I have an 06 M3 with approximately 5,000 miles. Car has 6 speed manual. If the car has a CDV, it has not been removed.

Shifting action is recalcitrant when cold. Shifting becomes somewhat better as car gets warmer. Upshifts are certainly better than down. 3rd to 2nd can be particularly difficult to find, if revs are not matched perfectly.

Even when hot, shifting is not as precise and smooth as I would have expected. If this condition has been previously discussed could someone refer me to the thread?

The OE shifter is not very good. I have been very pleased with the AutoSolutions deluxe kit. It is offered in two models, with one being a shorter throw. I recommend the regular, or longer throw model, which is still considerably shorter than stock, and much, much more precise. I had the shorter version in a previous car, and the shifting effort is a bit too much for my taste. You can probably find a lot of threads under shifter, or SSK.

Normal. I've got 11K on my '06 and it's getting better, but it's far from the snicky shifting I expected in a car of this caliber. Redline fluid is supposed to help, but I haven't tried it personally.

I have an 06 M3 with approximately 5,000 miles. Car has 6 speed manual. If the car has a CDV, it has not been removed.

Shifting action is recalcitrant when cold. Shifting becomes somewhat better as car gets warmer. Upshifts are certainly better than down. 3rd to 2nd can be particularly difficult to find, if revs are not matched perfectly.

Even when hot, shifting is not as precise and smooth as I would have expected. If this condition has been previously discussed could someone refer me to the thread?

Common complaint and there does not appear to be an absolute fix. Several comments:

1) Your car does have a CDV. Removing it will make your clutch action smoother (i.e., you will get the same feel everytime) - if you bleed it properly afterwards. It will not affect the feel of the shifter. See Zeckhausen for details http://www.zeckhausen.com/BMW/E46_M3.htm

2) SSK will help with the throw and the directness, but will not make the shifter feel smoother. The E46 M3 shifter will never feel as smooth as the E36 M3 shifter.

3) Many people replace the tranny fluid with Redline or Royal Purple Syncromax. I used the RP - it helps a little, but it is still notchy when cold. Be aware that this may create warranty problems for you. (I am out of warranty on the tranny).

4) One more suggestion that may help the overall gear change - put in a clutch stop to take up all the wasted motion at the bottom of the clutch pedal travel. I have done that to my E46 and E36 M3's and it is the best bang for the buck mod you can make (I used elevator bolt from Lowe's)

Jeff

Thanks very much to for your replies. DL.