Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348

Saw an older guy cruising around with the top down yesterday in his BMW 1-series convertible - I think it was a 135 but not sure. It was painted black which didn't do anything for it, but to my surprise and delight it had what was almost a white leather interior, really more of an oyster or very pale cream leather. Someone got that part of the order correct at least.

qbrozen

roadburner said:

There's a YouTube video on "5 things not to do with dual clutch transmissions" that kind of explains things.

Which number is buy one?

IDK, doesn't BMW offer those? I know the Mitsu EVO had one years ago. Software glitches not withstanding I'm not sure what the problem would be. They do perform differently, like they won't hold you on an incline like a regular auto tranny because everything disconnects at a stop just like a manual clutch. From my quick review, Ford's problem came from bad manufacturing (leaking seals and the like) and software that didn't compensate for real world driver's. There's also a video from Ford Canada telling dealers that they have to explain to buyers how to drive these things. But I'm a novice in this area. Can one of the pros weigh in on this? I'd like to know if Ford's dual clutch publicity would make a Focus a screaming bargain or a potential nightmare.

The BMW DCTs and the Audi/VW DSGs work okay- but I prefer a true manual or a true automatic. As good as the German DCTs/DSGs are they arent as good-IMHO-as a good automatic like the 8HP50. Ford's DCTs are either poorly designed or the TCU programming is substandard- or more likely, both.

I agree for the most part. The one who I think got it right, though, is Porsche. The PDK is outstanding.

nyccarguy

I agree @qbrozen.  The PDK is phenomenal.

abacomike

Hey, RB, what is the difference, if any, between my manual shift mode on the transmission "beer handle" stick and the shift paddles on each side of the steering wheel?

I've used the shift paddles for engine braking when deceleration off an interstate, but have not used the steptronic settings on the gear selector,  Thanks, in advance, for your response. 

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

cdnpinhead said:

oldfarmer50 said:

There's a YouTube video on "5 things not to do with dual clutch transmissions" that kind of explains things.

Which number is buy one?

IDK, doesn't BMW offer those? I know the Mitsu EVO had one years ago. Software glitches not withstanding I'm not sure what the problem would be. They do perform differently, like they won't hold you on an incline like a regular auto tranny because everything disconnects at a stop just like a manual clutch.

From my quick review, Ford's problem came from bad manufacturing (leaking seals and the like) and software that didn't compensate for real world driver's. There's also a video from Ford Canada telling dealers that they have to explain to buyers how to drive these things.

But I'm a novice in this area. Can one of the pros weigh in on this? I'd like to know if Ford's dual clutch publicity would make a Focus a screaming bargain or a potential nightmare.

The BMW DCTs and the Audi/VW DSGs work okay- but I prefer a true manual or a true automatic. As good as the German DCTs/DSGs are they arent as good-IMHO-as a good automatic like the 8HP50.
Ford's DCTs are either poorly designed or the TCU programming is substandard- or more likely, both.

There are numerous references to poor build quality resulting in seals leaking onto the clutches and need for multiple reflashes of the computer.

I guess what I'm wondering is if Ford was able to ever fix them.

graphicguy

OF...it's been over a year since my son traded his Fiesta for the GTI. So, that's the last time I was in his Fiesta. But, he had it to the dealer at least every 3 mos because of the trans. They swapped seals, had it reprogrammed, and who knows what else they did to it.

Bottom line, it was a very bad design. It did not drive well at all, except interstate travel (when it didn't have to shift). It lunged, it lurched, it would not shift when you expected it to, and then would shift hard when you weren't expecting it to. It was just a bad trans.

It handled fine. And, it did get good MPG. But, none of that made up for the bad trans.

Has Ford fixed it? Only way I could see that is if they swapped the DSG for a conventional trans. As far as I know, they haven't/wouldn't do that.

The fact that the FEDs have stepped in tells me it wasn't limited to solely my son's car and was a problem in ALL of them.

Truthfully, I wished he would have waited to trade it and believe his would have been bought back as a lemon without question.

roadburner

abacomike said:

Hey, RB, what is the difference, if any, between my manual shift mode on the transmission "beer handle" stick and the shift paddles on each side of the steering wheel?

