[aa240sx]

Just putting this out in the ether in the hopes that some day 2 things happen -

1 - the automatic in my 2012 f10 fails on me and I have to do this swap...

2 - someone has walked this path already and can lend some guidance to this no longer young paduan.

I do have some experience in performing a swap having done and documented (RIP M3 Forums) a swap on my 2003 SMG M3. I know I know..older car that clearly had the bones to do a swap from the beginning since they were available with a getrag 6 speed or SMG.

But, I know that the F10 also had a manual option and if I'm not mistaken, at least in the US, it was the last 5 series to offer a manual. So I'm sure the bones and mechanics are there to perform this swap, too.

I have found noone talking about this swap, at least from my searches, so apologies in advance if the subthread this creates will basically be links to threads on how to do the job. Been there done that.

[BimmerHausPerformance]

I love my 6 speed and I would do it in a heartbeat. You would need a different rear diff too since it would throw gearing off.

[Ajburns651]

Am following thread. Don't have anything to add, but wish I bought the car in a manual. Let me know if you find anything.

[MatthewLC]

Considering this was done on another F-series car, I would assume the process is going to be very similar on an F10. This should provide some context around what would be involved with the swap: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1713586

I'm pretty sure all the engine specific parts are going to be universal (clutch trans, etc..) so those will be easy to find as you can just purchase it for the F30.

Anything F10 specific I'm going to bet you're just going to have to buy it new from BMW. There were so few 6spd sold that there's literally nothing for sale used.

Some things to keep in mind:
- Clutch hydraulic line is probably going to be unique to the F10
- Trans mount might be?
- I'm assuming the driveshaft is going to be different as well. If it is, it's probably going to be cheaper and easier to have yours modified by a driveshaft shop.
- Center console and DEC switch is different, so you'd have to swap that out for it to look oem
- Any other random things that you may run into since no one has done this.

Honestly I think coding/getting the starter to run is likely going to be the most challenging piece.

Also 6spd F10's were all RWD only. So if you're attempting to do this on an xi that's real uncharted territory but I feel like it might be a possibility.

Real OEM is going to be your friend to determine if there are any parts shared with other platforms. IE. if the same part is used on an F30 it's probably going to be way easier to find it used from a 6spd 335 vs. 6spd 535. I would also search European ebay for parts. Way more manual F10's sold in Europe vs. North America. Just be careful with RHD parts.

[MatthewLC]

I forgot to mention two other things:

- I believe the shifter and shifter rod are F10 specific. You'd have to look into that to see if an F30 one can be used. All the aftermarket ones have them advertised as being different.

- While the diff ratio is not optimal, you can still use your existing diff. The auto has a 3.08 ratio vs the manual having a 3.23. I wouldn't let the diff stop you considering it's probably not going to be easy to find a 6spd one. From what I found on ebay the N20 528 diff is a 3.23, so you may be able to get away with that? If anything I would try for the N52 528 diff which is a 3.28, or if you really want something shorter a F01 n54 740i diff is a 3.46. This is all based on my assumption that they are all interchangeable (they look like they are in the photos) but I'm not sure if they actually are.

[aa240sx]

Thanks so much MatthewLC, like AJburns61, at least for now, this thread will be my compendium for gathering all the knowledge to do this job.

I know the auto is 8speed and going to 6speed certainly could affect the stock diff. I didn't know the F30 could be a resource for parts, actually, so that's very helpful.

I'm certain coding will be a whole other mixed bag, but I do now have experience coding with ESYS and I've even poked around and have seen specific references to activ/nicht activ for 6 speed related things in ESYS.

I'm pretty open in terms of the shifter. Unless, any readers of this particular subthread even know much about E46 Manual swaps, then you'll know that you can actually perform that job without actually modifying the transmission at all. So in this particular case, I may not even need to buy F10 specific linkages or shifters and could simply drop in an aftermarket shifter that includes all these bits from a company like RTD.

[aa240sx]

Saw this from Muonshower (thanks). Looks like the center console is definitely different from our consoles. Hope it's not too hard to source a part like this and that at least for now, you could still buy one from BMWNA?

[Encendido3]

Man, if you figure this out this would be a game changer. I miss my 6MT at least once a day on my commute to/from work. Would be great if non-F10 parts could be used to really open up the availability of parts. Best of luck with this!

[karolp1993]

Hi. How this modification ends up?
I'm wondering about swaping from manual transmission to automatic so I think there will be a lot of common topics. Most interesting for me is coding the DDE.
Regards

[Double Nickel]

Originally Posted by karolp1993

Hi. How this modification ends up?
I'm wondering about swaping from manual transmission to automatic so I think there will be a lot of common topics. Most interesting for me is coding the DDE.
Regards

IDK....but one thing i do kno is a shiftable auto is the best for me at 50, after diving anything from 8ll to 18spd i got a auto truck and car now and would never buy a 3pedal again.