2003 BMW M3

P133 CODE HAS COME UP AFTER DRIVING 100 MILES. I TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC IN WHICH HE REPLACED ALL OXYGEN SENSORS. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE CODE CAME BACK UP. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE MECHANIC IN WHICH HE SAID IT HAS TO DO WITH A FAULTY ECM. THIS HAS CAUSED ME TO FAIL SMOG TEST UNLESS I ERASE THE CODE. THE ECM HAS ALREADY BEEN REFLASHED BY BMW BACK IN 2012. *TR

XENON HEADLIGHTS MY XENON HEADLIGHTS ONLY WORK INTERMITTENTLY AND WHEN THEY DO WORK THEY JUST BARELY LIGHT THE ROADWAY. THIS COULD CAUSE A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING. I WENT TO THE BMW DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS MALFUNCTION COULD ONLY BE REPAIRED AT MY COST AND THAT THE XENON LIGHTS HAD SIMPLY WORN OUT. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW. REAR TURN SIGNAL LGHTS, BRAKE LIGHTS I ALSO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR TURN SIGNAL AND BRAKE LIGHT. OVER TIME, RESISTANCE IN THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS MAY CAUSE ONE OR MORE REAR LAMP FUNCTIONS (TAIL LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, AND/OR TURN-SIGNAL), WITHIN THE VEHICLE'S BODY PANEL, TO STOP WORKING. THE INTERMITTENT LIGHT OPERATION REDUCES THE ABILITY TO WARN OTHER MOTORISTS OF THE DRIVER'S INTENTIONS. THIS CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH FROM THE REAR.

MY CAR WAS IN A COLLISION WHERE THE DRIVER OF CAR 1 WAS MAKING A TURN INTO THE MAIN STREET , SHE TURNED TOO WIDE AND COULD NOT COMPLETE THE TURN AND DECIDED TO BACK UP..SHE SLAMMED INTO MY CAR ,DAMAGE WAS LEFT FRONT BUMPER ,BROKEN PARKING LIGHT, DAMAGE LEFT FRONT FENDER , XENON HEADLIGHT MODULE,(CAUSES THE LEFT HEAD LIGHT TO TURN OF SOMETIMES) AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON , DIAGNOSIS FOUND DRIVERS SEAT BELT TENSIONER FAULT ,SINCE THERE WAS THE IMPACT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. THE DRIVER OF CAR 1 WAS CITED FOR HE INCIDENT AND ALSO FOR DRIVING ON A LEARNERS PERMIT ALONE. STATE FARM ONLY COVERED THE BODY REPAIR AND DECLINED THE REPAIR OF THE AIR BAG AND THE HEAD LIGHT. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF ANY ONE INSIDE THIS CAR IF THERE WAS ANY REASON FOR THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG AND IT DID NOT DEPLOY AT THE TIME. MY CAR WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION BEFORE THIS ACCIDENT. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MY CAR REPAIRED AND FEEL SAFE DRIVING. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A RELATIVELY HOT DAY (92 DEGREES F), MY VEHICLE'S SMG (SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARBOX) MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT TURNED ON AND I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY DROPPING OUT OF GEAR INTO NEUTRAL OR "0" FOR 6-15 SECONDS AT A TIME. WHEN OUT OF GEAR, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. ON ONE INSTANCE OF DROPPING OUT OF GEAR, I WAS TURNING RIGHT AT AROUND 10-15 MPH WHEN I FOUND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AND AN ONCOMING VEHICLE ALMOST RAN INTO ME. SINCE THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THIS, THIS TYPE OF "STALLING" HAS HAPPENED MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE REACHES ABOVE 90 DEGREES, AND NOW I CANNOT DRIVE LONGER THAN 30 MINUTES WITHOUT THE SMG MIL TURNING ON AND GEARS START DROPPING. I'M CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY HAPPEN AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND LEAVE ME STRANDED ON A HIGHWAY OR EVEN IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, WHERE IT SEEMS TO OCCUR VERY FREQUENTLY. I'VE RESEARCHED MANY FORUMS FOR THIS AND HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH OTHER M3 SMG OWNERS. THERE IS SOME INDICATION FROM OTHER OWNERS THAT THE ISSUE MIGHT BE LINKED TO A HYDRAULIC TEMPERATURE SENSOR LOCATED ON THE MAIN SMG HYDRAULIC PUMP BUT I HAVE NOT FOUND ANY INFORMATION FROM BMW DETAILING A REPAIR FOR THIS TYPE OF ISSUE. THE ONLY OPTION SEEMS TO BE A FULL REPLACEMENT OF THE HYDRAULIC PUMP, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE ON MY VEHICLE ONCE BEFORE FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE. THIS TYPE OF REPLACEMENT COSTS ALMOST $4000 AS QUOTED BY THE DEALER. I THINK BMW SHOULD GET SERIOUS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION ON POTENTIAL CAMPAIGN REMEDIES. *TR

