BMW's nothing but problems??? Really???

You're too funny, Jack...

BMW does not manufacture transmissions, either manual or automatic. They are made by ZF or GM.

By the way, what model car and transmission do you have? We can then tell you who made that transmission, but I can tell you right now it was not BMW.

Which model 3 series? I have heard a lot about how bad the E36 manual transmissions are supposed to be, but I have two of them (95 325i and 97 Z3) and they both shift flawlessly. Compared to many of the other sloppy/floppy manual transmissions I've driven over the years these are actually the best shifters.

You have it bass-ackwards. GM in FRANCE made a series of automatics that were used in some US bound cars. AUTOMATICS.

ZF/Getrag makes the MANUAL transmissions for BMW.

Jack, you really are an ass aren't you? But you knew that already.

You probably do.

BMW doesn't manufacture ANY transmissions - in the cars or in the REAL BMW's (that have 2 wheels.)

Time for yet another rerun of the Bimmer v Beemer argument...?...

;-) DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

Actually Mrecedes has a headstart in the "comfy living room" stakes. Although in recent years some sort of 'sportiness' has been implied in much of the advertising (perhaps to match BMW's image), they used to emphasize the relaxing nature of the interior for the driver (in contract to the 'cockpit' of a BMW) and now they have done it again with the new S-class (S

500 test):

"...according to Mercedes' research, your heart will actually beat more slowly than in any rival..."

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

"Try" being the operative word.

IMHFO, anything with a claim to performance, driveability and 'sportiness' that presents a torque converter as part of the package deserves all the contempt that gets heaped upon it. And so do the people who defend them. They are simply not serious drivers.

BMW - at least in recent years - make neither autos or manuals. They're both bought in. And the autos were sometimes from GM in the US although ZF elsewhere. Dunno why, given the GM autos for some time were 4, rather than

5 speed. Something to do with local content? - things like the batteries for US cars were also US sourced.

GM at one time made the best autos in the world. Rolls Royce once used them - with cost not an issue. But GM sort of lost the plot...;-)

They also once made very fine manuals. I well remember a RWD Vauxhall I owned with a four speed gearbox which was as fast and light as any I've driven.

But GM sort of lost the plot...;-)

No such thing.

I'm on my second BMW, the first was totaled by an errant driver coming from the other direction, and my experience -- as limitedf as it may be -- is that my BMWs are the cheapest cars to own that I have ever owned.

On the first one, I put on more than 100,000 miles in 5 years, and my service costs were something on the light side of $1,000.

I forgot to mentiom, my BMWs are '94 325Is

If they're the cheapest to maintain that you've ever owned, you must be an ex-GM owner.

My 1990 E34 535i has a 5 speed manual transmission made by Getrag, NOT GM. BMW only uses manual trannies from either Getrag or ZF. BMW did buy some GM automatic transmission. Get it right!

That would include dragsters? ;-)

No. The list of characteristics are ands, not ors. Torque converters are fine in dragsters, monster trucks and land yachts. IMHFO, of course. But I'm sure you knew that...

Thing is that modern epicyclic autos lock up the TC after every change, so it effects performance and economy far less than of old. Which means the advantage of an 'SMG' type transmission is somewhat eroded for a sporty car with an auto function. I also wonder about the life of what is essentially a synchromesh box having those gearchanges hammered through - since this seems to be the appeal of them.

Now if they made a conventional manual with manual clutch which could also have an auto mode for boring heavy traffic...

Sure, but locking the TC is a crude and very poor substitute for the variety of ways I can choose for the amount, timing and graduation of torque applied to the drive train with a conventional clutch.

For me, it's about getting pleasure from driving, particularly low cost forms of motor sport. Going further in that direction, the satisfaction of using a dog-engagement, straight-cut gearbox is as different from a synchromesh gearbox as *that* is from a TC/epicyclic combo.

That's not to say that I want to commute around town in a dog 'box car, though.

I think I'd tend to trust the engineering. Sequential gearboxes have been around for donkey's years.

Personally, I always wondered why no-one ever put a friction clutch in front of an epicyclic gearbox.

Dave, I know. I had was just stirring the pot again. Throwing some red meat to all the manual shift chest pounders. ;-)

Who makes the BMW motorcycle transmissions?

Tom K.

Hey Tom, please be careful how you cut and paste. I didn't say this.

Driven one of the recent adaptive autos?

...with Steptronic?

...with ALPINA Switchtronic?

Except for drag strip launches and doing donuts there is no advantage in a manual syncro 'box and clutch and lots of disadvantages

Even in fully auto adaptive mode these 'boxes have an almost spookily prescient ability to be in the right gear and never, ever put shifts in potentialy embarrassing places.

Steptronic adds instant and unmuffable sanity checked changes and with Swichtronic your hands don't even have to leave the wheel...

A