I've used the shift paddles for engine braking when deceleration off an interstate, but have not used the steptronic settings on the gear selector,  Thanks, in advance, for your response. 

If you leave the transmission in Drive you can use the shift paddles but the transmission will revert back to automatic mode. If you move the shift lever to the left when in Drive you engage the transmission's Sport mode. If you use either the paddles or the shift lever to up/down shift when in that mode the transmission goes into manual mode and will not return to automatic mode until you move the lever back to the right. If you turn the car off with the transmission in Sport mode the shift lever will move back to the right on its own.

driver100

roadburner said:

abacomike said:

Hey, RB, what is the difference, if any, between my manual shift mode on the transmission "beer handle" stick and the shift paddles on each side of the steering wheel?

I've used the shift paddles for engine braking when deceleration off an interstate, but have not used the steptronic settings on the gear selector,  Thanks, in advance, for your response. 

If you leave the transmission in Drive you can use the shift paddles but the transmission will revert back to automatic mode. If you move the shift lever to the left when in Drive you engage the transmission's Sport mode. If you use either the paddles or the shift lever to up/down shift when in that mode the transmission goes into manual mode and will not return to automatic mode until you move the lever back to the right. If you turn the car off with the transmission in Sport mode the shift lever will move back to the right on its own.

I never bother with paddle shifters.....not worth dropping a transmission for the thrill of shifting that way. Using Sport Mode to enter a highway.....that is very useful.

abacomike

roadburner said:

Hey, RB, what is the difference, if any, between my manual shift mode on the transmission "beer handle" stick and the shift paddles on each side of the steering wheel?

I've used the shift paddles for engine braking when deceleration off an interstate, but have not used the steptronic settings on the gear selector,  Thanks, in advance, for your response. 

If you leave the transmission in Drive you can use the shift paddles but the transmission will revert back to automatic mode. If you move the shift lever to the left when in Drive you engage the transmission's Sport mode. If you use either the paddles or the shift lever to up/down shift when in that mode the transmission goes into manual mode and will not return to automatic mode until you move the lever back to the right. If you turn the car off with the transmission in Sport mode the shift lever will move back to the right on its own.

Thanks, RB.  I now understand the differences.

bwia

The cars that made America. I have been watching repeat episodes of the history of the car in America on the History Channel.

Not sure about the accuracy of the story lines but I learned some interesting tidbits. For example, the Dodge Brothers were both killed by the Spanish Flu, and Durant, Ford, and Chrysler's shenanigans to survive and to control the burgeoning auto market.

Another observation is the naming of the cars. The early cars were all alpha numeric, for example Model A, Model 10, etc. A hundred and ten years later we are back to that same naming nomenclature. Go figure, the more things change the more they remain the same especially the price of a car in today's dollars. Read more and watch the videos at

http://www.history.com/news/the-cars-that-made-america?gclid=CjwKCAjw2s_MBRA5EiwAmWIacxwSLgOoRPMYDXd5KUfiEDTSat5fz3VYDRPiaXtfuxRk87oR_mVVjBoCuKwQAvD_BwE&cmpid=paidsearch_G_The_Cars_That_Made_America&s_kwcid=AL!4850!3!215209444796!e!!!!the cars that made america&ef_id=VmrF7AAABPbaeEIP:20170816150120:s

abacomike

driver100 said:

Hey, RB, what is the difference, if any, between my manual shift mode on the transmission "beer handle" stick and the shift paddles on each side of the steering wheel?

I've used the shift paddles for engine braking when deceleration off an interstate, but have not used the steptronic settings on the gear selector,  Thanks, in advance, for your response. 

If you leave the transmission in Drive you can use the shift paddles but the transmission will revert back to automatic mode. If you move the shift lever to the left when in Drive you engage the transmission's Sport mode. If you use either the paddles or the shift lever to up/down shift when in that mode the transmission goes into manual mode and will not return to automatic mode until you move the lever back to the right. If you turn the car off with the transmission in Sport mode the shift lever will move back to the right on its own.

I never bother with paddle shifters.....not worth dropping a transmission for the thrill of shifting that way. Using Sport Mode to enter a highway.....that is very useful.

