Excuse my ignorance but I didn't even realise that the auto transmission fluid ever needed changing!!!!
My wife has a 2001 Megane Auto, 40,000 miles. How often should the ATF be changed?
Thanks
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Owners manual should give you a clue. If the fliud is not perfectly clear then it's certainly due for a change.
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for french cars ignore the makers advice and change the fluid at least every 10,000 miles, its the only positive thing you can do to move the odds slightly better in you favour versus the statistics of masses of french autos which fail every day
although this is good advice for all autos
never had a problem with brake pads, running autos and manuals, both pretty similar, these days the disks tend to corrode before the pads are due for renewal anyways so i get new pads and disks at that point rather than when the pads wear out, although some makers do this for free in warranty and others dont (poor old james may and his porsche)
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just another side note, if your wife only learns in an automatic and sits her test in one then you will be tied to buying automatics for her for the rest of your car buying life, which i would imagine would add up to quite a premium. id suggest investing in more lessons now to pass a manual test then if she wants an auto once she's passed fair enough but then you'll have more options in the future
chris
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"The VW Golf is likely to be the first model to benefit from the seven-speed version of the DSG automatic. The extra ratio has allowed VW to space first and second closer together ? for better acceleration away from a standstill ? and provide a taller top gear for improved economy and lower carbon dioxide emissions."
"In contrast to the six-speed DSG gearbox, the clutches of the new gearbox do not run in an oil bath." - with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing servicing costs
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Thanks guys for your advice.
I understand that I should encourage my wife to continue learning in a manual. It's always easier to shift to automatic anytime :)
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good luck
the other thing to watch on fairly new cars is that the road tax for an auto may be more than the equivalent manual, simply cos the emmissions are slightly worse
yep best advice is to pass test in manual, if for no other reason than the weekend holiday you want to rent a car or van and theres no autos available
cheers
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"The VW Golf is likely to be the first model to benefit from the seven-speed version of the DSG automatic. The extra ratio has allowed VW to space first and second closer together ? for better acceleration away from a standstill ? and provide a taller top gear for improved economy and lower carbon dioxide emissions." "In contrast to the six-speed DSG gearbox the clutches of the new gearbox do not run in an oil bath." - with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing servicing costs
Are you now saying, or at least quoting from somwhere else, that VW have done a volte-face with their DSG design and have done away with wet multiplate clutches?
I thought that the latter would at least be necessary, in a box without a torque converter, so as to smooth out the changes from one gear to another........or are you saying that these are now to be dry multiplate clutches?
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As has been pointed out an Automatic license is no good if you are away on holiday in the UK in your car which may be a manual and you are taken ill or fall and break you leg. She has not got a licence to drive you home. Further and a bit harsh I know but if a driver can not master a clutch and a gear stick which are both under her control how is she going to manage steering, 60/70 miles and hour and all the variables that are not under her control then god help us. I suggest you buy her some track or airfield time where she can just sort ot the gears first. I always tech clutch control by getting the person to pull away with no throttle and when they do get it do it again and again for 30 times or so. That's mapped in the mind and does not get forgotten. Then deal with moving gear changes and build it up. Regards Peter
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Peter D,
I wouldn?t worry about that so much.
I know lots of Australians and Americans who have never driven a manual, never needed to, and never wanted to. Doesn?t stop them driving long distances at speed safely.
It?s more practical that in the UK manuals are in the majority, and mostly a courtesy car or cheap hire car are going to be manual, small vans you may want to hire will be manual. So you do need that flexibility.
Don?t think being a pure auto driver necessarily makes you a "god help us" candidate, for that I suggest you look at the places folk go to retire Bexhill etc, don?t matter how bad your driving is if you?re old enough you get away with it in this country!
ha ha
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Also remember that she will still need to take a proper driving test and pass. If her driving was not up to scratch then she would not be able to pass the test. Just because she finds it easier in an auto shouldn't make it dangerous. However, I do agree that in the UK it is more practical to have a manual licence.
