smg quick 'fix'

[carlm5]

I've had some pretty good results with this so I thought I'd share my experiences... I dare say this is old news to most of you.

A couple of years back the smg was missing gears and dropping into neutral, the problem got worse over time until I couldn't select any gear at all. So I called BMW service, they diagnosed the problem, over the phone, and suggested some fairly expensive repair, about £1400 plus if I remember correctly. Anyway, a friend of mine suggested I switch out the smg relay at a cost of about £5.. problem fixed I was pleased.

About a year later the car refused to start, I had to turn the key multiple times or hold it in the on position for a few minutes to get the car started.. as you can imagine this was a pain in the butt. The problem got progressively worse, BMW suggested a new starter motor. I thought I'd try switching the relay again... problem fixed, I was pleased. From this point on I always carried a spare in the car.

This morning gearbox was stuck in gear... stuck fast at first but I managed to coax it into reverse, couldn't select neutral though so couldn't start the car. Changed the relay and it started straight away... I'm a big fan of this relay. It seems to have a short life span and is definitely affected by cold damp conditions, but every time something scary goes wrong a new one seems to fix it.

I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience...??

Carl

[danp]

Originally Posted by carlm5

I've had some pretty good results with this so I thought I'd share my experiences... I dare say this is old news to most of you.

A couple of years back the smg was missing gears and dropping into neutral, the problem got worse over time until I couldn't select any gear at all. So I called BMW service, they diagnosed the problem, over the phone, and suggested some fairly expensive repair, about £1400 plus if I remember correctly. Anyway, a friend of mine suggested I switch out the smg relay at a cost of about £5.. problem fixed I was pleased.

About a year later the car refused to start, I had to turn the key multiple times or hold it in the on position for a few minutes to get the car started.. as you can imagine this was a pain in the butt. The problem got progressively worse, BMW suggested a new starter motor. I thought I'd try switching the relay again... problem fixed, I was pleased. From this point on I always carried a spare in the car.

This morning gearbox was stuck in gear... stuck fast at first but I managed to coax it into reverse, couldn't select neutral though so couldn't start the car. Changed the relay and it started straight away... I'm a big fan of this relay. It seems to have a short life span and is definitely affected by cold damp conditions, but every time something scary goes wrong a new one seems to fix it.

I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience...??

Carl

Is that a salmon coloured relay?!

If so I have read about the issue, but not had the problem as yet..but sounds like a common one.

[Pip1968]

Originally Posted by carlm5

It seems to have a short life span and is definitely affected by cold damp conditions, but every time something scary goes wrong a new one seems to fix it.

I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience...??

Carl

I have not had this problem but can I ask is your car parked outside or garaged religiously?

Pip

[Rutkowski]

Originally Posted by carlm5

I've had some pretty good results with this so I thought I'd share my experiences... I dare say this is old news to most of you.

A couple of years back the smg was missing gears and dropping into neutral, the problem got worse over time until I couldn't select any gear at all. So I called BMW service, they diagnosed the problem, over the phone, and suggested some fairly expensive repair, about £1400 plus if I remember correctly. Anyway, a friend of mine suggested I switch out the smg relay at a cost of about £5.. problem fixed I was pleased.

About a year later the car refused to start, I had to turn the key multiple times or hold it in the on position for a few minutes to get the car started.. as you can imagine this was a pain in the butt. The problem got progressively worse, BMW suggested a new starter motor. I thought I'd try switching the relay again... problem fixed, I was pleased. From this point on I always carried a spare in the car.

This morning gearbox was stuck in gear... stuck fast at first but I managed to coax it into reverse, couldn't select neutral though so couldn't start the car. Changed the relay and it started straight away... I'm a big fan of this relay. It seems to have a short life span and is definitely affected by cold damp conditions, but every time something scary goes wrong a new one seems to fix it.

I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience...??

Carl

Thanks carlm5!

Were can i find this relay in the car and how much is it?

[Bounce]

Its in the engine bay Kris,at the back,passenger side in a small black box.The salmon coloured relay costs about £5,ive got a spare one in the car,just in case.

[carlm5]

Used to be garaged, but parked outside for the last couple of years and yes that does kind of tie in with when this problem started.. might just be coincidence though..

Hi Rutkowski.. i met you once, just outside Horsham at some car cleaning place, we had a brief chat Yes it is the salmon coloured relay, if you pop the bonnet and stand in front of the car its located to the top right of the engine bay. There's a plastic cover over it with 4 or 5 of those star head screws holding it down. Unscrew those, lift cover off and there's a few relays and electrical bits under there, the salmon coloured one is obvious. It's literally a five minute job.. if you have the right size driver bit If I remember correctly it cost about 4 or five pounds from Vines Crawley, I'll be off there tomorrow to grab another one.

Yeah it seems to be the week link in the smg system, the first thing to fail. It obviously affects various aspects of the software. I would just always recommend checking it before panicking that it may be something serious. For a few quid it's worth having one in your toolkit

[carlm5]

Beat me to it Bounce

[Bounce]

Originally Posted by carlm5

Beat me to it Bounce

You've gotta be quick on here Carl.

[shane@mbtech]

Bet your problem was a sticking bonnet sensor.

Ask yourself how you access the relay? Open bonnet, replace relay, shut bonnet.

[Rutkowski]

Originally Posted by carlm5

Used to be garaged, but parked outside for the last couple of years and yes that does kind of tie in with when this problem started.. might just be coincidence though..

Hi Rutkowski.. i met you once, just outside Horsham at some car cleaning place, we had a brief chat Yes it is the salmon coloured relay, if you pop the bonnet and stand in front of the car its located to the top right of the engine bay. There's a plastic cover over it with 4 or 5 of those star head screws holding it down. Unscrew those, lift cover off and there's a few relays and electrical bits under there, the salmon coloured one is obvious. It's literally a five minute job.. if you have the right size driver bit If I remember correctly it cost about 4 or five pounds from Vines Crawley, I'll be off there tomorrow to grab another one.

Yeah it seems to be the week link in the smg system, the first thing to fail. It obviously affects various aspects of the software. I would just always recommend checking it before panicking that it may be something serious. For a few quid it's worth having one in your toolkit

Hey Carl!! didn't realise it was you, sorry and thanks for the info!

A little while back, after a dyno session my SMG would not go into gear - a deleting of the code fixed it but it was an experience so to speak!!