Which cars are fully automatic?

hj711

Please have more sympathy for anyone who drives these MMT's... They are not like regular automatics and if you happen to drive an automatic and think these are the same, then I strongly advise you before posting any comments to anyone else about it being their driving.. that you go and get a test drive in one, from around 2007-2009 and drive them in E mode NOT in M! They made them between 2007 and 2011.. or possibly 2010.. but in 2010 they had upgraded them a bit due to the numerous complaints about them.. to a smoother operation. However, there is enough evidence out there to prove that they were not that much better, still jerky when changing gear and still doing odd things like sticking in 1st gear with only way to correcting was to completely stop and turn off the engine and restart. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. The cars perform at a very erratic level.

Sure you could drive it in Manual mode but in my case I specifically wanted an automatic. Yes I know you are not having to use your left foot and all that but I really just wanted a full automatic.

This car is the worst car I have ever driven and in 42 years of driving many different cars and learning and passing my test on an automatic in the 70's in USA to driving a manual in the UK for 36 years, I am totally disappointed and extremely frustrated!

My car has been in to the workshop nearly 5 days in 3 separate sessions since early December. To date the clutch has been re-initialised, a new clutch on its second visit and this week its had a new actuator. Is it any better for all that? Not a lot better but a bit better after driving it about 50 miles today rather than short zips around the immediate vicinity.. I took it through its various paces on country roads and one long stretch of a straight level road to see what it would do. It is better since the actuator at reading what gear it should be in.. or sending the message to the clutch at gear it should be in but it still got stuck in 1st gear twice yesterday and once today.. however whereas yesterday I had to turn off engine and start up again to clear it, today it cleared after a moment or two of very high revs on its own.. but was a bit bogged down afterwards whilst it readjusted. I had a witness to the 2nd time yesterday it happened and she could see that there was no apparent reason for it, I was turning into a side road, having slowed down to make the turn.. was doing about 10 to 15mph... took the car up to 20mph to see if it would clear but it was just revving at 5k which was embarrassing to say the least, got a few stares from passers by!

But to be fair to the workshop,they are working with me on this and I am giving it a few more days to see what happens.. see if it settles down before I take further steps with this. I don't want to be seen as being a difficult customer .. I had always had good relationships with this dealership before and this whole thing is making me feel anxious and upset most of the time. This car took all my savings .. savings that were for a rainy day or a big bill coming in but I stretched that extra thousand out to buy what I thought was an automatic car because I know that in the next few years I will be needing one when my hip replacement will most likely be due for a 2nd replacement.. its my left leg. .. say no more.

I even heard of a story on the Toyota Owners Forum whereby a car clutch had overheated and Toyota sent out a technican to take the car in after it had cooled.. he had a problem taking it back to their workshop with the gears sticking and got rear ended!! He was an experienced Toyota tech guy.. what hope have the majority of novice MMT owners have here?

I also know that they know that these types of cars have an inherent problem re various things and that you will never really get a good drive feel from them in E mode. It is not an automatic and therefore will not drive like one.. get that out of your head straight away! I have had to do just that! And even though I have acclimatised myself to the car in many ways I am still anxious when in it as you never know how its going to respond at any given moment. I do not overtake anymore in it.. instead I am the little blue car stuck behind a tractor .. don't prejudge next time you see a car like mine.. it may just be its an MMT! Cut them some slack! :-)

Step 1 of the Sales of Goods Act seems to have been tried and failed.. that was repair. Step 2 is about to be actioned perhaps.. maybe like for like (except no more MMT's please!) or Step 3 maybe a refund. I sincerely do not want to go back to a manual but maybe I will have to and then when I really do need the automatic, buy one then.. the CVT's coming out now will be a few years old by then and cheaper and any problems with them will have been tweaked out too hopefully.

Anyone got any ideas on a full automatic please or a good reliable CVT.. have heard mixed reports about them in other cars... Honda etc being problematic. I am looking for a family car.. about the same size as a Focus or Auris.. and it needs to come from a dealership so that I can get a full extended warranty on it after this experience. Imagine how I would be feeling if I had had to pay for all this work at Toyota labour charges too had I purchased it privately?!! It does not bear thinking about does it! My budget is going to be about £6.5k

Anyone that has one of these MMT's and likes it because they drive it in both .. great ..I am totally pleased for you. If I had been told what kind of gearbox this was, I would not have bought one. When I queried the jerky movements on my test drive, I was told I would get used to it as it was because I had been driving a manual for so long!Hmmmmmm Uh... I don't think so.......

