DCT Weridness

[itsme123]

Is it just me or does DCT likes to start from 2nd gear from time to time in efficient mode. This is from a dead stop sitting and not rolling. Anyone experiencing this? Thanks!

Mike

[Bibendum]

All the time. Normal.

[vqpro2]

take it out of efficient and put it in sport or sport plus and it will start out in 1 gear

[skypx]

Not really. If it's in sport+ and D1 it will start off in 2nd gear.

[MichaelJohn]

I have brought this up before. It is very annoying. It never happened with the DCT in my M3 and when I first started noticing it in the M5 I couldn't figure it out. Apparently it's some stupid efficiency setting which chooses to put extra wear on the clutch rather than burn a few extra drops of gasoline (if in fact it really saves any gas at all!) It's an idiotic feature on a performance car and I despise it. When I come to a stop I will check what gear I'm in and flick it down manually if it doesn't drop to first on its own. However, I don't always remember to check and that sluggish take-off in second gear drives me nuts. It's a good reason not to drive in automatic mode.

Btw, I have not found any setting that eliminates it, no matter how aggressive.

[gblansten]

Whoa! There is an efficient mode?

I haven't noticed this in anarcho-chaos mode.

[itsme123]

I also find that it happens in all "D" modes without any rhyme or reason. It makes me want to bang my head on the steering wheel all the time. Grrrrr!!!!

[MichaelJohn]

Originally Posted by itsme123

I also find that it happens in all "D" modes without any rhyme or reason. It makes me want to bang my head on the steering wheel all the time. Grrrrr!!!!

The last time I posted about this someone said that the car will adapt to your driving style so if you drive it gently it will start in second. I have noticed that when I first start out driving it does use first gear for a while then after a few minutes it will start defaulting to second gear. If it is true that it adapts, the problem is that it is not always feasible or desirable to drive the car aggressively enough for it to choose a first gear start. It's just a dumb feature - but at least it's better than the 1-4 skip shift in the Corvette - that would drive me absolutely bananas.

[rabbutler]

I wonder if there is something in coding that could fix this?

[PetrolFumes]

Yeah i actually brought my car into BMW for this..they said normal...its annoying

[PetrolFumes]

Happens to me when in sport too i think

[M6-Coupe]

Either there is difference between M5 and M6 (which is weird since both car have the same drivetrain unless they are calibrated/tuned differently) or my car is different from yours! I rarely experience this issue and most of the time it starts from the first gear if I go to full stop no matter which setting I select even all comfort/D1. I have not found out the logic yet, but the only time it wants to start from second gear(which is not repeatable) is when I go stop with front wheels turned right (or left)! In this situation the DCT stops in second gear...
Another interesting thing about this DCT is that it gives you option (in Sequential mode) to start from S2 other than S1! I have experienced this feature is not available when you have stopped in uphill! I have tried several times. The DCT hesitates upshift and returns to S1 immediately!

[itsme123]

The only thing I can attribute this to is that the DCT was programmed to comply to certain emission's spec or to meet it. Another annoying thing is that this DCT won't shift to 1st gear unless you come to a full stop. Example is when you come to a stop sign and slow enough to "stop", about 2mph and you are forced to start off in a very sluggish 2nd gear. Again, all this is in "D".

[Spinny02]

Originally Posted by MichaelJohn

I have brought this up before. It is very annoying. It never happened with the DCT in my M3 and when I first started noticing it in the M5 I couldn't figure it out. Apparently it's some stupid efficiency setting which chooses to put extra wear on the clutch rather than burn a few extra drops of gasoline (if in fact it really saves any gas at all!) It's an idiotic feature on a performance car and I despise it. When I come to a stop I will check what gear I'm in and flick it down manually if it doesn't drop to first on its own. However, I don't always remember to check and that sluggish take-off in second gear drives me nuts. It's a good reason not to drive in automatic mode.

Btw, I have not found any setting that eliminates it, no matter how aggressive.

Use the paddles

[Fantasm]

wtf, you're in EFFICIENT mode, thus it will start the car in 2nd gear -- EFFICIENTLY.

[GarbageMan]

Originally Posted by Spinny02

Use the paddles

I must admit, driving this car certainly puts me in a good mood. This morning I had a bunch of places to go and drove the M, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Having said this, the car starting in 2nd is about to really piss me off. I don't darken the BMW dealership's door unless my arm is twisted "to the point of breaking" behind my back. Unless I can:

1. be sure that they won't screw up my coding
2. be sure that any fix they implement will work for sure

I'm not taking it to them... AND I shouldn't have to use paddles to work around this silliness... Anyone have any other suggestion? Starting in different modes is poppycock...

[eleven11]

To each their own, but this seems a little trivial to get worked up about. Drive more aggressively in efficient mode, and it should adapt over time. As noted by Fantasm, starting in 2nd gear is more efficient. Also, with passengers it's not as jerky as starting in first.

[GarbageMan]

Originally Posted by eleven11

To each their own, but this seems a little trivial to get worked up about. Drive more aggressively in efficient mode, and it should adapt over time. As noted by Fantasm, starting in 2nd gear is more efficient. Also, with passengers it's not as jerky as starting in first.

In the immortal words of Waylon Jennings..."Wrong.". This might be a less than optimum artist to quote here on the forum, as I don't think I have a "Waylon crowd"... It is not less jerky with passengers starting in second versus first. Starting in second feels similar to the jerky engagement of the centrifugal clutches that were on go carts that many of us rode as kids. "Smooth" they were not... I don't think I should have to drive like Barney Oldfield (another demographically inappropriate reference) to get the thing to start in first. Again the M5 is fantastic otherwise, and this is probably only one of only two complaints I have about (the other being a lack of a true oil dipstick) the car.

[Dionysus]

Originally Posted by M6-Coupe

Either there is difference between M5 and M6 (which is weird since both car have the same drivetrain unless they are calibrated/tuned differently) or my car is different from yours! I rarely experience this issue and most of the time it starts from the first gear if I go to full stop no matter which setting I select even all comfort/D1. I have not found out the logic yet, but the only time it wants to start from second gear(which is not repeatable) is when I go stop with front wheels turned right (or left)! In this situation the DCT stops in second gear...

You sir must drive it like you stole it if your M6 has learnt to do that in efficient mode (j/K)

My 'Driving Miss Daisy' driving style results in the usual 2nd gear lethargy. I need to stop worrying about breaking this car and just drive it!

[stealth.pilot]

I think it depends on the mode. I normally drive with everything in Sport, and D2, and I don't experience the issue you describe. The car is in 1 at standstill.

[M6-Coupe]

Originally Posted by Dionysus

You sir must drive it like you stole it if your M6 has learnt to do that in efficient mode (j/K)

LOL
I do drive like that... I rarely set the efficient (default) mode and that's why my current gas mileage is 10.6

[eleven11]

Originally Posted by GarbageMan

In the immortal words of Waylon Jennings..."Wrong.". This might be a less than optimum artist to quote here on the forum, as I don't think I have a "Waylon crowd"... It is not less jerky with passengers starting in second versus first. Starting in second feels similar to the jerky engagement of the centrifugal clutches that were on go carts that many of us rode as kids. "Smooth" they were not... I don't think I should have to drive like Barney Oldfield (another demographically inappropriate reference) to get the thing to start in first. Again the M5 is fantastic otherwise, and this is probably only one of only two complaints I have about (the other being a lack of a true oil dipstick) the car.

I'll tell that to the multiple people I've apologized to for essentially giving them whiplash, staring in first gear unintentionally. It never happens to me in second gear. I'm not denying what you experience, but our cars must behave differently.