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      04-23-2020, 04:35 PM   #1
tehrui
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First Gear Issue - Transmission Replacement

My first gear appears to be shot as it is constantly popping out of gear. Had the dealer take a look early on when it happened less often and was told the transmission is on its way out and was quoted a hefty price to replace it.

Lately its gotten worse and worse. I've located a replacement transmission online with low miles (~40k) and have a local shop that can do the work.

While I am replacing the transmission I plan to do the clutch as well since it, too, is on its way (car has ~120k miles). I was told I should do the flywheel as well. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should go with? OE replacement? Aftermarket? Also, anything else I should get done while the transmission is out?

Vehicle is a 2009 128i (N51)

Thanks in advance!
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      04-23-2020, 09:48 PM   #2
asbrr
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tehrui View Post
My first gear appears to be shot as it is constantly popping out of gear. Had the dealer take a look early on when it happened less often and was told the transmission is on its way out and was quoted a hefty price to replace it.

Lately its gotten worse and worse. I've located a replacement transmission online with low miles (~40k) and have a local shop that can do the work.

While I am replacing the transmission I plan to do the clutch as well since it, too, is on its way (car has ~120k miles). I was told I should do the flywheel as well. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should go with? OE replacement? Aftermarket? Also, anything else I should get done while the transmission is out?

Vehicle is a 2009 128i (N51)

Thanks in advance!
Take a look at the Valeo single mass flywheel & clutch package. Very good price for a new clutch/flywheel combo, same characteristics as stock, more reliable/longer lasting because of the single mass flywheel design. It will however be a bit noisier (more gear lash noise).

You can upgrade your transmission mounts for relatively cheap also - either M3 or Rogue Engineering rubber transmission mounts for example.

Last but not least, rebuild the full shifter mechanism, including uprated bracket bushings, upgrade to a DSSR maybe, shifter bushings, coupler etc etc.
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      04-25-2020, 10:22 PM   #3
blackberryq10android
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Quote:
Originally Posted by asbrr View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by tehrui View Post
My first gear appears to be shot as it is constantly popping out of gear. Had the dealer take a look early on when it happened less often and was told the transmission is on its way out and was quoted a hefty price to replace it.

Lately its gotten worse and worse. I've located a replacement transmission online with low miles (~40k) and have a local shop that can do the work.

While I am replacing the transmission I plan to do the clutch as well since it, too, is on its way (car has ~120k miles). I was told I should do the flywheel as well. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should go with? OE replacement? Aftermarket? Also, anything else I should get done while the transmission is out?

Vehicle is a 2009 128i (N51)

Thanks in advance!
Take a look at the Valeo single mass flywheel & clutch package. Very good price for a new clutch/flywheel combo, same characteristics as stock, more reliable/longer lasting because of the single mass flywheel design. It will however be a bit noisier (more gear lash noise).

You can upgrade your transmission mounts for relatively cheap also - either M3 or Rogue Engineering rubber transmission mounts for example.

Last but not least, rebuild the full shifter mechanism, including uprated bracket bushings, upgrade to a DSSR maybe, shifter bushings, coupler etc etc.
Dunno if it is worth the cost to do all of that especially if your car has 120k miles and car net worth is 8k-9k at most. With all that work be 5-6k or more.

I would just keep driving it until it can't drive anymore and deal with the transmission until that happens or find a good deal....shop around, a repair shop would love to do a transmission work in this economy, see if you can get a reasonable price.
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      04-26-2020, 02:39 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackberryq10android View Post
Dunno if it is worth the cost to do all of that especially if your car has 120k miles and car net worth is 8k-9k at most. With all that work be 5-6k or more.

I would just keep driving it until it can't drive anymore and deal with the transmission until that happens or find a good deal....shop around, a repair shop would love to do a transmission work in this economy, see if you can get a reasonable price.
Fair enough - the valeo kit is still a valid replacement for OEM. The shifter stuff can be all stock bits to rebuild the mechanism, doesn't have to be upgraded stuff and it will still feel a lot better. The stock bits are like $50 -$75 in parts depending on what you replace. Labour would be almost nothing compared to the clutch itself.

Last but not least you can swap out the CDV for a high flow / punched out model or eliminated entirely.

These are all well understood "upgrades" that you'd be getting for very small incremental spend.

