Cars House

My E39's clutch with 40k miles chatters during the first three shifts then smooths out. BMW says I have "hot spots" and recommends changing the clutch AND flywheel. My clutch has not been raced.
What is a "hot spot"? Do I have a fluid leak? Is NOT changing the flywheel reasonable? I need your help, guys!:dunno

seems odd that your clutch would chatter with such low mileage. My car was doing this after about 90K and a clutch job did the trick. I would say that if you do have the clutch replaced, don't have the flywheel replaced. Instead, have it taken to a machine shop to have them resurface it. It may be hard to find a machine shop that can resurface BMW flywheels (this is what my mechanic told me) but they are out there. That will save you at least $700 on the job. Oh, and I never heard of a "hot spot" before, I would at the very least get a second opinion.

There is such a thing called a hot spot. It will be on the flywheel and kinda looks blueish. It is from friction and usually happenes after a lot of wear.


::Example
http://www.mattsauto.com/clutch.htm

From: http://staff.connect.com.au/lheather/318ti/1996-11/msg00017.html

"My old Isuzu had this problem, in that it had developed a 'hot spot'.
Driving in traffic would warm up the clutch, reintroduce a warp around
the hot spot, and start shuddering. This was replaced under warranty (at
the same time the engine was being replaced).

With the BMW, lately I've experienced a tendancy for the clutch to grab
earlier in its travel (i.e.: very close to the floor) after driving in
stop and go traffic for a while. I'm guessing my issue could be caused
by hot hydraulic fluid, which is perhaps a tad low."

I had a 1995 318i that had the same problem. However it started much earlier than 40k miles. Mine started chattering at around 12k! And that was mostly highway miles. I had to bitch and moan for months to BMW to get it replaced under warranty.