e38 e39 steptronic auto gearbox

[320ise]

can they be compared to a manual? and when in step mode do you have full control of the the shifting and most importantly are they reliable? as i have a seen a tidy 528i cheap but ive never had an auto and always bin against them.

[Cloud]

Think "flappy paddle" but on a stick rather than on paddles. I used one in a Freelander once, and it was alright. It wasn't up for any sports shenanigans though, dropping a gear to overtake on the motorway made it all slow and indecisive, even in "sport" mode. A fast one would probably have been cool though, like a modern touring car or an Ascari A10.

I'm strictly manual only too, a car doesn't seem like a proper car if it's automatic. The setup of "one pedal makes it go, one makes it stop, and the big round thing turns it" is far too American for me. But I wouldn't mind Steptronic in a daily car.

...if it were reliable. But I don't know if they are.

[mrLEE30]

have this in our 1996 E39 528. car now on 250000+km and no worries so far. it shifts quite nicely and you do have a fair amount of control over the shift, but as all (mainstream) automatic cars they will still shift for you if you rev too hard, or wont shift down if the engine speed will be too high.

i also had this box on my Z3 (with the 3.0 engine) and again it was quite good to drive and quite controlable.

the E39 is a great car but some older cars in UK suffered from Nickoseal (sp?) problems this cause premature bore wear and a dead engine, these was replaced by BMW as a recall IIRC but worth checking. other E39 problems are dodgy electric windows/sunroof/ and general interior trim breaking (like cup holders, ashtray etc etc)
but as a car i cannot fault them, some nice BBS rims and not much else makes then look very good indeed.

mrlee

[B7]

I Had one in my e39 and I loved it. But then I love Autos. If you are a strictly manual man, get a manual. The steptronic will never be a manual no matter what you do to it or how you drive it.

The change is very quick in manual mode but it never will feel like a manual.

[jamie323i]

The Steptronic autos are great,i had the 528i auto,shifts clean and smooth,nice for overtaking.

Well worth getting the box serviced,oil and filter change every 20,000,BMW say it is maintenance free,the box will last longer with regular servicing.

[casper8r]

... other E39 problems are dodgy electric windows/sunroof/ and general interior trim breaking (like cup holders, ashtray etc etc)

mrlee

Just to add (not on the gearbox issue) another weakness of e39 is the cooling system esp. some plastic bits. Worth having a read in forum.bmw5.co.uk if you're thinking of buying one.