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To throw a spanner in the works of 'Jap cars good, French cars bad' arguement, we have a C8 HDI Auto. This 'conventional' auto box is made by Jatco, and yet I gather from HJ that these boxes, where used elsewhere, have been problematic. Ours has been fine, BTW, apart from a reluctance to rev unless in Tip-mode.
I am now 3000 miles into a C4 HDI EGS (automated gearchange) which has been most interesting. If we start from the premise that all gearboxes are a compromise, I think this is probably the least compromised. You can leave it auto (when it tends to be a bit lurchy) if you are lazy, or use manual gearlever or flappy paddles on the steering wheel. For town driving it is great (not perfect, mind, but then neither is a manual). You have the control of the gears without the hassle of pumping the clutch pedal. On the open road (in manual mode) it is aso fun in that you can control the gears, downchange before a bend, red-line it (if that's your thing), etc. The gear changes take 0.8s on the paddles and 1.2s on the gear lever, and can be speeded up (or made more abrupt) with a 'sport' button. Either way it is as quick if not quicker than a manual.
Benefits include 100% non-abuse of clutch, so it should last longer, and lower emissions than the manual (giving me £35 RFL, and hopefully exemption from the Congestion Charge in the not too distant). It hs a hill-hold function when on a slope but has no creep on the level (so you don't dazzle the person behind you with brake-lights)
Yes, long term, who knows how these boxes will last, but as I said above, it is impossible to abuse the clutch, so maybe they will last longer? I am not aware fo any major longevity/reliability problems with the Smart gearboxes.
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Owners manual should give you a clue. If the fliud is not perfectly clear then it's certainly due for a change.
I have no way of checking my Vectra-C autobox. It's *sealed for life* and there is no dipstick to be able to check the levels with or to pull out to check what colour the fluid is.
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">sealed for life<" Yes, sealed for the life of the gearbox. When the gearbox goes bang because the ATF has the consistency and aroma of cooking oil then the life of the gearbox is over.
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When the gearbox goes bang because the ATF has the consistency and aroma of cooking oil then the life of the gearbox is over.
I've known Japanese-designed autoboxes to do over 100k on their original ATF. Not advisable if you could change it, but I doubt the likes of Aisin-Warner would make a "sealed for life" gearbox unless they were confident in the longevity of their product. I drove my mum's old Vectra-B auto, and the box was excellent (smooth as silk, and not wanting to kick-down all the time), and had already done 50k on its original fluid. I have absolutely no doubt that the box would've done another 50k without a change. Personally I would change it every few years where possible, every year in a Renault-designed autobox which is like a timebomb waiting to fail!
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Truthfully most modern auto's will do over 100k on their original fill of synthetic ATF. Heat is the great enemy of auto transmissions and things go 'pear shaped' if they are worked hard (mountain driving, towing etc.). Best way to make a transmission last is to fit a cooler. If you want to make it last WELL BEYOND 100k then two-yearly ATF changes are a good idea.
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Does anyone know whether its possible / necessary to change the ATF in my C5 2.0 Petrol auto box. (PSA 'AL4' gearbox) 2006 model
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Auto will prove more economoical in plenty of ways ESPECIALLY during town use.
Lots of London & othe rbig city Boroughs run auto, on a huge range of vehicles, from car sized vans, to minibusses. The additional up-front costs, far outweigh the never needing to buy new clutches, engines always operate at correct speeds, as they have difficulty getting into a situation of over revving, gearboxes don't get damaged, from poor driving techniqe.
Plus the wear on drivers nerves is reduced, due to the more 'relaxed' driving style needed.
The Police traffic cars are more often than not auto, again, easier drivability & faster response, from a non-manual vehicle.
VB
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Given that more new cars will be sold with automatic gearboxes than manual versions this year (Autocar 7Mar07), I'm not too sure why we continue to have these debates. Shouldn't the subject be "manual gearboxes -why?"
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[Quote]The Police traffic cars are more often than not auto, again, easier drivability & faster response, from a non-manual vehicle.[/Quote]
So that they can hold steering on one hand and the gun on other. For same reason Holywood movies always show automatic cars :D
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Exactly. Can't imagine how stirring a lever about every few seconds ever caught on. ;-)
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That was in reply to colinh, of course. Replies never seem to land in the right place for some reason.
