Renault Scenic (2003 - 2009) - Autobox delay after kickdown

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Wed 7 Oct 2009 11:29
Autobox delay after kickdown - Buspass
My Renault 2.0 litre petrol Grand Scenic (55 plate) has an autobox which I believe may be by Nissan. There is no torque converter -- it's a robotised manual -- and no Lock or Hold. If manual intervention is called for, you shove the lever to the left and it becomes a flip-lever manual box.

I do not normally use kickdown, but if a bit of urge is needed I just move the lever into manual and flip it to drop a gear, afterwards moving back to auto.

Another driver (with me in the passenger seat) drove it over the weekend. He used kickdown and we both observed that although the car responds OK there is a rather long delay, after backing off the throttle again, before it engages a higher gear. The effect is similar to a slightly sticking throttle cable (which it isn't, but you get the idea).

The main agent who supplied the car tells me that this is normal with, and that this a frequently-asked question from those accustomed to older auto-boxes. Apparently the 'smart' box waits to be sure that the driver really does want to use kickdown, and is not just having a temporary burst of speed, and that additionally it is a matter of the box adapting to the driver's style -- if you don't normally use kickdown then it will wait to check. Hmm . . .

Now to be fair, I may not have got this quite right. The chap I spoke to was no doubt a very good technician -- he certainly knew these boxes well -- but did not express things too clearly, so I may have misunderstood something.

What is the Back Room's experience of these boxes , please?
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Wed 7 Oct 2009 11:57
Autobox delay after kickdown - Altea Ego
The dealer is right, quite a few autoboxes behave in the way. A noticieble delay in the lower gear after you have kicked it down, before it changes back up again.

Its all down to software programming as the box needs to talk to the engine ecu which in turn takes input from the throttle postion sensor.
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Wed 7 Oct 2009 12:09
Autobox delay after kickdown - Buspass
Many thanks -- that figures. Do you know if this is in fact a Nissan box? First registered September 2005.
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