Are all automatic gearboxes cr*p???

[CitroJim]

All adds to the character ha ha.

It is their character, that's why we love them so much...

Life is never boring with a French car for company

[Citroenmad]

I love french cars and dont think id consider anything else now, but i no longer love this C5, im gathering a passion to hate it now.

I had more electrical warnings, electrical gremlins, knocks, vibrations, growls and hassle to last me forever with this thing. Not to mention the maintenance costs which is not far off £1000 in the 3 months ive had it, seems never ending. Surely thats not normal Ive not had an Activa but i can't imagine this being much cheaper to run! I might as well have an Activa and a huge grin on my face

I dont mind mechanical things too much, so long as its nothing huge, but chasing electrical problems is a nightmare. Something which is getting all the more common with cars now.

[R9UKE]

I love french cars and dont think id consider anything else now, but i no longer love this C5, im gathering a passion to hate it now.

Ha ha ha that made me laugh out loud

When a car gets to that point, I usually try to turn the rage into fun. You just forget about taking pride in it and instead just neglect it - although this may not be appropriate for you given the money put into the C5.

I did this with the Mondeo. Just treat it like your worst enemy. Laugh when you get another warning light, enjoy the sound of the deterioration of mechanical parts and drive into the odd bin or shopping trolly.

Soon you begin to admire it again for taking all the sh*t you throw at it.

RIP Mondeo

[Citroenmad]

I could always try parking it too close to the sea, that might help?

No, but seriously, im a bit annoyed with it for going wrong so often, but ill have to work through its issues. Its not as if any of its current issues stops me using it, but i have to have my cars as near to perfect as i can and when they are not they really do anoy me.

I always do take pride in every car, always keep them clean and worry about where i park incase it gets a dink. So anything tiny thing which goes wrong i try and get it fixed as soon as.

Its driving nicely at the moment and there is nothing id like to swap it for yet. Id like a facelift C5 but seems pointless swapping for one at the mo. Although id love a 407, which will probably what i do eventually replace this with.

What happened you your Mondeo (R.I.P)?

[R9UKE]

Its not as if any of its current issues stops me using it, but i have to have my cars as near to perfect as i can and when they are not they really do anoy me.

I'm exactly the same - especially with the Mégane. But there reaches a point where there are just too many issues, and the car becomes a money pit - that's where it's time to have your fun while the MOT that it will definetly fail comes closer and closer!!

But I take huge pride in my cars, it's really satisfying having a car is perfect nick, the Mégane and Vel Satis could both pass for having 10,000 miles on the clock, when actually its 75,000 and 90,000 respectively.

[Citroenmad]

Not sure if i could ever run a car into the ground, i usually do the opposite. Certainly not going to with my C5, £3000 worth of car which has cost me £4000. I just seem to spend and spend to get them how they should be.

My first car, an AX, i got for £100 from my cousin, mainly wanted something to play with while i was 16. I ended up putting two replacement engines in that, along with many other things. I could have had a really nice car for what it cost me to get it almost perfect. Considering how basic they are i think i replaced everything on it, headlamps, taillamps, indicators, alternator, batter, tyres, starter motor, ignition barrel, engines x2, front shockers, gearbox. Had it for 3 months after passing my test and sold it for a few pound Wouldnt make a good businessman!

I then had enough of its primitive safety and bought an 18 month Old Seat. Which didnt exactly go as planned either. After 5K miles it was in the Seat dealer for three months with running problems, it eventually got a new engine fitted under warranty.

Still, the C5 is a complicated car with many features and its not new, so i should stop complaining about it. It also looks like a super low mileage car, it has 71K but its in excellent condition inside and out. This one does have the best engine ive driven in a 2.0 110HDi 8v, pulls like a train and is quieter than the other two also. Drives superbly actually.

[Homer]

You'd have to chop off my left leg before I'd choose an automatic.

I've never driven one which would do what I wanted it to, always shifting when you don't want and then not when you do.

[Deanxm]

You'd have to chop off my left leg before I'd choose an automatic.

I've never driven one which would do what I wanted it to, always shifting when you don't want and then not when you do.

I was waiting for that, i just thought it would be Andmcit who would be the one to pop up an say it .

