E46 clutch lifetime, how long did yours last? symtpoms of dying...

I just changed my first clutch.
124,000mi.
Mostly (70%) back-road or in-town driving.

Got a 2001 330i which I love and adore. 85 000 Km (= about 53 700 Miles) on it, so not bad!
When in idle, if I depress the clutch, there's a distinct rattling/vibration just an inch or so from the floor.
When starting from a standstill, I really need to work the clutch, otherwise the car tends to stall or jump, as if it's not quite catching the power - I can't really "blast off" but have to ease off the clutch until I get some speed. This only applies to first gear though.
I sometimes get RPMs oscillating up and down, especially when in reverse, sometimes in idle.

Have tried to figure out what's causing this for a year, recently my shop had a new idea: Replacing the DMF + Clutch. It's a bit costly, so I just want to make sure that this is the most likely cause? Thanks in advance folks!

How long have you had the car and how long have you been driving a manual?

I have 236 miles on my original clutch.

Something about the way you described your issue makes me think you're holding the clutch at the engagement point and giving it gas slowly so it doesn't stall...and that itself tells me that you should probably give it just a tad more gas and lift up clutch pedal sooner. Don't linger on the clutch.

Rattling like you describe sort of sounds like throwout bearing...but it could just be the clutch...maybe yours was replaced with a lightweight one by PO who wanted to drag race the car or something?

My guess, though, is that you need to get used to the clutch a bit more. No insult intended, btw. I've been driving manuals for almost 40 years, so I think everyone needs more practice! LOL

HTH

Originally Posted by LazPL

Got a 2001 330i which I love and adore. 85 000 Km (= about 53 700 Miles) on it, so not bad!
When in idle, if I depress the clutch, there's a distinct rattling/vibration just an inch or so from the floor.
When starting from a standstill, I really need to work the clutch, otherwise the car tends to stall or jump, as if it's not quite catching the power - I can't really "blast off" but have to ease off the clutch until I get some speed. This only applies to first gear though.
I sometimes get RPMs oscillating up and down, especially when in reverse, sometimes in idle.

Have tried to figure out what's causing this for a year, recently my shop had a new idea: Replacing the DMF + Clutch. It's a bit costly, so I just want to make sure that this is the most likely cause? Thanks in advance folks!

Originally Posted by dmax

How long have you had the car and how long have you been driving a manual?

Haha.... I'm European! So manual. For... eh. 23 years.
PO was my father, he's not big on drag racing.
I don't linger on the clutch, I'm always taking care not to, but if I don't in first gear with this car, the acceleration "wobbles" or "bounces", stalling is not quite the word. Hard-to-describe phenomenon.

Various repair shops have been consulted, and they agree the problem is THERE, just not about what to do with it. The latest idea with the flywheel seems PLAUSIBLE, but the cost of that little opration is around 1700 US, not something you'd do just to see if it makes things better.
They claim that the vibration when holding the clutch close to the floor is a dead giveaway for a worn-out flywheel, and that putting in a new flywheel+clutch combo will solve all my problems, and cure warts.
Main problem I guess is finding a mechanic you can trust.

Thanks for the tip though!

Hmmm? The only other thing I can suggest is you read up on 'bedding the clutch.'

Chatter when clutch pedal is down sounds like throwout bearing to me...and I'm not sure how long it could rattle, but I'd suspect a long time.

Me? I'd probably monitor it closely, try bedding, and hope for the best while being prepared for the worst. I'm not a mechanic, so just know what I know...mostly...from reading here and paying attention in my buddy's shop.

I was at 171k I thought it would last longer but I was switching to 3rd and it just snapped

I'm at 108k and in first gear I'll get chatter occasionally if it's cold right when I first start the car, but other than that it feels solid. A good test: drive your car at 20 mph, put it in 5th or 6th gear and floor it. If your revs don't shoot up, then your clutch is good

What about the jumpy revs / "stallishness" (it doesn't stall completely, just dips in power from 1st) as I described above? Is that potentially a flywheel/clutch issue?

Original clutch on E46 at 220,000. My E30 had original at 260,000. Both working well.

Im getting extreme shudder, normally when cold when taking off in first from a stop... its getting really annoying and im suspecting its the clutch, im at 97k.

Originally Posted by dmax

How long have you had the car and how long have you been driving a manual?

I have 236 miles on my original clutch.

Something about the way you described your issue makes me think you're holding the clutch at the engagement point and giving it gas slowly so it doesn't stall...and that itself tells me that you should probably give it just a tad more gas and lift up clutch pedal sooner. Don't linger on the clutch.

Rattling like you describe sort of sounds like throwout bearing...but it could just be the clutch...maybe yours was replaced with a lightweight one by PO who wanted to drag race the car or something?

My guess, though, is that you need to get used to the clutch a bit more. No insult intended, btw. I've been driving manuals for almost 40 years, so I think everyone needs more practice! LOL

HTH

lawls. I think you have the record on all E46's for least amount of miles on the original clutch Dmax! A HAH AH AH HAH .

K!

Original clutch still going strong on 2001 330ci, currently at 197,000 miles, mainly highway.

Showing no signs of any problems.....

My 2001 325i just went out at 138k miles, went out after i owned it for 500 miles, prob cuz I drove spirited for those miles haha

I'm at 172k still running strong really want to hit 200k

01 330i sport, 138k and perfect, cdv delete a long time ago, mine still barks 2nd and 3rd with quick shifts once in a while i flash back to my 5.0 mustang days !!

145K on a clutch with mostly city miles. It will have to be replaced within a year or two. Sometimes it shudders on takeoff, but I'm waiting as long as possible to replace.

I just replaced the clutch kit in my 02 M3 with barely 70k miles, yes i said only 70k miles. I bought the car 500 miles ago and i am a bit dissapointed with my mechanical background that i overlooked the fact that there was some issue with the clutch or trans. It WAS very hard to get it into all gears, and i would frequently smell burnt clutch smell when just normal driving unless i was very careful.

I got a good deal on the car so just figured if something was wrong then i would have room to fix it and not be in the car to much. I guess i just figured the M3 was a different beast then most normal cars so accepted how the trans was shifting. The day i realized something was seriously not right with the car was when i let my lady drive it, she had a very hard time getting it in/out of all gears and couldnt drive it well at all. Well 500 miles after buying the car, and the day after putting on my new wheels/tires/springs, i get stranded. Couldnt get it in or out of any gears etc.

Got a new clutch kit installed, the OEM flywheel looked great didnt need to replace or re-grind. The pressure plate side of the clutch disk was totally broken off. It was metal on metal lol. I not once launched the car or any abuse on it since i bought it a month ago. Now with the new clutch in WOW it drives 100X better. No more clutch smell ever, and i can shift smoothly through each gear with ease. Now i want to change the fluid and remove the CDV if there is one in my car. Im freaking stoked!!!! On a better note, my buddies e90 330i has 130k miles on his clutch and still runs like NEW.

It really boils down to the driving habits, i knew that kid wasnt driving it like a grandpa and the clutch disk shows it lol. I am a happy camper now though

129.2k on mine. Needs replacement soon.

Hmm, not a BMW, but my 2nd Audi still had its orginal clutch when I sold it to my mechanic @ 22+ years old and 320K miles. He drove it for another 2 years until his son caused an inglorious end. He did say that it was starting to slip by that point...