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I'm looking for guidance from the STW have mind.
Mrs N has just advised me that her car is very difficult to get into reverse first thing in the morning.
I assume it's cold weather related but I've never had this problem in any of my cars previously.
Is this something I need to be worried about or common to BMWs?
The car in question is a BMW 120d.
Any advice would be hugely appreciated.
Cheers
N
Depending on the gearbox sometimes selecting another gear first and then reverse works.
In my car 5th is above reverse, I automatically now select 5th gear and then reverse.
If its a manual and without having it checked properly if it selects reverse without the engine running it's very possibly a clutch problem . Also if it does select ok when cold without the engine running do that until you get it looked at . I.e depress the clutch select reverse and start the car in the morning .
All other gears can be selected with no problems. But even trying forward gears first, reverse still won't engage until the engine has been running for a minute.
Sorry, yes it is a manual gearbox
Drop the handbrake, roll a bit, try again?
Drop the handbrake, roll a bit, try again?
Surely this shouldn't be necessary though?
Speak to BMW , strongly suspect it won't be the first time they have heard of the fault , have you googled it ? Poss oil viscosity too thick ? If its only a cold start issue and if no problem selecting first gear it sounds like your clutch is ok
I have a Nissan Patrol (my second) they both have problems getting second gear in cold weather. I've no idea why. Tried double declutching etc, it goes away when the car warms up. I've learned to live with it.
How about she reverses into the parking space/drive/garage so she can drive out forwards and not need reverse until the car has warmed up a bit?
How about she reverses into the parking space/drive/garage so she can drive out forwards and not need reverse until the car has warmed up a bit?
God no!....... Reverse parking and Mrs N don't get on!
Is she shorter than you, so when she pushes the seat forward the mat interferes with the clutch?
Don't laugh, seen it.
No. The mats won't move. They're attached to plastic things in the floor.
Rear wheel drive car, so gearbox is quite separate (isolated) from engine, so will take time for gearbox to warm up (compared to a front wheel drive, where gearbox is more integrated with the engine itself). Have a similar issue with a RWD Toyota - doesn't like going from first to second until it's well warmed through.
Clutch starting to drag, i.e. starting to wear!
When was the oil last changed?
Gearbox oil isn't going to cause difficulty selecting reverse, unless its got non in it or the oil is something like EP90...... Reverse gear doesn't have a syncromesh, so its more likely to be wear in the clutch.
Agree with others, possible clutch issue and reverse does not have a synchromesh therefore is always more difficult to select than others.
Have you tried it yourself when cold and warm and seen how bad the difference is? Might be something as simple as the gear shift linkage or reverse detent needing some lubrication?
Would suggest speaking to BMW or a reputable non franchise garage they will be able to point you in the right direction.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
A lot of manuals have synchro on reverse these days. So this may have. Simplest way to find out is to try and engage rev while rolling slowly fwd. any grating noise means it is crash engagement, silence means synchromesh.
I had a similar prob a few years back. Oil change sorted it.
Have you tried it yourself when cold and warm and seen how bad the difference is? Might be something as simple as the gear shift linkage or reverse detent needing some lubrication?
This ^ we had similar issue in our MR2. Gear linkages cleaned and greased problem gone.
I would imagine the linkage is relatively short, so I'd be surprised if it was that. I'd suggest a gearbox oil check. Perhaps it's low or degraded?
Cheers for the ideas. I'll have a try tomorrow morning before i give the local Indy a ring.
Rear wheel drive, so the gear lever acts directly on the gear shafts (no linkage).
How many miles has car done and how old?
Even the longlife oils last only 3 or 4 years at most, fractionaly longer than the warranty usually, then you are best to change the oil.
Use 1 litre of Castrol Syntrax Longlife 75W-90
(or if limited slip differential then Castrol Syntrax Limited Slip 75W 140, but not likely )
I have this on my car, solution is to press and release clutch a couple of times. Don't know why it sorts it but it does.
Clutch starting to drag, i.e. starting to wear
Deary me. Someone doesn't understand how a clutch works!
OP - First things first - Driving position. Can she actually get the clutch pedal to the floor?
Assuming she can the second thing to check is the cable if there is one. If its not tight enough you won't be able to disengage the clutch properly and that will show was difficult gear changes first. This could be a literal 30 second fix. It might not...
If its a hydraulic clutch the first thing to try is bleeding it, which achieves the same thing as tightening a cable clutch
After that it gets more complicated. That's where I'd start though. I've 'fixed' more than one car by tightening the clutch cable. One bloke who had terrible 'gearbox problems' told me his dad was a mechanic and he'd said he needed a new gearbox. I fixed that in 2 mins using precisely no tools. 🙂
I had the same thing with my BMW 120d eventually got sick and sold it, didnt really cause me any major issues just the faff of trying to select reverse. My advice would be not to take it to BMW they will replace everything and you will still have the problem and it would have cost you a fair few pounds.