times we heard a clunking sound during the downshift from 2nd to 1st. Car has been at the dealership for 5 days and they called to tell me that BMW has authorized the replacement of my transmission. Good thing too, only 1,800 miles left on the factory warranty.
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      05-12-2015, 11:35 PM   #15
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Hi All,

I started to experience the same problems in my 2008 135i with ~75000kms.

Recently I have had the following work done at my local indie who specializes in BMWs (out of warranty mind you!):

- CAM O-ring seal replacement to fix VANOS faults
- HPFP replacement
- New spark plugs
- Full auto transmission service - pan, filter, fluid replacement

I was hoping the fluid change and spark plugs would fix my issue however it is definitely still rough to shift in low gears most noticeable at low RPM. Sometimes it will hold 1st for a very unnecessary length of time (~3k RPM) with minimal throttle input.

Has anyone looked into this issue further? Could my fluid level be low after the refill? I have read that some people needed to top it up after a week or so.

I'm worried that this issue will lead to a bigger problem like injector problems so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Jack
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      05-13-2015, 03:08 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jack.gibson View Post
Hi All,

I started to experience the same problems in my 2008 135i with ~75000kms.

Recently I have had the following work done at my local indie who specializes in BMWs (out of warranty mind you!):

- CAM O-ring seal replacement to fix VANOS faults
- HPFP replacement
- New spark plugs
- Full auto transmission service - pan, filter, fluid replacement

I was hoping the fluid change and spark plugs would fix my issue however it is definitely still rough to shift in low gears most noticeable at low RPM. Sometimes it will hold 1st for a very unnecessary length of time (~3k RPM) with minimal throttle input.

Has anyone looked into this issue further? Could my fluid level be low after the refill? I have read that some people needed to top it up after a week or so.

I'm worried that this issue will lead to a bigger problem like injector problems so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Jack
Fluid level IS critical in automatic trans. Also... having the latest SW is also a good idea. Most dealers will do a SW update for one or two hour's labor rate fee.

What kind of trans fluid did you shop use? Using the correct BMW fluid is also critical to how the trans will shift. Its also very hard to get the proper amount of fluid back into the trans. The trans(and tq convertor) hold 13 liters. Just the trans hold something like 9 liters. The BMW fluid is not cheap. I would order some Lifeguard fluid my that trans shop in Cali that I posted above.

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      05-13-2015, 08:40 PM   #17
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Thanks Dackel,

I'll have to take the car back to the shop to check the levels. While its there I'll get him to check the SW version as well. Any idea what the latest version number is?

He is a very well known indie for BMWs locally so I cant imagine he would have used any dodgy fluid brands.

Strangely it seemed fine this morning when I drove to work.

I let you know how it goes.

Cheers,
Jack
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      06-18-2015, 03:37 AM   #18
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Post Software Update

Hi guys,

Quick update.

I took the car back to the mechanic who reassured me that the fluid used was a high quality OEM and hasn't given him any issues in other 1 series autos. He comes highly recommended so I don't think he would stuff around when it comes to this.

He also checked the injectors but was unable to find any faults. I still find that the engine is a little rough idle on a cold start.

There was a fuel pump ECU upgrade along with a few others so he flashed the firmware to the latest version.

I drove the car to work for the first time this morning and I would say the shifting was worse than ever, particularly in 1st > 2nd. Its no longer slow/lagging but much more violent and noticeably louder. Should I be concerned by this? Has anyone else experienced this after a firmware upgrade?

Thanks & Regards,
Jack
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      06-28-2015, 08:01 PM   #19
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Strangely enough the ECU software update appears to have fixed the issue. After some initial rough shifting it seems to have settled and now performs better than ever. I'm not sure what the initial cause for this was but there was a update to the fuel pump which was just replaced so perhaps that wasn't running in spec and causing drops in power during a shift.
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      11-02-2017, 06:06 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Satalite View Post
The car adjusts to the driver's way of driving. If you bought used I would run a quick throttle reset and see if that helps...

1) Push the key in the ignition without foot on break.
2) Press the ignition button to get AUX Power
3) Press and hold the accelerator all the way to the floor for 20-30 seconds
4) Turn off power
I recently purchased a 2011 135i and noticed the same issue. I was so used to my F30 shifting smoothly, especially when coming to a complete stop that I was starting to wonder that something was wrong with 135i's transmission. Yesterday I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on 101 and once i clear the traffic jam and came to a complete stop at a next traffic light, car did not quite jerk or lurch, but something was going on in AT and it was more noticeable.

I did just the above, + waited 2 min after reset to start the engine and it sure helped. I read on bimmerpost forums that it resets AT actuator, or something like that, but not a throttle reset.

Shifting is much smoother now and AT does not jerk when coming to a stop, or at least it's not that noticable.
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