Driver, if I ever dropped a transmission because I was paddle downshifting from 9th gear to 8th gear to 7th gear to 6th gear, etc., then the transmission in the car is defective.  I am gentle with my car and do not abuse it.  My downshifts are slow and methodical, and I very rarely use my paddle shifters or sport mode for fuel economy reasons.

Michaell

bwia said:

The cars that made America. I have been watching repeat episodes of the history of the car in America on the History Channel.

Not sure about the accuracy of the story lines but I learned some interesting tidbits. For example, the Dodge were both killed by the Spanish Flu, and Durant, Ford, and Chrysler's shenanigans to survive and to control the burgeoning auto market.

Another observation is the naming of the cars. The early cars were all alpha numeric, for example Model A, Model 10, etc. A hundred and ten years later we are back to that same naming nomenclature. Go figure, the more things change the more they remain the same especially the price of a car in today's dollars. Read more and watch the videos at

http://www.history.com/news/the-cars-that-made-america?gclid=CjwKCAjw2s_MBRA5EiwAmWIacxwSLgOoRPMYDXd5KUfiEDTSat5fz3VYDRPiaXtfuxRk87oR_mVVjBoCuKwQAvD_BwE&cmpid=paidsearch_G_The_Cars_That_Made_America&s_kwcid=AL!4850!3!215209444796!e!!!!the cars that made america&ef_id=VmrF7AAABPbaeEIP:20170816150120:s

I've been watching this, too.

As a student of both history and the automobile industry, the story lines are accurate. The re-enactments are a bit cheesy, but they do accurately portray the ruthlessness of Henry Ford, and the engineering wizardry of both Chrysler and the Dodge brothers. I've got last nights episode on the DVR to watch later today.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

abacomike said:

Hey, RB, what is the difference, if any, between my manual shift mode on the transmission "beer handle" stick and the shift paddles on each side of the steering wheel?

I've used the shift paddles for engine braking when deceleration off an interstate, but have not used the steptronic settings on the gear selector,  Thanks, in advance, for your response. 

If you leave the transmission in Drive you can use the shift paddles but the transmission will revert back to automatic mode. If you move the shift lever to the left when in Drive you engage the transmission's Sport mode. If you use either the paddles or the shift lever to up/down shift when in that mode the transmission goes into manual mode and will not return to automatic mode until you move the lever back to the right. If you turn the car off with the transmission in Sport mode the shift lever will move back to the right on its own.

I never bother with paddle shifters.....not worth dropping a transmission for the thrill of shifting that way. Using Sport Mode to enter a highway.....that is very useful.

I haven't used the paddles on the Mustang since the first week. Not sure the draw other than being able to hit the rev limiter in each gear.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

OF...it's been over a year since my son traded his Fiesta for the GTI. So, that's the last time I was in his Fiesta. But, he had it to the dealer at least every 3 mos because of the trans. They swapped seals, had it reprogrammed, and who knows what else they did to it.

Bottom line, it was a very bad design. It did not drive well at all, except interstate travel (when it didn't have to shift). It lunged, it lurched, it would not shift when you expected it to, and then would shift hard when you weren't expecting it to. It was just a bad trans.

It handled fine. And, it did get good MPG. But, none of that made up for the bad trans.

Has Ford fixed it? Only way I could see that is if they swapped the DSG for a conventional trans. As far as I know, they haven't/wouldn't do that.

The fact that the FEDs have stepped in tells me it wasn't limited to solely my son's car and was a problem in ALL of them.

Truthfully, I wished he would have waited to trade it and believe his would have been bought back as a lemon without question.

Thanks GG et al for getting that idea out of my head. What a shame. Is that why Ford isn't going to sell the Fiesta in the US any more?

stickguy

they probably are dropping it because little cars don't sell, and they make more money on trucks. sad but true.

I used the paddle shifters on the RDX once when I first got it, just to see how they worked. Have not touched them since. Just no need really. The tranny even has grade logic, so if I am coming down a hill it will downshift automatically I think.

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

bwia said:

The cars that made America. I have been watching repeat episodes of the history of the car in America on the History Channel.

Not sure about the accuracy of the story lines but I learned some interesting tidbits. For example, the Dodge were both killed by the Spanish Flu, and Durant, Ford, and Chrysler's shenanigans to survive and to control the burgeoning auto market.

