A Fix for the N55 with DCT Stalling, Surging, & Lurching Problems.

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

My N55 with DCT has 22K miles. It is bone stock. I have never used the paddles or sport mode an indication of my driving habits.

Since I've had it, several problems have emerged and gotten progressively worse. The first was the engine surging, RPM bouncing around, while crawling along in traffic. The next was the engine stalling while idiling or crawling along in traffic. The third was the car lurching forward from a stop. This was especially annoying requiring very careful modulation of the pressure on the gas pedal to prevent. The final issue was starting off from a stop with the DCT shifting up a couple of gears then stopping getting a loud clunk as it dropped into 1st gear.

So I took it to the dealer Tuesday and discussed the problems with a technician. I also showed him the SIBs mentioned on the forum regarding the issues. His solution was to reprogram or reboot all the electronics. He hooked his computer up to the OBD port and began around 2PM Tuesday. The download was finished Wednesday around noon!

So did it work? Boy did it ever. It is a totally different car with a remarkable boost in performance. It accelerates and shifts like it has an additional 50 HP! The surging and stalling has disappeared and so has the clunk!

I wish I could say exactly what was done or what program the technician initiated. He did say that how long the programming would take was unpredictable. The program goes through all the electronic modules in the cars checking them out and updating where necessary.

We'll see how long this remedy will last!

[VRG_135]

Originally Posted by Mr Rooty Von Tooty

My N55 with DCT has 22K miles. It is bone stock. I have never used the paddles or sport mode an indication of my driving habits.

Since I've had it, several problems have emerged and gotten progressively worse. The first was the engine surging, RPM bouncing around, while crawling along in traffic. The next was the engine stalling while idiling or crawling along in traffic. The third was the car lurching forward from a stop. This was especially annoying requiring very careful modulation of the pressure on the gas pedal to prevent. The final issue was starting off from a stop with the DCT shifting up a couple of gears then stopping getting a loud clunk as it dropped into 1st gear.

So I took it to the dealer Tuesday and discussed the problems with a technician. I also showed him the SIBs mentioned on the forum regarding the issues. His solution was to reprogram or reboot all the electronics. He hooked his computer up to the OBD port and began around 2PM Tuesday. The download was finished Wednesday around noon!

So did it work? Boy did it ever. It is a totally different car with a remarkable boost in performance. It accelerates and shifts like it has an additional 50 HP! The surging and stalling has disappeared and so has the clunk!

I wish I could say exactly what was done or what program the technician initiated. He did say that how long the programming would take was unpredictable. The program goes through all the electronic modules in the cars checking them out and updating where necessary.

We'll see how long this remedy will last!

I hope I get the same results. Was this covered by your extended warranty?

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

Originally Posted by VRG_135

I hope I get the same results. Was this covered by your extended warranty?

I'm still under the factory warranty.

[Aetherspark]

So glad that you had good success with the update.

My DCT '11 135i has been intermittently suffering from all these issue and there was a lurch/surge and stall issue last week that put both my son and I in some serious danger.

Made an appointment to drop it off first thing tomorrow morning and I will bring up SIB 12 09 12, for searching I didn't really see another, is there anything else I should bring up bulletin wise?

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Aetherspark

So glad that you had good success with the update.

My DCT '11 135i has been intermittently suffering from all these issue and there was a lurch/surge and stall issue last week that put both my son and I in some serious danger.

Made an appointment to drop it off first thing tomorrow morning and I will bring up SIB 12 09 12, for searching I didn't really see another, is there anything else I should bring up bulletin wise?

There is SIB 12-15-14 for throttle lag, idle fluctuation and lurching forward issues.

[HyeWarrior]

Shit it takes that long to do the update

[The Wind Breezes]

Wait, you only operate in D? Why do you have a 135??

[koastal]

The car learned how you drive, and it changed its behaviour accordingly

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

Originally Posted by Esteban

There is SIB 12-15-14 for throttle lag, idle fluctuation and lurching forward issues.

Yes I mentioned it to the technician, and he knew about it and acted upon it.

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

Originally Posted by The Wind Breezes

Wait, you only operate in D? Why do you have a 135??

Why are you alive? You sound brainless!

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

Originally Posted by koastal

The car learned how you drive, and it changed its behaviour accordingly

Transmissions or cars have behavior? You sound more dense than a rock!

[Esteban]

PPK has also been known to help some folks with these issues.

[koastal]

Originally Posted by Mr Rooty Von Tooty

Transmissions or cars have behavior? You sound more dense than a rock!

