E46 2800 RPM Stutter Club

Same problem here , would updated dme n would report back .

After a long drawn out process my studder is finally fixed. I ask BMW of Mt Laurel to update the system and they claimed they did, and the problem continued. I then asked them for update information, (version number), and they could not provide a clear answer.

I took the car today to BMW of Atlantic City and dealt with Service Adviser Nick Vitanza, and Technician Jack who works on his team. Jack knew all about the problem and mentioned the update without me informing him. They updated the DME and EGS with version numbers : DME:7561526 and EGS 7558008, and the car is flawless. If anyone is in the tri-state area I highly recommenced seeing these gentlemen.

For me all I have to do is click the dsc button and that fixs the problem. I think possibly the studer is related to the traction control unit tring to hold a safe traction on a fast acceleration, or possibly that is what's happening in my case and your car has the real stutter problem

Originally Posted by blksab65

For me all I have to do is click the dsc button and that fixs the problem. I think possibly the studer is related to the traction control unit tring to hold a safe traction on a fast acceleration, or possibly that is what's happening in my case and your car has the real stutter problem

You don't have an ms45 car; not the same issue.

****ing stealerships cant never do **** right

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Bimmer App

Email I wrote to BMW of America:

Hello,
I own a 2004 330Ci (Vin: xxx) and am having issues with the car and the local dealership. I've owned the car about a year and it has a very serious hesitation from 2,500-3,000 rpms under moderate throttle (between 25% and 90%) in the upper gears. This is NOT the infamous "DISA dip" as it happens and clears up well before 4k rpms. I've replaced just about everything mechanical that I can think of which has lead me to believe it is the DME. I did some research and there are quite a few people out there with the M54B30 engine/MS45 DME combination with the same issue and in 90% of the cases a DME update fixed the hesitation issues.
So, I called the local dealership (Crown BMW in Charlottesville, VA) to schedule an update. When I scheduled the service I was told it would take 30-45 minutes. When I arrived I was then told by someone else that DME updates can take 2-6 hours. A little dis-heartened I reluctantly handed over my keys and arranged to have someone pick me up. While in the waiting room an entirely different "service advisor" approached me and said that the DME actually has to be removed and sent back to BMW to be flashed and that if I had given them more notice they could have arranged a loaner. I gathered my keys and left.
So, now I ask you, BMW of America: what needs to happen to get this car running the way it should? I'm hoping with what I've described and providing my VIN you can tell what, if any, updates need to be done to the DME.

Response from BMW USA:

Thank you for contacting BMW of North America, LLC regarding your 2004 BMW 330Ci.

Unfortunately, we do not have any technical information at this location. Therefore, we do not have the ability to advise you in a technical matter via e-mail. All technical information has been allocated to our service and parts departments at our authorized BMW centers. They have the resources to answer your inquiry and address any concerns you may have. Please contact your service advisor for further technical assistance and support. A list of our authorized BMW centers categorized by name, state or ZIP Code can be found on our website at: www.bmwusa.com, under "Dealer Locator."

WTF? Why would I want to contact my local service advisor when they have no idea what the hell they're doing? I got quoted $250 for the "2-6 hour" flash then $120 to ship the DME off ???

Anybody in Central VA know of a dealership that's worth a damn?

Take it to an indy or flash it yourself.

So I've had this hesitation between 2200-3000 for over a year now, had my vanos repaired (beisan) and had my dme flashed at an Indy shop, cleared adaptions numerous times, pulled the disa and it was 100% operational.
Long story short I see these flurosilicone disa o rings for sale on here from member MJlavelle http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=15278802
I installed the o ring today, no pulsing no hesitation absolutely smooth pulling all the way through! Feels like a brand new car I can't believe this whole time it was a bs o ring....

Glad u fix the problem

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Bimmer App

Hm, I seem to be having these issues, and have been for quite some time. I've replaced air and fuel filters, all spark plugs, cooling system (preventative), checked the DISA and yet I still have stuttering. I've had the SES light come on once under load, but turning the car off, then back on solved that problem. I have a 2004 325Ci.

Fast forward a year. Driving home from the Tail of the Dragon and under normal load in mountain driving, SES light comes on. Pull over, stop/start car, light remains. Stutters almost exactly at 2800rpm, half throttle, no matter which gear I'm in (5sp manual tranny.) Found an Autozone and had the codes read, threw a P2240 error. Finally! I got an error code that can be read. Anyway, I have set an appointment with BMW dealer to have it reprogrammed for Wednesday, so hopefully this will solve my problems, and I can be added to the list.

I'm also curious, the last time I had some work done, they noticed my car had Dinan software installed. If this is true, I will be very happy. When I drop off my car on Wednesday, I'll be sure to have them look into this.

Originally Posted by Yeaa Rightttt

So I've had this hesitation between 2200-3000 for over a year now, had my vanos repaired (beisan) and had my dme flashed at an Indy shop, cleared adaptions numerous times, pulled the disa and it was 100% operational.
Long story short I see these flurosilicone disa o rings for sale on here from member MJlavelle http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=15278802
I installed the o ring today, no pulsing no hesitation absolutely smooth pulling all the way through! Feels like a brand new car I can't believe this whole time it was a bs o ring....

