poi098

I own a ’98 540i 6-speed, it has 34K miles. At 29.5K I started hearing a squeaking noise coming from underneath the car when the clutch was being depressed or let go. The dealer told me that I’ll need a new clutch and subsequently replaced it under warranty with a brand new item. Mind you, that the only indication of the problem was the squeaking noise. Afterwards, they were hard pressed to tell me what was the problem, except the fact that there is a known issue and that’s why it was replaced under warranty!!!

At about 33.5K I started having clutch problems again, only this time it started slipping. As of right now it is only noticeable when the car is cold (coming out of a garage in the morning), the RPMs are around 1500 and I’m in 1st gear, letting the clutch out very gently. The best way I can describe it is with a bicycle analogy. If you guys remember riding bicycles, when you would stand up to paddle hard, sometimes the chain would skip a link and then hook up again as the gears were changing. That is the exact feeling I get through the clutch pedal. From a complete stop the car starts moving, then the pedal jumps up (towards me) about an inch (it happens in the first quarter of the pedal’s travel), while I feel that the car hasn’t gained any speed.

I would appreciate input from anyone who has experienced clutch problems along the same lines. I need to be armed with data, because I know it’s going to be a blood bath when I bring the car to the dealership.

P.S. I have NEVER dropped the clutch or did a burn out launch in this car.