[Gav5]

Hi,
I think my clutch may be on the way out. It's a 2005 e90 320i SE with 67k on the clock.
Reverse gear mostly need several attempts to engage, dipping the clutch each time until it does.
The forward gears seem awfully sharp on the uptake although engage fine. There's also sometimes shudder when pulling off in first.
Also sometimes engine stutters at idle, which i've heard can be clutch related.

my questions -

Does this sound like a failing clutch ?
How much would it likely cost to replace, at an independent garage ?

Your opinions appreciated, thanks.

Gav

[e90pilot]

Clutch sounds fine to me. The judder is normal for BMWs. Not sure why. What you are experiencing is a gearbox issue. I've got 180k mi on mine and the clutch still grabs fine. Reverse grabs fine on mine but first is stubborn often. Consider changing the gear oil (its about time to change mine too). That will make the gear engagement smoother.

On the N52 the flywheel is about $700 and the pressure plate and disk is about $300 in parts only. Not sure about the labor. If you have clutch judder, I would recommend you change the flywheel as well. Some people have said that the flywheel can be resurfaced, but I have always been under the impression that dual mass flywheels cannot.

[Gav5]

Thanks for the reply.
The car is going to the garage this week so I'll have them change the gear box oil. Hopefully that will improve the situation.
Cheers,
Gav