Another observation is the naming of the cars. The early cars were all alpha numeric, for example Model A, Model 10, etc. A hundred and ten years later we are back to that same naming nomenclature. Go figure, the more things change the more they remain the same especially the price of a car in today's dollars. Read more and watch the videos at

http://www.history.com/news/the-cars-that-made-america?gclid=CjwKCAjw2s_MBRA5EiwAmWIacxwSLgOoRPMYDXd5KUfiEDTSat5fz3VYDRPiaXtfuxRk87oR_mVVjBoCuKwQAvD_BwE&cmpid=paidsearch_G_The_Cars_That_Made_America&s_kwcid=AL!4850!3!215209444796!e!!!!the cars that made america&ef_id=VmrF7AAABPbaeEIP:20170816150120:s

I've been watching this, too.

As a student of both history and the automobile industry, the story lines are accurate. The re-enactments are a bit cheesy, but they do accurately portray the ruthlessness of Henry Ford, and the engineering wizardry of both Chrysler and the Dodge brothers. I've got last nights episode on the DVR to watch later today.

Billy Durant would make a great TV series with him alone. What a wheeler-dealer! He ended up managing a supermarket and by all reports, was content with his final lot in life.

berri

I was a little disappointed that the History Channel shows didn't delve a bit more into the designers like Harley Earl's Art & Color innovation. I also would have liked to see a bit of info on the independents. Thought the last episode was a little too focused on Iaccoca and Delorean. But by and large I enjoyed it.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

Bottom line, it was a very bad design. It did not drive well at all, except interstate travel (when it didn't have to shift). It lunged, it lurched, it would not shift when you expected it to, and then would shift hard when you weren't expecting it to. It was just a bad trans.

Certainly makes me feel better about the smooth, predictable shifts from my 4-speed Cobalt 08 and the 6-speed Cruze 15. I had considered the small Fords before the Cruze purchase as a possibility but the trans roughness news was out there.

stickguy

Makes me realize why I always liked stick shifts so much!

Michaell

berri said:

I was a little disappointed that the History Channel shows didn't delve a bit more into the designers like Harley Earl's Art & Color innovation. I also would have liked to see a bit of info on the independents. Thought the last episode was a little too focused on Iaccoca and Delorean. But by and large I enjoyed it.

Hey - don't give away the ending!

Hard to cover 100 years of American automotive history in 6 hours of TV.

Now, if Ken Burns were given the project ...

iluvmysephia1

Yes, for those of you up on Ford Motor Co., those tranny ailments were all regarding the Fiesta's automatic transmission. Well, duh! That's the problem! What about late-model (2015/and on) Ford Fiesta with manual transmission reliability? Mainly concerning hatchbacks would be the best information.

abacomike

Was in to see my Primary Care Physician this morning for my pre-op clearances. All the tests were within normal limits and he cleared me for the surgical procedure on August 29th. From what he is telling me, the tumor(s) in the forearm are about 6 inches in length down the forearm from about 2" below the elbow joint to about 2" above the wrist joint. He said the surgical procedure seems a bit more extensive for day surgery, but he said the surgeon is well known and knows what he is doing. One of my walker friends knows this surgeon's parents quite well and had nothing but positive things to say about his expertise as a general surgeon. He told me to stop taking my low dose aspirin about 7 days before surgery and my blood thinners about 4 days before surgery. Now, it's just the waiting for this thing to get done and be over with.

My son and grandson arrive tomorrow evening at FLL. My cleaning girls are doing a detailed cleaning of the entire apartment as we speak. Getting excited about finally seeing them.

venture

ab348 said:

Saw an older guy cruising around with the top down yesterday in his BMW 1-series convertible - I think it was a 135 but not sure. It was painted black which didn't do anything for it, but to my surprise and delight it had what was almost a white leather interior, really more of an oyster or very pale cream leather. Someone got that part of the order correct at least.

You will hate the Subaru I just ordered.

berri

Don't worry Michaell, most of that applies to the earlier stuff you've seen and there is much more to the last episode.

thebean

Mike, good luck on your procedure. Sending good thoughts your way.

