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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Manual transmission thread
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      03-09-2021, 06:54 AM   #67
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Was so upset back in 2017 when I was in the market for a new car and forced to decide between a stick and N63tu/LCI package :-( Wish I had just listened to my wife and went with an M5 - for once she was ok with me spending more money and I opted not to.
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      03-09-2021, 07:40 AM   #68
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My 2013 535i M-Sport 6spd, with 704 option, pre LCI. These are unicorns for sure.
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      08-06-2021, 11:22 PM   #69
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Does anyone have any actual #’s on how many were sold in North America? Maybe even 535’s vs the 550’s?

I am loving mine!
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      08-10-2021, 06:15 AM   #70
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Bought my '16 535d in November. I'm 45 years old and this is the first car I've owned since I was 18 that's not a manual.

The auto in this car might be good for an auto, but in my opinion the only thing "wrong" with it is the transmission. Anything that has to anticipate what the driver wants is bound to be a source of frustration for some people. A manual would make this car fantastic!

A manual transmission is about driving engagement. It's not better unless you know what you're missing. A previous comment said that Americans like being a passenger with a steering wheel, and I agree! I've long said that people on this continent hate driving and will do whatever they can to avoid it.

I toured Iceland a few years ago and rented a small Kia wagon with a four-pot diesel and a manual. That little car was really fun to drive, and used amazingly small amounts of fuel. Spent 13 days driving around the whole country. I always thought Europeans did it right with lots of manual diesel cars.

Sadly automatic transmissions have pretty much taken over and there's no going back. Keep those clutch pedals as long as you can!!!
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      08-11-2021, 07:21 AM   #71
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Angel View Post
Bought my '16 535d in November. I'm 45 years old and this is the first car I've owned since I was 18 that's not a manual.

The auto in this car might be good for an auto, but in my opinion the only thing "wrong" with it is the transmission. Anything that has to anticipate what the driver wants is bound to be a source of frustration for some people. A manual would make this car fantastic!
Have you driven a BMW 3.0d with MT?

IMO, (and many other users) the diesel with AT is the best drivetrain combination. UK lost MT in the 3.0d models years ago, demand dropped off as users realised the diesel works so well with AT.

BTW, just manually over-ride the transmission, if you want more control.
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      08-11-2021, 10:09 AM   #72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Angel View Post
Bought my '16 535d in November. I'm 45 years old and this is the first car I've owned since I was 18 that's not a manual.

The auto in this car might be good for an auto, but in my opinion the only thing "wrong" with it is the transmission. Anything that has to anticipate what the driver wants is bound to be a source of frustration for some people. A manual would make this car fantastic!
Have you driven a BMW 3.0d with MT?

IMO, (and many other users) the diesel with AT is the best drivetrain combination. UK lost MT in the 3.0d models years ago, demand dropped off as users realised the diesel works so well with AT.

BTW, just manually over-ride the transmission, if you want more control.
I've driven many MT diesels and have really enjoyed most of them.

For classics (read: minimal electronic/emissions controls) I worked at a lumber yard during high school/college and drove heavy trucks. I still have my truck license but don't use it. There were lots of trucks there, but in particular I miss driving the old International 466 with the 15 speed. It had less power than my 535d but that transmission was a lot of fun! Rev-matching a truck without the clutch teaches a lot about how things work.

For modern diesels I had a position with Transport Canada in a group that evaluated advanced tech vehicles, and we imported two Europeans: an E90 diesel MT (six I think) as well as a 1-Series Diesel MT which was the first diesel MT with Auto Stop/Start (I think), it was the 2.0L four if I remember right. Both of those cars drove great, as well as the Kia in Iceland I previously mentioned.

As long as the "throttle" on a diesel is done right, as in completely analog or well mapped electronically, a MT is a joy in my experience.

This 535d (530d elsewhere) is a joy to drive, no doubt, but it's still an autobox that's feeding your inputs to an algorithm to determine the most appropriate output. By nature it's just going to be wrong sometimes.

Perhaps I should try the auto transmission reset procedure and see if it changes into a telepathic mind reader? It's a nice box but sometimes I find it slow to react and/or downshift one too many gears and delivers too much acceleration too late.
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      08-11-2021, 11:32 AM   #73
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I've driven many MT diesels and have really enjoyed most of them.
I come from an MT background (including crash boxes), and although driving AT through the years, didn't buy my first AT until I'd been driving about 35-years.

We didn't get the MT 3.0d models in the F10/11 series, only in the 4-pot 520d. I don't rate the clutch or gear change, both less than what I'd call really acceptable, nothing like the best MT examples I've driven through the years. Even the MT in the 530d E60 and E39 lacked refinement and not at all suited to the diesel, let alone a 5-series. I totally understand the drop off in sales and move to AT. Models like the European E60/61 535d only ever came in AT form, superb combination even with the ZF 6-speed.

