E93 330i Manual 6th gear gone

Tr1ppy · 10-16-2015, 08:16 AM

Hi all,
First I'd like to extend a big thanks to the support this forum has!

Now the problem I have is that I seem to have cocked up the 6th gear in my 2008 E93 330i manual.

It is my mistake as I was accelerating in 5th and then I shifted into 6th, however I mustn't have had the clutch in fully whilst shifting and hence got a fairly loud "grating" noise from the gearbox when trying to engage 6th.

The car wouldnt take 6th so I put it back into 5th and carried on. I then tried again (carefully) and whilst I was able to put in 6th gear with the clutch down, it "popped" out of 6th back into neutral when I lifted the clutch up.

So basically my 6th gear is gone.

Can anyone please recommend me a good gearbox reconditioning place, or would it be best to fit a new (or used) gearbox? I don't fancy paying over £2k for a brand new unit.

Thanks in advance for any help.

lifeofjono · 10-16-2015, 09:45 AM

I presume you don't have a warranty?

just had my gearbox replaced, can confirm at main dealers would cost £3.9k for gearbox replacement. gearbox alone £2.6k

so probs best getting a reconditioned or possible finding one from a breakers.

what is your mileage at? might be worthwhile considering getting a warranty, you can't claim for first month but maybe waiting 2 months then claiming on it as to not seem suspect, it wouldn't have thrown a code i would've thought so theres no way they could say it was pre-existing and depending on your drives its still possible to get by without 6th gear, may not get as good mpg but if it saves you a fair bit of £ in the overall.

IanS100 · 10-16-2015, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lifeofjono

it wouldn't have thrown a code i would've thought so theres no way they could say it was pre-existing and depending on your drives its still possible to get by without 6th gear, may not get as good mpg but if it saves you a fair bit of £ in the overall.

Unless they check this forum, then he'll have a missing 6th gear & a fraud charge to answer!

lifeofjono · 10-16-2015, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IanS100

Unless they check this forum, then he'll have a missing 6th gear & a fraud charge to answer!

possible! but highly unlikely

I highly doubt they would find this post if its 2 months old by then and put it together with the owners car i wouldn't imagine they are that thorough.

plus simple delete post removes evidence. simples

djgandy · 10-16-2015, 10:11 AM

As already has been said, hypothetically, you could get the warranty, park it up for a month and a bit, then claim.

Hypothetically of course...

I think you can also delete threads.

surrey 335i · 10-17-2015, 12:50 PM

Where are you located?
I use Rims engineering in Teddington for gearbox work, small family firm good quality work and very reasonable prices. Tel 0208 977 9891.

Tr1ppy · 10-19-2015, 11:45 AM

Hey everyone, huge thanks for the replies. Somehow, the problem has just disappeared; I have been driving with 5 gears for a couple of days but today I decided to try 6th, and it just went in and stayed there!!

It was a bit difficult getting it into the gear but once it was in, it was fine. A bit stiff coming out of 6th and into 5th but a few tries of this has "loosened" it a little.

So now it feels like how it was a before. Absolutely no idea why it was having a fit last week. Maybe I temporarily messed up the 6th gear synchro and not the gear itself.

I will deffo do a gearbox oil change though, to prolong its life and hopefully to stop it happening again. Oh, and I'll be patient, and precise with my shifts!

I dont have a warranty and its a 2008 car with 66k miles.
I'm based in Manchester but work in Preston.

I had considered the warranty thing but I'm not sure if I was able to take one out with the damage, (don't they test drive the car?).

Again thanks for the support. I'll let you guys know if I have any more problems and also what differences the oil change has. Has anyone done a manual gearbox oil change before? Does it make the shifts smoother?

Aragorn30d · 10-19-2015, 12:27 PM

You'll have created a burr on the selector hub, which the teeth on the selector would have been getting stuck on. Luckily it sounds like the burr has cleaned up with the engagement of the gear.

The synchros job is to get 6th gear spinning at the same speed as the output shaft, at which point the selector hub slides across and locks 6th onto the shaft. Your bad shift meant the synchro was unable to do its job, meaning the hub has been doing a significantly different speed to the shaft so when the hub moves over the teeth just mash together.

Thermobaric · 10-19-2015, 01:05 PM

Maybe think about getting a warranty. They don't drive the car. As long as it has been serviced in accordance with BMW's schedule and used BMW spec parts it will be eligible.

I don't know about other companies but a fully comp BMW warranty would cost you £55 a month with a £250 excess.

