New Ct4Bw

[schernov]

Purchased a 2002 CT4BW. 30k miles. One prior owner. Black with beige seats. Manual.
Came off or 20 years or BMWs. Latest was F30 340i ZHP manual. Been a month. Initial thoughts:
- engine and suspension is great
- Tremec is disappointing. Way too clunky compared to BMW getrag.
- interior is good. Some GM cheapo moves. Like no power folding mirrors? Really?
- Part availability - wow. Very poor aftermarket support. Even oem stuff is on back order and takes forever. I am used to bmw warehouse in Chicago - order before 10 am - dealer gets parts same day.
- local Cadillac dealer been VERY good.
- tire sizing - very low selection. Especially snows.

Overall enjoying it. Tremec is my biggest gripe so far. Everything else can be dealt with. But the fact that so many vette, Camaro and Blackwing owners have issues with clunky shifting and think it's normal or "they all do that" is crazy.

 

[schernov]

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[brewski]

I think the tremec feels good. From the BMW, VWs and Audi cars I have driven I have thought the transmissions feel sloppy and loose. Makes them less notchy, but feel worse like if you had soft bushings in the suspension.
I think mine feels good (4BW) and there is a bit of a false positive going into 2nd, but I just adjusted to shift with a little extra input to make sure it fully engages. When the transmission is cold it does feel notchier, but that is to be expected and goes away for me once the tranny is warm. One of the temps I watch is tranny.

 

[1Evil55]

Welcome to another Illinoisistanian. Lots of discussion on the Tremec here. Some with better experiences than others. The aftermarket will come around more over time. BMW has quite a few more cars on the road than BW's so there should automatically be more with interest in aftermarket to drive demand. Hope to see you around!

 

[schernov]

I am in Chicago. Please share your dealer service experience especially warranty items. So far Zeigler in Lincolnwood been very good.

 

[1Evil55]

My only experience is with Heritage in Lombard. They delivered my first almost every optioned BW5 on December 21, 2021 after waiting ~7 months from order. They serviced it up until I traded for a newer one. Never needed warranty work on it since it only made it 4,000 miles over 4 years. My BW4 has been there for regular service since purchased, again no warranty service required. I have yet to take the new BW5 to them for anything. Boss lady's Esky gets regular service there too. I've purchased more from them than I care to admit. Chuck Hughes is/was the greatest of help but has since retired. They have my business for the foreseeable future.