I think it might be fun for all us old guys to list the procedure they have had that they hated the most. I'll start. A few years ago, I had an endorectal coil balloon MRI. The surgeon wanted a better look at my prostate before surgery. So, I had a coil mechanism in a balloon inserted you know where. They inflated the balloon and put me in the MRI machine. The real bad part (!!) was that they had to pull me out of the MRI to reposition the coil so things would show up better. Not just once - they had to pull me out SEVEN times and reposition it before they finally did the MRI. They said my surgeon was a real perfectionist. After it was all over, I told the technicians if they were pranking me and this showed up in YouTube, I would be back to pummel them. After that, everything was a breeze.

andres3

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

cdnpinhead said:

oldfarmer50 said:

There's a YouTube video on "5 things not to do with dual clutch transmissions" that kind of explains things.

Which number is buy one?

IDK, doesn't BMW offer those? I know the Mitsu EVO had one years ago. Software glitches not withstanding I'm not sure what the problem would be. They do perform differently, like they won't hold you on an incline like a regular auto tranny because everything disconnects at a stop just like a manual clutch.

From my quick review, Ford's problem came from bad manufacturing (leaking seals and the like) and software that didn't compensate for real world driver's. There's also a video from Ford Canada telling dealers that they have to explain to buyers how to drive these things.

But I'm a novice in this area. Can one of the pros weigh in on this? I'd like to know if Ford's dual clutch publicity would make a Focus a screaming bargain or a potential nightmare.

The BMW DCTs and the Audi/VW DSGs work okay- but I prefer a true manual or a true automatic. As good as the German DCTs/DSGs are they arent as good-IMHO-as a good automatic like the 8HP50.
Ford's DCTs are either poorly designed or the TCU programming is substandard- or more likely, both.

I've never heard any complaints about the DSG in the B8 and B8.5 S4's. That 7-speed unit is considered the gold standard of automated manuals, and is used in the new RS3 and TTRS just released this year ('18 models). In fact, I've heard nothing but great things about them.

I asked someone that bought a new B9 S4 if they liked the new 8 speed auto, and he said he did, and that it shifted "just as fast." Given that Audi uses the dual clutch in the R8 now, I find it strange they made the change, especially considering the A4 gets the DSG. Perhaps the 1-2% greater efficiency for performance and fuel economy was needed in the 4-cylinder, whereas they deemed it unnecessary in the S4. I just can't see how a traditional automatic could be as good as a proper dual clutch transmission.

I've only had 1 test drive in a PDK equipped '14 Cayman S. It didn't really make an impression other than being very similar to my 14 S4. Although it drove like it had 65 Octane gas in it acceleration wise (and yes, it was an S).

Kia has a solid one. Just needs better programming for stop and go movement in 1st and 2nd gear.

bwia

Michaell said:

I was a little disappointed that the History Channel shows didn't delve a bit more into the designers like Harley Earl's Art & Color innovation. I also would have liked to see a bit of info on the independents. Thought the last episode was a little too focused on Iaccoca and Delorean. But by and large I enjoyed it.

Hey - don't give away the ending! Hard to cover 100 years of American automotive history in 6 hours of TV. Now, if Ken Burns were given the project ...

Does anyone know when the 3rd episode will be aired? And @Michaell, I thought Ford's patent fight was with the Amercan Society of Automotive Engineers. I had never heard of the guy (?) mentioned in the story. What's the real story.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

cdnpinhead said:

oldfarmer50 said:

There's a YouTube video on "5 things not to do with dual clutch transmissions" that kind of explains things.

Which number is buy one?

IDK, doesn't BMW offer those? I know the Mitsu EVO had one years ago. Software glitches not withstanding I'm not sure what the problem would be. They do perform differently, like they won't hold you on an incline like a regular auto tranny because everything disconnects at a stop just like a manual clutch.

From my quick review, Ford's problem came from bad manufacturing (leaking seals and the like) and software that didn't compensate for real world driver's. There's also a video from Ford Canada telling dealers that they have to explain to buyers how to drive these things.

But I'm a novice in this area. Can one of the pros weigh in on this? I'd like to know if Ford's dual clutch publicity would make a Focus a screaming bargain or a potential nightmare.

