330ci hesitation

Hello all,

I've been experiencing hesitation accelerating from a standstill position while in 1st gear. It does not happen often and it seems to happen when the car is not totally warmed up and I accelerate rapidly. Has anyone experienced anything similiar ??


Relevant Facts

5 speed manual
3,800 miles
Occurs with or without DSC enabled.
No hesitation at any other gear.
No hesitation at other speeds (ex: increase speed from 30 - 50 mph)
Happens at about the 2,000-4000 RPM range.

My 2003 330Ci does the same thing but it doesn't matter if it's hot or cold. It seems to only happen to me when I first let the clutch out at slow speeds and then try to accelerate rapidly. It will lurch for a couple of seconds and then smooth out. As with your problem it's only in first gear. I called BMW yesterday for another unrelated reason and asked the guy who answered the phone about the hesitation. He also has a 330Ci and says that is normal so I don't know if I should have it checked out or not. He told me if I slipped the clutch more it wouldn't happen and that seems to be the case. Maybe I still need to get more used to this electronic throttle stuff ;) .

I also have a 5 speed 330 and it does it too. When i brought the car in for its regular service they adjusted the clutch and it does it now still but much much less. seems to be a clutch adjustment

Just to let you know, there is no adjusting to our hydraulic clutches. For all with this problem. certain DSC's can be completely turned off by holding the DSC button for about 5 seconds. The DSC light will come on along with a yellow brake light (think yellow) Try this.
A hesitation could be normal on these cars, mainly dependent on the rpms that it hits at. If you let it out too soon, it could be too low of rpm and the engine adjusting to that much throttle at that low of engine speed. Also keep in mind that the throttle is electronically driven. Hope this helps.

ok, could you answer this please ...

when you hit DSC button once, what is the effect on vehicle stability?

Also, when you hold it for a few seconds and the word "brake" lights up on the dash, what is the effect then?

If you hit the DSC button once, it basically turns into ASC which is straightline traction. Pressing it and holding it, completely turns off any traction control.