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2003 BMW M3 COUPE, MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN RACED OR TAKEN TO THE TRACK AND HAS SEEN MOSTLY CITY DRIVING. ALL SUSPENSION COMPONENTS ARE STOCK OR OEM REPLACEMENT PARTS. UPON INSPECTION OF THE CAR, A TRAINED TECHNICIAN FOUND HAIRLINE FRACTURES STARTING FROM THE SPOT WELDS ON THE REAR SUSPENSION SUBFRAME MOUNTING POINTS RENDERING THE VEHICLE STATIONARY UNTIL EXPENSIVE REINFORCING PLATES CAN BE WELDED INTO THE TRUNK. IF A CAR COMPANY MAKES STREET-LEGAL RACE CARS AND MARKETS THEM TO THE PUBLIC IN THAT WAY IT SEEMS LIKE A DESIGN FLAW SUCH AS THIS WOULD BE REPAIRED BY THE COMPANY. AGAIN, THIS CAR WAS NEVER RACED OR TRACKED AND IS EXPERIENCING THE START OF A CATASTROPHIC STRUCTURAL FAILURE BECAUSE IT WAS DRIVEN ON NORMAL ROADS. *TR

REAR VEHICLE SUBFRAME BEGINNING TO SEPARATE FROM CHASSIS. SHEET METAL DIRECTLY ABOVE SUBFRAME MOUNTING POINT PEELING AWAY FROM REST OF CAR. WOULD LEAD TO EVENTUAL DESTRUCTION OF REAR END AND POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE IF NOT FOUND IN A TIMELY MANNER. CONSUMER UNTRAINED IN AUTO MECHANICS MAY NOT EVER DISCOVER THIS PROBLEM BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. *TR

RE: SMG PUMP FAILURE I HAVE CONTACTED BMWNA IN THE PAST IN REGARDS TO THE SMG (SEQUENTIAL MANUAL GEARSHIFT) PUMP FAILURE IN SOME BMW E46 M3'S 2002-2006. BMWNA APPEARS TO BRUSH THIS PROBLEM ASIDE. THE SMG IS AN ELECTRO HYDRAULICALLY ACTUATED CLUTCH. IT CHANGES THE GEARS (UTILIZING HYDRAULIC PUMP) WITHOUT AN ACTUAL CLUTCH PEDAL BY UTILIZING THE SHIFTER LEVER LOCATED ON THE CENTER CONSOLE OR THE SHIFTER PADDLE LEVERS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. WHEN THE SMG FAILS YOUR VEHICLE LOSES ENGINE POWER AND YOU ARE UNABLE TO PROCEED. THIS COMMON PROBLEM APPEARS TO OCCUR IN THESE MODEL YEARS WITH AS LOW AS 40,000 MILES OR AS IN MY CASE 75,000 MILES. ON JULY 6, 2010 I TOOK MY M3 TO WEBER BMW IN FRESNO, CA. DUE TO THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT". I WAS TOLD I WOULD BE NEEDING A NEW SMG PUMP, WHICH I HAD NO CHOICE, BUT TO PAY THE COST OF $3,823.12 FOR THE REPLACEMENT PART. I AM A MEMBER OF A BMW TALK FORUM CALLED E46FANATICS.COM (HTTP://FORUM.E46FANATICS.COM/SEARCH.PHP?SEARCHID=19190542) AND M3FORUM.COM (HTTP://WWW.M3FORUM.NET/M3FORUM/SEARCH.PHP?SEARCHID=9157882) THESE TWO WEB SITES PROVIDE LOTS OF VALUABLE INFO IN REGARDS TO BMW OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE SMG PUMP. I UNDERSTAND CARS BREAK DOWN, BUT WHEN IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM SUCH AS THIS PROBLEM AND BMWNA IGNORES IT, THEN IN MY OPINION IT SHOULD BE A LEGAL PROBLEM. MY M3 IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN PROPERLY SERVICED AS BMW REQUIRES. I FEEL THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART IN THESE M3'S BUILT BETWEEN 2002 AND 2006. I AM STILL ANGRY THAT I HAD TO PAY THIS AMOUNT WHEN I STRONGLY BELIEVE BMW IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT'S THEIR FAULT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, DANIEL HERNANDEZ