The BMW DCTs and the Audi/VW DSGs work okay- but I prefer a true manual or a true automatic. As good as the German DCTs/DSGs are they arent as good-IMHO-as a good automatic like the 8HP50.
Ford's DCTs are either poorly designed or the TCU programming is substandard- or more likely, both.

There are numerous references to poor build quality resulting in seals leaking onto the clutches and need for multiple reflashes of the computer.

I guess what I'm wondering is if Ford was able to ever fix them.

I think the answer is "no" because if they had a decent one, they'd make it available in the Focus RS.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

cdnpinhead said:

oldfarmer50 said:

There's a YouTube video on "5 things not to do with dual clutch transmissions" that kind of explains things.

Which number is buy one?

IDK, doesn't BMW offer those? I know the Mitsu EVO had one years ago. Software glitches not withstanding I'm not sure what the problem would be. They do perform differently, like they won't hold you on an incline like a regular auto tranny because everything disconnects at a stop just like a manual clutch.

From my quick review, Ford's problem came from bad manufacturing (leaking seals and the like) and software that didn't compensate for real world driver's. There's also a video from Ford Canada telling dealers that they have to explain to buyers how to drive these things.

But I'm a novice in this area. Can one of the pros weigh in on this? I'd like to know if Ford's dual clutch publicity would make a Focus a screaming bargain or a potential nightmare.

The BMW DCTs and the Audi/VW DSGs work okay- but I prefer a true manual or a true automatic. As good as the German DCTs/DSGs are they arent as good-IMHO-as a good automatic like the 8HP50.
Ford's DCTs are either poorly designed or the TCU programming is substandard- or more likely, both.

There are numerous references to poor build quality resulting in seals leaking onto the clutches and need for multiple reflashes of the computer.

I guess what I'm wondering is if Ford was able to ever fix them.

I think the answer is "no" because if they had a decent one, they'd make it available in the Focus RS.

andres3

roadburner said:

abacomike said:

Hey, RB, what is the difference, if any, between my manual shift mode on the transmission "beer handle" stick and the shift paddles on each side of the steering wheel?

I've used the shift paddles for engine braking when deceleration off an interstate, but have not used the steptronic settings on the gear selector,  Thanks, in advance, for your response. 

If you leave the transmission in Drive you can use the shift paddles but the transmission will revert back to automatic mode. If you move the shift lever to the left when in Drive you engage the transmission's Sport mode. If you use either the paddles or the shift lever to up/down shift when in that mode the transmission goes into manual mode and will not return to automatic mode until you move the lever back to the right. If you turn the car off with the transmission in Sport mode the shift lever will move back to the right on its own.

What's BMW's position on programming for bouncing off the rev limiter. Will it automatically shift up in manual mode, or bounce off the rev limiter? Will it stall, or shift down?

Michaell

bwia said:

Michaell said:

berri said:

I was a little disappointed that the History Channel shows didn't delve a bit more into the designers like Harley Earl's Art & Color innovation. I also would have liked to see a bit of info on the independents. Thought the last episode was a little too focused on Iaccoca and Delorean. But by and large I enjoyed it.

Hey - don't give away the ending!

Hard to cover 100 years of American automotive history in 6 hours of TV.

Now, if Ken Burns were given the project ...

Does anyone know when the 3rd episode will be aired? And @Michaell, I thought Ford's patent fight was with the Amercan Society of Automotive Engineers. I had never heard of the guy (?) mentioned in the story. What's the real story.

I thought the 3rd episode was aired last night.

George Selden was the original patent holder for the automobile. The Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers was the organization created to align with Selden's interests and provide financial backing for legal action, such as against Ford.

Try this article for more information

ab348

bwia said:

The cars that made America. I have been watching repeat episodes of the history of the car in America on the History Channel.

Not sure about the accuracy of the story lines but I learned some interesting tidbits. For example, the Dodge Brothers were both killed by the Spanish Flu, and Durant, Ford, and Chrysler's shenanigans to survive and to control the burgeoning auto market.

