Help! Drivetrain Malfunction on a stock M5

JetBee · 11-18-2014, 09:46 AM

Hi guys,

I have a stock 2013 M5 besides RPi GTM exhaust. I participated in race last sunday in california.

It was my first time pushing my M5 this hard. The first race was kind of fail, hit the rev limiter before upshifting. The second race was against an M6 cp. It wasn't that bad, 2nd till beginning of 4th gear, neck to neck. After that, the M6 started to pull and we ended the race with 2 and a half car length in a 1/2 a mile.

Here is the sad story, my third race. Rolling start from 40 on 2nd gear, as i floored it and shifted to 3rd, I got a drivetrain malfunction

I have no clue why?? Talked to jimmy from R1motorsport and told me its ironic. Usually at high speed with a tuned M5 I might get it.

Any clue?? I have an appointment with a dealer today but I am debating whether I should put my stock exhaust on first or not?

drbru · 11-18-2014, 10:15 AM

Has nothing to do with exhaust do wouldnt worry too much about it...

Lots of threads on here with regards to possible reasons ranging from water ingress into control unit through to faulty solenoids, but the reality is that there are lots of possible reason, non of which are overly serious...

Unfortunately it just means a trip to the dealer for them to sort but your car is under warranty so no cost to you just the inconveneice of not having your car for a while

wrsbmw · 11-18-2014, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drbru

Has nothing to do with exhaust do wouldnt worry too much about it...

Lots of threads on here with regards to possible reasons ranging from water ingress into control unit through to faulty solenoids, but the reality is that there are lots of possible reason, non of which are overly serious...

Unfortunately it just means a trip to the dealer for them to sort but your car is under warranty so no cost to you just the inconveneice of not having your car for a while

Two weeks so far and still don't have my car back, same issue, drivetrain malf. See my thread on the hpfp which they have changed to DME but yesterday on the update, my SA didn't even call, he had a backup call that had no info on what exactly has happened. I was told the Dinan module was back in and they were out driving the car around to "put some miles on it".

JetBee · 11-18-2014, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drbru

Unfortunately it just means a trip to the dealer for them to sort but your car is under warranty so no cost to you just the inconveneice of not having your car for a while

Worst time, Expecting guest over for thanksgiving break

Hope nothing serious, thanks

JetBee · 11-18-2014, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrsbmw

Two weeks so far and still don't have my car back, same issue, drivetrain malf. See my thread on the hpfp which they have changed to DME but yesterday on the update, my SA didn't even call, he had a backup call that had no info on what exactly has happened. I was told the Dinan module was back in and they were out driving the car around to "put some miles on it".

How and when did it appear? high speed?

sorry to hear that, hope you get your car asap!

On a side not, having my exhaust on, wont be a problem with the dealer right?

darkz · 11-18-2014, 11:02 AM

did they know you had the exhaust installed? I know my dealerships like to blame aftermarket parts whenever they get a slight chance to do so.

JetBee · 11-18-2014, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkz

did they know you had the exhaust installed? I know my dealerships like to blame aftermarket parts whenever they get a slight chance to do so.

Not yet, no. Just installed the exhaust 4 days ago. Cancelled my appointment with the dealer, giving myself time to decide what to do.

wrsbmw · 11-18-2014, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetBee

How and when did it appear? high speed?

sorry to hear that, hope you get your car asap!

On a side not, having my exhaust on, wont be a problem with the dealer right?

No, the exhaust won't cause a problem. I just got back from going down to the dealer to find out what's up. They have replaced the low pressure fuel sensor in addition to the fuel pump and they are testing it with Dinan set to Stage 2 to make sure everything is OK. I think the big issue was unhooking all the Dinan stuff and testing the car without it and then with it to make sure they had the problem isolated. They say I can get the car back later today, knocking on wood here.

I forgot to mention, drivetrain malf is a fairly general error and can happen for a lot of reasons. I had it on my 535 and there was turbo, injector and coil issues all at different times and all came up as that error.

wrsbmw · 11-18-2014, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetBee

Not yet, no. Just installed the exhaust 4 days ago. Cancelled my appointment with the dealer, giving myself time to decide what to do.

I would take it in, it could morph into a problem where the car leaves you stranded, that is my experience with it. The car doesn't do this for no reason, something is wrong and I doubt it's related to the exhaust but even that you want to know about if it is(not saying it is).