Tr1ppy · 10-21-2015, 05:55 AM

Thanks for the explanation Aragorn30d, it does sound like a selector issue I had but hopefully it has gone for good.

Perhaps a gearbox oil change will help prolong the life of the gearbox.

I dont think I'll be able to get a BMW warranty I'm afraid, as I have already used a BMW specialist for an oil service a few months ago. In my eyes, sopecialists like these can do the same, if not a better job, but charge much less for the privilege.

Maybe I can get an aftermarket warranty such as WarrantyWise but I'll have to look into that.

Can anyone recommend a decent gerabox oil to use, that may improve shift smoothness, or shall I stick to standard BMW stuff?
Thanks

djgandy · 10-21-2015, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tr1ppy

Thanks for the explanation Aragorn30d, it does sound like a selector issue I had but hopefully it has gone for good.

Perhaps a gearbox oil change will help prolong the life of the gearbox.

I dont think I'll be able to get a BMW warranty I'm afraid, as I have already used a BMW specialist for an oil service a few months ago. In my eyes, sopecialists like these can do the same, if not a better job, but charge much less for the privilege.

Maybe I can get an aftermarket warranty such as WarrantyWise but I'll have to look into that.

Can anyone recommend a decent gerabox oil to use, that may improve shift smoothness, or shall I stick to standard BMW stuff?
Thanks

BMW warranty does not enforce use of BMW servicing.

Tr1ppy · 10-21-2015, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djgandy

BMW warranty does not enforce use of BMW servicing.

Ah right, didn't know this, thanks I'll look into a BMW Warranty then

ahmedb · 10-22-2015, 04:05 AM

What must I do to keep the Warranty valid?

1. a) Care of the Vehicle - You must keep Your Vehicle in an efficient and road worthy condition and regularly service it in accordance with the Manufacturer’s recommendations and genuine parts, or parts of equivalent specification must be used.
b) After each service, please ensure that the relevant service details are completed
in your service records by the servicing garage and obtain a receipt for the service. You must keep all such receipts for reference in the event of a claim.

lifeofjono · 10-22-2015, 09:55 AM

pretty much what you've stated, keep the car in good running order basically, make sure you get invoices for any services/ work done on it as when you make a claim they will request these.

check that the previous servicing intervals/mileage is done in line with bmw recommendation too.

mine did have a 3-4 years gap after its first service but didn't go above the 12,000 ( i think?) recommended mileage and they didn't say anything. The first owner hardly drove it. Its had an engine flush and several major services since though so all fine engine wise.

10-16-2015, 08:16 AM	#1
Tr1ppy Second Lieutenant 36 Rep 278 Posts Drives: E93 330i M Sport Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: North West, UK iTrader: (0)	E93 330i Manual 6th gear gone Hi all, First I'd like to extend a big thanks to the support this forum has! Now the problem I have is that I seem to have cocked up the 6th gear in my 2008 E93 330i manual. It is my mistake as I was accelerating in 5th and then I shifted into 6th, however I mustn't have had the clutch in fully whilst shifting and hence got a fairly loud "grating" noise from the gearbox when trying to engage 6th. The car wouldnt take 6th so I put it back into 5th and carried on. I then tried again (carefully) and whilst I was able to put in 6th gear with the clutch down, it "popped" out of 6th back into neutral when I lifted the clutch up. So basically my 6th gear is gone. Can anyone please recommend me a good gearbox reconditioning place, or would it be best to fit a new (or used) gearbox? I don't fancy paying over £2k for a brand new unit. Thanks in advance for any help.
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