That ran on the Canadian edition of the History Channel this week. I missed the first ep but DVR'ed the second one and watched it. I have to say I didn't care for it at all. The re-enactments were cringe-worthy. If you ever saw old films of Henry Ford not only did the actor look about 30 years too young, but Henry didn't talk the way this guy did either. In turn that made me suspect that the others featured like Chrysler, Sloan, Knudsen, etc were also way off. The only one who sort of seemed even close to reality was Edsel Ford, but not much even there. They also seemed to gloss over a lot of things and like a lot of these shows, repeated a lot of stuff several times coming back from commercial. When the 2 hours was over I deleted it from the DVR and didn't bother to watch ep #3. It's a shame, I thought it could have been so much better.

ab348

venture said:

ab348 said:

Saw an older guy cruising around with the top down yesterday in his BMW 1-series convertible - I think it was a 135 but not sure. It was painted black which didn't do anything for it, but to my surprise and delight it had what was almost a white leather interior, really more of an oyster or very pale cream leather. Someone got that part of the order correct at least.

You will hate the Subaru I just ordered.

I didn't know Subaru made a convertible!

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

roadburner said:

abacomike said:

Hey, RB, what is the difference, if any, between my manual shift mode on the transmission "beer handle" stick and the shift paddles on each side of the steering wheel?

I've used the shift paddles for engine braking when deceleration off an interstate, but have not used the steptronic settings on the gear selector,  Thanks, in advance, for your response. 

If you leave the transmission in Drive you can use the shift paddles but the transmission will revert back to automatic mode. If you move the shift lever to the left when in Drive you engage the transmission's Sport mode. If you use either the paddles or the shift lever to up/down shift when in that mode the transmission goes into manual mode and will not return to automatic mode until you move the lever back to the right. If you turn the car off with the transmission in Sport mode the shift lever will move back to the right on its own.

What's BMW's position on programming for bouncing off the rev limiter. Will it automatically shift up in manual mode, or bounce off the rev limiter? Will it stall, or shift down?

I don't know about BMW but Mitsubishi would let you do it at least in 1st.

Havn't tried it with theFord.

cdnpinhead

thebean said:

I think it might be fun for all us old guys to list the procedure they have had that they hated the most. I'll start. . . . After that, everything was a breeze.

You win. Hopefully no one else will compete, but one never knows.

roadburner

driver100 said:

I never bother with paddle shifters.....not worth dropping a transmission for the thrill of shifting that way. Using Sport Mode to enter a highway.....that is very useful.

How does using paddle shifters cause damage to a transmission?

roadburner

andres3 said:

What's BMW's position on programming for bouncing off the rev limiter. Will it automatically shift up in manual mode, or bounce off the rev limiter? Will it stall, or shift down?

On my car it will not upshift at the rev limiter if the transmission is in manual mode- a vast improvement over older BMW automatics.

andres3

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

I never bother with paddle shifters.....not worth dropping a transmission for the thrill of shifting that way. Using Sport Mode to enter a highway.....that is very useful.

How does using paddle shifters cause damage to a transmission?

Exactly. The computer won't let you shift down into 1st when your going 80 MPH down the highway. The paddle command will be ignored, or it will downshift into the lowest gear that doesn't cause the RPM's to red-line.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5T80ChZHH9U

Sandman6472

Our Foci and Fiesta's have all had awful transmission issues, just as discussed in the article. Ford obviously knew about it all and played dumb! Hopefully, they'll be forced to pay way more than VW did! Did see a '15 Golf TDI on the used lot of my VW dealer so they must've fixed this unit and is out for resale.
Shame on Ford for selling such crap...and knowing about the issues! Luckily, we only have a few units left. They did finally come clean with the issues with the Fuzion and fixed that issue. Whatever, will never ever purchase a Ford product because they still aren't that great.

venture

ab348 said:

venture said:

ab348 said:

Saw an older guy cruising around with the top down yesterday in his BMW 1-series convertible - I think it was a 135 but not sure. It was painted black which didn't do anything for it, but to my surprise and delight it had what was almost a white leather interior, really more of an oyster or very pale cream leather. Someone got that part of the order correct at least.

You will hate the Subaru I just ordered.

I didn't know Subaru made a convertible!

LOL...Now, now. You know I was referring to colors.

roadburner

andres3 said:

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

I never bother with paddle shifters.....not worth dropping a transmission for the thrill of shifting that way. Using Sport Mode to enter a highway.....that is very useful.