The assumption is OP is willing to put the money into the car since he's talking about swapping the transmission and clutch....that cost alone is probalby going to be close to the value of the car as it stands.
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      04-27-2020, 10:48 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by asbrr View Post
Fair enough - the valeo kit is still a valid replacement for OEM. The shifter stuff can be all stock bits to rebuild the mechanism, doesn't have to be upgraded stuff and it will still feel a lot better. The stock bits are like $50 -$75 in parts depending on what you replace. Labour would be almost nothing compared to the clutch itself.

Last but not least you can swap out the CDV for a high flow / punched out model or eliminated entirely.

These are all well understood "upgrades" that you'd be getting for very small incremental spend.

The assumption is OP is willing to put the money into the car since he's talking about swapping the transmission and clutch....that cost alone is probalby going to be close to the value of the car as it stands.
Thanks for the insight. I've budgeted everything out to be +/- $3k including parts and labor. Although the net value of the car might be $8-9k the car is solid and there is not much else I can do for $3k other than put a down payment on something and get stuck with monthly payments.

Can you elaborate on what CDV is? Pardon my ignorance.
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      04-27-2020, 10:56 AM   #6
Goodmanfue
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tehrui View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by asbrr View Post
Fair enough - the valeo kit is still a valid replacement for OEM. The shifter stuff can be all stock bits to rebuild the mechanism, doesn't have to be upgraded stuff and it will still feel a lot better. The stock bits are like $50 -$75 in parts depending on what you replace. Labour would be almost nothing compared to the clutch itself.

Last but not least you can swap out the CDV for a high flow / punched out model or eliminated entirely.

These are all well understood "upgrades" that you'd be getting for very small incremental spend.

The assumption is OP is willing to put the money into the car since he's talking about swapping the transmission and clutch....that cost alone is probalby going to be close to the value of the car as it stands.
Thanks for the insight. I've budgeted everything out to be +/- $3k including parts and labor. Although the net value of the car might be $8-9k the car is solid and there is not much else I can do for $3k other than put a down payment on something and get stuck with monthly payments.

Can you elaborate on what CDV is? Pardon my ignorance.
It's the Clutch Delay Valve. Per Wikipedia: "A clutch delay valve is an automotive component added to the clutch system of an automobile to standardize clutch engagement speed. Its purpose is to engage the drive train of an automobile without introducing shock to the drive train components by engaging too quickly. By preventing drive train shock, CDVs also prevent an automobile's balance from being upset, which aids in handling characteristics."
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      04-27-2020, 10:30 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tehrui View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by asbrr View Post
Fair enough - the valeo kit is still a valid replacement for OEM. The shifter stuff can be all stock bits to rebuild the mechanism, doesn't have to be upgraded stuff and it will still feel a lot better. The stock bits are like $50 -$75 in parts depending on what you replace. Labour would be almost nothing compared to the clutch itself.

Last but not least you can swap out the CDV for a high flow / punched out model or eliminated entirely.

These are all well understood "upgrades" that you'd be getting for very small incremental spend.

The assumption is OP is willing to put the money into the car since he's talking about swapping the transmission and clutch....that cost alone is probalby going to be close to the value of the car as it stands.
Thanks for the insight. I've budgeted everything out to be +/- $3k including parts and labor. Although the net value of the car might be $8-9k the car is solid and there is not much else I can do for $3k other than put a down payment on something and get stuck with monthly payments.

Can you elaborate on what CDV is? Pardon my ignorance.
Where on earth N51 128i with 120k worth 8k or 9k, tell me, so I can sell mine
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      04-28-2020, 09:10 AM   #8
tehrui
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 128ibro View Post
Where on earth N51 128i with 120k worth 8k or 9k, tell me, so I can sell mine
From my research a well equipped 128i holds its value pretty well, not sure that it that applies to convertibles.
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      04-28-2020, 11:36 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 128ibro View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by tehrui View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by asbrr View Post
Fair enough - the valeo kit is still a valid replacement for OEM. The shifter stuff can be all stock bits to rebuild the mechanism, doesn't have to be upgraded stuff and it will still feel a lot better. The stock bits are like $50 -$75 in parts depending on what you replace. Labour would be almost nothing compared to the clutch itself.

Last but not least you can swap out the CDV for a high flow / punched out model or eliminated entirely.

These are all well understood "upgrades" that you'd be getting for very small incremental spend.

The assumption is OP is willing to put the money into the car since he's talking about swapping the transmission and clutch....that cost alone is probalby going to be close to the value of the car as it stands.
Thanks for the insight. I've budgeted everything out to be +/- $3k including parts and labor. Although the net value of the car might be $8-9k the car is solid and there is not much else I can do for $3k other than put a down payment on something and get stuck with monthly payments.

