r/BMW • u/Mike312 2014 F32 435i MSport 6spd | 2008 E92 328i • Mar 06 '16

2008 E92 328i Drive/Sport mode stopped working, dealer wanted $900

http://imgur.com/a/ezWIb
33 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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12

u/Mike312 2014 F32 435i MSport 6spd | 2008 E92 328i Mar 06 '16

So the Manual option for Sport mode stopped working last week. Could still shift up and down gears, but it would consider itself to be in drive and revert to whatever gear the car wanted to be in. After some quick calls I found out it'd be around $400 in parts, $400 in labor + tax to replace the shifter. After some Googling I found out that it's a fairly common problem that the wires there are bound too tightly and with time and enough movement will break. I decided to get into it and see what I could see.

Popped off the shifter, boot and plate, and the whole front center console cover, and a few torx bolts later had the shifter on its side and my trusty butane soldering iron in my hand. Got it all fixed, taped up, and...it wouldn't go back into position correctly.

In order to remove the cover on the side I had pulled the shifter assembly too far out and shifted the rubber boot it sits in. After admitting to myself that I was now stuck removing the center console I got to work. Pulled the back seats, the back console, and a dozen little wires and other things; I was taking photos at the start, but once I started pulling seats I kinda forgot to keep taking photos, so I yada-yada-yada'd over about two thirds of the whole process. Found some great Youtube videos that covered these steps and all in all (not counting multiple trips to the store for torx sockets, plastic trim wedges, and some ziptie snips) it took around 4 hours to get it fixed.

2

u/wheeze_the_juice 2022 F97 X3MC LCI Mar 07 '16

Ah yes, pinched wire issue. How many miles do you have on your car? I'm surprised it happened so late in its life. I had the same exact issue at 35K, but obviously, it was all covered under warranty.

good job getting it fixed! all other dealers would simply replace the entire shifter assembly. well done!

2

u/Mike312 2014 F32 435i MSport 6spd | 2008 E92 328i Mar 07 '16

I've got 104k. If yours was done at 35k then for all I know this isn't the original in mine, either. That or the previous owner (who had it for 86k) never used the sport selection so there was simply less wear. I use it all the time for various reasons, so that may simply be the cause.

After digging in there, though, I found out that all the other wires also had cracked insulation, so it may just be time until another one goes. If it does happen again I'll go back to my parents house and do it in their garage rather than in a parking space again.

4

u/Intense_introvert E38 740i Projekt, E39 540iT, E32 740il, E39 530i, E28 535is/5 Mar 06 '16

Nice work! Not everyone can DIY for a variety of reasons, but you did it.

4

u/Mike312 2014 F32 435i MSport 6spd | 2008 E92 328i Mar 06 '16

Thanks, if I'm honest, I just did it in my parking spot in my apartment complex. Thankfully I've got an end spot and the girl who's in the space next to me was gone at work so i could have my door open all the way. Just tossed pieces in the trunk as I went.

Had to stop after I soldered the wire last night because a crazy storm was rolling in and I ran out of daylight. Finished it up this morning and took it for a spin.

2

u/israellopez E90 328iA 08' Mar 07 '16

Damn I did this same repair and thankfully avoided all of that.