Clutch/DMF best replacement

Pentode

Dedicated Member
Supporter
British Zeds
Joined
Jul 6, 2023
Points
29
Location
Kettering Northants
Model of Z
Z3 Agean Blue Edition 2.0
Hi Everyone,

I have noticed I am starting to get the occasional shudder when moving off from a stand still - it only seems to happen a couple of times from cold and then settles down. From my previous experiences I suspect the DMF is starting to show its age/mileage and letting me know that this is something I will need to look at replacing in the next year or so.

Assuming they are still the originals in my car, I am sure they will be marked with a BMW part number, but I am also sure these are not something they manufactured - I would suspect it would be Sachs or LUK product ( I had a 2008 118d that needed a new DMF and this was marked LUK)

Does anyone know who the OEM was for these items?

Looking at what is available here in the UK the main three clutch/DMF kits I can find are: Valeo at around £475.00, Sachs at around £500 and LUK at around £700. Has anyone had any experience of these and how they perform? The LUK may be around £200 more, but is it a better quality, more robust unit than the Valeo or Sachs product? Are there any other kits I should look out for?

Out of interest, how reliable are the DMFs in Z3 cars? I can find some mention of problems on the forum, but not a huge number. I am sure someone out there is going to say "My DMF has done over 200K and is still fine", but what is typical?

Just for information my car is a 2000 2.0 M52 and has covered 88K. Is this average for the life of a DMF, or have I been unfortunate (which I tend to be)? All other German cars I have ever owned have required new DMFs during my ownership and they had only done around 35-45K when they failed, so you could perhaps say I have been lucky this time!

Thanks in advance for any help or comments.

Regards,

Nick
 

NZ00Z3

Zorg Guru (IV)
Supporter
New Zealand Zeds
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Points
158
Location
Timaru, New Zealand
Model of Z
3.0L, 2.8L, 2.0L Z3 Roadsters
My 2.0L Z3 had done around 90,000 mile when the clutch was changed. I installed a LUK DMF and clutch. Worked really well.

Be a bit cautious of single mass flywheel conversions. They tend to rattle when in neutral.
 
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