Help!!! Cluth and drive shaft issue - United Bimmer Community

**JTL330** · 05-11-2007, 12:28 PM

Hello All,

I was wondering if anyone can give me some guidance on an issue that I have had with my local dealership. In May of 2006 my clutch went out on my 2002 e46 coupe. Sine I needed to have the clutch replaced I decided to also install a new flywheel. I purchased an aftermarket lightweight flywheel and clutch from UUC MotorWerks. A local BMW dealer installed the parts. I picked the car up from the dealership and noticed a rattle at idle. Since I had done my homework regarding the clutch and flywheel I was not concerned. The dealer noted the rattle on the invoice. The car drove perfectly. Last week I noticed that the car was hesitating when in gear and at speed. I was not sure what the problem was but my first thought was the clutch. I took it to the dealer and they confirmed that I needed a new clutch. I advised them that the clutch had been replaced last year (9000 miles). The dealer promptly indicated that the parts were not BMW and they will not warranty them. I contacted UUC and they advised that they had never had a Clutch/Flywheel fail in this manner, but they have had instances when they were improperly installed and failed as a result. I agreed to send them pictures of the parts when I got the car back.
I picked the car up on a Saturday. I drove it home and all seemed to be okay. The next day I was out running errands and got on the highway. I noticed a slight vibration at 60 mph and between 3000 and 4000 RPM. I did not drive the car on Monday. On Tuesday I followed my wife to the dealer to drop off her car (330I E90) for service. I mentioned my car to the service tech. He indicated that he could not look at my car until Thursday of the following week. I made the appointment and my wife and I left for work. On our way to work in my car, the vibration grew worse and it was followed by a knocking sound. I thought it may have been the guibo. I turned around and took the car back to the dealer. They put me in a loaner and began work on the car. The following day I received a call from the service manager saying that the bearings in my driveshaft were gone. This would be covered under CPO warranty. I began to wonder the following; did I need a new clutch in the first place? If I needed a new clutch could a bad drive shaft have caused the previous clutch to wear sooner that expected? I asked the tech these questions and he responded with the following question “was the car driving when you brought it to us the first time?” I said barely. He then said “was it driving when you picked it up?” I said yes. Then it must have been the clutch.

Any thoughts on any of this? By the way, I do not abuse my clutch or my cars

**QcMarque** · 05-12-2007, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTL330

...he responded with the following question “was the car driving when you brought it to us the first time?” I said barely. He then said “was it driving when you picked it up?” I said yes. Then it must have been the clutch.

Wow, after a response like that I'd never see that mechanic again... anyone with good customer service skills (or just common courtesy for that matter) would actually answer the question.

As for your question... I'm not sure, but I'm sure someone on here knows.

**JTL330** · 05-13-2007, 07:41 AM

Thanks QuMarque. I thought I was being sensative

**xsperf** · 05-13-2007, 10:53 AM

well he may have been rude or whever, but it seems like he has a point, if they replaced the clutch and it fixed something, then your clutch was bad, now i doubt the driveshaft bearing would cause the clutch to burn that quickly(it might put a LITTLE stress on it which would make it wear quicker, but not 9000 miles) but it could have been while they were taking the drifeshaft out, they may have torn or damaged the center bearing(i think that ist he bearing they are talking about) because if there was no vibration before but there is one afterwards....

**Structur3d** · 05-13-2007, 05:34 PM

yea, it def has somthing to do with the bearing not the clutch, and i know this sounds abit extreme but eery thougth about a 2nd opinion? my bmw dealership is 9 miles form my hosue, but if i thought somthign was fishy id drive to the one that is 52 miles away just to make sure im not geing screwed

**guerilla** · 05-13-2007, 06:58 PM

"A worn driveshaft bearing will generate strange vibrations that you will be able to feel in the cockpit, and may also increase the amount of "gear noise" you hear while driving."

Presumably, if your driveshaft bearing is shot, either:

1) the driveshaft is having a hard time rotating (gearbox sees this as extra load).

or

2) it is rotating freely but having a hard time getting power through that joint (gearbox sees this as no load).

Both might cause vibration and hesitation... the hesitation part is a bit scary... get it fixed.

**JTL330** · 05-13-2007, 10:42 PM

Thank you all for your responses. I have the car back and it runs perfectly. I need new rotors and pads and I think I will replace these myself. UUC has asked for pictures of the clutch and flywheel. I will send these tomorrow. 9000 miles and $5000.00 on two new flywheels and clutches is a bit extreme. There are only 4 possibilities that I can see.
1. I abused the clutch and it is my fault.
2. The UUC parts were defective or were never quality parts.
3. The dealer made a mistake on install of the UUC parts.
4. The drive shaft was faulty which caused the initial clutch to fail and then did the same to second and finally quit working all together.

I am thinking that I should take the dealer and UUC to court and we all can point fingers at each other.

Also, the vibration that I experienced after the install of the new clutch and flywheel was obvious at 60mph between 3000 and 4000rpm when the car was not accelerating. I asked the service advisor it the car had been test driven and he said the techs would not drive the car faster than 55 mph and they were not going to risk their job for my car. When asked where they had test driven the car and at what speed he said that he didn't know. Since there are only secondary roads around the shop, I do not believe 55 miles per hour was reached either.

**xsperf** · 05-13-2007, 11:52 PM

I understand you are hurt by spending that much money, however a court case will probably result in much more of a hassle, and really since you technically cant prove anything(you are not a licensed/experienced mechanic in the eyes of the law) more htan likely they will not rule in your favor. If you are angered at the dealer, however, you can call BMW NA, although I do not know how much sympathy they will have for you since you did not use BMW parts(also the courts will not either because BMW clearly states if its aftermarket there is no warranty)

**JTL330** · 05-14-2007, 10:46 AM

I agree with your statements and I believe that you are correct. The approach that I was going to take was to do the following:

1. Have the clutch inspected by independant mechanics to get a their consensus regarding it's failure. Based on thier assessment do the following.
2.
a. If it is operator abuse, shut my mouth and apologize for waisting everyones time.
b. If it is a defective part, seek compensation from UUC.
c. If it was an installation error, advise BMW that although they do not warranty the parts, they do warranty their work.
d. If it the independant mechanics cannot determine the cause, shut my mouth (without the apology of course)

I guess I am so frustrated because I have owned BMWs since I left the military 20 years ago. I have never had any issue with dealers here in the Washington/Baltimore area. This is not to say I have not had any issues with the cars. We have had a love/hate relationship for 20 years, but the dealers have always been professional.