As soon as you mentioned it happened at 2200-3000 rpm I was thinking your issue might be somewhere else. It's a narrow band where it seems to effect most cars.......2800 to 3000 usually. I might have to hit up MJlavelle for one of his o rings, I have a GAS kit sitting around for when the time comes that I begin to suspect a possible Disa issue but I forgot to order the upgrade o ring with the kit. My Disa was replaced about 30,000 miles ago right before I bought my car so hopefully I'm good for a while yet.

Glad to hear you finally figured it out though. Were you getting any kind of lean codes with the vacuum leak?

Originally Posted by dauble2k5

Hm, I seem to be having these issues, and have been for quite some time. I've replaced air and fuel filters, all spark plugs, cooling system (preventative), checked the DISA and yet I still have stuttering. I've had the SES light come on once under load, but turning the car off, then back on solved that problem. I have a 2004 325Ci.

Fast forward a year. Driving home from the Tail of the Dragon and under normal load in mountain driving, SES light comes on. Pull over, stop/start car, light remains. Stutters almost exactly at 2800rpm, half throttle, no matter which gear I'm in (5sp manual tranny.) Found an Autozone and had the codes read, threw a P2240 error. Finally! I got an error code that can be read. Anyway, I have set an appointment with BMW dealer to have it reprogrammed for Wednesday, so hopefully this will solve my problems, and I can be added to the list.

I'm also curious, the last time I had some work done, they noticed my car had Dinan software installed. If this is true, I will be very happy. When I drop off my car on Wednesday, I'll be sure to have them look into this.

It sure sounds like you have the 2800 rpm stutter issue, although mine wasn't really felt in the lower gears. 3rd through 6th were where it was most noticeable.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure you will lose your Dinan software when they update your DME.

Good luck........Barry

Alright, the final report. Took it to Dreyer & Reinbold BMW South, here in Greenwood and first off, I was VERY pleased with this dealer. They treated me very well and were very courteous towards me.

Now, onto the repairs. They first ran a diagnostic and charged me for it, to find that it was throwing an O2 sensor error on Bank 2, but that was in the stored memory fault, and not necessarily the problem. They did find however that there were many software updates that it needed, and that this would solve the stutter issue.

Got a call, and a final grand total of $203 later, the problem has been fixed! They reflashed my DME, and advised me to change the O2 sensor, but wanted ~$400 to change it. I can do it myself for that much

So, another case of software updates solving this issue. Now, my question, is if my car has never been hooked up to any computer, why did it start happening? What caused the DME to get screwy in the first place? Any ideas?

Damn really need to do this , but damn dealer wants 345 for a flash

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by SH4DY

Email I wrote to BMW of America:

Response from BMW USA:


WTF? Why would I want to contact my local service advisor when they have no idea what the hell they're doing? I got quoted $250 for the "2-6 hour" flash then $120 to ship the DME off ???

Anybody in Central VA know of a dealership that's worth a damn?

Sorry your dealer isn't much help. Let them know if they had have a brain and contacted their FSE (field service engineer) he would have informed then it can all be done in house with a IRAP session with BMWNA.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Originally Posted by Mouf

**EDIT TO QUOTED STATEMENT** I had also replaced a leaking valve cover gasket and installed a new air filter. The vehicle is completely stock FYI.

Today BMW performed an IRAP session with BMW NA in New Jersey for the attached bulletin.

I personally spoke with the rep from BMW who was programming my car about the concern. He stated that the issue is due to the vehicle being driven moderately and the knock sensor adaptions change incorrectly, so when the customer accelerates hard the knock sensor retards timing etc. I asked why this wasn't part of the current software available at the dealer level and he had no good answer, other then when the rarity that this cars come in it wasn't worth a software change. Obviously it has been 7 years since this issue was acknowledged, but they didn't deem it important enough to address it.

He also stated that all they do during the IRAP session is program the DME with special software that is not released on the dealer level and manually reset the knock sensor adaptions, which they are also not able to do on a dealer level. He said after he was complete to drive the vehicle hard for about 10 minutes to properly adapt the knock sensor and you should be good to go. He also stated that you should notice a noticeable difference even upon start up.

Long story short, I drove the vehicle pretty hard on my way home and hope that in the morning on my way to work in the morning I can't reproduce the 2800 to 3000 shutter on my commute.

I will report back if in the coming weeks if anything changes. I did notice a couple pages back someone stated that a faulty coil caused there concern. I believe it was a pre-face E46 though. I did have one incident on a very cold morning (sub 15 F) when I started my car to let it warm up in the drive way it ran rough and obviously had a misfire. After letting the vehicle warm up I restarted the vehicle and everything was ok. I later checked the code and found misfire on #3. Seeing how the only drive-ability issue I have is the 2800 stutter I thought it might have been a fluke. Perhaps the coil is weak and causing the stutter..... If the condition comes back I will throw a coil at it too.



**EDIT**
If I have time tomorrow I will hook up to the vehicle and see what the programmed numbers are of the DME now.... I probably should have checked before also. O well.

FYI - 5000 miles later stutter is still gone. If you have a manual 330 with no codes stored have the above mentioned bulletin performed.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Anybody knows the number for the latest update for a zhp ?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by rguti153

Anybody knows the number for the latest update for a zhp ?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Bimmer App

7561520. The software should automatically know which version to install however.

Originally Posted by TerraPhantm

7561520. The software should automatically know which version to install however.

You sir, have been an absolute blessing to those of us who have had issues with the computer side of our E46s.

Thank you

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Bimmer App