ZF 8-speed with the Sport Auto option, in any of the F10/11 models I've driven work superbly. Yes you can catch them out on occasion, but knowing the box and using throttle and brake inputs to get the best responses out of them, run near faultless. Better gear selection than many drivers, stirring their MT.
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      08-11-2021, 06:31 PM   #74
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xHP has gone a long way to helping me miss my MTs a little less. This F10 is also my first AT.
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      08-11-2021, 09:02 PM   #75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete
…the MT in the 530d E60 and E39 lacked refinement and not at all suited to the diesel, let alone a 5-series. I totally understand the drop off in sales and move to AT.
I firmly believe the death of the manual was in full swing as far back as 20 years ago. Time after time I remember reading car reviews where the recommendation was to go for the automatic because the shifter and clutch were dull, disconnected, sloppy… you name it, whereas when I was a teenager in the 90's I don't remember anyone recommending an auto over manual if you wanted to have fun. Yes automatics have gotten better over the years which surely has supported the movement, but having the manuals get worse at the same time certainly didn't help.

I think car companies kept manuals around as long as they did simply because it cost them less and was an easy way of getting $1k+ more money out of nearly every car sale because the automatic was an option. When in doubt, follow the money!

Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete
ZF 8-speed with the Sport Auto option, in any of the F10/11 models I've driven work superbly. Yes you can catch them out on occasion, but knowing the box and using throttle and brake inputs to get the best responses out of them, run near faultless. Better gear selection than many drivers, stirring their MT.
The nature of the diesel has me wishing for fewer downshifts. It has enough torque to do what I want most of the time without downshifting, but it sometimes just refuses to hold the gear and forces a lazy downshift. True that I'm still getting a feel for it, but after driving it for nearly 10 months I still feel it's not as natural as it could be. Maybe I'm just a picky customer… ?

Sport mode makes everything hyper-responsive, but wastes the 8 speed capability and fuel; it won't use 8th gear unless you're cruising fast enough to risk a steep ticket.

Come to think of it, the "modes" are perhaps the main reason I dislike the transmission so much. Comfort often has lazy shifts and the accelerator response is a bit soft, but Sport goes way too far the other way, wasting ratios and gives you 1/2 throttle when you ask for 1/4.

I think things were better when there was only one driving mode that was tuned to suit the car. This car should have one driving mode called BMW. That's all it needs, and in my humble opinion would be somewhere between Comfort and Sport, but closer to Comfort.

Having the dash light up red like the car is suddenly angry and track-focussed is a bit of a joke if you ask me (it's a luxury sedan), but then again I've never been one for flare and doodads to impress my friends. Like I said, maybe I'm just picky.
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      08-11-2021, 09:04 PM   #76
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Originally Posted by Surly73 View Post
xHP has gone a long way to helping me miss my MTs a little less. This F10 is also my first AT.
xHP? Is this a tuning package?
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      08-12-2021, 08:00 AM   #77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Angel View Post
xHP? Is this a tuning package?
https://www.xhpflashtool.com/
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      01-16-2022, 09:52 PM   #78
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I'm really fortunate to be part of the MT club. This was my unicorn and after looking for many years for a manual transmission sedan I had the great opportunity to buy a 2011 535i M Sport 6 Speed Manual RWD in January 2019 with only 43,000 miles on it!

I had my shop do a clutch delay valve delete while we upgraded to a LuK 550i clutch kit and I also replaced the OEM 535i flywheel with the same LuK OEM dual-mass flywheel and the car is a real pleasure to drive.

The 6 speed can be a little challenging to hit perfect shifts with the heavier 550i pressure plate and no clutch delay value smoothing things out but the clutch has a little more authority and command at putting torque down.



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      01-16-2022, 10:13 PM   #79
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Wow nice!
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      01-17-2022, 10:17 PM   #80
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrowBMW View Post
Does anyone have any actual #’s on how many were sold in North America? Maybe even 535’s vs the 550’s?

I am loving mine!
Here are some numbers for 550s from a former owner:

There were 611 F10 550i/6 six speeds manufactured in the following 3 years:

2011: 424 cars
2012: 90 cars
2013: 97 cars

27 of these cars (most all in 2011) were sent to Canada, 584 cars went to USA.

Of those 611, 269 had the M Sport Package.

These were the color choices for the 611 cars:

89 Carbon Black Metallic
78 Jet Black
76 Black Sapphire Metallic
63 Sophisto Grey Metallic
58 Titanium Silver Metallic
52 Imperial Blue Metallic
51 Alpine White
50 Space Grey Metallic
44 Dark Graphite Metallic II
16 Cashmere Silver Metallic
13 Mojave Metallic
8 Deep Sea Blue Metallic
7 Tasman Green Metallic
5 Milano Beige Metallic
1 Champagne Quarz Metallic

15 cars were built with the Bang & Olufsen High End Sound System

2 cars (both Carbon Black) had Nappa leather in Oyster with the Bang & Olufsen sound system. One was the very last 6 speed built (number 611) finished May 15, 2013. The other (mine, number 548) was built October 2, 2012.

