Sometimes car would start off on 2nd gear if I drive like a grandma then come to a stop. But when you step on the gas just a little more delivebrately, it would jump down to 1st in fraction of a second and make the car sling forward, causing uncomfortable jerking acceleration. If I put it in Sport mode then this problem is less prevelent, the car would most likely start out on 1st.

I know there is no problem with the mechanical, but I don't like the way the tranny is programmed. Why not program it so the car would always start on 1st not some times. Can the dealer reprogram the tranny or can you reprogram it with the OBD devise yourself?

thats completely normal.

If it jerks too much, check the tranny mounts.

Why not program it so the car would always start on 1st not some times.
thats completely normal.

If the car is starting in 2nd gear AND none of the 3 situations below apply...then SOMETHING is WRONG with his car. Second gear starts ONLY occur under the 3 circumstances below:
the gear select lever is manually moved into 2nd gear and tranny switch is moved to M position (requires the A M switch - not in all BMWs)
ATC (adaptive Transmission control) has automatically selected WINTER MODE
ATC has automatically selected STOP-n-GO MODE


The myth that BMWs always start in 2nd gear has been explained...and BMW technical information has been posted to explain how ATC works and how the various modes are selected...plus other BMW features that can create the illusion that there is no first gear...but trust me...under normal circumstances...the car ALWAYS start in 1st gear...unless something is wrong with the car...or the 3 situations above have occured.

Here's a past post with info about ATC MODES and their affect on tranny gears: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11329307&postcount=13

Here's some tech info about Torque Reduction & Overlap Shift Control & how they can create imperceptible gear shifts: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12077315&postcount=11

Granny Toe & learning how to over come it using the Kick Fast Feature: :D
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12084205&postcount=19

ok sort-of related
i dont like how my car shifts
i was thinking of resetting the transmission
what do you guys think?

In "D" mode, sometimes starts out in 2nd if babying throttle, starts out in 1st if drive a little more agressively.

In "S" mode, starts out in 1st most of the time.

I know this is normal for the way it was designed, but I don't like it. I was wondering is there any update on the transmission program to improve it and it's from the factory not aftermarket.