E90 steptronic tranny user advice

ok so 3 years ago at around 50 000 Km's my steptronic developed a kick into idle joint with the common US NIC problem where while stopped the car pushed power to the back wheels causing the car to feel like it wanted to move while braked...many painful months passed till the stealers finally restored some peace by software updating and doing a 20k flush. thing is they never completely cured the slight jerk when comin to a stop..like the box doesn't know it's supose to be in 1st..which was still felt now and again.
about a month back when my car was in BM resetted adaptations etc..since I got it back the DS mode does not want to stop this jerk even though it's done over 2k Km's and iv tried 'training' the box in manual..the D mode is still like usual with the odd jerk here and there, though I have to admit driving a car which you just hold your breathe everytime you come to a stop, hoping it doesn't jerk, is not pleasant. And of course the manual mode is fine as I choose the gear when downshifting.
Now that my car is nearing the end of MP in a few months I'm just confused as to how to proceed..should I complain and go through the months of sending the car in maybe, only to still know the problem hasn't really gone and will be back later. Or should I throw a fuss and ask for a replacement box?..or am I asking too much?..also If there are any other steptronic E90 drivers who've experienced the same or a similar problem, how did you manage to rectify this problem and how was your experience dealing with it?...all advice will be greatly appreciated, and apologies to the long read :dunno:

Don't let this one slide.

A few km along the road after your MP has expired and you need to have the gearbox rebuilt, you will regret not letting BMW motorplan sort this out.
Please let them have a look at it and call BMW customer service and express your discontent with the handling of the situation until now.

What you are experiencing isn't normal. The GA6HP19Z gearbox is a very smooth gearbox and I've had it in both the 6 cylinder petrol and 4 cyl diesel cars. They are smooth with no unpleasant jerking.

thats exactly my fear currently..once the vehicles off plan..BMW never take responsibility..Thanx for the input :ty:..needed to know if this was normal..now I need a good dealership who'll listen..

Had the same issue with my 2008 E90 320d last year, went in and came back a bit better. However it still happens occasionally when I brake hard and come to a stop.

Also noticed the car seems to be riding, maybe a torque converter issue.

Not sure if this helps but I will be sending it in again.

:thumbdo: had similar issues with my 08 330d..piece of crap box...throw it away. and put in a DSG.

Sounds like valve body.

The longer you leave it, the worst its going to get, the clutches really do not like being jerked around (excuse the pun)

I would say go nuclear on BMW, insist that they replace the box...

yep I'm going to insist for a new box..gonna pay my local dealership a visit tomorrow...speak to the manager..tell them I'm not prepared to give them the car to 'fix' again..lol lets see how far I get...thanx for the input everyone :ty:

MikeR said:

:thumbdo: had similar issues with my 08 330d..piece of crap box...throw it away. and put in a DSG.

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differennce with mine is if you brake hard the jerk actually gets lighter most of the time..:fencelook:

MikeR said:

:thumbdo: had similar issues with my 08 330d..piece of crap box...throw it away. and put in a DSG.

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it will be difficult putting a VW DSG gearbox into a BMW.

I'm not sure what you mean. Did you mean DCT?

spoke to the manager at my local dealer..says they can't just change the box..have to follow a procedure that ZF give them with a special application..sigh..at least they admit theres something wrong with the box when downshifting into first..just worried about whether they don't waste my time and do something like flush it that will result in nothing changing...:thumbdo:...any ideas on anything else I can do?

zaleonardz@DentDoctor said:

Sounds like valve body.

The longer you leave it, the worst its going to get, the clutches really do not like being jerked around (excuse the pun)

I would say go nuclear on BMW, insist that they replace the box...

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Agree get them to replace the box

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mo_s said:

spoke to the manager at my local dealer..says they can't just change the box..have to follow a procedure that ZF give them with a special application..sigh..at least they admit theres something wrong with the box when downshifting into first..just worried about whether they don't waste my time and do something like flush it that will result in nothing changing...:thumbdo:...any ideas on anything else I can do?

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Go through the procedures with them and if its still not fixed, they must replace the box

I think I have similar symptoms, specifically when breaking hard in 2nd. Oh crap.

abmi0000 said:

I think I have similar symptoms, specifically when breaking hard in 2nd. Oh crap.

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I think with harsh breaking it's normal..cos the box has to downshift very quick and sorta catch up...mine feels more like the box cant get into first..like a jammed door..once it gets past the jam it goes very quick into 1st gear so you get like a jerk/slide from the car..even at very low speeds and nice easy gradual stops..lets just say the car jerked in the first 5 metres from the dealer on the first speed bump.....and every one after that :nonono:

According to the manager they will try makin a case for a new box due to the history of the car, as this happened before on the same box..but if they don't follow the procedure of diagnosing the full car and reading the fasta log or somtin..then MP won't cover the box..as maybe it's a valve body, mechatronics or solenoid fault which MP then 'uses' against the dealer..gues il take it one step at a time..cars going in next week..jus wondering whether to call BMW SA and make a complaint or see what the dealer says first.

Give them one more chance since they're just following protocol.

Think it's time I sell mine:thumbdo:

just an update..so my car went in beginning of last week along with alota discussions with the manager..dealers tested the box and reset adaptations without success..also found that they flushed the box jus under 2 years ago as well after my initial box complaints so it can't be bad oil..they called ZF in..ZF came in to test and told them to replace..I don't know the details of what they found wrong with the box yet..I will speak to the manager when I collect the car..at the moment BM motorplan approved the new box and they waiting for the box to arrive and paperwork to be done..hopefully get my wheels back on friday..starting to miss her

Dont cry man, just think how smooth she'll be when you get her back

Dr Evil said:

Dont cry man, just think how smooth she'll be when you get her back

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haha, jus bein dramatic..Im actually quite happy..with a new box will be a beautiful drive and one less thing to worry about in the short run regarding maintenance after motorplan :rollsmile:..though I was wondering..wen BM replace big components like boxes, diffs etc, are these brand new out of the box or refurbed?..

finally got my car back today..and WOW what an improvement having a new box :rollsmile:..apparantly they found a defective spring in the mechatronics..also due to the defect the 2nd gear clutch was getting stuck and got damaged from the years of having the problem..the box this time threw a fault code which they picked up finally and found the prob..just a huge relief and thanx to everyone for the help :thumbs:..just wanted to know..should a new gear box be 'run in' like when the cars new before haevy acceleration?..completely forgot to ask BM wen I collected. was just happy to finally get my BM back :rollsmile:

mo_s said:

though I was wondering..wen BM replace big components like boxes, diffs etc, are these brand new out of the box or refurbed?..

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refurbed

I spoke to ZF and they have many of theses gearboxes standing on their shelves. They are refurbished boxes from other cars but they're as new.
After all, it's ZF that is doing the refurbishment. (Not XYZ Gearbox and Tranny worx in Phillipi):=):

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P1000 said:

mo_s said:

though I was wondering..wen BM replace big components like boxes, diffs etc, are these brand new out of the box or refurbed?..

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refurbed

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P1000: your input is always appreciated and valued in these type of discussions.