How does using paddle shifters cause damage to a transmission?

Exactly. The computer won't let you shift down into 1st when your going 80 MPH down the highway. The paddle command will be ignored, or it will downshift into the lowest gear that doesn't cause the RPM's to red-line.

The transmission in my M235i will also not allow upshifts to 8th gear below 40 mph and it will downshift to first when you come to a complete stop. So it's essentially a full manual above 40 mph- except that it will not allow a downshift that would over rev the engine.

driver100

stickguy said:

Makes me realize why I always liked stick shifts so much!

I liked them too, then I got older and realized...what happens if I break a leg or arm? I prefer a manual, but hard to find these days, and, I never know if I may have leg, knee, arm, hip, foot, hand, injury.

andres3

stickguy said:

they probably are dropping it because little cars don't sell, and they make more money on trucks. sad but true.

I used the paddle shifters on the RDX once when I first got it, just to see how they worked. Have not touched them since. Just no need really. The tranny even has grade logic, so if I am coming down a hill it will downshift automatically I think.

I can think of one reason to use them annually.

To make sure they still work, especially while still under warranty. I like test drives in the rain for this reason, you can test traction control systems and the wipers. Headlights for a night time test drive is another good example.

andres3

ab348 said:

venture said:

ab348 said:

Saw an older guy cruising around with the top down yesterday in his BMW 1-series convertible - I think it was a 135 but not sure. It was painted black which didn't do anything for it, but to my surprise and delight it had what was almost a white leather interior, really more of an oyster or very pale cream leather. Someone got that part of the order correct at least.

You will hate the Subaru I just ordered.

I didn't know Subaru made a convertible!

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

Makes me realize why I always liked stick shifts so much!

I liked them too, then I got older and realized...what happens if I break a leg or arm? I prefer a manual, but hard to find these days, and, I never know if I may have leg, knee, arm, hip, foot, hand, injury.

Well what if you break BOTH legs?

abacomike

driver100 said:

Makes me realize why I always liked stick shifts so much!

I liked them too, then I got older and realized...what happens if I break a leg or arm? I prefer a manual, but hard to find these days, and, I never know if I may have leg, knee, arm, hip, foot, hand, injury.

Don't forget head injury, driver.  Alzheimer's is another problem, as well!  

driver100

ab348 said:

venture said:

ab348 said:

Saw an older guy cruising around with the top down yesterday in his BMW 1-series convertible - I think it was a 135 but not sure. It was painted black which didn't do anything for it, but to my surprise and delight it had what was almost a white leather interior, really more of an oyster or very pale cream leather. Someone got that part of the order correct at least.

You will hate the Subaru I just ordered.

I didn't know Subaru made a convertible!

This one looks like a convertible;

driver100

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

I never bother with paddle shifters.....not worth dropping a transmission for the thrill of shifting that way. Using Sport Mode to enter a highway.....that is very useful.

How does using paddle shifters cause damage to a transmission?

One thing is, if used to slow the car on a hill, it won't damage the transmission, but it is harder on the car than just using breaks. That is, could cause wear on a relatively expensive transmission as opposed to cheaper to replace brakes.

Another thing is I was reaching for something in my wifes GLK, and I accidentally hit the downshift paddle, just as we were going up a steep hill. The car lurched to a slower speed, the engine was revving, and since I don't drive the car to often I pulled over to the side of the road and turned it off and then started it again so it would be in the proper gear....I didn't want to drop the poor thing into a lower gear.

All driver error, but, since I don't use the paddles I don't feel comfortable with them. I don't think I used them in my 2012 535, and I have used them once or twice in my E400s, but, I get nothing positive from using them.

Maybe in a sportier car....but, I don't get much satisfaction from them....doesn't replace a manual shifter.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

Makes me realize why I always liked stick shifts so much!

I liked them too, then I got older and realized...what happens if I break a leg or arm? I prefer a manual, but hard to find these days, and, I never know if I may have leg, knee, arm, hip, foot, hand, injury.

Well what if you break BOTH legs?

Hmmmm....never thought of that.
I guess next time I get a self driving car.