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That was in reply to colinh of course. Replies never seem to land in the right place for some reason.
It is in the right place. Temp change to threaded view and you'll see that your reply is tagged onto colinh's, and not movilogo's.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=52285&...t
DD.
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No one I know who uses this forum uses 'threaded view' though. Now if Khoo modified the software so the posts appeared inorder when viewing 'flat', that would be much improved IMO.
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No one I know who uses this forum uses 'threaded view' though.
That's why I said to only temp change to threaded view - as a confirmation that it's in the right place more than anything.
Now if Khoo modified the software so the posts appeared inorder when viewing 'flat' that would be much improved IMO.
But if he did that, and you replied to a post near the top of the thread, your reply would end up right at the bottom of the thread and no one would know who you're replying to either (unless you partially quoted the message you're replying to, or put in "in reply to xxx"
DD.
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Heat is the great enemy of auto transmissions and things go 'pear shaped' if they are worked hard (mountain driving towing etc.). Best way to make a transmission last is to fit a cooler.
Also, if towing, locking down a gear on the hills is essential, to stop the box hunting - a surefire way to stuff it.
Additional gearbox coolers are quite cheap as well.
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I drive both auto's and manuals - there are advantages and disadvantages to both. I prefer autos in town and in slow moving traffic. Manuals are much better on the open road and particularly in hilly terrain.
An auto is 'reactive' whereas with a manual you can be 'predictive'. Imagine approaching the bottom of a hill; the auto will not downshift until speed starts to drop and you press down on the pedal (i.e. it needs to sense the increased load). With a manual you downshift as you approach the hill and can give a bit of throttle whilst still on the flat.
On a windy road autos can be very annoying as you slow down and speed up for corners. Tiptronics are not bad - but I don't think the manual transmission will ever be bettered for sports cars.
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That's why I think automated clutch gearboxes are about the best compromise. You can leave the in auto in town and then have the control of a manual box, change when you like, etc. out of town.
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I've always preferred manual - although depends on the car. Also Manuals tend to 'feel' quicker then auto (unless kickdown is used, in which case the auto's are better accelerating).
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Its funny the other day I was looking how many posts there were saying, "recommend a small automatic", "want a diesel auto", and I was wondering what is this fascination, why do so many people want an auto gearbox?.
So it seems I am totally out of touch if auto sales are going to exceed manuals as reported in Autocar!
I've driven autos a few times and enjoyed it in a novelty kind of way but would not have one in my own car. I enjoy changing gear, like the total control and using a clutch is no hardship. Where I drive I don't often have to deal with serious congestion, so an auto is unnecessary.
Also one of the big turn-offs for me is the droning exhaust note under acceleration.
I've only driven one tiptronic auto which was an early Audi one which did not have paddles, just the +/- on the gear selector, which was not great IMO. I would like to try a flappy paddle type though.
;o)
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I enjoy changing gear like the total control and using a clutch is no hardship. Where I drive I don't often have to deal with serious congestion so an auto is unnecessary. Also one of the big turn-offs for me is the droning exhaust note under acceleration.
Sounds like you are best off sticking to a manual then.
I find the wasteful noise of torque converter autos a turn-off too - they just sound so inefficient. You should try an automated clutch one day - no torque converter waste and control of a manual if you want. But they are not for everyone. Horses for courses and all that.
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On autos, it is simple to predict hills. Just shift from D to 3 or lower - same control as a manual.
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"..Are you now saying, or at least quoting from somwhere else, that VW have done a volte-face with their DSG design and have done away with wet multiplate clutches?"
Yes, apparently. A quote from the Carkeys website today:
"Another difference is that the clutches in the new DSG use linings which do not require cooling. They therefore remain "dry", as opposed to the ones in the present DSG which have to be submerged in oil. This means a big reduction in the amount of drag in the transmission, and also an improvement in weight, since the total amount of oil required has fallen from 7 litres to 1.7 litres."
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