JetBee · 11-18-2014, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrsbmw

I would take it in, it could morph into a problem where the car leaves you stranded, that is my experience with it. The car doesn't do this for no reason, something is wrong and I doubt it's related to the exhaust but even that you want to know about if it is(not saying it is).

Appreciate it

greentrbo95gst · 11-18-2014, 08:47 PM

No Fly Zone?

JetBee · 11-19-2014, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greentrbo95gst

No Fly Zone?

Yes, where you there?

JetBee · 11-19-2014, 12:12 AM

were *

David 12 · 11-19-2014, 05:10 AM

Jetbee, I remember back in my bmw 335i days, dealers would sometimes frown on aftermarket exhausts when there was damage to the turbocharger or other engine issues.

The dealer can say it was the reduced back pressure from the aftermarket exhaust that caused the damage.

Granted not every dealer did this but it did happen to a few of the guys on the 335i forum.

The overarching strategy was to just be safe and return to stock before the trip to the dealer and not give them any reason for denying a warranty claim.

As others said, your problem is most likely not caused by the exhaust and you will probably be okay if you leave it on. However, there may be a small chance that the dealer or bmwna may take a stricter stance.

Dave

Ps. I would not mention that it happened at no fly zone.

alvinabed · 11-19-2014, 08:50 AM

I think there's nothing to do with the exhaust system. However, if you are worried about the dealer to blame on the system, just uninstall them prior to see your dealer. Won't take you long to install and uninstall them. Good luck

darkz · 11-19-2014, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David 12

Jetbee, I remember back in my bmw 335i days, dealers would sometimes frown on aftermarket exhausts when there was damage to the turbocharger or other engine issues.

The dealer can say it was the reduced back pressure from the aftermarket exhaust that caused the damage.

Granted not every dealer did this but it did happen to a few of the guys on the 335i forum.

The overarching strategy was to just be safe and return to stock before the trip to the dealer and not give them any reason for denying a warranty claim.

As others said, your problem is most likely not caused by the exhaust and you will probably be okay if you leave it on. However, there may be a small chance that the dealer or bmwna may take a stricter stance.

Dave

Ps. I would not mention that it happened at no fly zone.

exactly.

mcvaughan · 11-19-2014, 10:05 AM

Had my car in the dealer for a drivetrain malfunction. They updated the software and the problem hasn't returned. Not sure if that would address your issue though.

JetBee · 11-20-2014, 02:30 AM

Thanks guys!

shahano · 11-21-2014, 03:38 AM

mine was just a bad coil. replaced it and all was ok

bmellion · 11-25-2014, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrsbmw

Quote:

Originally Posted by drbru

Has nothing to do with exhaust do wouldnt worry too much about it...

Lots of threads on here with regards to possible reasons ranging from water ingress into control unit through to faulty solenoids, but the reality is that there are lots of possible reason, non of which are overly serious...

Unfortunately it just means a trip to the dealer for them to sort but your car is under warranty so no cost to you just the inconveneice of not having your car for a while

Two weeks so far and still don't have my car back, same issue, drivetrain malf. See my thread on the hpfp which they have changed to DME but yesterday on the update, my SA didn't even call, he had a backup call that had no info on what exactly has happened. I was told the Dinan module was back in and they were out driving the car around to "put some miles on it".

My '13 M5 had this problem multiple times. BMW ended up buying that car back and they put me in a new M6...

JetBee · 11-27-2014, 03:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shahano

mine was just a bad coil. replaced it and all was ok

Got my car back from the dealer. Thankfully nothing serious and the same as your problem. They replaced the ignition coil and the spark plugs.

On a side note, they have not mentioned anything about my exhaust which is a good thing.