Joe_Horner

Flyboy152 wrote: »

I had a DAF CVT many years ago. The belts kept stretching and needed replacing every ten thousand miles.

We've got 2 (on road) and a 3rd we're restoring at the moment.

They're fantastic - Anglesey to Colchester and back in a day using 750cc of raw, aircooled, power! And SOOOO smooth!

In fact, we're off to Devon next week in the older one (1966 model). The belts last a lot better if you adjust them regularly - about a 5 minute job once you know your way round them - and even if you forget you won't wreck your engine of one breaks like you will with a cam belt! In fact, you can normally just carry on driving on the other one

andrew-the-cat

Any car which does not have a clutch is classed as automatic by the DVLA. It does not matter if it is a conventional automatic (torque converter) or an AMT (automated manual transmission) which has a conventional manual gearbox, but an electrohydraulic clutch (a lot use twin clutches). AMT's do NOT have a clutch pedal, and are therefore classed as automatic. Despite the fact they have the word "manual" in their name they will normally always have a fully automatic mode where you simply select drive and the car does all the gear changing.

That said I don't see what the problem is having an AMT over a conventional auto, I've driven both and personally I wouldn't care which I had.

andrew-the-cat

minimoneysaver wrote: »

Many thanks, so are we thinking that Mercedes and BMW have the traditional (non mmt etc) gearbox fitted? As a single woman, the car salesmen will say anything to get a sale, so I'd rather go armed with the correct information.

Most BMW automatic are tradition torque converters, however they do offer AMT's on their performance cars, I believe they are referred to as SMG (steptronic manual gearbox) and DCT (double clutch transmission).

anotherbaldrick

andrew-the-cat wrote: »

Any car which does not have a clutch is classed as automatic by the DVLA. It does not matter if it is a conventional automatic (torque converter) or an AMT (automated manual transmission) which has a conventional manual gearbox, but an electrohydraulic clutch (a lot use twin clutches). AMT's do NOT have a clutch pedal, and are therefore classed as automatic. Despite the fact they have the word "manual" in their name they will normally always have a fully automatic mode where you simply select drive and the car does all the gear changing.

That said I don't see what the problem is having an AMT over a conventional auto, I've driven both and personally I wouldn't care which I had.

Not so ! cars with the automatic DSG box such as VW group Golf etc are classed by the DVLA as semi-automatic, pre-selector boxes. I have just traded in mine.

w211

jackieb wrote: »

I now have a Mercedes c200k and that's a proper automatic. It has a comfort and a sport setting. I never take it out of comfort. This car is due a gearbox oil change in just over 4000 miles time. We've been told that's over £200. I'm sure a lot of people just don't bother with changing the oil and maybe that's why they have problems?

ukmike wrote: »

No,it has a comfort & standard setting!

Yes, I drive a w211 (google it), indeed it's a proper automatic.

The £200 for gearbox oil change is right. Make sure that the oil is completely flushed out and the filter replaced with a new one (quite often the oil is just topped up and the filter left as it is). Mercedes says it's a sealed for life unit, but it definitely isn't!.

If the gearbox has a C/S button next to the lever, then it's Comfort/Sport setting - comfort just changes gear up sooner, and the starts off in 2nd gear, while in sport mode the gears hang on longer, and the accelator pedal is more responsive. However, if the gearbox has a S/W button, then that's standard/winter modes - where winter mode has similar characteristics as the comfort settings. Also the reverse gear ratios are different.

jen_br

hi I only drive auto (canadian living in the UK ) heres ome cars ive owned that were fab

Vauxhall Astra Auto (no tiptronic etc)
Merc all classes come in auto I like the b class
Fiat I believe it was called a Meria or osmething like that.
VW Passat
Vauxhall Omega MY FAV CAR!


all fantastic gear boxs.

hj711

jen_br - thank you for the heads up on the good automatics you have experienced. I will keep them in mind for future purchase. :-)

CTcelt1988

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

Not so ! cars with the automatic DSG box such as VW group Golf etc are classed by the DVLA as semi-automatic, pre-selector boxes. I have just traded in mine.

You are wrong. People with automatic licences can still drive cars with DSG gearboxes as they are still classed as automatic. I contacted the DVLA and they confirmed that.

anotherbaldrick

CTcelt1988 wrote: »

You are wrong. People with automatic licences can still drive cars with DSG gearboxes as they are still classed as automatic. I contacted the DVLA and they confirmed that.

I did not say the DVLA would not let you drive one with a class B license. What I said was what they classified the DSG box as and what I quoted was what was on the V5 for my car