BMW M3'S WITH SMG TRANSMISSION 2002-2006. ON HOT DAYS THE TRANSMISSION WITH "POP" OUT OF GEAR AND INTO NEUTRAL FOR ABOUT 15-30 SECONDS BEFORE REENGAGING INTO THE APPROPRIATE GEAR. THIS JUST LEAVES THE CAR HELPLESS COASTING DOWN THE STREET.THIS HAS HAPPENED EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST WEEK AND TODAY THIS HAPPENED TO ME WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT A BUSY INTERSECTION AND AN ONCOMING VEHICLE HAD TO "BRAKE N SWERVE" TO AVOID T-BONING ME. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT US BMW OWNERS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET BMW TO ACKNOWLEDGE FOR YEARS BUT THEY ACT LIKE ITS NOT A PROBLEM. THEY DON'T PROPERLY TROUBLESHOOT THE ISSUE AND JUST THROW PARTS AT IT HOPING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. NEXT THING YOU KNOW YOUR CAR WAS AT THE DEALER FOR 3 WEEKS AND $3200 LATER(AVERAGE FOR THIS ISSUE) YOUR BLOCKING TRAFFIC DOWNTOWN COMING HOME IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THIS IS JUST INCREDIBLE TO ME. I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE FEDERAL GVT ON THIS A OF YET. IF YOU WERE TO DO AN INTERNET SEARCH OF " M3 SMG OUT OF GEAR" OR "SMG NEUTRAL FAIL" YOU WOULD LITERALLY FIND 100'S UPON 100'S OF THREADS ON THIS ISSUE.PLEASE HELP. THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE. HOPEFULLY THERE ARE OTHERS THAN MYSELF WHO TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO FILE A REPORT LIKE THIS INSTEAD OF WORRYING IF OUR 60K CAR IS GOING TO BREAK DOWN AND CAUSE A TRAFFIC JAM OR ACCIDENT IF THE TEMP IS ABOVE 95 DEGREES. *TR

1. I LIVE IN LANCASTER, CA AND WHEN THE SUMMER COMES AROUND IT GETS REALLY HOT REALLY QUICK. MY BMW M3 2003 WHICH HAPPENS TO BE AN SMG KEEPS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT CAUSES MY TRANSMISSION TO FUNCTION IMPROPERLY BY SHIFTING TO "NEUTRAL" AUTOMATICALLY. TODAY, ON MY WAY BACK FROM WORK I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT WHEN MY TRANSMISSION CHANGE AUTOMATICALLY FROM 3RD GEAR INTO NEUTRAL ALMOST CAUSING THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME TO CRASH ONTO MY VEHICLE. 2. THE SMG LIGHT KEEPS TURNING ON. I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE "HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT (HCU) WITH PRESSURE ACCUMULATOR" WHICH IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. I NOTICE THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS USUALLY DURING THE HOT WEATHER SINCE IT ALSO HAPPENED TO ME LAST YEAR AROUND THE SAME TIME. MY BMW MECHANIC TOLD ME THIS WOULD COST ME ON OR ABOUT $3,000 WITH PARTS AND LABOR. I GOT ONLINE AS SOON AS I GOT HOME TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AS I AM, FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER BMW M3 SMG E46 (2001-2006) OWNERS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT'S CONSEQUENCES ARE THAT SINCE THIS IS THE ONLY VEHICLE I HAVE, I FEEL MY LIFE AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS ARE AT HIGH RISK IF MY TRANSMISSION CHANGES FROM ANY GEAR INTO NEUTRAL WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT TO OCCUR. 3. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS MALFUNCTION. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ AND DISCOVER ONLINE, BMW NORTH AMERICA KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND WANTS ALL BMW M3 SMG E46 OWNERS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HCU WHICH AS STATED BEFORE COST ON OR ABOUT $3,000 WITH PARTS AND LABOR. THIS WILL ONLY FIX THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY SINCE THE PROBLEM WILL PERSIST AS THE WEATHER CONTINUES BEING ABOVE 85-90 FAHRENHEIT. I DON'T BELIEVE IS FAIR FOR ALL BMW M3 SMG E46 OWNERS TO PAY SUCH AMOUNT WHEN CLEARLY WON'T FIX SUCH PROBLEM. IT WOULD BE FAIR IF BMW TOOK CHARGE AND RECALL THIS ISSUE THAT IS PUTTING EVERY CITIZEN IN DANGER DUE TO THEIR MISTAKE IN THE HCU FOR ALL BMW M3 SMG E46 VEHICLES. *TR