Can you elaborate on what CDV is? Pardon my ignorance.
Where on earth N51 128i with 120k worth 8k or 9k, tell me, so I can sell mine
Probably right that I was too generous in that assessment, probably shouldn't have been that generous due to this recession now.
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      04-29-2020, 08:02 PM   #10
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2009 BMW 128i  [9.80]
Quote:
Originally Posted by 128ibro View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by tehrui View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by asbrr View Post
Fair enough - the valeo kit is still a valid replacement for OEM. The shifter stuff can be all stock bits to rebuild the mechanism, doesn't have to be upgraded stuff and it will still feel a lot better. The stock bits are like $50 -$75 in parts depending on what you replace. Labour would be almost nothing compared to the clutch itself.

Last but not least you can swap out the CDV for a high flow / punched out model or eliminated entirely.

These are all well understood "upgrades" that you'd be getting for very small incremental spend.

The assumption is OP is willing to put the money into the car since he's talking about swapping the transmission and clutch....that cost alone is probalby going to be close to the value of the car as it stands.
Thanks for the insight. I've budgeted everything out to be +/- $3k including parts and labor. Although the net value of the car might be $8-9k the car is solid and there is not much else I can do for $3k other than put a down payment on something and get stuck with monthly payments.

Can you elaborate on what CDV is? Pardon my ignorance.
Where on earth N51 128i with 120k worth 8k or 9k, tell me, so I can sell mine
8k doesn't sound outrageous
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      05-03-2020, 05:30 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 128ibro View Post
Where on earth N51 128i with 120k worth 8k or 9k, tell me, so I can sell mine
6MT bro. A sport package 6MT 128i with good maintnenece will pull a pretty solid price. No one wants an auto 128i.

But really, I thought you were keeping this for 30-40 years?
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      08-06-2020, 03:00 PM   #12
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Quick update:

Went ahead and got the transmission replaced. Found a used one with 36k miles on it for $900 bucks delivered to the shop. Ended up going with the Valeo Single Mass conversion kit (includes clutch + flywheel). Upgraded the transmission mounts to the M3 mounts as well.

While I had it in the shop also had them do: Oil pan gasket, Oil filter housing gasket, accessory belt, M3 control arms in the front along with new tie rods and sway bar end links, coolant flush, power steering flush, brake flush.

Before all this I had replaced the pads and rotors with Stop Tech cross drilled rotors and picked up a OEM Performance Exhaust. Feels like a brand new car! Transmission mounts and M3 control arms made a huge difference in the feel of the car. A little bit of chatter with the Valeo kit but still breaking everything in.
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      08-06-2020, 05:25 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tehrui View Post
Quick update:

Went ahead and got the transmission replaced. Found a used one with 36k miles on it for $900 bucks delivered to the shop. Ended up going with the Valeo Single Mass conversion kit (includes clutch + flywheel). Upgraded the transmission mounts to the M3 mounts as well.

While I had it in the shop also had them do: Oil pan gasket, Oil filter housing gasket, accessory belt, M3 control arms in the front along with new tie rods and sway bar end links, coolant flush, power steering flush, brake flush.

Before all this I had replaced the pads and rotors with Stop Tech cross drilled rotors and picked up a OEM Performance Exhaust. Feels like a brand new car! Transmission mounts and M3 control arms made a huge difference in the feel of the car. A little bit of chatter with the Valeo kit but still breaking everything in.
Keep us updated on the Valeo. Does the chatter get worse or better with age? I'm planning to replace my DMF with the Valeo kit in the next year or so.
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      08-07-2020, 09:49 AM   #14
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tehrui great update! Will need to do the clutch in the next year likely as well
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      08-09-2020, 02:33 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tehrui View Post
Quick update:

Went ahead and got the transmission replaced. Found a used one with 36k miles on it for $900 bucks delivered to the shop. Ended up going with the Valeo Single Mass conversion kit (includes clutch + flywheel). Upgraded the transmission mounts to the M3 mounts as well.

While I had it in the shop also had them do: Oil pan gasket, Oil filter housing gasket, accessory belt, M3 control arms in the front along with new tie rods and sway bar end links, coolant flush, power steering flush, brake flush.

Before all this I had replaced the pads and rotors with Stop Tech cross drilled rotors and picked up a OEM Performance Exhaust. Feels like a brand new car! Transmission mounts and M3 control arms made a huge difference in the feel of the car. A little bit of chatter with the Valeo kit but still breaking everything in.
Good for you. They're not making anything like this any more. Fun, manual trans., rwd , N/A straight 6 cars are history. And you've got one.
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