10-16-2015, 09:45 AM	#2
lifeofjono Private 2 Rep 63 Posts Drives: F30 2012 Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: London iTrader: (0)	I presume you don't have a warranty? just had my gearbox replaced, can confirm at main dealers would cost £3.9k for gearbox replacement. gearbox alone £2.6k so probs best getting a reconditioned or possible finding one from a breakers. what is your mileage at? might be worthwhile considering getting a warranty, you can't claim for first month but maybe waiting 2 months then claiming on it as to not seem suspect, it wouldn't have thrown a code i would've thought so theres no way they could say it was pre-existing and depending on your drives its still possible to get by without 6th gear, may not get as good mpg but if it saves you a fair bit of £ in the overall.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-16-2015, 10:11 AM	#5
djgandy Colonel 146 Rep 2,337 Posts Drives: E93 M3 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: London iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 M3 [0.00]	As already has been said, hypothetically, you could get the warranty, park it up for a month and a bit, then claim. Hypothetically of course... I think you can also delete threads.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-17-2015, 12:50 PM	#6
surrey 335i Lieutenant 22 Rep 451 Posts Drives: 335i E91 sport, 123d + others Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: surrey iTrader: (1)	Where are you located? I use Rims engineering in Teddington for gearbox work, small family firm good quality work and very reasonable prices. Tel 0208 977 9891.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-19-2015, 11:45 AM	#7
Tr1ppy Second Lieutenant 36 Rep 278 Posts Drives: E93 330i M Sport Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: North West, UK iTrader: (0)	Hey everyone, huge thanks for the replies. Somehow, the problem has just disappeared; I have been driving with 5 gears for a couple of days but today I decided to try 6th, and it just went in and stayed there!! It was a bit difficult getting it into the gear but once it was in, it was fine. A bit stiff coming out of 6th and into 5th but a few tries of this has "loosened" it a little. So now it feels like how it was a before. Absolutely no idea why it was having a fit last week. Maybe I temporarily messed up the 6th gear synchro and not the gear itself. I will deffo do a gearbox oil change though, to prolong its life and hopefully to stop it happening again. Oh, and I'll be patient, and precise with my shifts! I dont have a warranty and its a 2008 car with 66k miles. I'm based in Manchester but work in Preston. I had considered the warranty thing but I'm not sure if I was able to take one out with the damage, (don't they test drive the car?). Again thanks for the support. I'll let you guys know if I have any more problems and also what differences the oil change has. Has anyone done a manual gearbox oil change before? Does it make the shifts smoother?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-19-2015, 12:27 PM	#8
Aragorn30d Lieutenant Colonel 175 Rep 1,596 Posts Drives: E90 330d Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Fife iTrader: (0)	You'll have created a burr on the selector hub, which the teeth on the selector would have been getting stuck on. Luckily it sounds like the burr has cleaned up with the engagement of the gear. The synchros job is to get 6th gear spinning at the same speed as the output shaft, at which point the selector hub slides across and locks 6th onto the shaft. Your bad shift meant the synchro was unable to do its job, meaning the hub has been doing a significantly different speed to the shaft so when the hub moves over the teeth just mash together.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-19-2015, 01:05 PM	#9
Thermobaric Captain 65 Rep 670 Posts Drives: BMW E92 Join Date: May 2015 Location: Bucks iTrader: (1)	Maybe think about getting a warranty. They don't drive the car. As long as it has been serviced in accordance with BMW's schedule and used BMW spec parts it will be eligible. I don't know about other companies but a fully comp BMW warranty would cost you £55 a month with a £250 excess.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-21-2015, 05:55 AM	#10
Tr1ppy Second Lieutenant 36 Rep 278 Posts Drives: E93 330i M Sport Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: North West, UK iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the explanation Aragorn30d, it does sound like a selector issue I had but hopefully it has gone for good. Perhaps a gearbox oil change will help prolong the life of the gearbox. I dont think I'll be able to get a BMW warranty I'm afraid, as I have already used a BMW specialist for an oil service a few months ago. In my eyes, sopecialists like these can do the same, if not a better job, but charge much less for the privilege. Maybe I can get an aftermarket warranty such as WarrantyWise but I'll have to look into that. Can anyone recommend a decent gerabox oil to use, that may improve shift smoothness, or shall I stick to standard BMW stuff? Thanks
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-22-2015, 04:05 AM	#13
ahmedb Colonel 371 Rep 2,028 Posts Drives: F80 Silverstone M3 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Warwickshire iTrader: (1)	What must I do to keep the Warranty valid? 1. a) Care of the Vehicle - You must keep Your Vehicle in an efficient and road worthy condition and regularly service it in accordance with the Manufacturer’s recommendations and genuine parts, or parts of equivalent specification must be used. b) After each service, please ensure that the relevant service details are completed in your service records by the servicing garage and obtain a receipt for the service. You must keep all such receipts for reference in the event of a claim.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-22-2015, 09:55 AM	#14
lifeofjono Private 2 Rep 63 Posts Drives: F30 2012 Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: London iTrader: (0)	pretty much what you've stated, keep the car in good running order basically, make sure you get invoices for any services/ work done on it as when you make a claim they will request these. check that the previous servicing intervals/mileage is done in line with bmw recommendation too. mine did have a 3-4 years gap after its first service but didn't go above the 12,000 ( i think?) recommended mileage and they didn't say anything. The first owner hardly drove it. Its had an engine flush and several major services since though so all fine engine wise.
	Appreciate 0 Quote