11-18-2014, 09:46 AM	#1
JetBee 13' M5 AW 19 Rep 115 Posts Drives: 13' M5 - AW Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Oregon iTrader: (0)	Help! Drivetrain Malfunction on a stock M5 Hi guys, I have a stock 2013 M5 besides RPi GTM exhaust. I participated in race last sunday in california. It was my first time pushing my M5 this hard. The first race was kind of fail, hit the rev limiter before upshifting. The second race was against an M6 cp. It wasn't that bad, 2nd till beginning of 4th gear, neck to neck. After that, the M6 started to pull and we ended the race with 2 and a half car length in a 1/2 a mile. Here is the sad story, my third race. Rolling start from 40 on 2nd gear, as i floored it and shifted to 3rd, I got a drivetrain malfunction I have no clue why?? Talked to jimmy from R1motorsport and told me its ironic. Usually at high speed with a tuned M5 I might get it. Any clue?? I have an appointment with a dealer today but I am debating whether I should put my stock exhaust on first or not?
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11-18-2014, 10:15 AM	#2
drbru Lieutenant 99 Rep 483 Posts Drives: f10 m5 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Has nothing to do with exhaust do wouldnt worry too much about it... Lots of threads on here with regards to possible reasons ranging from water ingress into control unit through to faulty solenoids, but the reality is that there are lots of possible reason, non of which are overly serious... Unfortunately it just means a trip to the dealer for them to sort but your car is under warranty so no cost to you just the inconveneice of not having your car for a while
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11-18-2014, 11:02 AM	#6
darkz Private 14 Rep 91 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Canada, AB iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 BMW X5M [0.00] 2013 BMW M5 [9.00] 2012 BMW X3 [9.00] 2013 Ford F150 FX4 [10.00]	did they know you had the exhaust installed? I know my dealerships like to blame aftermarket parts whenever they get a slight chance to do so.
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11-18-2014, 08:47 PM	#11
greentrbo95gst Brigadier General 1231 Rep 4,106 Posts Drives: 21 M5 Comp Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Orange County iTrader: (6)	No Fly Zone? __________________ Current: 21 M5 Comp, 17 X5M, 06 M3, 14 Ferrari FF, Tesla Model S Performance.
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11-19-2014, 12:12 AM	#13
JetBee 13' M5 AW 19 Rep 115 Posts Drives: 13' M5 - AW Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Oregon iTrader: (0)	were *
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11-19-2014, 05:10 AM	#14
David 12 Major 127 Rep 1,048 Posts Drives: 2019 BMW X5 50i BSM, M Sport Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Omaha iTrader: (0)	Jetbee, I remember back in my bmw 335i days, dealers would sometimes frown on aftermarket exhausts when there was damage to the turbocharger or other engine issues. The dealer can say it was the reduced back pressure from the aftermarket exhaust that caused the damage. Granted not every dealer did this but it did happen to a few of the guys on the 335i forum. The overarching strategy was to just be safe and return to stock before the trip to the dealer and not give them any reason for denying a warranty claim. As others said, your problem is most likely not caused by the exhaust and you will probably be okay if you leave it on. However, there may be a small chance that the dealer or bmwna may take a stricter stance. Dave Ps. I would not mention that it happened at no fly zone. Last edited by David 12; 11-19-2014 at 05:16 AM..
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11-19-2014, 08:50 AM	#15
alvinabed First Lieutenant 72 Rep 315 Posts Drives: 13 AWSO M5,16 DGMR X5M Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Indonesia iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M5 [9.75] 2012 Lamborghini Ga ... [10.00]	I think there's nothing to do with the exhaust system. However, if you are worried about the dealer to blame on the system, just uninstall them prior to see your dealer. Won't take you long to install and uninstall them. Good luck __________________ 2012 Rosso Mars Lamborghini Gallardo STS LP570-4 2013 AW SO F10 M5 upgrades: RKP front spoiler, M performance carbon spoiler, 3D design rear carbon diffuser, KW HAS Sleeve Kit, Akrapovic Evolution Carbon tips, ind black LCI front and rear grills, GruppeM RAM intake, 20" HRE P104 satin charcoal with PSS tires)
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11-19-2014, 10:05 AM	#17
mcvaughan Lieutenant Colonel 704 Rep 1,917 Posts Drives: F87 Competition Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Katy, TX iTrader: (1)	Had my car in the dealer for a drivetrain malfunction. They updated the software and the problem hasn't returned. Not sure if that would address your issue though. __________________ Matt
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11-20-2014, 02:30 AM	#18
JetBee 13' M5 AW 19 Rep 115 Posts Drives: 13' M5 - AW Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Oregon iTrader: (0)	Thanks guys!
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11-21-2014, 03:38 AM	#19
shahano Lieutenant Colonel 231 Rep 1,576 Posts Drives: 21' M2C 6spd ,11' 1M, 88' M3 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0)	mine was just a bad coil. replaced it and all was ok
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