[GT1]

Has anybody been getting the 'Drivetrain Malfunction' warning on their F30 328i or 335i?

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=776020

I wonder if this is going to become a common issue like the HPFP failures were in the N54 engine.

[MikeVictor]

Not I.

[Hivetyrant]

I did overtaking in Eco Pro mode.

Pulled over and let it idle so see how it sounded, there was some shaking which I expected as I had read that this error mostly appeared when a cylinder was misfiring.

It hasn't occurred since and the error went away after a few off/on's, but I was sure the car wasn't performing as well.

It has since been in for a service and they found no issues, did the overnight update and the car drives better than it ever has.

[GT1]

Originally Posted by Hivetyrant

I did overtaking in Eco Pro mode.

Pulled over and let it idle so see how it sounded, there was some shaking which I expected as I had read that this error mostly appeared when a cylinder was misfiring.

It hasn't occurred since and the error went away after a few off/on's, but I was sure the car wasn't performing as well.

It has since been in for a service and they found no issues, did the overnight update and the car drives better than it ever has.

What is the 'overnight update'?

[Cleanasscoupe]

I got this the other....in sport mode cruising, went to change lanes, gave it some gas and the car bogged out on me. Malfunction came on the screen and car had damn near no power....very dangerous situation. I had to immediately pull over , shut it off and everything went back to normal.

[jctg]

I got this very early on too. Tried to drive off from a red light and got the malfunction message. Car went into limp mode and I drove straight to the dealership but it was afterhours. Left the car there. Next morning came back in and the car started no problem with no error.

Went into the dealership to see a service advisor and they noted a bunch of error codes from the key fob. Held the car for 3 days to get an update from Germany and no problem since then. Mind you I was not happy as the car had less then 300km on it.

[Cleanasscoupe]

Originally Posted by jctg

I got this very early on too. Tried to drive off from a red light and got the malfunction message. Car went into limp mode and I drove straight to the dealership but it was afterhours. Left the car there. Next morning came back in and the car started no problem with no error.

Went into the dealership to see a service advisor and they noted a bunch of error codes from the key fob. Held the car for 3 days to get an update from Germany and no problem since then. Mind you I was not happy as the car had less then 300km on it.

i failed to mention that my car only had 265 miles on it ....the very first week i picked it up....

[Hivetyrant]

Originally Posted by GT1

What is the 'overnight update'?

I believe it was a software update, was told it had to be done overnight, but mine was made a year ago, so it's probably not a new one.

[TopDown]

Got the infamous 'Drive Train Malfunction' warning driving I15 from Las Vegas to LA. Driving my wife's 335i sedan, I had gotten into the habit of flipping the transmission into Sport mode when approaching an uphill grade, and then flipping back to normal mode when on level road. This had always worked well - the car staying in a lower gear going uphill. Had done this hundreds of times without incident. But driving across the desert last week, I flipped into Sport mode and noticed the engine revving (5k rpm) and no pull. It was as if the tranny had shifted itself into neutral. I flipped the stick back to normal mode, but there was some "after effect", i.e., couldn't get power. After experimenting for a few minutes, a gong sounded and the Drive Train Malfunction warning showed up on the dash.

I found that I could get up to normal freeway speed, but only with long, slow acceleration. So I stayed in the slow lane until we stopped for lunch. After lunch, started the car and got back on the road and the persistent warning symbol had disappeared. Later in the drive I put the system into Sport mode (not the tranny), and that worked fine - more aggressive throttle response, etc. No further problems. Will take the car into service next opportunity.

[madmax444]

Got this error on my F20 which appears intermittently. I've taken the car to the dealers several times to check. Finally, a cause has been found. Today my car went in to the dealer's so the vanos valve?? can be replaced.