It was a great car, and I miss that B&O sound system!
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      01-18-2022, 12:21 AM   #81
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boulder Bill View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrowBMW View Post
Does anyone have any actual #’s on how many were sold in North America? Maybe even 535’s vs the 550’s?

I am loving mine!
Here are some numbers for 550s from a former owner:

There were 611 F10 550i/6 six speeds manufactured in the following 3 years:

2011: 424 cars
2012: 90 cars
2013: 97 cars

27 of these cars (most all in 2011) were sent to Canada, 584 cars went to USA.

Of those 611, 269 had the M Sport Package.

These were the color choices for the 611 cars:

89 Carbon Black Metallic
78 Jet Black
76 Black Sapphire Metallic
63 Sophisto Grey Metallic
58 Titanium Silver Metallic
52 Imperial Blue Metallic
51 Alpine White
50 Space Grey Metallic
44 Dark Graphite Metallic II
16 Cashmere Silver Metallic
13 Mojave Metallic
8 Deep Sea Blue Metallic
7 Tasman Green Metallic
5 Milano Beige Metallic
1 Champagne Quarz Metallic

15 cars were built with the Bang & Olufsen High End Sound System

2 cars (both Carbon Black) had Nappa leather in Oyster with the Bang & Olufsen sound system. One was the very last 6 speed built (number 611) finished May 15, 2013. The other (mine, number 548) was built October 2, 2012.

It was a great car, and I miss that B&O sound system!
Wow… any info on 2014 535i? I know 2014 was the last 6 speed manual… I have 2014 535i msport
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      01-18-2022, 09:33 PM   #82
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Wow… any info on 2014 535i? I know 2014 was the last 6 speed manual… I have 2014 535i msport
Sorry, I'm all out of meaningless data.

2013 was the last year for a manual in the 550.

Hence, my brand switch. . .

Enjoy your fine automobiles fellas.

Bill
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      02-27-2022, 01:44 AM   #83
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Not a frequent poster but read thru the post periodically and found this information very interesting.
I didn't realize there were on 27 manual F10 550i delivered to Canada. I have one with M Sport pkg in Sophisto Grey and still very much enjoy driving it. Almost as much as my 2016 manual M5!



Quote:
Originally Posted by Boulder Bill View Post
Here are some numbers for 550s from a former owner:

There were 611 F10 550i/6 six speeds manufactured in the following 3 years:

2011: 424 cars
2012: 90 cars
2013: 97 cars

27 of these cars (most all in 2011) were sent to Canada, 584 cars went to USA.

Of those 611, 269 had the M Sport Package.

These were the color choices for the 611 cars:

89 Carbon Black Metallic
78 Jet Black
76 Black Sapphire Metallic
63 Sophisto Grey Metallic
58 Titanium Silver Metallic
52 Imperial Blue Metallic
51 Alpine White
50 Space Grey Metallic
44 Dark Graphite Metallic II
16 Cashmere Silver Metallic
13 Mojave Metallic
8 Deep Sea Blue Metallic
7 Tasman Green Metallic
5 Milano Beige Metallic
1 Champagne Quarz Metallic

15 cars were built with the Bang & Olufsen High End Sound System

2 cars (both Carbon Black) had Nappa leather in Oyster with the Bang & Olufsen sound system. One was the very last 6 speed built (number 611) finished May 15, 2013. The other (mine, number 548) was built October 2, 2012.

It was a great car, and I miss that B&O sound system!
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      03-04-2022, 11:47 AM   #84
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you guys are definitely lucky to be a part of this rare manual club. having owned no less than 8 bmw's in my time (all manuals with one converted from smg to manual), I opted to make the most emotional of decisions and purchase a 2012 F10 with an 8speed auto. I don't regret the purchase, but I do miss the manual. So on the weekends when the weather is good, I'll hop into my manual E46 M3 to reminisce and tell myself, 'at least one of my bmw's is a manual'

that said, i started a thread here

https://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1903017

so that should the day ever come and someone actually tackles an f10 auto to manual swap (including maybe myself if I decide to be that trailblazer), I can join the bmw manual club again.
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      05-29-2022, 08:17 PM   #85
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But trying to Jack the thread but since everyone one on here could be interested in this… clutch and single mass light flywheel options for you. Thanks!

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      12-14-2023, 08:56 PM   #86
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Shoot me for bringing up an old thread, but my new to me 2011 535i is a six speed manual!!! Mine is an extremely early build date of 06/2010, and was bought new in far south Texas, the town of McAllen to be exact. I bought it from the third owner, who owned it less than a year. He is in the military and would be deploying for 2 years.

The ONLY reason I bought it was because it was a manual vehicle. I do like the sleek body lines but honestly would have never given it a second glance with out the manual trans.

I didn't know how few of these there are and how desirable they are. After I bought it, I took it to a local independent shop for fluid changes. When I picked it up, the owner said if I wanted to flip it, two of his mechanics were very interested in it !!! After driving it as a daily the past month, I absolutely love this car!!! I have about 4-5 years before I retire, and this will be my daily until then.

Jim
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