I like my cars to be as near perfect as possible too, if its not i just cant stand driving them, the recon rack i put in the xm 18months ago is now dead and there is huge play in it DONT BUY RECON STUFF!!!! and i hate driving it at the moment because of it.
Ive started buying small cars now to do up and sell to make money for the xm turbo rebuild project and my unofficial ocd is prooving hard to control here too, i got a p plate rover 216 with a blown head to fix up and sell on because they go for good money, are popular, easy to work on and parts are dirt cheap. Its the cooling systems that are weak and pop the heads on these so after doing the main job ive flushed it and put a later rad and coolant pipe setup on it, new stat and water pump, then of course a new cam belt and tensioner, polished the whole engine and bay up, then while working on the car the sight of a bit of laquer peel on the pumper irritated me so i took the bumper off and resprayed it, taking the bumper off showed rusty mounts so i cleaned and painted them.............then thought i would do the ding in the passenger door and respray that.....then polished the whole car and re laquered the back bumper because it had lost its shine......replaced the xm style dulled chrome bumper strips and now ive pulled the headlamps apart to de orange the indicators and clean the relectors..............its all eating into my profit but i cant help myself.
Mind you i have driven around 30 cars to their grave too incuding cortina's , xr2's, bmw's and an xm (XM v Xr2i by the way results in the xm being lightly scratched and dented while the ford having its back broken, loosing all its glass and being totaly disabled via violent wheel/drivechain removal! the xm is a tough car!), it is good fun driving into other cars

D

[Citroenmad]

I know what you mean, we bought a 52plate Fiat Stilo 1.6 about a year ago, with the intention of tidying it up and selling it on. We kept it for a few months as a stop gap car while my sis was in between cars. We got it very cheaply and it was low mileage, only 35K. It only really needed a few little jobs, but in the aim of perfectio, after getting a body shop to repaint the front bumper, fit a new mirror cover and paint that, buy a brand new interior door card, fit a pair of tyres, new Fiat wheel trims, a full exhaust system, full service and cambelt kit. We ended up with a mint car but about minus £500

Not really very good at buying and selling cars to make profits! However i have just made a very nice profit on my little Seat Tdi which i sold on monday.

Where has Andmcit gone? Havent seen him on here for a little while.

[Deanxm]

He is about, he was on CXM yesterday but i think he is just very busy at the moment.

D

[Wile7]

Hi,

This should attract some interesting opinions

OK so I am going to be buying a Renault Avantime this autumn, and have been back and forward about the idea of an automatic version. I think this gearbox is more suited to the character of the Avantime, however, most of my experiences with automatic gearboxes have not been good:

My Vel Satis has developed a sharp jolt everytime the lever is put into D.

Any views?

Hi R9UKE,

I have a 3.5 V6 Vel Satis (auto box) and I love it. I have an old w124 Merc E200 on an auto which is also brilliant. The 'shunt' you mention on the Vel was a subject of a recall (on the 2.2 and 3.0 diesels with auto) I believe in 2003 to re programme the box.

On the 3.5 V6 its an auto box from Nissan I believe (to mate up to the 350z engine) BUT I also get a mild shunt. Apparently it's par for the course

If I rest it in N from P before going into D its fine. If I slip it into manual mode its not as bad either.....I'm learning Lovely car though

Dave

[Gregg1100]

I like them. I had a 16 TRS Cit Bx with one in. Brilliant car. I also had a Zodiac Mk 4 with the C4 box, Triumph 2000 Mk2, Triumph 2500PI with the Borg Warner 65 in them ( think it was the 65 ), certainly not the 35.
Away from cars to trucks with semi auto boxes---our Scania have mostly done over 700,000, some on 900,000, on 07 plates. They are either manual or auto, - selection of either by a button on end of steering wheel stalk. The clutch is used to start and coming to a stop. 56 mph@ 1050 rpm. 12 speed. Long lasting or what.
Similar to the Merc 16 speed Powerliners and EPS2--when in manual mode---tap little stick ( lever ) forward to go up through the box, and backwards to come back down. Or in case of the Scania, put it in A and leave it to do its work
I think the all important thing on them is to keep the oil clean. Much like everything else. Change it regularly and they will last.
I don't think much of the EVCT Variable type that I had in my Punto,- although the actual gearbox worked well, the electric powder clutch on the car is the weak link. Should have been using hydraulic torque converters---would still have the little car.
Greg