Best solution would be to trade it for a prius. Whatever you do please dont buy a M2

As M2 numbers are somewhat limited, it would be terrible to see it wasted on someone with your driving habits and you would be robbing a more deserving owner atm.

Also please work on you comeback insults as you are excelling at lame so far.

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

Originally Posted by koastal

Best solution would be to trade it for a prius. Whatever you do please dont buy a M2

As M2 numbers are somewhat limited, it would be terrible to see it wasted on someone with your driving habits and you would be robbing a more deserving owner atm.

Also please work on you comeback insults as you are excelling at lame so far.

My comments are not only appropriate for your fatuous comments but more than good enough.

[Aetherspark]

Ok so I have driven the car for about a week after they did the software update last Friday and I have to say it is incredibly nice to be able to drive in stop and go I95/DC Metro area traffic without the fear of the car stalling out or jerking me around.

That being said there does seem to be at least some very, very minimal performance dip outside of Sport mode while in regular drive, and start up seems muted compared to what it was before.

Peace of mind is worth it though, and if you are using sport and paddles like you should be there is no problem!

Thanks again for leading me in the right direction.

[Hankdoll]

SIB 12-15-14 only lasted me a few weeks until the lag came back. Good luck everybody.

[HyeWarrior]

Originally Posted by Aetherspark

Ok so I have driven the car for about a week after they did the software update last Friday and I have to say it is incredibly nice to be able to drive in stop and go I95/DC Metro area traffic without the fear of the car stalling out or jerking me around.

That being said there does seem to be at least some very, very minimal performance dip outside of Sport mode while in regular drive, and start up seems muted compared to what it was before.

Peace of mind is worth it though, and if you are using sport and paddles like you should be there is no problem!

Thanks again for leading me in the right direction.

Which SIB updates did you have done?

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

Well I'm reporting back my results after BMW updated the software.

First I have a bone to pick with people who complain about something and never tell us if they got it fixed or not. Well I don't want to be accused of that, so I'll tell you how things are going.

The fix worked just fine. The car is much more drivable, and the MPG have increased slightly. The issues with stalling and lurching are gone. The power delivery seems much smoother which I believe is due to the turbo functioning better over the RPM range. I'm not familiar with how turbo equipped engine should perform, so I'm at a loss to explain it technically. On the previous tune, it seemed that boost came on too strongly and quickly.

The car is just as fast as ever, and I still enjoy putting my foot in it when I see a cop free open stretch of highway. Incidentally, I still encounter drivers who hate BMWs. When I roar past them and then slow down, they show their hatred of me by waddling past me as fast as they can in their Honda, Lexus, or other Jap tin can!

Life is sweet!

[alias747]

Originally Posted by Mr Rooty Von Tooty

Yes I mentioned it to the technician, and he knew about it and acted upon it.

I had that same SIB done to my car last summer and it worked for about 2 days and everything went back to annoyingville again. This throttle is so unpredictable it's maddening. My SA keeps trying to tell me that it is the nature of the DCT but it's not the shifting that's the issue. Even when I am on the highway cruising, there is a significant lag when pushing the gas pedal and to when the throttle reacts, and it can vary greatly. So that has nothing to do with changing gears... So you add that to the rather clunky nature the DCT has at low speeds alraedy, that's why this can be such an annoying car to drive!

[alias747]

Originally Posted by Hankdoll

SIB 12-15-14 only lasted me a few weeks until the lag came back. Good luck everybody.

Yep, same here. I'm seriously thinking about shelling out the cash to get the PPK. Did you try that? Seems the results most people say help fix it most of the way. But there are others that say it didn't do much of anything.

How can there be such a large amount of people with the same issue and BMW doesn't even act like it's an issue? How do they release a software upgrade specifically for the problem and it doesn't actually fix it?

:mega frustrated:

[Hankdoll]

Originally Posted by alias747

Yep, same here. I'm seriously thinking about shelling out the cash to get the PPK. Did you try that? Seems the results most people say help fix it most of the way. But there are others that say it didn't do much of anything.

How can there be such a large amount of people with the same issue and BMW doesn't even act like it's an issue? How do they release a software upgrade specifically for the problem and it doesn't actually fix it?

:mega frustrated:

I have a 135is, so I have the PPK. Last time I was at the dealer my SA acknowledged the problem saying the lag has been a frequent complaint for years and there will never be a remedy. Bummer.

[VRG_135]

Originally Posted by Hankdoll

SIB 12-15-14 only lasted me a few weeks until the lag came back. Good luck everybody.

Had the same fix, going on 3 weeks and everything is great.......